The Shirshus of Republic City (Legend of Korra)

[Fission Battery]

===
Book 1: Autumn - Chapter 1 - The First Stone
===

The crisp early morning air clung to Li's face, causing him to shudder and pull his scarf up with one hand. The other held on tightly to the pole in the streetcar, keeping him from swaying too much as it followed the tracks in the road and turned the corner, bell chiming to alert drivers of its presence. A necessary precaution as the streets were filled with trucks and satomobiles, traffic always heavy, even early in the morning. The interior of the streetcar was much the same, packed to the gills with workers heading to their shifts, and soon their seats would be taken by the weary eyed members of the city's night time workers.

Li was thankful he didn't share their fate. The ten hour shifts were steady enough but the work was draining and dangerous, unless one could land a job at Future Industries or similarly well paying position. His destination was far nicer than the grimy, noisy factories or warehouses of the habour, and as the streetcar slowed Li hopped off it, making his way to one of the residential apartment complexes down the road. His uncle had gotten him a janitorial position at a cleaning company that serviced a few different buildings. It was tiring, tedious, and thankless work, but better than slaving away in a workshop.

That fact did little to allay the bitterness in Li's heart. He'd immigrated to Republic City to find a fresh start, convinced by a few family members that had done so and told him he'd make it big in the city. It was a cruel joke. The only thing it had over Omashu was the women.

Li's brown eyes shifted to the passing form of a dark skinned blue eyed woman that ran by him, her ponytail fluttering in the morning breeze as she tried to catch the streetcar before it pulled off and continued along its track. His pace slowed to a crawl so he could enjoy the sight, lingering on the sidewalk until she disappeared into the streetcar.

"I love Water Tribe women. The way they move their body is something else," Li said to himself, a lecherous smirk hidden behind his scarf. He pegged her as a waterbender, the graceful sway to her step gave her away.

It was a little comfort if nothing else.

---

He reached his destination, inserting his key into a side door, and went to the maintenance section in the basement. There was a note waiting for him on the little desk in the corner, telling him about several residents complaining about a smell coming from an apartment on the sixth floor. Beside the desk was an Equalist poster, the masked face of Amon staring back at Li. He absentmindedly covered it with his jacket, hanging it on the hook above the poster.

"Some hog monkey doesn't know how to clean out their own pen," Li remarked in disgust, shaking his head. He'd found the residents of the city had no respect for anything except themselves. Millions of self absorbed jerks fixated on only themselves, and willing to do anything to get ahead in life, even at the expense of other people. Everything in the city was disposable, even their own home if they deluded themselves into thinking they'd strike it rich soon.

If nothing else, it was work. He'd keep his biting comments to himself and clean up their filth. Li grabbed his supply cart, threw on his vest and gloves, and wheeled it over to the elevator, hinges squeaking all the while. The smell on the sixth floor wasn't a pressing concern for him. He'd get there sooner or later.

---

The sun rose into the sky as the day progressed, and Li found himself harassed by tenants of the building. They were roaming the building, floor by floor, looking for him, and once they did they gave him an earful about the rank stench emanating from one of the apartments. They'd taken to banging on the door, demanding the owner open up and listen to their complaints.

The personal drama of the people was no concern for Li, but he knew enough complaints could land him in hot water, so he went to the sixth floor. It was on the eastern side of the building, taking the full brunt of the sun's rays. The crowd of tenants parted from the door for him, and he politely knocked on it and waited a few moments for a response he knew wouldn't come.

He'd seen it before, tenants unable to pay rent and skipping town rather than owning up to their debts, or worse, running some sort of illicit operation out of their apartment. 'Maybe some Ba Sing Se peasant thought he could turn it into a butcher's shop. Wouldn't be the first,' he thought to himself. Li fished the master key from his pocket and inserted it into the door, twisting the knob and pushing it open.

A putrid, rotten miasma rushed out into the hallway, poisoning the noses of everyone gathered there with its stench. The dry heaving and gagging began immediately, the smell hitting them all like a wave, forcing all of them to recoil from the open door. The faint of heart retreated and the sounds of vomiting soon followed, accompanied by cries of shock and terror.

Li pulled the collar of his shirt up in an attempt to cover his nose, and stared into the small apartment with mounting horror. In the center of the room lay the bloated corpse of a man, skin stretched and discoloured, flesh tightly pressed against the stained clothing. A thick black cloud of ant flies swarmed the body, greedily consuming the rotten feast before them.

Li responded to the sickening sight the only way he knew how to, immediately grabbing the bucket from his cart and throwing up into it.

---

It was autumn in Republic City. The time of year when the air began to take on an icy chill and sun would shine brightly for shorter periods of time. The streets overflowed with fallen leaves, clogging up gutters with their bright colours and mixing with other debris that littered the crowded roadways. Oil from vehicles dripped down onto the asphalt as they passed, running off and settling on the muddy mixture. It was a mess that turned sections of the road into a hazard for drivers and any pedestrian unfortunate to step into the puddles.

Police Detective Yahui heard the honk of a car that skidded around the corner, narrowly missing oncoming traffic before the driver regained control of the vehicle and swerved back into their lane. He watched it unfold from his vantage point in an elevated train, the rail car quickly speeding along as he made his way to his precinct building, still in plain clothing. The sight caused him to shake his head and let out a sigh, fogging up the window.

'You'd think they'd hired more street cleaners by now. Accidents always start to spike around this time of the year,' Yahui thought to himself with exasperation. 'Guess it's not in the budget, again.'

The train continued along the tracks, far above and removed from the cluttered streets below, sun peaking through the rows of skyscrapers and reflecting off its metal exterior.

---

It eventually came to Yahui's stop, and he stepped off the train onto the platform, moving with the crowd down the stairs to the street. Without his uniform one he didn't stand out. Just another thirty two year old man with short black hair and a thin mustache trimmed right below the nose, making it look like two narrow lines along his lip.

Yahui navigated the flowing mass of people with ease, gracefully stepping between people without slowing his pace. He reached the sidewalk and continued along to the precinct. The building wasn't nearly as large or grand as the Police HQ. It was a short four story office building sitting at the corner of an intersection, with an adjacent brick and mortar garage.

The detective made his way inside, muttering greetings to his fellow officers and civil servants. He went to the locker room in the back to get changed into his uniform and grab his equipment, hanging up his unassuming olive drab coat as he stripped down.

His uniform was dull greyish blue in colour, police standard issue, and cloth only. It was far less impressive than the metal armour worn by elite metalbenders, but served its function well and had the added benefit of keeping him warm. The jacket came down to his knees, pulled tight against his waist by a belt, with darker, navy blue pants underneath.

He attached his badge to his left breast, golden colour standing out against his muted clothing. It was rectangular on the top, with two pointed prongs beneath it, like the roots of a tooth bowed outwards and compressed. Yahui always felt it reminded him of the fangs of some beast, ready to sink into the flesh of some unsuspecting victim. It's why he never liked taking public transit while in full uniform. It made him stand out too much and put the other passengers on edge, an inconvenience during his morning commute.

He enjoyed the relative peace on the train. The badge would ruin that. It was mostly for show anyway, his actual ID and number was tucked away in his wallet. A symbol meant to warn people that the law was alive and active.

Yahui clipped his wooden baton to his belt, and patted down his jacket's cuff, finding the comforting weight of a pair of stone bracelets in the lining. It always paid to have a backup weapon. The locker closed with a click as he put the lock back on it, and stepped out, moving to his desk to review old paperwork.

Before he could reach his desk, he spotted the precinct's captain pop his bald head out of his office, narrowed eyes quickly surveying the space before settling on Yahui. "Detective Yah-hway," Captain Delun gruffly remarked, deliberately emphasising each syllable to get Yahui's attention. His voice loud enough to be heard over dim office noise. "I need to speak with you."

The detective shallowly nodded his head, complying with his superior's orders and walking past the rows of desks to reach his door. The captain was a man that was getting on in years, not quite old enough to be considered a senior but certainly past his prime. 'Great, I wonder what it could be this time. I wasn't even late today.'

Yahui stepped inside, closing it behind him. Inside was another police officer, a dark skinned man in a similar uniform to Yahui sitting across from the aging captain. His dark brown hair cut short, only reaching the back of his neck, with the top strands tied off in a wolf tail that nestled amongst the rest of his hair, standing out because of the bright blue band used to tie it.

Captain Delun motioned to the man, who was turning in his chair to greet his fellow officer. "Detective Yahui, this is Detective Imnek. He's transferred here from the Spruce Waters precinct." Yahui recognized the name, it was a former logging camp up river that got incorporated into the greater metropolitan area decades ago. Despite that it was little more than a borough surrounding a sawmill along a major train and boat junction.

Yahui politely nodded to Imnek as he took the empty seat beside him. Imnek returned the gesture, understanding they'd speak once they were done with their meeting.

"I want you to show him around while working on a new case that came in this morning," Captain Delun continued, pulling a page from a notepad and scribbling down onto it. "A janitor found a dead body in an apartment. It's a few days old so at this point we can't expect to do much more than notify the next of kin." He tore it out and passed it to Imnek. It was an address. "It's nothing major but a good chance to familiarize yourself to the area."

"Anything else you could tell us?" Imnek asked, taking the pause as permission to speak.

The captain shook his head. "No, that's pretty much it. You'll be the first two to investigate it," he explained with a huff before leaning forward. "I want it sorted out, quickly. I can't afford to waste manpower on a cold case when the triads are breathing down our necks. Dismissed."

Imnek folded the note and pocketed it, and the two detectives left the captain's office. They walked away from the door before speaking in low voices to avoid drawing the attention of any nearby coworkers.

"So," Yahui began with a lighthearted tone, a faint smirk forming on his face. "Enjoying your first day in our little slice of paradise?"

"It's quite the introduction. How is a dead body not considered important?" Imnek replied with a question of his own, baritone voice filled with confusion. "Homicides can't be that common here… Are they?"

"They aren't but if it doesn't involve the triads it's not considered a priority," Yahui informed his fellow detective with a shrug, smirk giving way to a frown. "If our mystery man is involved with them then it might be worth looking into deeper. Otherwise not much more we can do, unfortunately."

Imnek shook his head in disbelief. "How bad is it?"

"It's been worse. We haven't had an outright war in a few years. Just a few scraps between triads and injured civilians, for now," Yahui explained, frown deepening. It was like a game of whack-a-badger-mole. It seemed like no matter how many times they hit the triads, more crawled out from the woodwork. "Besides, there's a chance the cause of death could be natural and we're just picking up the body of some unfortunate bachelor living on his own."

"That's true, I might be leaping to conclusions," Imnek admitted, bowing his head slightly and turning his hands upwards.

"We won't know until we get there. Speaking of, can you drive?"

"Yes," Imnek replied, raising an eyebrow at the non-sequitur.

"That's good, means we won't have to walk or take a streetcar to reach the apartment." Yahui motioned for Imnek to follow him as he started off towards the garage. "We can talk more on the drive over. First priority should be to secure the crime scene, then figure out who our dead man is."

Imnek followed alongside Yahui, tilting his head at his partner. "And you can't?" It wasn't uncommon for police officers not to know how to drive, but detectives were expected to be more mobile given the nature of their jobs.

"I try to avoid it if I can. Probably for the best I don't sit behind the wheel," Yahui replied with a non-committal shrug, grabbing a pair of keys from the vehicle clerk before entering the garage. The squad cars were in a motor pool, first come first serve for those going out on patrol, with higher ranks having their own assigned vehicles. "I take public transit to work."

He walked over to the nearest police car, an open cabin truck with a thin glass panel for a windscreen and prisoner hold in the back. The police's symbol was painted on both sides of the back in bright gold. It and the red and blue lights atop its roof told people at a glance it was a police vehicle. The open design was meant for officers to literally leap into action, but instead it left them exposed to the elements and possible drive-by attacks. It didn't even have door panels, only a bit of the car's body covered the bench and prevented the driver from falling out whenever they turned.

They were hell to drive during the winter.

'Whatever Sato charged us for these cars was too much. Bastard probably laughed all the way to the bank,' Yahui mentally groused to himself, shifting about in the seat and bracing his legs against the floor panel.

Imnek didn't protest as he climbed into the driver's seat and took the keys from Yahui, sticking them into the ignition and turning them. The engine came to life a moment later, softly rumbling. Imnek shifted into gear and pulled out of the garage, honking the horn to alert other drivers before pulling into traffic.

---

"Well I said we could talk, so let's talk," Yahui began with a casual tone, settling in as traffic immediately slowed down. "Where are you from?"

"Spruce Waters, born and raised. My father immigrated from the Southern Water Tribe for work and met my mother, who was a local," Imnek idly replied as he tapped the steering wheel with annoyance. He wasn't able to sit back and relax, having to pay attention when traffic moved, even if it was a little bit. "I take after him in terms of looks of course."

"I can tell," Yahui replied, motioning to his partner with his off hand.

"How about yourself?" Imnek asked after a beat.

"I'm a native to Republic City too," Yahui answered as he tapped his chest. "If I could be bothered I could probably trace an ancestor or two back to the early colonial period."

"Oh, Fire Nation?" Imnek asked with a curious sidelong glance at him.

Yahui shook his head and laughed. "No, no, Earth Kingdom. The Fire Nation didn't give a damn about locals besides taxing them, so they kept pretty extensive records."

'The URN isn't that different in that regard, only the census office functions like it should,' he thought to himself, deciding not to voice his more vocal criticism of the government. He didn't want to start an argument with somebody he'd be working with.

"It sounds like you've got a deep connection to the city. That's a rare thing these days," Imnek remarked, relaxing a bit and smiling in approval. "I go to the Southern Cultural Center to stay in touch with my roots. It's the next best thing besides visiting the South Pole itself. Plus it's the only place in the city where you can find properly prepared otter penguin meat."

"Of course it's the food that's the most important part of the culture, you've got your priorities straight then," Yahui said, mirroring Imnek's smile and nodding in agreement. He'd tried it once before and found it an oily but fairly tasty animal. "How long have you been with the force then?"

"Four years, give or take a few months," Imnek readily answered. "I started as a crime scene photographer when I was twenty four and had a knack for spotting things the actual detectives missed," he said with a hint of pride. "I eventually found myself doing their jobs for them. That really annoyed them."

"Serves them right! Too many detectives aren't nearly as qualified as they think they are," Yahui replied with a chuckle, nodding along. "I've been an officer for nearly six years, but I did some work for them before when I was younger. It wasn't my first choice of profession, but I felt I could make a difference if I joined," he admitted without any shame. "No idea if I've done that yet or not."

"It's a righteous reason to join, nothing wrong with that," Imnek assured him with a nod as he turned a corner and shifted the gears again. "And of course you have, you're a police officer. You've probably done more out here fighting triads than I ever did."

"You're giving us too much credit," Yahui waved off the praise, glancing to the side and watching the buildings as they drove by. On the corner of one intersection was an Equalist with a megaphone, shouting propaganda to passing people while another handed out flyers inviting people to attend a future rally. "What about bending? You a bender?"

Imnek let out a hum. "Waterbender, and a healer to boot. How about yourself?"

The Equalists noticed the police car and glared at them, Yahui's gaze meeting theirs for a fleeting moment as the car continued onwards. "I'm a piss poor earthbender, I'm afraid. No good at the traditional styles, could never get the stance right. I mostly rely on this," Yahui patted the baton hanging off his belt. It was a bit of a lie, but it was easier to explain than the actual style he was proficient in. "It has the added benefit of catching people off guard if they think I'm a non-bender."

"That's clever. It's always good to have a trick up your sleeve," Imnek remarked, stopping on the road to let a streetcar pass by. The driver gave a friendly wave to the pair of detectives and rang his tram's bell.

Imnek raised a hand from the wheel in response, and shifted gears as soon as it had passed, quickly pulling up in front of a building and putting the brakes on. He double checked the address the captain had written out and glanced at the address written on the entrance of the apartment complex. "Looks like this is the place."

"Don't leave behind anything you don't want stolen, and remember to grab the keys," Yahui instructed his partner. He stepped out of the police car and gazed up at the building. Its grey exterior was accented by dark red shingles. It was relatively short, six stories tall, and only stood out compared to neighbouring buildings by dint of housing a dead body.

Just another day on the job.

 

[Fission Battery]

===
Chapter 2 - No Stone Left Unturned
===

The pair of detectives stepped through the front door of the apartment building. A small crowd of concerned citizens were waiting for them in the entrance, eager to show the two of them to the body. They rode the elevator up, saving them a trip up six flights of stairs and when the metal doors slid open with a chime, and the smell hit them.

Yahui's nose wrinkled in disgust and he choked back a gag, tugging at the collar of his shirt and covering his nose with it. Imnek coughed, frantically waving a hand in front of his face. The janitor that rode up with them grimaced and pulled up a bandana.

"It's so bad some people are waiting around the lobby until the body gets removed and the room gets cleaned," Li explained as he stepped off the elevator and showed the detectives to the apartment. The door was closed, and the miniscule gap at the bottom stuffed full of towels, in an attempt to stem the spread of the putrid stench. It wasn't quite working.

"And you're the one that found it?" Yahui inquired, glancing from the dark haired janitor to the apartment in question.

Li nodded his head. "Unfortunately, it's not a pretty sight."

"It never is," Imnek interjected with a grim tone. His eyes surveyed the solid wood door, intently looking over it for any signs of damage. It was scruffed a bit around the button edge, with one small round dent in it at foot level. "Was the room unlocked?"

"No, no, it was all locked up. I used my master key to open it," Li explained, patting the key ring hanging off his hip. "Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until I opened it."

'Locked door? Interesting,' Yahui mentally noted, brow furrowing at the information. "Any signs of damage, Imnek?" he asked his partner, watching him examine it.

Imnek shook his head, wolf tail swaying with the movement. "It looks like someone's foot caught the corner, likely a steel toed boot, but the lock or handle are fine. They'd be broken if it was kicked open."

"Alright, let's take a look inside," Yahui remarked to his partner. He turned to Li. "I'm going to need you to wait around, in case we need to ask you more questions." It was common procedure that the person that found the body was always suspicious, though that rarely held true for long.

"This part never gets easy," Imnek muttered, tugging the towels out and dumping them against the floor. He steeled himself for a moment, taking a breath through his mouth, before grabbing the handle and opening the door. The stench hit in full force, causing him to pause for a second before stepping inside. Yahui followed after him, shirt pulled up around his nose.

The room filled with the buzz of the ant flies. It was a small apartment, the entrance leading directly into the livingroom-cum-bedroom. A futon couch rested against the far wall beneath the window, its mattress in a heap in the corner beside it. A cramped kitchen was to the right, the single counter top separated from the room by a half-wall, and across from it was the closet of a washroom.

The room was a complete wreck, clothing and other items strewn about the places, draws pulled open and emptied of their contents, and a small lightweight metal end table smashed to pieces, its legs all over the place. At the center of it all, laying half-way between upturned futon and door, was the dead body. It was bloated, skin disfigured and discoloured.

Yahui took in the sight, slowly surveying the apartment. "I think we can safely rule out natural causes."

"No kidding. It looks like a fight took place here," Imnek replied with a grimace. He reached to the pouch at his waist and pulled out a portable camera. It was a higher end model, small and concealable compared to the bulkier ones newspapers preferred. It was something an investigative journalist would carry around on them. The leather flap was flipped down, revealing the lens and allowing it to extend.

Yahui let out a whistle of appreciation, impressed by the expensive piece of equipment. "I can see what you've been spending your festival pay on."

"It's Varrick Global Industries, top of the line stuff," Imnek remarked with a hint of pride, in spite of the circumstances. He tapped the logo on the side, a dark blue double masted sailing ship. He lined up the camera, the sun providing plenty of lighting, and snapped several shots, moving the lens to capture the sight of the entire apartment.

Once he was done, Yahui stepped over to the body and crouched down to get a closer look at it. He waved at the swarm of insects, scattering them somewhat. The advanced decomposition had made it impossible to identify, face a complete mess. He could only tell that their victim had dark hair, and that was it, even age was difficult to determine at a glance. The wooden floor beneath the corpse was stained black with blood and other fluids. "He was bleeding, from the…" His eyes traced the dried streams of blood, following from the floor, up the arms, and onto the torso. "Chest, it looks like. It's tough to tell how he was injured though, I wasn't prepared for an on site autopsy."

'Body's been here a few days, maybe a week, tough to tell. The sun coming in through the window and central heating turned this room into a hotbox. Sped up the process of decay,' Yahui thought to himself, corners of his lips turning downwards into a frown.

"We should leave it for the coroner. We'd only risk damaging the body," Imnek suggested as he folded close his camera and safely stuffed it back into his pouch. He walked around his partner, over to the futon and window, latch turned to hold it in place. "Windows are locked, no blood or debris on the sill," he observed with a hum. Outside it was a metal fire escape stairwell.

"Then whoever did this likely came in through the door," Yahui replied, glancing up at his partner before standing upright. His mind ran through the possibilities. 'The assailant could have been let in, maybe somebody the victim knew or under false pretenses. The lock is simple enough it could have been picked without too much difficulty. Thief comes in, finds resident still home, and confrontation escalates to violence. Most theives would run away though, but panic can make a person act stupid.' He shot a glance at the futon and mattress. 'If the victim was sleeping, a thief could have decided to take their chances, accidentally woke him up, confrontation turns deadly. There's also the master keys…'

"Li," he said, loud enough to be heard in the hallway, causing the janitor to hesitantly lean into view, averting his eyes from the body. "Who has access to the master keys? How many sets are there?"

Li took a second to reply, eyes briefly glancing upwards. "There's two copies. The building manager has one themselves, while there's one for us janitors. It's locked up in the maintenance room that we have to unlock with a separate key." He pulled out a single grey coloured key that he wore around his neck. "The master key isn't supposed to leave the building. If it's not returned, the last person on shift is in deep shit. Pardon my language," he added after a second, realizing he swore in front of the police.

"But what's stopping someone from walking away with it on shift and making a duplicate?' Yahui pressed, eyebrow quirked upwards every so slightly.

The janitor's lips were pressed into a thin line, eyes narrowing at the detective. "None of the guys would do that. I'm willing to vouch for them and they'd vouch for me too. We all worked hard to be trusted with this position, and none of us would abuse that," he said with determination, shoulders stiffening with tension.

Yahui studied the man's features, eyes matching his own for several moments before he caught sight of the body once again and looked away. "Of course, I apologize, I wasn't suggesting anything," he politely replied, expression easing up as he nodded his head. "I probably should have asked you this first, but do you have any idea who this man is?"

Li's posture sagged a bit. "I'm sorry detective, but I have no idea," he apologetically shook his head and turned his palms upwards. "I could go check the apartment listings for you though."

"Do that then," Yahui pointed at the janitor. Li had a look of relief as he excused himself, foot steps trailing down the way as he eagerly left the floor.

"He doesn't seem like a killer," Imnek quietly remarked, voice low enough that it wouldn't be heard by anyone outside the room. "It wouldn't add up either. Use something that makes you a suspect to kill a man and then report the body days later."

"I agree, it's likely not him," Yahui spoke with certainty, idly scratching at his upper lip through his shirt. "We'll have to speak to his co-workers to be sure, see if any do vouch for him. It seems unlikely to be them for the same reason."

"We'll have to do it after we bring the body back to the station," Imnek said in response. He was already thinking one step ahead.

"In the meantime, search the place, see if you can find anything. This is looking like a possible breaking and entering gone wrong, but I want to make sure." Yahui gestured to the mess around them before jerking a thumb towards the door. "I'll interview the neighbours, see if they know anything. "

"That's a reasonable assessment, but I'm wondering why this apartment?" Imnek rhetorically asked, hand resting on his chin as his brow furrowed. "It's the sixth floor of a building, down the hall from the elevator. It's an out of the way target."

"Who knows, we'll probably find out more once we identify our mystery man here," Yahui replied with a one armed shrug, the other still holding his shirt up over his nose. He left the apartment and dropped his shirt, taking a moment to adjust his collar. He had to look professional while interviewing people.

He pulled out a notepad, and went to the neighbour's door.

Yahui heard the sound of a song playing on the radio, which was turned down a second later. He heard the shuffling of feet, followed by the distinct click of the door unlocking. It opened a crack, held in place by a chain, as the tenant peaked his face into view. His caramel tanned skin, aqua marine eyes, long thin mustache that ran past his lips and turned downwards to his chin, and dark brown hair tied back in a braid gave away his mixed Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe heritage.

"Yes officer, can I help you?" he wariry asked, nose wrinkled as the smell wafted into his apartment.

"I'd like you to answer some questions for me," Yahui replied, clicking a ballpoint ball and holding it above the notepad. "It's about the dead man, your neighbour."

At the mention of the corpse right beside his home, the man's expression fell. "It's… horrible, just horrible," he replied in disgust after a moment.

"Did you know him?"

"No, can't say I did. I might have seen him in the hall once in a while, but given how many people live here that could have been anyone really." The man's eyes glanced to the left, then down, catching the baton hanging off Yahui's waist.

The detective knew the weapon made people nervous, probably more than if they knew he was a bender. It was out in the open, making it clear he was armed. He shifted his stance a bit, turning it out of view from the door. "Did you hear any commotion from the apartment in the last week or so?"

"I'm sorry officer, no I didn't," he replied, apologetically dipping his head. "It's all very shocking to learn."

"Have you been robbed in the last month, two months?" Yahui inquired, hoping he'd get something.

"No, thankfully not," the man awkwardly laughed in relief. "We're fairly fortunate in this neighbourhood. Well," he shot a glance to the wall at his side, "mostly."

"Can I get your name for the record?" Yahui replied.

"Sure, it's Kulrelo," he answered.

"Alright, thank you for your time." Yahui wrote the name down along with the information, or lack thereof, he received, and clicked the pen close. "Have a good day."

"You too officer," Kulrelo responded before closing the door, immediately relocking it. The volume on the radio turned back up a few seconds later.

Yahui let out a sigh, and shook his head. He continued onto the next apartment, hoping his search would be more fruitful.

---

Yahui had knocked on every door on the floor, one after another, and learned nothing. Nobody had heard or seen anything unusual, and nobody else had suffered a break in. It'd almost be unbelievable if he hadn't seen it before. People living next to a murder victim without even knowing it. It was the type of place Republic City was.

His partner's search had borne similar fruit. The apartment was stripped of money and any valuables. It confirmed their suspicion that the murder was a B&E that took a fatal turn. Besides that, Imnek had found nothing, no murder weapon, keys, or ID. The culprit had left no trail for them to follow. Their only possible lead they thought was the master key.

Li had come through for them though, quickly getting the victim's name from the building's listing. The dead man was Zhang, and that's all they had.

The detectives grabbed a body bag and pair of gloves from the back of the police truck. They packed up Zhang's corpse with as much respect as they could, grimacing in disgust as they moved it. It was brought back to the truck and they took off to the station to drop it off with the coroner.

The most they could hope was a cause of death.

---

Yahui hated the morgue. It was a cramped, tightly confined necropolis stuffed into the basement of the police precinct. The drawers that lined the walls filled with corpses, most awaiting their turn to be autopsied. The temperature of the room kept low to help preserve fresh cadavers, right below freezing to avoid causing freezer burn.

It wasn't an issue for the middle aged firebending coroner, her breath coming out in thick vaporous clouds and greying auburn hair done up in a ponytail. There was a spring in her step as she moved through the morgue, throwing away the dirty plastic gloves and washing her hands. Imnek didn't mind the chilly temperature or grim surroundings either, paying it no mind.

"Well, what have you got, 'Doc?'" Yahui tersely asked, glancing down at the cleaned up and cut open body of Zhang. The only upside to the room was it was well ventilated, meaning it at least didn't smell like rotten meat.

'Doc' Izoku shot him a glare of annoyance. "He was stabbed several times around the time of death, hence all the blood. Usually that'd be the end of it, however his chest was burnt." She motioned to a small patch of skin that was darkened and lightly charred.

"Do you think it was a firebender?" Imnek interjected, critically examining the chest and playing around with the idea. "It doesn't look like the usual burn patterns, it's too concentrated."

"Plus nothing in the apartment was burnt," Yahui remarked, dismissing the idea.

"My thoughts exactly," Izoku nodded in agreement at Imnek. "I checked him over and found this." She moved her hand down to Zhang's leg, pointing out a similar patch of burnt skin right behind his knee. "This didn't match a fire either. He was electrocuted," she said with a smile, proud of herself for figuring it out.

"What about the stab wounds?" Yahui countered, gesturing to the blade sized wounds in the torso. "He bled out onto the floor."

Izoku raised a finger in contention. "That happened after death, end of discussion. He was electrocuted and then stabbed."

"Huh, that certainly makes our job more interesting," Yahui reluctantly hummed in acknowledgement. He processed the information and considered what it could mean. "It couldn't have been a lightningbender. It'd be too loud, everyone in the building would have heard it. Blast probably would have thrown him through the window or wall."

"It might have been some sort of electrical device," Imnek mused with a frown, hand resting on his chin. He let out a sharp hiss of air and shook his head. "It's an ugly way to go."

"Something like that is deliberate. You don't lug around a car battery and jumper cables if you're a thief," Yahui grimmly remarked.

"There's a possibility that the murderer could have been a waterbender," Imnek interjected, holding up a hand to his partner. "They could have run a line of water from the outlet to Zhang."

Yahui tilted his head and furrowed his brows. "You can do that? I've never heard of that before."

"Sure you can, I shocked myself once when I was a kid," Imnek confirmed, gesturing to himself. "It'd still leaves it looking like a deliberate murder. Any waterbender could have easily immobilized him."

The detective thought of another option, frowning like he'd bitten into something sour. "That line of logic applies to metalbenders too. They could jab a cable into the socket." The idea that another cop could have done it crossed his mind. It wasn't a pleasant one. Not every metalbender in the city joined the police force, but it was still a fairly rare ability and thus in high demand. "Consider it a fringe option, but an option nonetheless."

The coroner dismissively scoffed at them. "Are you two going to stand around and throw out every possible option all day or actually do your jobs? This man was electrocuted and then stabbed to make it look like he wasn't. Those are the facts." She shooed them away.

'The questions of how and why haven't been answered yet.' But Yahui held his tongue, understanding she wanted them out of her workplace. He grabbed a copy of her report and left the morgue with Imnek beside him. They could do their theorizing elsewhere, while they followed up on the master key possibility. If nothing else her report gave them a better physical description of Zhang.

"Wonderful woman," Imnek quietly muttered once they were back on the ground floor and out of earshot. "What'd you do to piss her off?"

"Nothing in particular. I called her Doc for the first month I was here because I thought she was a doctor, turns out I was mistaken," Yahui sheepishly chuckled, folding the report and stuffing it into his inner breast pocket. "Been on the wrong foot with her ever since."

"You could stop calling her that," Imnek pointed out, giving his partner a flat stare.

"It's habit by this point. There's no changing it," Yahui replied, heading back to the garage. "Come on, we've some leads to track down."

---

The pair spent the rest of the day following up on the sanitation company and building manager. Both proved to be dead ends. Anyone that could have had access to it had a solid alibi and both keys could be accounted for at any given moment. Nobody had shown up to work with bruises from a fight or more spending money from a robbery.

Worse, none of them knew Zhang. There was no motive. No connection. He was a random tenant in a building, nobody important. The name was a meaningless word to them, it didn't even represent a person. Just a statistic in Republic City's crime rate. Another tick in the census office's yearly deaths.

By the end of the day the detectives were facing the fact that they had nothing. The murderer was long gone and they had no other suspects to follow up on. It didn't matter how many possible ways of electrocuting a man they could conceive of if they had no idea who could have done it. The most they could do was list Zhang in the obituaries. It asked people to come forward if they knew him and for next of kin to claim the body. Otherwise it was another cold case.

A life snuffed out, their passing gone unnoticed and unmourned. The thought haunted Yahui on his train ride back home. He pulled his olive jacket closer around himself as he stared out at the passing city. The sun had long since set but Republic City never slept, it's lights glowing brightly in the night.

'At least I'm not alone in this world. If I died, someone would miss me.'

It was a comforting thought that he had somebody to go home every night.

---

The next day Yahui sat at his desk sorting through old paperwork. The morning had come and gone, and it was nearing noon when somebody approached his desk.

"Excuse me, Detective?" he hesitantly asked.

Yahui glanced up. The man that stood before him was a squat fellow, shorter than average with the beginnings of a gut noticeable beneath his brown jacket. In his gloved hand was a copy of Zhang's obituary cut out from The Republic Reporter.

"I was told by reception to speak with you," he continued, sullen eyes staring into Yahui's. "I knew Zhang."

 

[Fission Battery]

===
Chapter 3 - The Serpent's Road
===

Yahui immediately perked up. He didn't expect anyone to respond to the obtiturary so quickly, if at all. His ballpoint pen clicked and he grabbed his notepad. "Can I get your name?"

The squat man shuffled in place as he carefully slipped the piece of newspaper into his pocket. "I mentioned it to the receptionist, but, sure. It's Tozi," he answered, motioning back towards the entrance of the building with his now empty hand.

The name and description was written down. "Thank you, standard procedure. It's for the records," Yahui explained. "How did you know Zhang?"

"He was a drinking friend of mine. We met at a bar near the southeast docks, real hole in the wall place but that made it feel private, you know?" Tozi rhetorically asked, minutely shrugging his shoulders and turning his hands upwards. The movement caused his gut to press against his brown jacket more. "The place is the Sea Serpent's Delight. We both liked to listen to pro-bending matches, so we were usually glued to the radio."

Yahui didn't know the bar but knew the area. It was home to one of the main ports for Republic City, receiving goods from all over the world, and thus a contested hotbed of triad activity. No one gang could claim ownership over it and were in a simmering stand-off, biding their time to make a big move. None bold or crazy enough to do anything that would disrupt the flow of trade that made up the blood that they leeched off of.

'If our man Zhang had any connection to it, it'd be big.'

"Could you tell me anything else about him? Where did he work? Does he have any family in the city?" Yahui firmly pressed, his mind kicking into gear and running down the list of questions. "When was the last time you saw him?"

Tozi held up his hands in a placating manner and leaned back from the desk, flustered by the onset of questions. "Hey, hey I wasn't that close to him. I just… saw his name in the paper and knew in my gut it was him." He dipped his head low, and ran a hand through his brown hair, slick with sweat. "Last time I saw him was over a week ago, maybe nine days. It was a usual night, got off work, saw him at the bar, got a little tipsy, and talked about differences between pro and amateur pro-bending. Nothing out of the ordinary."

He spread his hands out and motioned off to the side. "I didn't go to the bar the next day, I had to stay late at work, and decided to go straight home. Figured I wouldn't miss much. The next day, two days after I saw him," Tozi held up two thick fingers, "bartender told me Zhang had a complete meltdown. Guy was crying, drinking himself into a stupor, and wailing about getting fired. He didn't like to talk about work so I can't help you there, but I got a bad feeling when he didn't show up afterwards, and well, today I read the paper during lunch…" He trailed off, expression falling and posture sagging. "If Zhang had a wife or family in the city, he never told me."

The information painted a picture in Yahui's mind. He wondered about the life of Zhang, and who he could have been. It was more than he had before and opened up more leads. 'The bartender might know more.'

"Can you give me the bartender's name?" the detective inquired. He needed to know who to ask for once he, and his partner, got to the bar.

"Oh, yeah, Lar Fao, big guy, sea serpent tattoo on his arms and chest. He owns the place," Tozi readily answered the question, motioning across his torso where the tattoo would be. "Lar Fao practically lives there. If it's open, he's manning the bar."

"This is extremely helpful information, thank you for coming in," Yahui sincerely replied, clicking his pen closed and standing up from his desk. He was taller than Tozi and tilted his gaze down to meet his. "There's one last thing I'd like to ask you. Did Zhang have any identifying marks on him?"

The question caught Tozi off guard, his brows momentarily shot up as his head cocked to the side. "What do you mean?" he asked, sounding perplexed.

"A tattoo, scar, birthmark, something like that," Yahui answered matter-of-factly. The face was a mess, impossible to identify, and a young man with dark hair described a significant portion of Republic City. He wanted to be certain that the man they found even was Zhang. The possibility of triads being involved opened up the prospect that the body found in the apartment didn't belong to Zhang.

Tozi ran his hand through his hair again, letting out a hum and wiping the sweat off onto his jacket. "Uh, no, sorry detective, he didn't have anything like that."

'Great, it can never be that easy.'

Yahui politely smiled at Tozi and nodded his head. "Alright, that'll be everything. I've got work to do."

"You and me both detective, I'm technically still on shift," Tozi remarked with an anxious chuckle that shook his gut. "If you need to ask me any more questions, well I get off at six and prefer fireberry baijiu."

Yahui internally winced at the thought of consuming such a high proof alcohol on a daily basis. It was a good way to die young. "Go easy on the hard stuff, you can't give answers if you're black out drunk."

"I can pace myself, detective," Tozi assured him as he turned and left, walking towards the entrance at a hurried pace. His squat form quickly retreated from view.

'Time to grab Imnek.'

---

"We're lucky that someone came in. The description in the paper wasn't much to go off of," Imnek remarked as they drove down the bustling streets of Republic City.

"It wasn't," Yahui nodded in agreement, legs braced against the floorboards. "Tozi also narrowed down the time of death to eight or seven days ago. That was the last time he was seen at the bar."

"I'm amazed the body wasn't in even worse condition," Imnek replied, shifting the gear and turning the wheel. They were close to the southeast docs. The calls of seabirds became audible, the traffic, the cacophony of calls blending into the sounds of traffic. While most of the city was close to water, located on a coastal river inlet, the docks were right on the edge. It was where the stench of fish and saltwater was the strongest, and where imports from all over the world flowed into the city.

The gantry cranes came into view as they neared. The massive metal structures towered over the docks and ships that they serviced, moving a never ending stream of crates back and forth, offloading and then reloading cargo ships as quickly as humanly possible. It was another part of the city that never rested, night crews and flood lights ensuring there was never a wasted moment of idly. It was a tiring demanding job, one that took its toll on benders and non-benders alike.

'Dad made the right call, quitting when he did. He might be able to enjoy retirement with an unbroken back.'

Another corner was taken, they drove down a street that ran parallel to the port for several blocks. Yahui's eyes drifted to a food kitchen when their truck came to a stoplight. The window front revealed a bustling interior filled with dock workers, beggars, sailors, and other less fortunate members of society. They were all served a bowl of rice with meat and vegetable soup, a service given for free out of the charity of the volunteers' hearts. It'd have warmed Yahui's, but the stares from the Amon posters told him he was unwanted there. The two bouncers at the door, dressed in thick longcoats, glared at Yahui. The message was clear: benders weren't welcome, especially not the police.

'If nothing else their branding is on point. The place really stands out, makes it easier to build up support amongst the poor if they remember your name, and possibly keep triads away. They're less likely to try intimidating a place if it's guarded by chi blockers.' The posters acted like a threat display from an animal. The brighter the colours and more puffed out their chest become, the bigger and more prominent the Equalists looked. It was a necessary tactic to operate in triad contested territory, look like you were too much trouble to deal with.

The light turned green and the police truck continued along another block, until coming to a stop outside the Sea Serpents Delight. Their vehicle tucked into a space between an empty flatbed truck and forklift. Imnek grabbed the keys as he followed Yahui into the dive bar.

It was a narrow building, sandwiched between its neighbours, only a neon sign above the door called any attention to it. It opened with a bell chime, announcing the detectives entrance. The interior was dimly lit, the front window allowing only so much natural light inside. The entire length of one wall was lined with booths with low hanging lights over every one of them. On the other side was the bar itself, stoods pressed close against it, leaving enough room in the center for a single person to easily pass through.

There were few people inside. The lunch rush had already come and gone, and it was before the post work patrons would arrive. A few booths were taken up by stranglers off the street, people eager to get inside to avoid the chilling cold. It was a cozy place, despite its cramped interior, everything well maintained and kept up, save perhaps for the Equalist post stuck up beside several booths. Their corners worn away, some ripped in half, like they'd be torn down only to be put back up.

The large bald man with a tattoo across his chest stood behind the bar, barely covered by a tank top. He looked at the pair as they walked in and nodded at them, raising his index finger before turning back to a patron sitting in a stool, wrapping up a conversation before getting to them.

Yahui and Imnek understood him, and sat themselves down at the bar near the entrance. There was a radio on the shelf, blaring out weather updates. Yahui tuned it out for the most part, until he heard it segue into a news report.

"And in other news today, hopes for responsible government were quashed once more, as the Council voted against Raiko and Councilman Tenzin's proposal to give the Advisory Forum the ability to draft and pass its own laws in a majority four to one decision, with only Councilman Tenzin voting in favour of the proposal," the electronic voice announced, disappointment leaking into his tone. "This marks yet another failed attempt by the Advisory Forum to gain legislative powers, which has become a hallmark of Councilman Tarrlok's tenure as Chairman. The Chairman has strongly opposed any laws that would diminish the Council's executive and legislative powers, claiming them necessary to maintain balance in the United Republic. Raiko's United People's Party, and allies, have already denounced the decision, stating they will continue to campaign for the establishment of democracy in the United Republic."

A long suffering sigh escaped the speaker of the radio, followed by the shuffling of papers. "In the world of sports today…" the reporter continued on, voice perked back up in a facade of cheerfulness.

By the end of the announcement, Yahui realized he was grimacing and clenching his fists. He let out a breath and steadied himself, hands untensing a second later. The gesture caught his partner's attention, Imnek side-eyeing Yahui.

"That's a strong reaction to a news statement," Imnek remarked in concern.

'Feels like things are never going to change at this rate. We slipped the yoke of imperialism but we're still not free. How much longer can the Council last?'

Yahui flashed a disarming smile at his fellow detective and waved it off. "Oh it's nothing. Just… disappointing to hear, that's all," he replied, a sigh escaping his lips. "Nothing more to be said than that, not while we're on the job at least." He nudged his head in the direction of the bartender, who was approaching them.

Imnek nodded in understanding.

"Gentlemen, detectives," Lar Fao greeted them, spreading his muscular arms wide, flexing the serpent tattoo and smiling at the pair of officers. "It's not often Republic City's finest grace my establishment. What can I do for you two today?"At the loud announcement of their presence, a few patrons turned to the detectives and shot them dirty looks.

"Don't give them time of day, Lar," one exclaimed, jabbing a finger in their direction. "These wooly pigs do nothing to protect us and you roll out the red carpet for them? They should be put out on the street."

"Yeah!" another joined in, slamming their fist on the table and standing up, Amon poster standing out behind him. "We don't let triads in here! Why should the police be treated any differently?" That got a murmur of agreement from their companions.

A vein throbbed in Lar Fao's forehead. "Sit down Wei, you're drunk."

"I'm not even buzzed," 'Wei' countered, dismissing the remark. "Police are nothing but trouble and they shouldn't even be in here-"

"Did I ask your opinion?!" Lar Fao barked, cutting the patron off and glowering at the man. "In case you've forgotten, this is my bar and I make the rules, not you or anyone else." He jerked a meaty thumb at himself. "Now sit down and get drunk in peace, or get out."

Wei remained standing for several seconds, glaring at the bartender before slowly sitting back down and lowering his head. He reluctantly returned to his drink, nursing his wounded pride.

Lar Fao turned back to the pair. "Apologies about that, detectives," he said, voice dripping with annoyance. "Sometimes they hit the bottle too hard and don't think straight. As a responsible business owner I do my best to correct those types of outbursts."

"We're getting the VIP treatment and haven't even ordered anything," Yahui remarked with a subtle grin, unperturbed by the outburst. The worse they could have done was yell at him and it wasn't the first time he'd been compared to a gangster. They weren't wrong either. "I can see why this is a popular place."

"The behaviour of your customers doesn't represent you. It's nothing to concern yourself with," Imnek assured the bartender, shooting a glance at the booth with outspoken patrons.

"Your kind words mean much to me," Lar Fao replied, expression softening up and muscles untensing. "I've always tried to run a respectable establishment, where everyone feels welcomed, regardless of what some people think."

"Except triad members apparently, not a bad policy," Yahui pointed out, nodding in approval.

"Nothing but trouble, them, but I'm sure you two aren't here to ask about me about my business," Lar Fao replied, spreading his hands and turning the palms upwards. "What can I do for you?"

Yahui schooled his expression as they got down to business. "We're here because we need to know more about a former customer of yours, Zhang. He turned up dead and he was last seen here about a week ago. We wanted to know if you could tell us anything about that day."

The bartender's face fell. "Zhang is dead…" Lar Fao muttered in disbelief, gaze falling downwards. He pressed a hand against the bar, leaning on it to hold himself upright. "I shouldn't have let him go. Did he…. Was it suicide?" he softly asked, looking back up at the detectives.

Yahui offered him a sympathetic look and shook his head. "I can't say much, but no, it wasn't. We have strong reason to believe he was murdered," he said in a quiet tone, to avoid being easily overheard by other patrons of the bar.

"Murder?" Lar Fao echoed, recoiling backed in shock and confusion. "Who would want to kill Zhang?"

"That's what we're trying to find out," Imnek interjected, raising a hand and gesturing between himself and Yahui. "Which is why if you know anything it would help us a lot."

Lar Fao grabbed a stool from behind the counter and sat down on it. "Right, okay." He nodded in agreement and collected himself. "The last time I saw him he was in a rough place. He'd been coming here for years and it was the first time I saw him so distraught. It wasn't pretty."

"What happened?" Yahui asked, clicking his pen.

"There'd been an accident at the warehouse he worked at, he'd nearly been crushed by a collapsing pallet rack. It thankfully missed him since he wasn't hurt, but PRE fired him on the same day," Lar Fao recalled, his brow slightly furrowed.

"PRE?" Imnek echoed. "Where was this?"

"Oh, Pan-Republic Express," Lar Fao answered, glancing at the brown-skinned detective. "Big shipping company, has its own fleet of ships, trucks, trains, and even a few airships. They do work for a bunch of tech companies like Future Industries. They've got a couple warehouses over here at the dock. Zhang said they blamed him for the accident and fired him for negligence, but he said it was bullshit. He said the racks were overpacked with crates that shouldn't have been there and that whoever had done it didn't notify anyone."

"Which version do you think is true?" Yahui inquired, glancing up from his notes.

"He's been driving a forklift for years and never once had an accident, as far as I've heard. If he said he wasn't responsible, I believe him," Lar Fao firmly replied with a nod. "Zhang was offloading a shipment of clothing, but the crates that nearly crushed him were filled with armour, engines, airship parts. The works."

Yahui cocked his head. "Armour?"

"That's what Zhang said, a bunch of metal gauntlets," Lar shrugged and tilted his head, palm turned upwards. "Guess it was for the army. He stayed here pretty late, and I had to cut him off after a certain point. I didn't want him drinking himself to death. It took a bit to convince him to go home and sleep it off, instead of trying his luck at the arena."

"The Republic City Arena?" Imnek asked with a quirked eyebrow, ever so slightly leaning forward.

"No, not the big fancy one. The one at Iron Badgermole Gym, down on Twelfth," Lar corrected the detective, motioning out the door and down the street. "It's an amateur arena. Zhang liked his pro-bending, and if he wasn't here, you could find him there betting on matches."

Imnek shared a knowing look with Yahui, which he understood and reciprocated. The single word got both of their attention: betting.

Imnek held up a hand, cutting off the bartender. "How much did he bet on matches?"

"I couldn't say. He didn't share that with me or anyone else, but he never seemed short on cash," Lar Fao replied, face screwed up in thought. "He was there almost every other day though, I know that much."

"Did he ever get into confrontations with anyone, mention arguments or fights with people?" Yahui asked, flipping a page on his notepad.

"Zhang never caused any trouble. If anyone tried to shake him down, they didn't do it while I was watching," Lar Fao firmly replied, muscles tensed beneath his skin as he crossed his arms. The serpent tattoo seemingly slithered as it stretched and contracted. "I make sure people behave themselves while they're here."

"I noticed," Yahui replied, shooting another glance to Wei. Him and his companions doing their best not to openly glare at the pair of detectives.

"I think that's everything we need for now, thank you," Imnek said, standing up from the bar.

The bartender grabbed a business card from atop the bar and handed it over to him. It had the bar's address and telephone number on it. "In case you need to speak to me again." Imnek's eyes surveyed the shelf, quickly spotting the upright telephone hidden amongst a shelf of black bottles.

Imnek nodded and put the card away, and Yahui followed after him, bell ringing as they opened the door and closed it behind him. "This is starting to sound like debt collection turned into a hit to me," Imnek began, hand on his chin as a hypothesis formed in his mind. "Zhang bets too much, ends up owing the triad that runs the arena money, maybe a lot of money for a forklift driver. Then they hear he's fired, and decide to collect while they have a chance. They follow him home and shake him down. He's drunk, gets angry and tries to fight back. The situation turns ugly and they teach him a lesson by torturing him to death."

Yahui nodded along, idly scratching the end of his mustache. "It doesn't answer all our questions like how nobody heard anything, but it sounds reasonable. Let's consider it our working theory for the time being." He stepped up into the vehicle, settling back into the passenger seat. "You ever see an amateur pro-bending fight?"

"I can't say that I have. Why?" Imnek asked as he climbed into the truck and stuck the key into the ignition.

"You're in for a treat," Yahui grimly replied, a sneer flashing across his face for only a moment. "They're quite a sight, and not in a good way."

"Let's hope there's no matches today." Imnek leaned his head to the left, checking for any cars and finding it clear, before pulling back onto the road. The police truck rumbled along, merging into the constant flow traffic that filled the streets of Republic City.

 

[Fission Battery]

===
Chapter 4 - Iron Badgermole Gym
===

The winding route took them down an overcrowded road, where foot traffic intermingled freely with vehicles on the street. Pedestrians casually strolling through the gaps between cars at red lights without hesitation, the satomobiles simply another thing that had to be avoided to reach their destination. The streetcar angrily honking its horn, parting its way through the congestion, all bowing before the right mighty tram line, if only out of practical concerns for their own safety. The streets conformed to the grid that had directed the metropolis's initial growth decades ago, but the neighbourhood itself, that which existed within the confines of the city blocks, was left behind. The short buildings were old and worn down, picturesque facades long since crumbled, revealing the bare brick underneath. Narrow footpaths that ran between them all, their hidden corners filled with cramped homes that were turned into storefronts and business in the daytime.

It wouldn't have been right to call it a slum. It wasn't that far gone, not yet at least. The utilities still functioned, power and clean water flowed through their homes without fail most of the time. It was a luxury for those without homes though. The tight alleyways and spacious tunnels that ran beneath the streets were converted into densely packed tent cities inhabited by the homeless and destitute citizens of Republic City. Their number thinned every winter, and the autumn chill had already begun to take its toll. The bodies were usually found by maintenance workers checking on pipes and power lines, an incidental and distressingly routine distraction in their line of work. It was a mass of people desperate to survive every day, and unlike those at the dock there was little help they could find. Though it wasn't far, they might as well have been worlds apart from the stability of the port.

A tall man, dressed in a fine black jacket with red and golden emblazing along its edges, spotted the police truck. The corners of his lip quirked upwards into an amused smirk. He shallowly nodded his head at Yahui and lazily saluted him with two fingers, half-lidded aqua eyes never wavering as he watched the truck drive off, finally turning away when a child ran up to him with a package in her little hands.

It was Triple Threat territory. The only triad that made no distinction between bender ethnicity, and welcomed all that'd swear loyalty to it into its growing ranks. A truly cosmopolitan organization that didn't discriminate on any basis, one of few in Republic City. In their eyes all were equal to the right to incriminate themselves, so long as they did so in the pursuit of profit.

That brought them to the gym, pulling into an undeveloped gravel parking lot beside the two story building. Its entrance and sides were covered in faded depictions of a badgermole with iron claws tearing apart a punching bag. It aroused an amusing thought in Yahui's mind that he had to voice.

"I wonder if anyone's tried to teach them how to metalbend?" he asked aloud, lifting his hand and motioning upwards to the images on the wall.

Imnek shot his partner a sidelong glance, momentarily confused by the non-sequitur, before he followed Yahui's line of sight. "I wouldn't know." He turned off the engine and stuffed the keys inside his breast pocket to make it harder for any potential pickpockets to snatch them. "It'd be terrifying if anyone succeeded."

"It would be!" Yahui exclaimed in agreement as he let out a chuckle. "They could dig through reinforced concrete and metal pipes, bring down entire skyscrapers if they wanted to." It was a morbid but impossible scenario, something benign that entertained him, if only for a second. The low rumble of cheering and shouting was audible from outside the gym, foot traffic pouring into its confines. It was clear there were matches that afternoon, warm ups, enough to draw an audience and keep them watching long enough until everyone got off work and the real fights could begin .

"Thankfully no one's crazy enough to try," Imnek replied, glancing around to passing pedestrians. "How concerned should we be that we're in triad territory?" he asked in a low voice.

"The Triple Threats are better behaved than most. They wouldn't jump us, not if they could avoid it. The gym's probably legit too, but they've got their fingers in every business on this street," Yahui answered without much concern, shrugging with one arm as he walked around the front of the truck. "It sounds like there's already a crowd. It might be a bit hectic in there but also means there's a better chance for somebody to know Zhang."

"Do you really think we're going to have much luck if the place is filled with triads?" Imnek in a critical tone, following beside Yahui as they made their way to the entrance. They received dirty looks from a few people but none dared bother them.

"Maybe, you never know," Yahui replied honestly, unperturbed by the prospect of being stonewalled. The triads were quick to threaten violence and shake people down but outright murder, that was rarer, especially such a grisly death left to be discovered long afterwards. That punishment was meant to send a message and was reserved for the worst of them: traitors and rivals, not people who owed gambling. That could be paid off, sooner or later, with blood and sweat, but a dead man can't pay back anything. His stomach churned at the thought that their 'victim' might have been one or the other.

A bouncer at the door collected the five yuan entry fee from the detectives, his large associate setting aside to let them in, and they stepped inside. The interior was a large open room with a high ceiling, much of the space taken up by a surprising amount of men and women tightly packed together around a raised boxing arena in the center.

Inside, a pair of benders wailed on each other, exciting the crowd whenever they drew blood, while their partners waited in the wings, ready to be tagged in. The only protection they had was a padded helmet. A tall chain link fence bolted to the floor around the ring served to stop stray projectiles from flying out into the crowd.

The entire building whooped as the earthbender was caught across the face with a whip of water, staining the liquid red with blood. He rolled with the strike, tumbling to his side, before leaping back to his feet and throwing a stone discus at his opponent's feet as he charged forward behind the projectile.

The water flowed into a shield tight against the waterbender, stone breaking against its surface, but couldn't be redirected in time to stop the earthbender's charge. The larger earthbender slammed into the smaller waterbender, throwing the latter against a corner post and disrupting the latter's stance, the water harmlessly dropping to the ring. Fists met face with a meaty thump, again and again, drawing blood and stunning the waterbender as his larger opponent hammered him. The eartbender's leg hooked around the other man's, and they hit the mat hard, sending up a spray of water as the earthbender pulled his opponent into a grapple, pinning him down.

The waterbender flailed his arm backwards, whipping water into the air and freezing it as he buried a shard of ice into the eartbender's side. The knife-sized projectile pierced his arm, throwing him off the waterbender, who rolled over and swept the earthbender's legs out from under him.

The sights and sounds brought back memories for Yahui, his hands involuntarily clenching. He could still recall the sensation of bone breaking beneath his fingertips and felt the comforting weight of the stone bracelets in his cuffs. It'd been some time since he'd last done that. The life of a detective was somewhat more subdued than he'd initially expected when he first joined years ago, less fights required.

"Should we start asking around?" Imnek asked as he leaned in close to Yahui, his voice slightly raised to be heard over the mass of people.

Yahui minutely turned his head, his partner entering his periphery. "No need," he tilted his head towards the arena. "I know those two. We'll speak to them after the fight."

The fight continued on a bit longer, until eventually the earthbender's partner tagged in. He was slightly taller of the two, skinnier but well built, and a firebender. He too lost, dramatically going down despite being less exhausted than his waterbending opponent.

The crowd went wild, cheering as the ref declared the waterbender and his partner the winners, the former's head aimlessly bobbying with every movement, his gaze aimlessly looking off at nothing out of a swollen eye. In an instant cash was exchanged between people, protected bookies taking their cut of the profit and stuffing it into sturdy locked boxed. The pair of losers hung their heads low, throwing their helmets into gym bags, and left the fenced-in section through a gate.

The mass of people ignored them, letting through as they raced to crowd around the winners of the afternoon's match. Others moved on to the bar in the corner, eager to get drunk to celebrate or nurse their losses. Yahui weaved his way through the crowd, moving with the flow to get closer to his true targets before breaking from the crowd to follow after them into the locker room, door swinging behind him.

The earthbender sat on the edge of a wooden bench with his head hung low and arm held out, letting his brother wrap a bandage around the superficial wound. It was showy to draw blood, excite the crowd, but not deep enough to cause serious injury. It was quieter in the locker room, the swinging door providing some barrier against the noise of the gym. The lanky, ring-tailed form of a fire ferret raced around them, chirping as it jumped up and down from the bench in excitement.

"Hey pal, it's fighters only in here," the firebender curtly said. He raised his amber eyes to glare at Yahui, only to stop and body to stiffen.

"Mako," Yahui greeted the young man with a familiar smile, nodding at him and his brother. "Bolin." The fire ferret's ears shot up, head swivelling to look at the newcomer.

Bolin's head immediately perked up, gasping in surprise. "Detective Yahui!" he exclaimed in surprise, smiling up at the detective with bright emerald-coloured eyes, a red line across his cheek. He was a large man whose round nose and wide face gave the impression that he was carrying a bit of weight around on him, but beneath his shirt was a body of pure muscle, hardened by numerous fights and living on the streets. One of the few fortunate to survive instead of withering away. The bruises across his torso and arms were a testament to that ongoing struggle.

"I wasn't expecting to see you two in the ring when I walked in," Yahui casually remarked, the tension slowly left his body once he was away from the cacophony of noise.

"I feel the same way. I really didn't expect to see you walk in here," Bolin nodded in agreement, pointing a finger between the detective and lockers. The knuckles across his hand were split open, bruised flesh coloured red with his own and another man's blood. It trickled down his hand, droplets falling onto the floor below.

"You really shouldn't have because again, he's not allowed back here," Mako pointedly replied, refocusing his efforts on tying off the bandage and refusing to acknowledge the detective.

"It's easier than speaking out there," Yahui replied, unperturbed by the cold reception he was receiving from the young man. He jerked a thumb at the door behind him, and a moment later Imnek walked in, finally having made his way across the busy gym. Yahui glanced over his shoulder at him. "This is my partner, Detective Imnek. I wish I could say I was here to chat but we're working a case at the moment."

Bolin's expression sobered up, and Mako froze in front of his locker, hand inside to retrieve his stuff.

Yahui flipped open a notepad. His pen clicked and was held at the ready. "We're investigating the death of Zhang. He worked at the docks as a forklift driver up until a week ago and we were told he frequented this gym." The detective's stare hardened. "We heard he liked to place bets. Any of that sound familiar?"

Mako's brow subtly narrowed in thought. "I can't say I have, detectives. All the people that show up here start to blend together," he answered in a blase tone, appearing indifferent to the subject. He shot a brief involuntary glance towards his brother, eyes betraying his concerns.

Without missing a beat Yahui turned his head to the larger of the two brothers. "What about you, Bolin?"

Bolin shifted under the detective's gaze, hunching over to rest his palm on his chin as he crossed his muscular arms. He held the position for several seconds before speaking. "I did, detective," he soberly replied. "He spoke to me a couple times after whenever we'd be allowed- er, whenever we won a match."

"That guy was a drunken creep," Mako sharply remarked, throwing his gym bag over his shoulder before harshly slamming the locker shut. The noise caused the fire ferret to jump in surprise and it scurried onto Bolin's lap.

"He wasn't that bad. Just a little too friendly with some of the fighters. He never caused any trouble," Bolin replied, raising his hands and motioning for his brother to calm down. "Zhang wasn't a creep. He just seemed… lonely."

That caught Yahui's attention. "Lonely? How so?"

"I got the sense that he didn't know a lot of people in Republic City," Bolin answered with a shrug, sitting up a bit straighter. "He loved talking to people between matches, especially earthbenders. I guess he was an aficionado. I never saw him speaking to fire or waterbenders."

'Maybe he was an immigrant, from the Earth Kingdom or elsewhere in the United Republic, and liked to stay in touch with his roots as best he could. The name would fit but plenty of people are called Zhang.'

"Did he get into any arguments with people?" Imnek interjected, stepping further into the room. His voice was schooled and professional, unfamiliar with the two young men like his partner was. "Perhaps over money. We heard from an associate that he liked to gamble frequently."

"Money?" Mako echoed in confusion, losing his bluster for a moment and lowering the gym bad down to his side. "Zhang was a lot of things but he never got into any trouble. He was better behaved than most regulars you'd see around here."

"He told me once he only bet his drinking money for the night on matches. If he won he'd be able to buy a round to celebrate, and if he didn't he'd go home sober as a loss," Bolin explained, his hands idly brushing the orange and black fur of his lanky pet as it rolled around on his lap. "He seemed to stay true to that motto whenever we spoke."

Imnek frowned like he'd bitten into something sour. Their leading theory unraveled before their very eyes. "Are you sure?"

"If Zhang owed any outstanding debt, we'd know," Mako replied with a huff, before he realized the implications of what he said and scowled."I've got nothing more to say. I need to go speak to the manager anyway." The young man lifted the gym back back over his shoulder and walked by the detectives with a hurried pace, only to stop with a hand on the door. "Come on, Bolin."

His younger brother glanced between Mako and Yahui, then down at his own unpacked bag at his feet. "You go on ahead of me."

"Don't worry, I won't hold your brother up too long," Yahui reassured him, raising his hand, palm out, and softly chuckling. He didn't mean to put the hot-headed sibling on edge with the questions but a man was dead and it was his job to get to the bottom of it.

Mako let out a huff before exiting the room, door swinging shut behind him.

A second later Bolin let out a sigh of his own. "I'm sorry about his attitude, Yahui."

The detective waved it off. Getting on people's nerves was an unfortunate part of the job, even if he disliked it. "He's a bit overprotective. There's nothing wrong with looking out for family."

"Yeah." Bolin reluctantly set aside his pet and stood up off the bench to gather up his belongings. It watched him with a pout, annoyed at it stopped receiving attention. "Do you have any more questions?"

"Did you see him speak with anyone else often?" Imnek asked.

"Not as far as I'm aware. He'd have his drink and leave once the matches were done for the day," Bolin replied, emptying the locker out into his gym bag. "He didn't hang around the bar long."

'Seems like he preferred to do his heavy drinking at Lar Fao's place.'

Imnek glanced over his shoulder back at the door, then back at Bolin. His eyes wandered to the cuts and wounds across his face and body, the bandage on his arm already coloured red. "Hey, let me take care of those injuries." Imnek walked over and with a wave of his arm pulled a glob of water out of a flask in his breast pocket. It swirled around Imnek's hand, glowing slightly as he knelt down and pressed the water against the arm. Imnek's hands flowed back and forth, holding the water in place, before moving on to the next injury.

Bolin let out a sigh of relief as the wounds across his body began to close up in real time beneath the glowing water. The fire ferret watched the process with intent curiosity, paw raised and poised to poke the glowing liquid, stayed by a fear of the unknown. "Oh, uh, thanks, you won't believe how much this would cost," Bolin remarked with gratitude. "I was going to sleep it off."

"It's no problem." When Imnek finished, he returned the liquid to his flask. "There you go." Imnek stood back up and shared a look of understanding with Yahui. "I'm gonna ask around at the bar," he remarked, stepping through the door. He'd work other possible leads and let his partner speak alone with Bolin. It was a courtesy Yahui appreciated.

The detective flipped close his notepad and put it away, before slipping his hands into his pockets and leaning against the wall of lockers. "So, you and your brother been managing?" He inquired with a hint of concern.

Bolin responded after he threw on his olive drab jacket and closed the locker. "It's been… better than some months. We've found a place to stay for the winter." He knelt down and extended an arm to the fire ferret. "Up, Pabu." Before he'd finished the command it'd already scurried up onto his shoulder, chirping as it nuzzled his neck.

"If that arrangement falls through I've got a futon couch. It's better than freezing in the streets or trying your luck at a shelter," Yahui offered, expression softening as he dropped his professional demeanor. The badge on his chest felt like a heavy foreign object, a reminder that he was apart and supposedly above from the community that he served.

Bolin clapped a hand on Yahui's shoulder and smiled at him. "I will, thank you. It's a really generous offer."

"Have you considered the possibility of joining the military?" Yahui suggested after a second. "They're always looking for earthbenders to sign up. It's good experience, steady pay, and involves less fighting than you're currently doing. It's mostly land management and building infrastructure, carving railroad tunnels through a mountain or preventing a landslide before it happens."

Environmental protection enshrined in law was one of the few positive legacies of Avatar Aang, and one that the Council bothered to enforce for the most part. Pollution across the United Republic was fairly limited, especially compared to the clouds of smog that choked out the industrial centers of the Earth Kingdom and clear cut tracks of land.

Bolin's expression faltered, corners of his lip turning downwards and eyes looking off to the side. "Maybe, it seems like a big commitment though, and well, I've got so much going on already with Mako," he said with hesitation. "I couldn't leave him behind and if we joined up there's no guarantee that we'd serve together." It was a natural instinct, the aversion to such radical change. The mindset of a young man unsure what they were doing with their life, unwilling or unable to step outside what they knew and take risks that could shake up the niche they'd carved out for themselves.

Yahui knew the feeling well. The streets were cold and unforgiving, but they were familiar. The faces in the crowd were forlorn, helpless and apathetic to the brothers' sufferings, but there were always a few names that they could call upon in times of need, and suddenly that endless sea of people that inhabited Republic City wouldn't feel so faceless, if only for a moment.

It was a fragile and fleeting thing, that peace of mind. It lasted for a day or two, maybe a week if they scored a good gig. The most they could do was break even though, always fighting to hold onto whatever they had earned and not fall back into absolute poverty. Yahui didn't know if they were lucky or not to be benders. It got them work and opportunities, but meant Equalists food kitchens and shelters were closed to them.

'Maybe that's for the best. That's two less people for those crazy radicals to sink their claws into and twist with hatred.'

"I understand, but don't be afraid of change, Bolin. You and your brother aren't destined to spend the rest of your life on the streets, nobody is," Yahui firmly replied, pulling a hand out of his pocket and grasping Bolin on the shoulder. "Get out of this spider rat race while you can, before it drags you down to its level and burns you out. If you don't want to enlist, there's the merchant marine or company work. Bending is enough to get most employers to take you seriously, literacy and accounting skills are a bonus on top of that."

He'd seen it before, countless times, and knew that associating with the triads in any way was a dangerous business. It was a balancing act to do work and take their money without being drawn in further. The fact that they had the luxury of choice set apart them from others. Yahui didn't want to see them throw that away without even realizing it. Not many street kids could claim they could read or write, much less manage a spreadsheet.

Bolin's face scrunched up for a moment, before his expression turned pensive and introspective. "I'll… keep that in mind, detective, I really will. I'll bring it up with Mako, see what he thinks." He flashed a wistful smile. "Maybe this time next year we'll be off on short leave on Ember Island."

"You never know," Yahui replied with an encouraging smile, and half shrug of his shoulder. He retracted his hand and pushed off the wall, stepping aside. "Thanks for your help by the way. I've still got to ask around, confirm what you've said."

Bolin nodded in understanding. "Yeah, yeah, you've got procedure to worry about."

"I am curious about something. Why'd Mako call Zhang a creep?" Yahui inquired with the tilt of his head.

"Oh uh, one time after a match Zhang asked if he could feel my arms," Bolin sheepishly replied. "I didn't mind showing off for a fan." He lifted his arms and flexed them as a demonstration, muscle rippling beneath the skin. "Mako saw and thought Zhang was getting a little too handsy."

"That sounds like Mako, yeah," Yahui chuckled and shook his head. "See you around, Bolin." He turned and left the locker room, leaving the young man to finish gathering his things.

Yahui stepped back into the gym and that weight on his chest felt more comfortable than it had seconds ago. The golden badge served as a warning to any triad members watching him that the law still existed and was watching them too. The distraction was a welcomed one but his mind shifted back onto work.

He had a murder to solve, and the day wasn't over yet.

 

[Fission Battery]

===
Chapter 5 - Republic City Riviera
===

The detectives got similar answers from most people that knew Zhang. Yahui didn't expect the brother's information to be wrong, but it was always good to have more witnesses backing up someone's word. It also meant Bolin and Mako wouldn't stand out. Just two more people attending a gym that happened to know a guy. That suited him just fine.

The temperature in the air dropped further as the sun began to set, disappearing past the edge of the horizon bit by bit. Its rays casted long shadows across the city, streetlights turning on to provide illumination for the constant stream of traffic.

"So," Imnek spoke up, shooting a glance at Yahui, "how do you know those two?" he hesitantly asked, unsure how to broach the topic.

"I've run into them before. They're good kids that have found themselves a tough spot," Yahui replied honestly with a casual shrug. "Though calling them kids is a misnomer. They've been living and surviving on the streets long enough that they've had to grow up fast. I've tried to give advice and steer them right." Yahui didn't mention that he'd let them off on misdemeanors and petty offenses on more than one occasion. He wasn't about to saddle someone so young with a criminal record, especially for crimes born of poverty. It was a position that few of his fellow officers seemed to share.

Imnek hummed in acknowledgment. "Sadly that's not an uncommon story. I've had to handle more than my fair share of juvie cases. Kids who had to turn to crime to support themselves and their family. It's not a life anyone should have to live," he firmly said with sympathy.

Yahui quirked an eyebrow as he looked at his partner in surprise and exclaimed. "That's a rare attitude!" He chuckled and nodded his head in approval.

"I was a photographer before I was a police officer. I doubt many of our coworkers read independent magazines and newspapers outside of the big three. I've seen the work done documenting poverty in the UR and elsewhere." The police truck came to a stop at a redlight and Imnek looked at Yahui. He leaned forward to look past him and motioned to a group of homeless people in tents camped out on the sidewalk. "It's all around us."

"That it is." Yahui followed his partner's line of sight, and his expression fell. It was a sight that disturbed the detective, no matter how many times he saw it. People left out on the streets to fend for themselves, unable to reach the few places that might have taken them in. He could see why the Equalists would be so popular to so many. The scant few city run relief shelters that still operated weren't cut out to deal with the problem, offering little aid to so few people.

"I'm not sure I buy Raiko's message, but I do know that the Council needs to act," Imnek remarked, turning his attention back to the traffic. He shifted into gear as the light turned green and they continued along the road, leaving the tent gathering behind them. "I was pretty lucky when I was younger, even in times of trouble my father had friends and relatives we could count on. I had more than my fair share of free meals at the Cultural Center."

"My parents had people they could fall back on too. It's something of a privilege that so many don't have," Yahui said with sympathy, nodding his head and reflecting back on his own upbringing.

'Mom always had friends willing to help out and look after me. I took it for granted so many times. The stress I put her through…' Yahui felt a pang of regret over his youthful folly. 'It took a while to mend that bridge.'

"It's a sad fact that a lot of people in the city only have themselves to count on," Imnek matter-of-factly replied.

"In all honesty, I don't think the Council's equipped to deal with this," Yahui said with a tired bitterness that leaked into his voice and he dipped his head low. "As long as things run 'well enough' then they're willing to continue on as they have for years now."

"Maybe, but we don't really have a say in any of that stuff," Imnek diplomatically replied, minutely shrugging his shoulders. He didn't share the same opinion as his partner. "We're detectives, our job is to solve crimes and keep people safe. Anything outside of that is beyond our control." It was a polite way of shifting the topic, signalling he had little more to add to the topic.

Yahui opened his mouth to speak, ready to rebut such an attitude, but held back the fiery tirade and let it die on his lips. They were working a case and still on shift. He knew from personal experience that getting into an argument about the finer details of politics would be counterproductive. There was a part of him that also didn't want to needlessly antagonize the most open-minded officer he'd met besides himself. He had few friends in the force, and didn't need another detractor.

So instead Yahui smiled and nodded at Imnek. "You're right, we've got a job to do. And afterwards, I know an authentic seaweed noodle place. It's a good place to grab food once we're done for the day."

That got Imnek's attention. He glanced at Yahui out of the corner of his eye. "Oh yeah? I'd be willing to give it a shot," he replied, sounding intrigued by the offer. "You'd pay, right?"

Yahui softly chuckled. "Of course, of course. I wouldn't suggest it and ask you to pay!" He wasn't completely tactless.

"Then I'd love to," Imnek agreed to the offer, a faint smile on his face. "I always try to support local Water Tribe businesses, though in this case you'll be supporting them."

"It's worth it, trust me," Yahui remarked. He didn't have any issue with it. The job paid well enough that eating out was well within his budget. It was also preferable to going home hungry late at night.

'I have the luxury to do both. In Republic City that's something at least.'

The police truck continued onwards.

---

The pair of detectives returned to the southeast docks, turning off the street onto the branching side roads that ran between the warehouses.

On the side of one of them was the bright red logo on a white background that announced it was owned by PRE. They rolled up to the gate that controlled the flow of vehicles into the yard, manned by a security guard in a company uniform. She asked their business and her face paled when they said it was regarding a murder, quickly buzzing them in with the push of a button and giving directions to the manager's office. Imnek cautiously navigated through the crowd of dockhands, forklifts, and trucks, all giving the police the right of way, coming to a stop in an empty parking spot.

The detective entered the warehouse through a door on the side meant for foot traffic and followed the lines on the concrete floor to reach the office in short order. It was a little room in the corner of the warehouse near the entrance, meant for ease of receiving paperwork, and beside it was the employee break room. Along the wall facing the interior of the warehouse was a glass window. Yahui glanced inside out of the corner of his eye and saw that its walls were covered with Equalist posters.

'I wonder how many of them get their lunch from the food kitchen to make ends meet.'

He continued on, stopping in front of the office and politely knocking on its door. The middle-aged manager of the building lifted his head at the noise and stood up when he saw them through the window, letting them in and inviting them to sit down across the desk from them. A wooden plague sat on it that read "Wu Sheng Faculty Administrator." On the wall behind him was the cold, lifeless mask of Amon on a poster staring down at the detectives.

"What can I do for you today, officers?" Wu Sheng inquired, spreading his arms wide before clasping them together and resting his hands on his desk. The end of his hair was greying and thinning at the top of his head. "Something about a murder?"

"Yes," Yahui began, concisely explaining the situation to the manager. He left out certain details of course, sharing only what was necessary with him. The manager solemnly nodded along, an inscrutable expression upon his face.

Wu Sheng spoke once Yahui was finished, inclining his head forward. "This is a terrible tragedy detective, however I fail to see how this has anything to do with Pan-Republic Shipping. It's none of our business."

Yahui expected that response. It did little to deter him. "We wanted to learn more about his work history and behaviour on the join," he smoothly replied without missing a beat. "It'll paint a clearer picture of who he was as a person."

The manager hummed in thought as he leaned back in his chair, before nodding his head. "Of course, I suppose I can provide some assistance in that regard. Zhang was a model employee, at least it seemed that way, until the incident. He conducted himself well, but I can see now that he was sloppy and cut corners when nobody was watching," Wu Sheng spoke in disapproval. "It's clear that what happened was an eventuality, and his inability to own up to his role in it speaks poorly of his character."

"The incident being when the pallet racks collapsed, correct?" Imnek interjected for clarification, glancing up from his notepad.

"Yes, yes," the manager nodded in confirmation, frowning at the memory. He shifted in his chair, leaning an elbow on the desk. "He was stacking crates on that particular section of the warehouse and exceeded the safe weight limit on them out of convenience because they were closer to the door." Wu Sheng jabbed his finger on the desk. "Zhang's attempt to cut down on ten seconds of driving nearly cost him and other employees their lives, and tens of thousands of yuans worth of product."

"Did you actually see him doing anything strange? Did he get into fights with anyone? Were there any complaints filed against him?" Imnek pressed with more questions, looking for more information. It was the same thing they'd heard before.

Wu Sheng scratched the stubble on his chin. "No, like I said, he was a model employee," he gestured to the side, "until he wasn't."

"I'd heard that the crates themselves were packed with unexpected cargo, and that somebody else had put them there," Yahui interjected, changing the angle of their attack. He wasn't sure if they'd learn anything new, but wanted to see if the manager had any response to it. "Is there any truth to that?"

"Not this again," Wu Sheng dismissively scoffed and shook his head. "I see someone peddled Zhang's interpretation of events as fact. Zhang was on duty with the forklift that shift, offloading and moving cargo around. Other drivers were loading up a different ship in a different section of our warehouses." He jabbed the desk once again, before turning his palm upwards and motioning off to the side with it. "This might not surprise you detectives, but ships can carry a variety of cargo inside of them. Zhang was offloading a clothing shipment, but that wasn't the only thing in the ship's hold or on the racks."

'Not an unreasonable point. Could Zhang have simply been bitter about it and shrugging responsibility? It's possible, but doesn't quite fit how everyone else described him.' There was also Yahui's own bias colouring things. He didn't trust Wu Sheng on principle. It was always in management's interest to cover their own ass. 'Maybe they've been skipping maintenance on their facilities. The saltwater has a way of eating through everything, sooner or later. Rusted racks, long overdue for a safety inspection? It's possible… The question is does it relate to his death or not.'

"Perhaps you could clarify something for us then," Imnek said without missing a beat, looking at the manager with genuine curiosity. "If Zhang was a model employee, why fire him? By your own admission this was his first accident on the job." He motioned to the manager with the notepad and pen in his hands.

Wu Sheng's grey brows narrowed at the detectives. "His negligence nearly got himself killed and cost the company thousands of yuans in property damage," he repeated himself as if speaking to a pair of children, before exclaiming. "We're still repairing the damage he's done to the floor!"

That got Yahui's attention. 'A collapsed pallet rack and a few tons of cargo would be messy and dangerous, but relatively easy to clean up. It would have left a dent and bad scuff mark at most on the solid concrete floor of the warehouse, not leave it in a state of disrepair over a week later. PRE would have fixed it immediately to avoid slow downs.'

The hand on the clock on the wall moved, striking six, and at once a sharp bell whistled across the docks. Wu Sheng glanced at the wall before letting out a huff and running his hand through his thinning hair. "Anyway, that's all the information I can offer you, detectives. It's a terrible tragedy but there's nothing more I can say about Zhang." He glanced at the filing cabinet behind him. "I can give you a copy of the workplace safety report, if you want. I know how particular your people are about paperwork."

"We'd like a copy, yes, for our own records," Yahui replied with a nod.

Wu Sheng rolled his chair back and spun around. He pulled open a drawer, thumbing through it until he reached what he wanted and pulled out two sheets of paper stapled together. "Here you go, detectives," he said, handing it off to Yahui.

He glanced over the form, shifting through the corporate lingo and useless information, like the forklift model or serial code on the crates. It was clinical in its description of events, matching the series of events Yahui had heard from multiple sources.

"Now I'd respectfully ask you to please leave my office. I've got some work to wrap up before heading home," Wu Sheng remarked in annoyance, glancing back down at his desk and pointedly ignoring the detectives.

Imnek flipped his notepad closed and put it away as he stood back up. "Thank you for your cooperation."

Yahui stuffed the paperwork into his pocket and followed suit. He and Imnek left the office, closing the door behind them. The workers across the dock began milling about, most making their way into the breakroom to grab their things before leaving. Forklifts pulling into the building and parking beside the office, their drivers hopping off and hanging their keys up.

The pair of detectives meandered down the pedestrian path, going against the tide of workers, and stepped outside, making their way over to the parked police truck.

"So, not much to go off of," Yahui remarked in annoyance, idly reaching up to scratch the end of his short thin mustache. "Zhang continues to be an unremarkable man."

"It wasn't as informative as we hoped it'd be," Imnek replied, sharing his partner's distaste for their lackluster results. He crossed his arms and rested a hand on his chin, glancing upwards at the darkening sky. Their list of leads, as few as they were, were drying up fast.

"I want to check out the warehouse where the accident happened. Something doesn't sit right with me about what Wu Sheng said." Yahui pulled the workplace safety report and looked over again, picking out which warehouse it took place. It was nearby, its address painted on the side, and started walking across the yard over to it. He wanted to see the floor for himself to get a better idea for how extensive the damage was.

Imnek followed beside him. "What stood out?"

"It hadn't been repaired in a week," Yahui replied, passing more dock hands as he entered the warehouse through its open door and stopped in his tracks when his gaze met a pair of aquamarine eyes, set on a face of caramel tanned skin. Recognition flashed across both of their eyes, and in a flash Yahui was upon him, getting into the man's personal space, aggrieved by the sight of the man. "Kulrelo."

It was Zhang's neighbour. The man who'd sworn he'd never met Zhang before and had no knowledge about the victim. Yahui didn't appreciate being lied to, especially so blatantly. Most tried to couch their lies in half-truths, but that was a courtesy the ethnically-mixed worker decided not to extend to Yahui.

"Detective!" Kulrelo exclaimed in surprise, eyes wide and frantically backing up from Yahui. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"I'm here investigating a murder, maybe you've heard of it, given it happened in the apartment right next to yours." Yahui kept his arms by his side, only needing a stern voice and displeased expression to cow the man. He kept pace with Kulrelo's scramble backwards, forcing him back into the warehouse with his advance.

Imnek looked between his partner and the dock worker, and schooled his expression. He walked a step behind Yahui, presenting a united front in staring down Kulrelo. They were on the job, and it never looked good for police to ever disagree and not back each other up.

"Detective, you've got to understand, I have a non-disclosure agreement with the company, standard procedure, I'm not allowed to discuss PRE affairs with people," Kurelo hastily replied, raising his hands in a placating manner. "Disclosing any information about my association with Zhang would be compromising my own employee contract with them, so-."

"It's a good thing I didn't ask you about your work then," Yahui pointed out, cutting through the man's half-baked lies. "Now why don't you tell me what you know about Zhang."

"You know lying to the police isn't actually a crime, it's not even a misdemeanor, as long as the lie doesn't involve aiding or abetting another in criminal acts," Kurelo rattled off legal trivia, as if it would serve as a magical ward that'd stop the pair in their tracks. It didn't and he came to a sudden stop as he backed up into a pallet rack, bumping into its sturdy metal frame. He looked between the pair of detectives, realizing he'd been cornered. "I've done nothing wrong."

"Maybe not legally, but morally you have," Yahui firmly said, lips turned downwards in a frown. He jabbed a finger at the dock worker. "A man is dead, Kulrelo, a man you worked with and lived alongside is dead, and we need answers to bring his killers to justice."

"Look, detective, I'm just a worker, material handler specifically. All I do is move cargo off ships and back onto ships," Kulrelo replied, glancing to the side. "I worked alongside Zhang for years, okay, took the same tram as him to get here and I lived next to him too. I liked the guy, he was easygoing, never complained, and was reliable. You couldn't ask for much more from a co-worker, you know? He was a real professional."

"If you have nothing but praise for the man, why lie about not knowing him?" Yahui pressed, tilting his head and turning his hands upwards. "Did you lie about not hearing anything the night he died?"

"No, no, I didn't hear anything," Kulrelo frantically shook his head. "Though, that's because I was out late that night and passed out the moment I got home. Didn't go in to work the next day because I was hung over. I was still… dealing with the shock of what happened."

"What was so shocking it required you to get blackout drunk to deal with?" Imnek inquired, unimpressed with the man's conduct.

Kulrelo's face turned downwards, braid dangling down past his shoulder. "The day is still clear in my mind, I remember it vividly. Zhang was driving the forklift, carrying a crate, and passed by the shelving, when all of a sudden it buckled under its own weight. I thought I was about to watch Zhang get crushed but then he leapt off the forklift and did that…" His head turned to look down the row, and Yahui glanced in that direction out of the corner of his eye.

Further into the warehouse was a pair of two stone slabs jutting out of the ground at an angle, forming a sturdy shelter that was dented and scratched. The area was sectioned off by bright yellow tape, warning people away. The wall above the stone slabs was bare of its pallet rack. Yahui recognized the sight.

It was earthbending.

"Zhang was an earthbender," Yahui muttered in disbelief, dumbfounded by the revelation.

Imnek stared at the sight too. "Nobody mentioned earthbending before."

"Yeah, well, I didn't know he was one until that," Kulrelo lifted his head and shrugged. "The guy had been lying to us all for years about being a non-bender. It was conflicting, I was glad he lived but then I felt… betrayed, you know?" He shook his head. "You think you know a guy."

Yahui thought back to the Equalist posters he'd seen when they arrived. "Did that have anything to do with him being fired? Discrimination like that could land PRE in a lot of hot water."

Kulrelo winced and his frown deepened. "Look I don't know anything about that. The company fully complies with worker rights and protections. Mister Sheng said he was fired for negligence and well, that's what they wrote down on their little form and filed it as. That's all there is to it."

'The answer could be yes, fired for being a bender at an anti-bender company, not that they'd ever admit to it with such a convenient excuse available.'

"What was inside the crates?" Imnek asked, raising a hand and gesturing to the taped-off area. "Was it contraband?" The triads moved various illicit goods through the docks on the regular, and sometimes mundane goods that they simply wanted to avoid paying tariffs on.

"What? No," Kulrelo incredulously replied. "It was engine parts for cars and airships. It could have been Cabbage Corp or Future Industry stuff. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"No metal gauntlets?" Yahui remarked. It was a detail that stood out to him, if only for how unusual it was.

"Maybe?" Kulrelo non-committedly replied, lifting his hands up in a shrug. "I was more focused on my co-worker nearly being crushed to death." He looked past the detectives. "I'm sorry that I lied before, but that's all I know. Now if I'm not being detained, I'm leaving." He brushed past Yahui, leaving the warehouse with a hurried pace.

Imnekt shot a glance at Yahui, who shook his head and motioned to his partner to let him go. He felt they'd gleaned all the could from the man, who was well within his rights to tell them off and walk away. Yahui also knew he'd be well within his 'rights' to throw accusations left, right, and center, and threaten to rake Kulrelo over the coals for a laundry list of crimes he may have committed. Just pin all the blame on him if he didn't cooperate, even if he had nothing else to give.

The 'third degree' was a time-honoured tradition, one which Yahui refused to participate in. He knew the information and confessions gained were worthless, nothing more than a formality meant to confirm an officer's own suspicions or biases. A person would break under the pressure, even if a hand was never laid on them.

So Yahui let Kulrelo walk away. It wasn't letting him go, like some of his colleagues would put it. He knew where the man lived, worked, and drank. The three of those together were enough to effectively track anyone, almost trivially. If Yahui needed to speak with Kulrelo again, he'd do so, and rather easily at that.

That still left them in a situation without anywhere else to go. Kulrelo only further confirmed what they knew, and backed up what everyone had said about Zhang, but it did reveal a big piece of information.

He looked at his partner and motioned to follow him. "We should speak more once we're away from here."

"I couldn't agree more. I've got some new ideas on the case," Imnek remarked, walking alongside Yahui. They'd discuss their thoughts once they were away from prying eyes and ears.

'Zhang was an earthbender,' Yahui said again in his mind. The words completed the picture they'd built of the man. The only thing they had to do was figure out how it all fit together with the rest of the information they'd gathered over the last two days.

It was a task easier said than done.

 

[Fission Battery]

===
Chapter 6 - The Few Good Men?
===

The detectives drove away from the dockyard. The sidewalks and roads were packed by a mass of people getting off work and their night shift replacements coming in to take their place. The businesses that lined the streets of Republic City eagerly awaited the crowd that would rush their doors. It was when they made their money, providing food, drinks, and entertainment to customers that were desperate to forget the drudgery of their daily lives. They'd spend hours there before meandering back their apartments to sleep off their hangover and begin the cycle anew the next day. The never ending grind of life in Republic City.

The pace of traffic was slow, vehicles packed bumper to bumper; even the streetcar was delayed. Pedestrians casually weaved their way through the few empty spaces between the cars while they were stopped, making the scene look like a less festive parade. It wouldn't last for long as people reached their destinations. The open-air cabin of the police truck left Yahui feeling vulnerable.

It wasn't the ideal time and place to discuss their new discovery, but he knew no one was paying them any mind. Most went out of their way to avoid looking at the pair of detectives.

"So Zhang was an earthbender," Imnek began, restating their discovery as he tapped his fingers against the wheel.

"It certainly paints him in a different light," Yahui replied as he scratched the end of his mustache. "It seems like he hid that fact well. Nobody else mentioned it."

"I can't imagine hiding your bending for so long. It's like hiding you're left-handed. It's just a part of you," Imnek remarked in disbelief, shaking his head. It was an attitude Yahui shared. There were plenty of benders who didn't focus their abilities as much as others, but nonetheless still considered it a part of themselves. It was something that they were born with and also a skill that could be refined and trained.

"We know his schedule too. Ten hour shifts, six days a week, it doesn't leave much free time to bend," Yahui said. They weren't sure what he did on his day off. The apartment had no clues, and nobody had mentioned what he might have done. It was a blank spot they'd have to accept. "The closest thing that came to it was pro-bending."

"You think he liked to vicariously live through them?" Imnek spared his partner a glance, before looking back at the light as it turned green and putting the truck back into shift. "He did only speak to the earthbenders."

"Yeah, I think so. He wouldn't be able to do it himself, so he watches others do it and talks to them afterwards," Yahui mused out loud. It helped him to think. It forced stray thoughts into words and made them feel real, more coherent. "Given what we've learned we can probably rule out a triad attack. Zhang kept his head low and didn't cause trouble. Triads are ruthless but they won't kill some random dockworker."

"The gambling theory was already dead in the water. That doesn't leave a lot of suspects left," Imnek replied, his brow furrowing in thought. He turned the wheel as they rounded a corner, shifting gears once more. It was a clean fluid motion, done without any thought. "Equalists maybe?" he suggested, sounding unsure of the idea himself and shrugging his shoulders.

"They hate benders but tend to reserve their ire for triad members, and infamous ones at that. Zhang doesn't fit that. He's a dockworker." The line of thought troubled Yahui. It wasn't unusual for certain notorious triad members to show up dead, their bones broken at chi points on the body to make it clear who was responsible. The Equalists never publicly took credit for any kills, but people on the streets knew. It was why triads avoided Equalist establishments for the most part.

It didn't answer the question though. "Why go after Zhang? Did somebody think he was a triad member?" Yahui remarked, glancing at his partner to gauge his thoughts.

"It's unlikely. The only possible point of contact between Zhang and the triads was at the gym. If an Equalist saw him there they'd have no reason to think he was a gangster," Imnek pointed out. "Equalists also don't electrocute people to death, unless we want to run with the car battery idea."

"It's about as equally likely as the water or metalbender idea at this point," Yahui remarked with a frown. "Everything about it says this was personal but so far we've found no one with a personal grudge against him."

"What about his co-worker? He said he felt betrayed," Imnek pointed out, taking one hand off the wheel and gesturing with it, turning his palm upwards. "That's the harshest thing anyone's said they felt about Zhang."

"It's a possibility," Yahui replied, weighing the idea in his head, "but it strikes me… as unlikely. Kulrelo didn't sound that close to Zhang, not close enough that he'd be driven to murder, because why? He's upset that his co-worker was a bender? That's pretty extreme." Everything they'd learned about Zhang painted the picture of a man who kept his distance from other people, somebody without close connections. "We could ask Lar Fao if Kulrelo stayed late the night Zhang was murdered, but that assumes he was drinking there that night."

"We could bring him in for questioning," Imnek suggested. "He seemed evasive so he could be hiding something."

"He could also be scared to talk to us, most people are," Yahui pointed out, raising a hand and motioning between the two of them. He then shrugged. "He did lie to us though and his reasoning makes me think he's not hiding something. The company is."

"That crossed my mind as well. It wouldn't be the first time a company's tried to cover up shady business practices. Killing a former employee to keep him silent? It's not impossible," Imnek remarked with a grimace. The corners of his lips turning down and brow furrowing.

"Kulrelo must have known something had happened to Zhang. He didn't see him for days and instead of knocking on his door or alerting anyone, he stayed silent then lied to us about it," Yahui said, moving his hand to his chin. The series of events played out in his mind and it made a disturbing amount of sense. Zhang nearly died due to possibly lax safety standards and was subsequently fired for bullshit reasons. It'd have been an easy lawsuit, one that would have caught the attention of UPP or Equalist lawyers and been a guarantee win against PRE. The type of lawsuit that results in government agencies doing their job for once for easy publicity.

'Would PRE kill their own employee to cover up potential corruption and neglect?' He already knew the answer and his frown deepened into a sneer. He'd believe it in an instant. 'They're almost as oppressive as the triads are. They cloak themselves in civility and professionalism to hide it. As if unemployment and starving on the street are somehow more civil than shoving a fireball in someone's face.'

"This case may be bigger than we first expected, if this angle pangs out," Imnek replied, tempering his expectations. In the span of two days every possible theory had gotten thrown out almost as soon as they'd developed it.

"If," Yahui echoed the word with a nod. "It seems like the best avenue to pursue. He was killed on the day he was fired. It could be a coincidence but I doubt that."

Imnek hummed in agreement.

"Hey, that seaweed noodle place I mentioned is nearby," Yahui pointed to the turn ahead and jerked his thumb to the right, perking up somewhat. He hadn't eaten in hours and the thought of warm food was an appealing one. "Just down that street."

"Alright, I could go for it," Imnek replied, switching lanes and turning at the corner. The turn signals lit up, blinking to warn the other drivers to avoid him.

---

The noodle shop was a small restaurant. Just one of many businesses in a row along the block. They parked the police truck along the street out front, fortunate that there was an open space. A curtain hung from the top of the door frame that came down to about shoulder height, light from the interior shining out onto the damp sidewalk outside.

Yahui brushed it aside as they entered. It was filled with a small crowd of people, a moderate turnout for the night with plenty of open tables available. He spotted a corner booth and gestured for Imnek to follow him as they made their way over to it and claimed it, sliding into opposite benches. Yahui took the side that gave him a clear view of the restaurant while keeping the entrance in his peripheral vision. Menus sat on the table, and Imnek began to look it over.

"A combo platter of noodles that comes with arctic hippo cutlets and a side of deep fried fish pastries," Imnek hummed and smiled in approval. He glanced up at Yahui and snapped the menu shut with one hand. "Well I know what I'm getting."

Yahui chuckled and nodded his head. "Exquisite taste, partner. I'll get the same thing." He mimicked Imnek, snapping his menu closed and waved down the server, quickly placing their orders.

Imnek glanced around the place to take in its interior. It was quaint and cozy with natural earthy colours, decorated by Water Tribe artwork and wood carvings. The heat of the kitchen and bodies kept the restaurant warm in spite of the open door, making it a welcome shelter from the chilly air outside. "This isn't a half bad place. I might turn into a regular," he remarked.

"Wait till you actually try the food," Yahui replied with a smile. It didn't take long for their orders to be served, bowls filled to the brim with broth and noodles placed in front of them alongside a platter of succulent meat and fried pastries. Conversation died as they turned their attention to the small feast spread out before them. The silent air filled with the sound of a slow, smooth jazz song on the radio, the dim noises of the city streets providing ambience.

---

"So," Yahui said as he leaned back in his booth, empty dishes laid out before him, "how have you been enjoying your first couple days in the precinct?"

"It's not quite what I expected," Imnek answered after a moment, his brow furrowed and he dumped his crumpled up napkin in his empty bowl. "Like I said before, a dead body isn't considered routine in Spruce Waters. This case has been unconventional from the beginning."

"Take it from me when I say this is an odd one," Yahui replied in a hushed voice and shallowly shrugged his shoulders. "It's not everyday that a company put a hit out on a former employee… potentially," he added after a moment.

"We'll look into any previous complaints against the company and check when their last safety inspection was," Imnek said, hand on his chin. His mind was already running through the tasks ahead of them. "See if they've got a history of incidents."

"Which means a day in the office requesting copies of forms, if any exist. I'll run you through the process." It was the inglorious part of the job. Yahui found it a humbling reminder that he was technically a civil servant. It was a lesson that few of his colleagues ever bothered to learn, much less took to heart. "And what do you think of working with me so far?" He quirked his eyebrow.

Imnek was perplexed by the question, tilting his head ever so slightly in response. "I would say we make a good team so far. Why do you ask?"

Yahui turned his palms upward and spread his arms apart, then shrugged. "People around the precinct talk and I know I've got a reputation. I'm not sure how much you might have heard about me from the Captain."

Imnek's expression turned inscrutable. His eyes glanced to the side and spoke with a hint of unease. "He said you could be difficult. That you weren't a team player." He raised a hand and waved it to the side. "Whatever history that's between you two has coloured his perspective. You're a good partner."

The words elicited a warm genuine smile from Yahui. "That's very kind of you to say, but," his smile turned sardonic and tone became self-deprecating. "I'm afraid the Captain's right. There's a reason I wasn't with the other detectives working a triad case and was free to show you the ropes. I tend not to play well with others. I've even gotten into fights with other officers before." He casually threw his arms up.

Yahui liked Imnek. The man had made a good impression on him in the two days they knew each other. That's why Yahui wanted to say his piece before unspoken assumptions and rumors could plant themselves in Imnek's head. It was like ripping off a bandage. 'Better to get it over and done with before I get my hopes up. He doesn't seem like the rest.'

Imnek stared at Yahui as he brought his hands together across his chest. "You don't seem like a violent man. Arguments between co-workers can happen. Did you have your reasons?"

"They wanted to shake down a kid for loitering in a public park, then escalated to resisting arrest and assaulting an officer when the kid panicked and ran into me," Yahui recounted the incident with a frown. "According to Captain Delun, that makes me a 'bad cop.' Said I shouldn't have broken rank and just filed a complaint afterwards." He jabbed a finger onto the table. "Like I'm supposed to let thugs and bullies get away with anything because they've got a badge and they're picking on people that don't. These aren't corrupt cops but that doesn't excuse anything."

"It sounds like you hold yourself and your fellow officers to a higher standard. That should be the standard. It's commendable," Imnek said with approval as he unfolded his arms and shrugged. "I've had to work with a few cops that let the badge go to their head. It's never a pleasant experience."

"Something we have in common then," Yahui remarked with a tired grin, leaning back and relaxing slightly. "I've done some good as a cop, saved a few lives, consoled people, and brought in murderers, but it feels like it's never enough. That it can't be enough. It's giving a man a hammer and telling him to do a root canal. It can get to you after a while."

"I think some of our colleagues lose sight of that," Imnek empathetically replied, raising a hand off the table. "They get swept up in the battle against triads and see everyone as a potential enemy."

"See, even that," Yahui interjected, raising a finger, "the battle. It's phrased like we're at war with our own people. We'll spend most of our careers picking up grifters and groupies who only turned to the triads out of desperation for work."

Imnek inclined his head at an angle and turned his palms upward. "We're police officers, Yahui, not social workers. There's only so much we can do."

Yahui let out a sigh and shook his head. "I guess so. Just do me a favour." He perked up and intently stared at his partner. "Never be afraid to call me out if I suggest something you disagree with. I mean it."

"I will." Imnek nodded without hesitation. "That's what partners are for. I watch your back and help you keep your head on straight, and you do the same for me," he replied, gesturing between the two of them.

"It's appreciated, partner," Yahui said with a smile. He extended a hand across the table, and Imnek grasped it, shaking on their agreement.

'Maybe he's one of the good ones, if such a thing exists.'

They sat there in silence for a second, enjoying their post meal contentment as the music faded out. It turned to static for instant as the next broadcast started.

"Good evening, my fellow citizens," rang out the weary but warm voice of Raiko, head of the Advisory Forum and United People's Party. "I wished to speak to you all tonight in light of our… recent defeat during the Council's meeting today. Chairman Tarrlok has once again chosen to deny us, his fellow citizens, an equal say in the government of the United Republic. It is a disappointing decision but it is not the end of our struggle. As I speak, UPP is working tirelessly with our allies across the political spectrum to bring self-representation to the people of the United Republic. Fire Lord Izumi has been an outspoken supporter of our movement, and Councilman Tenzin has stated he will continue to stand by our side. We also have other proposals in the works. The Winter Poverty Relief Fund is up for approval and already a majority of Councilors have spoken in favour of it." The optimism in his voice felt forced, desperately trying to spin the loss as anything but, until a sigh escaped the speaker's lips. It was followed by the sound of rustling paper.

"I know that process has been slow. I know how hollow these platitudes sound without tangible results to back them up," Raiko admitted in a tired voice. "This is not the future that Avatar Aang had intended for us. We will be free of this restrictive system, and live as free people, I know it. The wheels of progress are turning. They can be slow but we, as a people, will make them turn," he said with firm conviction. "I know that there are a radical few who call for immediate, violent solutions to the problems that plague us, and I implore all of you to resist the words of these gangsters. They would seek to divide us and turn families against themselves. That's a future we must not allow. That's a future we will not allow. Fear and hatred will not grip our hearts, not while we hold onto hope. So long as we do so-"

The broadcast cut to static for a split second until a different voice came onto the radio. "My fellow Equalists," Amon began, echoing Raiko's words with smug amusement. The sound sent the detectives on edge, and everyone in the restaurant froze and stared at the radio. "Today we once again saw the corruption inherent to the bending political system laid bare. The Council refuses to cede any power to us, the non-bending people of the nation, and has resisted all attempts at reform, no matter how minor. And what does their approved puppet Raiko say? 'Hold on and wait for those that have voted against justice to change their minds.'" The leader of the Equalists scoffed with derision. "How much longer does Raiko expect us to languish under the heel of benders? He has failed to deliver us the freedom he so often promises. It is clear to anyone that it will be the Equalists that will liberate the United Republic from the tyranny of benders. The Anti-Bending Revolution will come, as surely as the storm comes during the monsoon, this I promise you."

And then it cut to music. Raiko's own speech had finished while Amon spoke. There were a few nervous glances shared between the patrons of the noodle shop before everyone nervously returned to their food and previous conversation. The Equalists had their own radio station but hijacking someone else's broadcast was new. It was a bold move that shook nearly everyone in the building.

"It's nothing to worry about, babe. They're a bunch of political crackpots that probably bribed someone to give them access to the station," one man a few tables over said in a reassuring voice to his date. "They're all bluster. They run fake charities and pocket the money for themselves. Just ignore them."

Yahui found his mood soured. He pulled out his wallet and counted out the amount owed, leaving a generous tip for the waiter and waving a hand to get the server's attention. The waiter spotted the gesture, eyes glancing to the cash in the detective's hand, and nodded, motioning for it to be left on the table. He did and stood up.

"Come on," Yahui remarked, as he turned to leave. "We should get the truck back to the station. If we're out too late they'll start radioing for response and won't stop until it's back in the garage."

Imnek followed after him, offering a brief wave at the server as the detectives left the building. "Got an issue with theft?"

"A radio gets stolen from time to time. They think the frequent check-ins prevent it from happening," Yahui answered as he climbed into the passenger seat.

"You'd think they'd enclose the cab if they were that concerned about it." Imnek walked around the front and pulled himself up, settling in the driver's seat. He started the truck a moment later and shifted into gear before pulling away from the curb.

"You'd think," Yahui echoed his partner's words in agreement. "It's about time to turn in. Got a long day of paperwork ahead of us tomorrow."

The truck rumbled along as it merged into evening traffic, slowly but surely making their way back to their precinct. The streets were as busy as ever, as expected of the city that never slept.

 

[Fission Battery]

===
Chapter 7 - Acquaintances in Low Places
===

Yahui stood in front of the smoldering burnt out remains of the Sea Serpent's Delight. Heat still radiated from the cooling wreckage in the morning chill. The crew of firefighters had put out the fire in short order once they arrived on the scene, having contained the fire from spreading too far. The neighbouring business suffered minimal damage, aside from the fire along the dividing walls.

The charred remains of its owner were laid out in a body bag, identifiable by his bald head and bits of tattoo that hadn't been destroyed by the fire. Yahui stared down at Lar Fao. The corpse's vacant gaze stared up at the cloudy sky above it, distorted into a tortured expression. A police officer on the scene zipped the body bag up, covering up Lar's face, and carried it to the back of a police truck with another officer.

A crowd of curious onlookers were kept back by lines of tape. All eager to see what had happened and watch events unfold. They stood around for several minutes, until they got their fill and carried on with their lives, unconcerned by the death they'd been so keenly interested in but moments ago. Just another statistic in Republic City that they had only a fleeting relationship with. So people came and went, wanting to witness the destruction before moving on, leaving a gap in the crowd for another onlooker to drift closer to the sight, repeating the cycle.

That wasn't a luxury Yahui could afford. It was his job to care, more than that, he could afford to care. That was the real luxury in Republic City.

"What do you think?" he asked, pulling his gaze and turning to Imnek.

"Triads," Imnek replied without hesitation. "It's a message. I'd say that they had enough of Lar's opposition to them and decided to make an example out of him."

"Burn down a bar because it won't serve you drinks?" Yahui echoed with a grimace. It wasn't impossible. The triads lived and died by their reputations, and anyone standing up to them was a threat. "Yeah, I can see it," he nodded his head. "I can see it all too clearly."

The chances of it being an accident crossed his mind, and was subsequently dismissed. It seemed too precise for that. It was a possibility, but in his line of work that was rarely the case. 'Maybe I'm starting to see triads everywhere. Is this how it starts? Jump to the worst conclusion and find who to shake down for answers?' Yahui mused to himself. It wasn't a pleasant mindset, especially if it was vindicated.

"We'll take point on it, in case it's related to Zhang's death," Imnek remarked, looking over at the other officers on the scene. "If not, we were already in the area. We're the best prepared to look into it."

"You took the words right out of my mouth. You get the truck started, I'll tell our co-workers what's happening," Yahui remarked, motioning towards the police truck Imnek had driven, before walking over to the other cops.

He had a destination in mind, a local bar that served as a hang out of Triple Threat members. A few small time bosses and the like frequented the area. If they were responsible they wouldn't admit it, but non-answers and question dodging would tell him the truth all the same. If another triad was responsible, then the Triple Threat would be more than eager to point the police in their enemy's direction.

Yahui wasn't sure if it was related to Zhang's death. The two crimes might not have been related. They'd ruled out triad involvement, but he couldn't dismiss the possibility that PRE might have paid somebody off to kill Zhang.

---

The pair of detectives pulled up in front of the bar. A bright neon sign atop the entrance read "Earth, Water, and Fire's Burning Desire" with a flaming cocktail beside it. The people on the street gave the cops wary glances, hurrying on their way to leave the area. It was always a bad sign when they showed up. It meant trouble was arriving, one way or another.

"I know a guy that usually hangs around here. He's triad but removed from them by a couple degrees, for deniability," Yahui explained in a hushed tone. He took a moment to lock the glove box. It wouldn't keep out determined thieves but the extra seconds it'd take to break in would dissuade most from attempting it.

"That'd explain why he isn't behind bars then," Imnek replied with a frown. That was a sad reality of life in Republic City. The big time bosses and adjacent businessmen did their best to look as clean as possible, no matter how dirty they really were. It was the street thugs that did time, while their bosses reaped the rewards. "I'll follow your lead."

"Good. They shouldn't give us too much trouble. They're more likely to bribe us and make thinly veiled threats than attack us outright," Yahui remarked before sliding out of the passenger side of the truck. He straightened out his long coat and felt the familiar weight of the stone bracelet inside his cuffs. He was on edge. A man he'd met the day before was dead and a building burned down. There was a possibility of a fight, and a part of him he loathed was excited by the prospect.

The earthbender let out a breath as he steadied himself and pushed on the front door. It swung open with a squeak, revealing the dimly lit interior of the bar. It was sparsely filled with various sorts in worn out suits and faded attire. The type that were too poor to look rich, but tried to do so anyway, like a new pair of otterseal leather shoes could make them respectable. They all glared at the detectives, before pretending to return to their previous conservations, watching the two out of the corners of their eyes as the pair made their way to the bar.

Yahui approached a dark skinned man in semi-formal attire, a blue jacket left unbuttoned over a white dress shirt. His hair cut short and combed back, held firm by gel. He half-turned to look over his shoulder, pointed beard accentuating his sharp jawline, and sideburns cut thin. "Well looky who we've got here. It's been awhile Detective Yahui. I see you've brought a friend, a fellow waterbender at that," the triad member said with an overly suave friendly tone as he patted the empty stool beside him. "Have a seat."

"Shady Shin," Yahui replied with a neutral, indifferent tone, sliding into the empty seat. Imnek took the spot opposite of Shin. "I see you're in good health."

"And in good spirits," Shady Shin remarked with a cheeky smirk as he raised his drink and swirled the clear liquid around. "I'd offer you two gentlemen a drink, but I know it's against regulations to drink on the job."

"How kind of you," Imnek remarked with a frown.

"So, what can I do for you two today?" Shady Shin asked as he glanced between the pair of detectives. "I know this isn't a social call, Yahui."

"A bar near the southeast docks was burned down this morning, the Sea Serpent's Delight. Lar Far, its owner, was killed in the fire." Yahui narrowed his eyes as he glared at Shin. "He didn't like triad types, refused to serve them and kicked them out of his bar. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Shady Shin's smarmy friendly expression faltered for a second, head tilting slightly and blue eyes flicking to the side. The question caught him off guard. "Nobody likes triad types, detective, you won't find any like that here," Shin said with a half-hearted chuckle before he took a sip of his drink. "Unfortunately I can't say I know much about that, detective," he replied with a faint frown. "None of my business associates operate in that area. The southeast docks are entirely under Equalist control. It's under the watch of their own neighbourhood militia."

That didn't track with what he knew. As far as he was aware the neighbourhood was contested territory. Nobody could claim 'ownership' of it and the Equalists were a small political faction trying to build support amongst the workers. The triads were all vying for control over it.

Yahui quirked an eyebrow. "That's quite the claim, but it's a bit tough to believe."

"It's the honest truth, Yahui, and I mean it," Shady Shin replied, leveling a flat stare at the detective over the top of his drink. "Those chi blockers outside their businesses aren't just for show. People there like them too, so nobody has any luck making inroads to the area. They got eyes on every corner."

'He could be trying to deflect attention away from the Triple Threats, but if that were the case then he would have pointed his finger at another triad being responsible. It must be a major hit to the triad's pride to admit that a bunch of non-benders managed to do something the police never could and completely push them out of a neighbourhood.' It was a troubling prospect. Yahui knew first hand how effective a small but driven cabal could be at taking control of parts of the city. There were plenty of 'blind spots' where the police had no idea what was really happening in the criminal underworld. It'd be easy for a dedicated few to operate within those areas and avoid any suspicion. 'If the Equalist are intent on living up to their own revolutionary claims then it'd be a while before anyone ever realized it. The police aren't as good at counter-intelligence as they'd like to think.'

"I guess Amon's anti-bending revolutionaries have more bite to their bark then," Yahui dryly remarked, corners of his mouth turning downwards. "That must make business tough. You've got competition that believes in something other than the almighty yuan."

Shady Shin scoffed as he shook his head. "It's a damn shame. They're filling people's heads with crazy talk, acting like benders are the root of all evil."

"If your associates were less rough when they conducted business, maybe people wouldn't have that impression," Yahui pointedly countered, narrowing his eyes at the gangster. It always left a bad taste in his mouth to deal with people like Shady Shin. They were scum but couldn't be hit for anything, besides bad taste in suits and company.

"It's the price of work in Republic City," Shady Shin said with a shrug. He brought his drink up to his lips and took a small sip. "It is what it is. The whole area's been under Equalist watch for years now. They don't take kindly to my associates attempting to do business in the docks." He frowned as he recalled the memory. "They've gotten assaulted by chi blockers, one even suffered electrical shocks recently. It was like the guy grabbed a live powerline."

"How recently?" Imnek interjected, brow furrowing as he perked up in his bar stool. The word caught Yahui's attention too.

"I don't know, maybe a week and a half, two weeks ago." Shady Shin raised his glass and motioned to the waterbending cop, wishing its contents around. "Now there's a crime you two gentlemen oughta look into. In fact," a smirk broke out across his face, "I think I know where they like to hang out." He went silent, letting that tidbit of information dangle there, waiting for either one of the detectives to ask about it.

It was a petty power play. The type men like Shin delighted in. "And where's that?" Yahui asked after a moment, keenly interested in the answer. It was a possible lead.

"It's a dojo a few blocks away from the docks. I can write it down for you. I know how much you cops love your paperwork," Shin smugly answered, looking quite pleased that he'd set them on a trail that wasn't his own.

Yahui pulled out a pen and passed it to Shin, who scribbled down the dojo's address on the stained napkin he'd been using as a coaster. It was legible enough to read and that's all that mattered to Yahui. He carefully read it before folding it up and stuffing it into his pocket. "The information is appreciated, Shin."

"You're welcome detectives," Shin said as he raised a drink to them, a smirk plastered across his face. "It's relieving to know that you're looking out for us honest citizens of Republic City."

"Just doing my job," Yahui replied as he pushed off the bar and got off the bar stool. Imnek followed suit, and the two of them left the bar, quickly hopping back into their truck.

"I'm surprised Shin didn't ask for a favour in return for the information," Imnek remarked as he started the vehicle and pulled away from the curb.

"The favour is that we're investigating someone that isn't him," Yahui pointed out as he braced against the truck like always. In the corner of his vision he saw a few people on the sidewalk and windows watch them drive off, informants keeping an eye out for cops. He couldn't blame them for doing it. The gig was easy money for not much work.

Imnek frowned and clicked his tongue. "That feels dirty."

"It does, but that's how it usually goes. There's no honour among thieves," Yahui agreed with a shallow shrug, turning his palm upwards, while the other hand braced against the cab.

"Seems so." Imnek shifted gears, and slowed to a stop at a red light. "How do we want to handle this dojo? We can't exactly tell them a triad member pointed us to them."

"It's close to the bar, so we say we're asking questions around the neighbourhood. See if anyone knows anything about it," Yahui replied. "That type of thing. It should be enough to let us get our foot in the door to feel out the place."

Imnek nodded. "That sounds good to me."

---

The dojo was an easy building to find. The Equalist posters and banners loudly proclaimed its location and purpose to the world. There were members standing on the sidewalk outside it handing out flyers to passersby, inviting them to check out their self defence courses and exalting the good work the Equalists did for the community. Quite a few people took an interest in the promoters, stopping to talk about the courses and services they offered.

'They've got good PR, I have to give them that much,' Yahui thought to himself as the police truck turned and parked on a side street half a block away from the dojo. The pair of detectives walked up the sidewalk to the building itself. The pedestrians averting their gaze as they passed. The Equalist promoters outside the dojo gave the pair dirty looks but said nothing as the detectives went inside.

The interior was open, floor covered with bamboo mats and filled with the sound of physical exertion. Dozens of students faced each other in pairs, throwing jabs at each other and learning to avoid the attacks. They had only an open faced padded helmet for protection, like the one worn by pro-benders. A few stood off to the side, striking a padded human-like training dummy, learning to memorize the chi points on the body. Those that didn't seem to have a knack for the difficult martial art instead practiced in another corner of the room with batons and quarterstaffs. The wooden weapons moved with fluid grace and precision, letting out loud thuds when they struck their rubber targets with enough force to crack bone had it been a person

There was an almost palatable intensity in the air. They weren't people off the street simply looking to get into shape and defend themselves. Every punch and kick throw at each other was driven with purpose. There was a certainty that was carried through every movement. The grim looks of determination on the student's faces drove that point home.

The sight sent a chill down Yahui's spine and made his hair stand on end. He knew it well. It reminded him of his own training, back when he was a youthful teenager. 'They're training a damn army. Gives Shin's claim that they controlled the docks more credence.'

Watching over the students was presumably the head of the dojo, an older middle aged woman, her greying black hair tied back in a tight bun. She wore a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, casual workout clothing, ready to jump in and demonstrate anything to the students. She spotted the detectives and her eyes narrowed. She turned to a younger woman by her side. "Mei, you're in charge while I speak to our guests."

Mei bowed her head, and the older woman walked across the dojo to the two detectives.

"Officers," she coolly greeted them. "Is there a reason you two are here? I can't imagine either of you are interested in taking any of our courses."

"This is about the fire at the Sea Serpent's Delight earlier this morning," Yahui replied with a warm, professional smile, ignoring the distaste she held for them. "We're going around the neighbourhood asking if anyone saw anything."

"Oh? That trashy hole in the wall burned down? What a shame," she remarked with a thin veneer of sincerity. She shook her head and sighed in resignation. "If that's all then I suppose I can spare a few minutes. We'll speak in my office. It's much quieter in there." She motioned for the pair to follow her and turned, walking towards a door on the far wall. Blinds were drawn across the single window in it.

The two followed after her, entering the cramped office and sitting across from her. Imnek shut the door behind himself, immediately cutting down on the noise coming from the rest of the dojo. There was another door behind her desk, presumably leading to a storage closet. She seated herself in a plain wooden chair and looked at the two expectantly.

"Can we have your name, ma'am?" Imnek began, pulling out a notepad. "You didn't introduce yourself."

"Lanfen," she curtly replied. Her eyes glanced to the notepad and watched the detective write down her name. "I can assume your next question is if I knew Lar Fao personally or not, isn't it?"

"Something to that effect," Yahui said with a shrug. "You know his name, so does that mean we can take that as a yes?"

"No, though several of my students frequented his establishment. They spoke highly of it," Lanfen said, inclining her head and turning her palms upwards. She then leaned forward and her eyes narrowed. "They also told me that he had annoyed the triads when he threw them out. I don't want to tell you how to do your jobs, but they seem like they'd be a likely culprit."

If they hadn't already spoken to Shin, Yahui would have been inclined to agree with Lanfen. "We've heard that from other sources and taken that into consideration."

"It's reassuring to hear that other people are aware of the threat the triads present," Lanfen remarked as she sat up straight. "Was there anything else, officers?"

"Do you know if any of your students have had any run-ins with the triads?" Imnek inquired, glancing up at her. "It would help a lot in tracking their activity in the area."

"They may have scared away some goons some time ago, but if the triads ever assaulted anyone recently I assure you that the police would have been notified. They've been keeping out of hair thankfully. We've been able to enjoy some peace and quiet," Lanfen casually explained, raising a hand and waving it across the table to the two of them.

"Some time ago?" Imnek echoed her words. "Do you have an exact date? What constitutes 'scared away?'"

"It was an inconsequential argument that occurred when some drunk gangsters tried to harass a group of my students. They sobered up quickly when they realized they were dealing with chi blockers," Lanfen noted with a hint of pride. "This occurred maybe… ten days ago, I believe. Mei was quite excited about intimidating a triad member into backing down."

'Ten days? That actually lines up with when Shady Shin said his associates were attacked. Hiding a nugget of truth in a half life.'

Imnek dutifully noted down the information, and shared a brief sidelong glance with Yahui. His partner had the same thought as him. "That's very helpful information, thank you."

"If that's all-" Lanfen remarked, placing her hands on her chair to stand up, when the back door in the office and a young man holding a clipboard in his hand walked in. Her head snapped to glare at the offending intruder. It gave the two of them a momentarily look into the storage room beyond, filled with old training gear and a few wooden crates covered with the serial code visible. Imnek tapped Yahui's knee with his own, and motioned towards the exit of the building.

"Hey Lanfen, I needed to double check the shipment's destinations with you-" he stopped speaking when he noticed the two police officers in her office. He shut his mouth and bowed his head. "Apologies for the interruption." Then left the office and shut the door.

Lanfen turned back to face the detectives and sheepishly smiled at them. "Ah, I apologize for Chan's rudeness. We're moving some surplus equipment around to our other dojos in the city. He wanted to make sure nothing was sent to the wrong location," she politely explained.

Yahui politely smiled back at her and nodded his head. "Of course, thank you for your time."

"The information is appreciated, ma'am," Imnek remarked as he mirrored his partner and flipped his notepad closed, stuffed it and his pen into his pocket. "Have yourself a nice day."

"You too officers," Lanfen replied, sounding less sincere than they had.

The pair left the office, and Yahui followed Imnek as the waterbending detective went for the door. He shot wary glances towards the crowd of students that continued training, a few watching them go out of the corner of their eyes as they left. They continued down the sidewalk, out of eye and earshot of the entrance of the building, until Imnek turned around to face Yahui.

"You saw those crates in the back, right?" he started in a hushed tone. They moved into an alley to keep them from view.

Yahui nodded. "Yeah, I did, and I suspect that I know what you're about to say."

Imnek pulled out the copy of the workplace accident report PRE had filed, and held it up, tapping it. "It's the same that was on the crate in the backroom. That's one of the crates that nearly killed Zhang."

 

[Fission Battery]

===
Chapter 8 - Enter the Dojo
===

"You weren't kidding about having an eye for detail," Yahui remarked in approval, nodding his head. "I didn't get a good look at them. I don't think I'd have caught that myself."

"I've got a photographer's eye," Imnek said with a hint of pride, smiling for a brief moment before his expression turned serious. "What do we want to do?"

"If they're moving those crates out soon this may be our only chance to see what's in them. I want to know what PRE and now the Equalist are hiding in there. If what we find is incriminating it could tie everything together. Gives us a motivation and likely culprit for who killed Zhang," Yahui said with rising excitement. The disparate pieces had started to fall into place, like a fog had lifted from his mind and he could clearly see the puzzle in front of him. "We have to get back there. We have to see what's in that crate."

"And if it is gym gear, then we'd be breaking in, technically," Imnek cautioned with a frown. "It's a loose connection. It's not enough to give us probable cause."

Yahui mimicked his partner's expression. It was a good point. They could argue to Captain Delun and might get a warrant, but it would take time. 'Assuming the Captain even goes for it. Equalists aren't a concern for him. He wouldn't care about anything possibly linking them to Zhang's death unless we shove a murder weapon in his face.' He realized what he was about to propose wasn't entirely legal.

"You're right, but I'd rather be wrong than not know," Yahui firmly replied, meeting his partner's gaze. "I've got an idea on how we can do that. I'll take any heat for it if we're wrong and there's nothing to it." He placed a hand on his chest. "But you and I both know it's unlikely to be a coincidence."

Imnek's frown deepened and he glanced down to the side. "You're not wrong. I felt it was my duty to point out there'd be consequences if we're wrong." He raised his gaze. "What did you have in mind?"

They didn't know if there was another door to the backroom, if it exited the building, or how many people were back there. The amount of students inside the dojo made him balk at the thought of trying to fight them all. Yahui needed to get them distracted, focused on something to make sure nobody went back in there or heard anything. Yahui knew he'd be better suited for sneaking in, but also knew he could handle himself better against Lanfen and a few others if it came to a fight. 'Worse comes to worst, I could blow open the back wall, if it's made of bricks.'

Yahui leaned in closer and spoke in a hushed tone. "I'll distract Lanfen by asking about self-defense lessons and try to goad her into giving a demonstration to get her out of the office."

Imnek tilted his head and appraised his partner. "That sounds risky. Can you handle yourself against a chi blocker?"

"You don't need to worry about that. I've got training to deal with it," Yahui replied with a soft chuckle, and waved his hand. It amazed him that it wasn't part of an officer's training to learn chi blocking and how to protect against it. The metalbenders were content wearing their armour and everyone else on the force had to make do. "That should hopefully be enough to draw their attention. Can you manage sneaking into the backroom?"

"I can…" Imnek hesitantly replied, face scrunching up and brow furrowing. "I'm not doubting your abilities, but I'll need a minute or two to get in and out. Will you be able to last that long?"

Yahui's expression sobered up and he firmly nodded his head. "Yes, I can. I'll buy you as much time as you need. If it works."

"And if she doesn't take the bait?" Imnek pressed.

"We politely leave," Yahui replied after a moment, shrugging his shoulders and bringing a hand up to scratch the end of his mustache. "Then we'd stake out the area to see if anyone comes up to pick up the crates. You'll have to get a different vehicle from the garage, a less conspicuous one, and I'd stand around while you did that." He spread his arms and turned his palms upwards. "How's that sound?"

Imnek mulled it over, rubbing his chin in thought. "That sounds like it should be our first plan. It's safer than sneaking in there."

"It'd also take longer. Us seeing into the back room by accident might have spooked them. They could be moving those crates out as soon as possible," Yahui pointed out with a hint of urgency. He felt that in that moment it was now or never. Possible evidence would slip away and go underground, hidden in the city to never be seen again. He needed to know what Zhang saw, if it was important enough that it's what got him killed.

"You got a point," Imnek admitted, tilting his head downwards and letting out a sigh. "It's risky, but I'm willing to follow you on this." He stepped aside and turned back towards the sidewalk, motioning for his partner to go.

Yahui stepped forward out of the alley and patted Imnek on the shoulder. "Thank you for trusting me." The other detective fell into line, following beside Yahui as they went back to the dojo, retracing their steps half a block up the street.

---

All eyes were on them as they re-entered the dojo. Lanfen's sharp gaze immediately settled on the two officers, briefly looking displeased at their appearance before schooling her features. She motioned for her students to continue their training as she walked across the bamboo matts to greet the pair once again.

"Officers, is there a reason you've returned?" Lanfen inquired, her head slightly tilted and hands unclasping and turning her palms upwards. "I can't imagine you've already finished your investigation."

"Oh, this isn't about that. It's a personal interest," Yahui began with a disarming smile and soft chuckle. "I was curious about your self-defense courses. I was trying to convince my partner about the importance of learning non-bending martial arts, and I realized since we were in the neighbourhood we should come back to speak with you." He gestured to her as he dipped his head in a shallow bow.

She looked at him incredulously, corners of her lips turning downwards. "Well, that'll be very difficult since all available classes are full. We're quite busy, you'd have to sign up months in advance. I don't think it's in the cards."

"What about a demonstration?" Yahui asked, doing his best to sound genuinely hopeful and interested in the idea. It wasn't a hard ruse to pull off. People were often disarmed by a simple smile and nod. "That would really help get the point across to him." He motioned to Imnek, who mimicked Yahui and shallowly bowed his head at Lanfen.

Lanfen stared at the two of them until a realization flashed across her face, and she began to smirk. "I suppose I may be able to do that. However, I'd require a volunteer." Her gaze switched to Yahui and her voice took on a sadistic edge. "Since you're keen on the idea it only makes sense for you to help."

Yahui nodded his head. "That's only fair. I did suggest it after all." The opportunity to beat up a police officer was a rare one, much less legally without any repercussions. He was literally asking for it. It was the perfect bait and she'd taken it unexpectedly well.

"Wonderful." Lanfen clapped her hands together, causing the students to turn their heads towards her. She motioned for Yahui to follow as she turned and walked back across the room. "Students, clear the floor and gather around. Our guest here wishes to get a firsthand experience with what I've been teaching you."

They followed her instructions and let the two of them through. The students stood around as an audience, clumping up near the far side of the wall where Lanfen had previously stood, and formed up a half-circle ring in the process. Imnek hung back, moving away from the door but staying behind the group of students. There was nobody else between him and the office, but a few people kept him in their peripheral vision.

Yahui maintained his friendly smile, hiding any sense of apprehension. He unbuttoned his knee length jacket and folded it up, setting it aside on the floor and revealing a simple grey-ish white shirt underneath. The baton at his hip was unclipped and placed on top of it. "Are there any rules I should be aware of?" he asked as he stood back up.

"No bending allowed. It'd defeat the experience if you threw fire around the dojo," Lanfen responded. "No hits to the face or groin either. It's considered impolite to do so." She stood opposite of him ten feet away, stretching her arms out in front of herself. She was well-toned in spite of her age, muscles tensing beneath the skin as she stretched.

"Of course," Yahui replied, his smile becoming more genuine. There was a tension in the air and it excited him, goosebumps spreading across his body. There was a thrill to battle that he'd never truly trained out of himself, only suppressed and mitigated with good consciousness. He limbered up a bit before sliding his foot across the mat and holding a hand up in front of himself, palm facing outwards. It was a loose stance, less rigid than the usual earthbending style. "I'm ready when you are."

Lanfen stood on the balls of her feet, legs tensing like steel coils ready to spring into action. Her hands held up in half-formed fists, poised to strike or grapple with ease. "Begin!" she exclaimed before she sprung forward with a lunging strike, her arm pulled out like a rearing strike for lashing out, aimed at Yahui's shoulder.

He blocked the strike, stepping into the attack as he pushed her arm aside and aimed to drive his palm into her gut. It grazed the fabric of her shirt as she pushed off the floor and spun to the side, avoiding the attack, and brought her leg up, heel landing a blow on Yahui's flank. The detective took the hit and deftly jumped back, the crowd of students letting out a cheer.

A grin crept its way onto his face. He resisted the urge to go on the offensive and end the fight immediately. The point wasn't to win, not yet, but to buy time for Imnek to move. Lanfen came at him with a graceful fury, light on her feet as she flowed into every strike. Her limbs lashing out with deadly precision, and yet Yahui kept pace with her, deftly matching her acrobatic style with an elegant stance of his own.

Every strike was aimed to hit a chi point on his body and paralysis him, but none could land their mark, off by mere inches or blocked entirely. The volume of the jeering rose, students calling for their teacher's victory and shocked as the detective seemingly matched her blow for blow. It was an outrage that excited them, a demonstration of skill by two masters of their craft that they'd never truly seen before.

---

Imnek stood there in awe as he watched his partner spar with Lanfen. It was unlike anything he'd seen an earthbender do before. Yahui moved like she did, yet did so with more precision and certainty, clearly holding himself back from striking back. It did its job though, capturing the attention of the students and enthralling them in the display. All eyes on the building were glued to the two combatants, and none on Imnek.

He slipped away, moving along the back of the crowd to the office. The door was unlocked and he opened, slipping inside with ease. The door was left open a crack. The office was empty and he crossed it to the door in the back. He pressed an ear to it and heard nothing on the other side, and tested the knob.

It was unlocked and he went inside. The room was a small storage area with a metal door at the back that could slide up to allow cargo to be moved in and out. The crate was still there, within eye shot of the door and Imnek made a beeline for it. It was surrounded by stacks of more crates, all with the same serial code. A clipboard rested on top of it that contained shipping information on it.

Imnek briefly glanced at it, eyes surveying it. It listed the locations of other dojos around the city. The detective realized its possible importance and pulled out his camera, leather flap unflipped and lens extended. He snapped a picture of it and the sheets of paper below it. The mechanical whine of the camera was low enough that the people in the other room wouldn't have heard it.

The action only took thirty seconds, and the camera was put away with practiced ease. He moved it to the aside and found the top panel of the crate had already been taken off. It was merely resting on the top, so he had no trouble lifting it up and saw what was inside. It took a moment for him to grasp what was before him.

It was a strange metal gauntlet with segmented fingers and thick cables bolted to the back. Attached to them was a pair of capacitors below the wrist that drew power from a circular battery on the forearm. Imnek gingerly grabbed one of the gloves from the top and lifted it up. He found it surprisingly light despite its appearance, and slipped a hand into it. His palm brushed atop a switch and he tentatively pressed it by flexing his hand, the glove suddenly bursting to life with arcing electricity dancing around its metallic palm.

Imnek flicked it off with a start and stared at it. It was an electric weapon in the literal palm of his hand. The implications weren't lost on him. 'This has to be the murder weapon. It explains how Zhang was electrocuted.' He tentatively pulled it off, careful not to switch it back on, and stuffed it into his jacket. It bulged slightly, a bit more than his flask, but the fabric hid the outline slightly.

He took a picture of the open crate. The detective moved quickly, putting everything back into place, and leaving the backroom. He shut the door behind him, and slipped out of the office, relieved to find Yahui was still locked in battle with Lanfen.

Both their brows were drenched in sweat, and Lanfen was breathing hard from exertion, while Yahui remained poised and steady. He shot a glance to Imnek and gaze narrowed in on the bulge in his jacket. Understanding briefly flashed across his face when Imnek shallowly nodded his head, and began to move towards the entrance of the building.

---

'It's time to end this.'

Yahui launched into a blur of motion, fingers extended outwards as he lunged forward and drove them into Lanfen's hip, dropping her to the ground as her leg went limp. Her arm rose to defend herself, but it was swiftly knocked aside by a strong strike from his knee, exposing her side. His hands lashed out with surgical precision, striking chi points along her body, before sweeping her feet with a kick and striking her chest with his palm at the same time.

The force sent her rolling across the bamboo mats, coming to a stop on her back, limbs gone numb and unable to stand back up. The crowd went silent, staring at Yahui with shock, which soon gave way to rage.

Lanfen turned her head and glared at Yahui out of the corner of her eyes. Mei rushed to her side and lifted her off the ground, resting Lanfen's arm over her shoulder. Another student went to the other side to help hold her up. "You…. you filthy disgusting spider rat!" Lanfen exclaimed with a sneer, blood and spittle flying from her mouth. "I knew the police were low-lifes but to think your kind were still around working with them. I see you've forgone the usual black hat for a grey jacket."

Yahui grabbed his baton and put his jacket back on, moving with a sense of calm stillness in the face of her anger. He rested his fist against the palm of his other hand, bringing them up to his chest and bowing his head. "Thank you for honouring my request, Lanfen. It was a thrilling experience." The detective turned away from her and briskly walked to Imnek at the door, his partner already holding it open.

'I didn't expect anyone to recognize Silent Stone style earthbending. That's… annoying,' he thought with a frown, as if he'd bitten into something bitter and sour.

"You should be rotting in jail!" Lanfen called after him.

The two of them exited the building and hastily made their way back to the truck. Imnek shot Yahui a concerned glance as they climbed into the vehicle and started it up, quickly pulling away from the curb and doing a u-turn in the road to avoid driving by the dojo.

"Did you find anything?" Yahui asked after a few moments of silence, glancing at his partner's jacket. "I'd hope so because I think I pissed off a lot of people."

At a red light, Imnek reached in and pulled out the electric glove. "I found a crate full of these, alongside half a dozen others. There's a switch inside to turn it on. It'd fit the murder weapon for Zhang," he explained.

Yahui inspected the device for himself, looking over it. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen and it sent his mind reeling. It was the answer to the question that had been plaguing them. There was no doubt about it in his mind. Zhang had seen a weapon, a lightweight but powerful electric device and enough of them to arm their followers. "I think… this is exactly what we were looking for. We need to get this back to the station immediately."

His initial assessment that they were training an army wasn't far off. 'It's the Pottery Club all over again.'

"I found a shipping manifesto too. They're moving them out all over the city," Imnek remarked, hand patting the camera on his hip. "I got pictures of it."

"That's good," Yahui said as he nodded his head and shoved the gauntlet into the glove department to free up his hands. He grabbed the radio from the dashboard and double checked the frequency to make sure it was set to the police precinct. "Operator, this is Detective Yahui. Do you copy over?"

The speaker blared to life with the electronic voice of the officer manning the radio. "Detective Yahui, I copy, over. What is it?"

"I've recovered an Equalist weapon that was used in a recent murder case. My partner, Detective Imnek, discovered crates full of more weapons in a dojo in the southeast docks," Yahui explained in an urgent tone. He gave the full address, reading off the stained napkin Shin had given him earlier. "These are new, electric shock gloves, and the Equalists are preparing to ship them to other locations around the city. Rely this to Captain Delun immediately. We need a squad of metalbenders ready to raid the dojo to recover their weapons, over."

The line was silent, save for a faint static buzz, until the radio operator responded. "I don't think you have the authority to make a request like that. I will pass this along to Captain Delun, but I can't promise a response, over."

"He'll authorize it once we get there and show him what we've found," Yahui replied in annoyance. "We've got pictures of their operation too… Over."

"Copy that, over and out, Detective," the operator replied.

He hung the mouthpiece back up on the dashboard, and the line went dead. "Guess it was too much to expect them to bring out the cavalry immediately."

"It's asking a lot," Imnek cautioned with a shrug. He glanced over at his partner and after a moment spoke up. "So, what was Lanfen yelling about?"

The question caused Yahui to let out a long suffering sigh, his head dipping low and shaking side to side. "It's a bit of a shameful period of my life. She wasn't too far off the mark when she implied I was Dai Li."

"They were disbanded seventy years ago. I know a few former members formed a crime ring called the Pottery Club, but that was shut down when I was a teen," Imnek responded in disbelief, brow furrowed. "That was on the news for a while."

"Yeah well, it runs a bit deeper than that, but I'll give you the long of the short of it. It's a bit much to get into," Yahui curtly said, brushing his hair back with his hand. He didn't want to get into his life story. It wasn't something he wanted to casually air out. "I was trained in their distinct style of earthbending. It specializes in stealth, precise strikes, and acrobatic movement. It's got more in common with firebending or chi blocking that traditional earthbending." He shrugged. "Lanfen recognized it and that's the gist of it."

Imnek side eyed his partner and tilted his head, bemused by the information. "Huh, okay then, can't fault you for the actions of your teacher, whatever they might have been. I won't pry into it. I can respect another person's privacy."

"It's an attitude I appreciate. It's not what we should be concerned about anyway," Yahui remarked, perking up and tapping the dashboard above the glove compartment. "We've blown this case wide open."

His partner nodded his head. "That we have. It was risky but it paid off."

They continued driving towards the precinct. The further they got away from the docks and dojo the more content they felt. The traffic was relatively slow for Republic City, giving them more space in the road to move quickly. They'd gotten in and out cleanly, with none of the students aware of their actions.

That sense of peace was unsettled as a large truck with a canvas covered back rolled out of a side street and trailed close behind them. It was matched by another identical truck that pulled an illegal move at an intersection, turning to follow after the cops on the other side. The air was filled with the sound of a dozen revved engines as a swarm of motorcycles poured in from side streets one after another, weaving through other vehicles as the bikers began to close in on the officers.

"Imnek, I think we have a problem," Yahui said with mounting concern, grabbing the body of the police truck and leaning out to look at the vehicles trailing them. The action caught the attention of the truck driver, whose face was covered by a black bandana. He glared at Yahui through his window screen with hateful eyes.

Thick clouds of black smoke belched from its exhaust pipes as the truck's engine roared, propelling the vehicle forward. The driver pulled on the line above his head and its thunderous horn blared out.

The signal was given.

The hunt was on.

 

[Fission Battery]

===
Chapter 9 - The Silk Street Scuffle
===

With the signal given the dozen motorcycles revved their engines as they sped up, their masked riders leaning in close against their machines to reduce air drag and swerving between gaps in traffic to close the distance, moving with unnerving coordination.

Imnek flipped a switch on the wheel and at once the truck's siren was added to the cacophony of noise. Its red and blue lights brightly flashing, warning drivers to stay out of its way. Yahui snatched the radio off the dashboard. "Operator, Operator!" he loudly exclaimed. "This is Detective Yahui, we are being pursued by fourteen Equalist vehicles! We are northbound on Silk Street!" There weren't any Equalist markings on the vehicles but Yahui was confident that he knew who was driving them.

One bike pulled ahead of the detectives, and its rider reached into the satchel across her chest. She pulled out a small metal orb and with the flick of her thumb pulled the pin from the it as she threw the grenade over her shoulder. Yahui's eyes widened and his hand shot out over the windscreen, sending a tiny length of stone flying through the air. It collided with the explosive, immediately enveloping it, and shot upwards with a sudden jerk of Yahui's wrist.

They passed beneath it as it hung suspended in the air and detonated above and behind them, while the shrieks of terrified bystanders and drivers followed in their wake. Imnek tightly gripped the wheel as the vehicle shuddered, the body of the truck shielding them from any shrapnel. The bracelets around his wrists were missing a segment as they broke through the lining of his cuff and molded to the tips of his fingers, covering all sans a pinky.

The Dai Li's infamous rock gloves refined and narrowed down to its bare essentials.

'Isn't this how it went last time? In a car chase after you bit off more than you could chew?' Yahui thought to himself, heart pounding his ears. 'At least the police didn't throw grenades at me.'

A response came in through the radio. "Detective Yahui, was that a bomb?!"

"Yes it was!" Yahui replied, leaning in to speak into the microphone. "We are outnumbered and request immediate backup!"

"Understood, backup is on its way, a metalbending squad is moving to your position, over and out," the operator at the other end promptly replied with a sense of urgency. The radio went silent a moment later. It was something. The only concern in the detective's mind was surviving long enough for the cavalry to reach them.

A bike drove in closer to the truck, pulling alongside it on the driver's side. Imnek spotted them in the mirror as they reached into a satchel, and the detective took a hand off the wheel to draw the water from his flask. He whipped the length of water down at the front wheel of the bike, slashing its tire, and causing it to spin out of control.

The rider dropped the grenade as they fruitlessly tried to control the vehicle, spinning out of control and rolling across the pavement. One of the trucks swerved to avoid them, recklessly driving across the road and slowing down, while another motorcycle rider split off from the chase to check in on their injured comrade. Imnek waved his hand and gathered the water around it like a glove as he gripped the wheel.

The other riders fanned out and pulled back into Imnek's blindspots. They realized quickly that the detectives were more capable of defending themselves than they'd initially thought. The other truck was undeterred though, matching the police vehicle's speed. It was bulkier than their truck, and the driver used that to his advantage as he turned the wheel, filling the air with the sound of metal grinding against metal.

The police vehicle shuddered as it jerked to the side, pushing them a lane over. Imnek struggled to keep the vehicle under control, frantically adjusting the wheel to avoid spinning out. He got a momentary reprieve as the assaulting truck moved across the street, rearing back to ram them again at an angle. The driver's hateful eyes fixated on the nearest detective, Yahui.

The sight caused him to act on reflex, arms extending as a pair of stone segments shot from his splayed hands and crashed into the other cabin, latching onto the wheel. His fists closed and arms jerked to the side as he twisted his torso, violently cranking the wheel to the side.

The truck tilted on the edge of its wheels, nearly rolling over at the sudden turn. Several occupants were flung out the canvas flap on the back, tucking and rolling as they hit the pavement. Bikers swerved to avoid the truck and their comrades as the vehicle plowed through oncoming traffic, momentum carrying it forward against its driver's will as knocked cars aside like they were toys before smashing into a storefront.

The glass window shattered as the top of the cabin was sheared off by the brickwork above it. The carnage was left behind as the detectives and other pursuers continued onwards, the sight receding in the mirror.

Their reprieve was short lived as the police vehicle was rocked by an explosion, kicking it up and forward before it fell back down, the rear tires destroyed by a grenade. The front wheels uselessly span, unable to drive the vehicle as the body scraped against the pavement, kicking up a spray of sparks. It began to grind to a halt, only carried onwards a bit further by sheer momentum.

"The truck's totalled!" Imnek exclaimed. His head snapping to the side and watching as a bike sped by and circled around them. It was followed by several more and the riders slowed their bikes to a stop. They withdrew weapons, some holding bombs and others idly dangling bolas from their hands. "Any ideas? It's looking like this is where we make our stand," he asked with mounting unease.

Yahui quickly surveyed the street. Bystanders were fleeing the scene and any traffic was turning off to side streets or doing u-turns in the street to avoid them. It made the otherwise normally busy intersection suddenly look like it was a ghost town. There plenty of alleyways to slip down but getting off the street would benefit their attackers more than it would him. 'We disappear down one and we'll never be seen again,' he thought with a grimace.

His hand flicked up at the wrist, drawing strips of material from the road and reforming the stone tips around his finger. The remaining truck was rumbling closer, wary after watching the other wipe out. "They have us outnumbered, eight to one, maybe. Backup's ETA is unknown. It's looking dire."

"I can see that," Imnek tersely remarked. His eyes glanced down to the slick city street beside them, and with the smooth wave of his arm drew it up to himself. It wasn't much, little more than a thin blanket of water. It was more than a flask full. He grabbed the radio with his other hand. "Operator, this is Detective Imnek, we have crashed at Silk Street and Golden Orchard. Where is our backup?"

The line was silent, and he saw the vehicle's antenna had gotten broken at some point during the chase. The radio was nothing more than a metal casing of useless vacuum tubes and wiring. Imnek hung the microphone back up with a huff. "Great."

The other truck rolled to a stop and disgorged a squad of eight people, armed with quarterstaffs and batons. There was a hesitation in those carrying explosives, clutching the grenades but not thumbing the ring. Yahui had already shown he could send them back, and none were eager to get blown up by their own bombs.

Save for one.

"Death to the wooly pigs!" one of the riders shouted, revving their engine and holding up a grenade. It skidded against the pavement for an instant before it caught traction and briefly popped up on its back wheel before it raced forward. He closed the distance quickly, thumbed the pin, and let go of the latch without throwing it yet, holding onto the live explosive as he neared the cops.

Imnek raised his hands and extended on like a wave, punctuated with a flick of the wrist, whipping the water across the rider's hand. It knocked the grenade from his grasp, and it was pinned to the ground by a length of rock fired from Yahui's hand, containing the explosion as it blew a small hole in the street.

The rider leapt off his bike, letting it slide out of control and slam into the police truck as he landed on its hood a moment later. He kicked through the windscreen, hitting Imnek in the chest and knocking the cop out of the truck. The leg was grabbed by Yahui, pulled down and pinned against the dashboard before his stone covered fingers striked the rider's knees. Bone broke beneath stone, and the man collapsed on the hood, letting out a cry of pain.

That spurred the others into action, riders jumping from their bikes and charging forward alongside the others. Yahui ripped open the glove box to grab the shock gauntlet and hastily stuffed it into his jacket as he jumped off the truck on the driver's side. A bola flew through the air at the earthbender, only to be caught by a thin wall of water. It tangled up the weights, pulling it to the side as it missed Yahui.

The two detectives turned and started running down the street in the opposite direction, heading south down Silk Street. It wasn't much of a lead as their attackers caught up to them, and they turned to fight, forced to make their stand as they two fought in tandem with each other to avoid getting overwhelmed.

Yahui moved with precision, each blow he could land aiming to cripple an opponent. They came at him with their quarterstaffs, trying to leverage their reach to avoid his counterattacks, only for the wooden staffs to be broken by Yahui's stone enhanced strikes. His fingertips splintering the weapons with ease. He threw himself at them with a tranquil fury, each attack and deflection seamlessly flowing into each other in an elegant dance of battle.

Imnek covered his partner's back, using his whips of water to slap bolas out of the air and trip up assailants. The threads of water kept them at bay, until one rider slid on their knees beneath the whip and reached Imnek. The rider's struck him along the arm, causing the limb to go numb and water to harmlessly fall to the ground, no longer animated by its wielder. Imnek swiped his other arm at the chi blocker's legs, only for it to be caught and jabbed, causing it to go limp like the other.

And like that the mesmerizing display of martial skill was shattered, Yahui's focus momentarily broken as he turned to his partner. It gave his assailants an opening, and a baton struck the back of his head, knocking him to the ground in a haze. His limbs went numb a moment later as fists slammed into his body.

"They're down! Get the others!" a young woman called out. There was a flurry of activity as they gathered up their injured members, and a few started to drag the two cops towards their remaining truck. It was punctuated by a faint whine that filled the air. "Let's-"

A shadow covered the intersection, and above them loudspeakers blared to life. "This is the police! You are under arrest! Do not resist!" Yahui couldn't turn to see the metalbending squad airship, but he felt a smirk stretch across his face as he heard the side doors open and a squad of elite officers swung into action.

The person dragging him was swept off their feet by a cable, and Imnek was rescued in a similar fashion. Their attackers broke ranks and scattered, running to their vehicles to drive off, every person for themselves. In the span of a few seconds the metalbending squad had routed them and began capturing suspects, the bikes and trucks bent and turned into makeshift prisons with ease.

Like that the tables had turned.

---

Yahui rolled his shoulder with a groan. The numbness wore off after a while and sensation had returned to his limbs, and a healer had seen to the injury on the back of his head. The soreness would linger for a while longer, but he was fine with a minor headache compared to a possible concussion. It did mean that he sat on the sidelines while the police force worked itself in a flurry of activity that left Yahui dazed. They could move with great speed when sufficiently motivated.

The dojo had been raided by the squad that rescued Yahui and Imnek. The two detectives were merely along for the ride in the airship, and shared vital information to their fellow officers. Lanfen was gone, but the crates of equipment had been captured before they could disappear. Warrants were issued without delay and within the hour other locations across the city were hit by the police. The PRE warehouse was searched and several shipments had been found: electric gloves, bombs, bolas, radios, motorcycles, and other vehicle parts.

The stuff a growing army would use. The stuff they had used. It was enough to get management and most of the dock workers arrested, and things only unravelled further. It went beyond Wu Sheng, as paperwork he hadn't shredded in time pointed that the company's executives were implicit in the smuggling operation and that it reached far across the whole country. Their main office in Republic City was seized by the police.

Yahui didn't think the company would legally exist by the end of the day

The Equalists denied all connection to the attack on Yahui and Imnek. It was a claim believed by nobody, least of all the police, as all the attackers were Equalists. None had died in their reckless car chase and those captured were questioned by the police. Yahui recognized one of them from Lar Fao's bar and interrogated the man himself.

---

Wei sat across from Yahui, handcuffed and chained to the table. He was the one that charged them with a live grenade and got his leg broken for the trouble, the limb in a splint until he could receive further medical attention. It had only been a few hours since the two fought.

"So Wei, why are you going around attacking us when your friend's bar was burned down?" Yahui rhetorically asked, turning his palms upwards. "Lar Fao died in that fire. You'd think you'd want to get even with the person that did it."

Wei scoffed and glared at the detective. "Lar Fao was no friend of the revolution."

"Oh no? He knew you by name and you even had your own booth there. I saw the Equalist posters beside you," Yahui pointed out, motioning to the man. He hadn't expected the remark to get that type of a response.

"Lar Fao betrayed the trust we gave him," Wei said with a sneer. "We protected him from the triads after he pissed them off. How does he repay us? He spoke with you." Wei jabbed his index fingers at Yahui, causing the chains to rattle.

"And that angered you, I take it?" Yahui questioned, leaning in and resting his elbows on the table. "What are you saying, Wei?"

"Lar Fao was a traitor!" Wei exclaimed with righteous anger. "He got what he deserved for betraying the cause! I burned down his bar with him inside it. I wear that act as a badge of honour."

Yahui stared at the man in disbelief before his eyes narrowed and a grimace found its way onto his face. Lar Fao had been killed for such a petty reason: the bruised ego of a young man. It wasn't everyday that somebody outright confessed to a murder. It was one more charge to the list of crimes Wei had committed. "Do you want to save us the trouble and confess to Zhang's murder why you're at it?"

Wei scoffed and shook his head. "I didn't kill that man. The bending spy deserved it though. I hope that he suffered properly in his last moments of life."

"You see, I've got a problem with that, Wei, it's difficult to believe you right after you admitted to killing Lar Fao," Yahui said in distaste.

"Believe what you want, wooly pig. I did not kill Zhang. He was dealt with by others," Wei firmly replied, unwavering in his conviction. He held his head high and back as straight. "You can torture me for hours and that will not change the truth."

The interrogation lasted a while longer and Wei held true to his position. It was one corroborated by other Equalists in custody. The was enough evidence to reasonably link all those involved with the attack to Zhang's death, but none confessed and some had alibis the night of the murder. Alibis that weren't the word of other Equalists. Kulrelo admitted to being told to stay silent by the company, but maintained he didn't know who did it.

It was considered an inconsequential concern by Captain Delun and Chief Beifong. The death of a lonely dock worker was less important than everything else Yahui and Imnek had uncovered. They'd discovered who was behind Zhang's death, why and how they killed him, but the ones who had done the deed itself were unknown. Given the size of the Equalists it could have been anyone. Yahui felt that he had done the most he could for Zhang. That lonely statistic in a city of millions, unloved and unmourned. The fact that his death led to the discovery of a smuggling operation providing weapons to a revolutionary movement would have been little consolation. He was trying to live his life and survive as best he could, and he had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It was a tale the detective knew well. Yahui had seen it plenty of times before and he knew he'd see it again. In the meantime, the case had been taken out of his hands and passed onto other people up the chain of command. There was nothing for him to do but watch the fallout unfold and wait for his next assignment.

Yahui could go home early and worry about dealing with everything another day. He and Imnek had earned that much.

 

[Fission Battery]

===
Chapter 10 - The End of Book 1: Autumn
===

Yahui stood outside the police precinct, dressed in his civilian clothing. The evening air was cold, his breath visible, and he shivered as he pulled his drab olive jacket close against himself. The sun had long since set, leaving the street illuminated by the artificial lights of the city, glowing from lamps and the headlights of passing traffic. He started down the sidewalk, already moving to blend in with the crowd, when Imnek called out after him. "Hey, partner."

Yahui stopped, and turned to see Imnek exit the front doors of the precinct with a gloved hand raised. He was in civilian clothing, wearing a dark blue coat with swirling patterns of pale grey fabric sewn into it. The waterbender lost a bit of his 'no nonsense' look without the badge or grey jacket one, appearing somewhat more relaxed. Yahui mimicked the gesture with a tired smile as Imnek caught up with him. "Hey partner. How you feeling?"

"I feel normal. It's like I wasn't attacked by a bunch of chi blockers," Imenk remarked with a hint of disbelief, looking over himself and spreading his arms apart slightly. "Do most cases turn out like that?"

"No, you got the special introduction to the neighbourhood, evidently," Yahui replied with a tilt of his head and shallow shrug. He stepped a bit closer to Imnek and his expression sobered. "Things got a bit touch-and-go there today. I haven't seen anything like this in… a while."

"We made it out and survived, so thank you for watching my back." Imnek pressed his fist into his palm and held it up at chest height, then bowed his head.

Yahui reciprocated the gesture and bowed his head, rising it a moment later. "Like you said, that's what partners are for. More than that though, you're a good guy Imnek, and I mean it," he said with genuine sincerity and patted the waterbender on the shoulder.

Imnek smiled back and nodded. "You too, Yahui, you too."

"I will admit it got close there," Yahui said, the corners of his lips turning down. He pulled his hand back and stuffed it into his pocket for warmth. "Cavalry came in on time though, so small mercies. What happened today… it's the start of something. It's not going to blow over."

"You know from experience?' Imnek asked with an open-ended tone. He wasn't going to push on Yahui's past, and left the question there.

"Yeah, I do, this isn't the end of it, not by a long shot." Yahui's eyes glanced around at the bystanders that passed the two of them, a slow moving crowd of people walking along the sidewalk. It was an open area lacking much privacy, even if it seemed like nobody was truly paying either of them any attention. "It's something best discussed elsewhere, at another time."

Imnek nodded. "It's been a long day."

"That it has." Yahui looked over his shoulder and jerked his thumb towards the elevated train station down the block. "You take transit? Cause that's where I'm heading."

"I live nearby," Imnek replied, motioning vaguely in the opposite direction. "I'll see you here tomorrow."

"Yeah, no rest for the wicked," Yahui weakly chuckled. "Just… keep an eye out. You can never be too safe."

"The thought is appreciated. I'll be fine though, I've got experience sleuthing," Imnek said with a strained smile as he motioned to himself. "Night." They parted ways, going in different directions from the station.

There was a shared understanding between the two of them that they had made enemies of the Equalists, a foe with more reach and strength than either expected. The only saving grace was that the Equalists had also made themselves the enemies of the entire police force. Yahui privately hoped that'd be enough to keep any heat away from himself and Imnek, and that the Equalists that escaped earlier weren't out for his blood. The would-be revolutionaries had bigger concerns than dealing with two detectives.

That was the hope at any rate.

Old habits kicked in and Yahui took a different path to a different station several blocks away, blending into the crowd without issue. He looked like any other person without the badge pinned to his chest, no longer a cop but a random nobody. It was a freeing, if fleeting, sensation that he savoured, and the extra minutes added to his walk allowed him to enjoy it.

Yahui wasn't heading home, not yet. He had another destination in mind and took a train heading in the opposite direction from his apartment building. The first snow of the season began to fall to the ground, earlier than it usually did, and started to come down slow but steady, already clinging to his clothing.

'It's gonna be a cold year.'

---

The theater was a relatively upscale place in a somewhat well-off block of town. It was one of the few places of middle class adequacy that existed in the city, sandwiched between dazzling affluence and crippling poverty on either end of the long street it found itself on. The type of place frequented by well-off families and young couples, eager for a taste of culture at an affordable price. The exterior was lit up by bright neon signs that snaked around a white billboard, proudly displaying the name of the show it was running. It was some love story written by a long dead poet, updated for the times and given a humorous spin, but not as bawdy as a low rent production would have been.

Yahui paid the ticket fee and walked inside, quietly entering the theater itself and taking a seat in the back. The show was nearly over and he arrived in time to watch the final scenes.

The lead heroine wore long flowing white robes meant to invoke the image of a modern wedding dress, face covered in a heavy layer of makeup to make their features pop from across the room and platinum blonde hair shimmering with silver stands laced through it. They danced across the stage with the rest of the characters. The bride at the head of the procession gracefully prancing to and from with their husband side by side, leaping high into the air with the assistance of wires to practically fly with every bound they took, lifted high up by their love. The band struck a sweeping triumphant cord, signalling that the performance was coming to an end. The rest of the cast poured in from the side lines, dressed in their garish and vibrant outfits, cheering for the jubilant couple, who shared a chaste kiss on the cheek, red lipstick leaving a perfect mark on the husband's cheek.

The crowd cheered and clapped their hands with applause, filling the entire theater with the sounds of celebration. The performers took the cue and stood side by side, waving and smiling at the audience before taking a collective bow. Yahui smiled at the display and clapped his hands , and watched with keen interest as the curtains closed.

'You're gonna make all the girls jealous.'

He got up and moved with the crowd as they trickled out of the room, and broke off from them to go down a side hallway, passing by the bathroom so as to not arouse suspicion. He turned and reached a door that read employees only above it, grasping the handle and entering without hesitation, and closing it behind him. The cast were abuzz with activity as they wound down from the night's show, eager to get changed and spirits high from another successful performance. There were a few friends and family members of the performers that had found their way backstage as well, and so Yahui didn't immediately stand out to any who may have cared to question him.

Sitting in front of a mirror was the lead dancer, carefully removing their makeup and accessories, hair clips with metallic strands sat on the desk in front of them, alongside the wig. The wedding dress hung up on a coat hanger, the dancer's flat chest and lithe but toned body visible, and natural light brown hair done up in a tight bun. Their face was covered by a washcloth and as they lowered it they spotted Yahui in the mirror.

"A bow for Bao, for such a wonderful performance," Yahui said with a smirk as he bent at the waist and lifted his arm up, the name said the same way as the action. He held the pose for a moment until he heard a sigh of annoyance and stood back up.

"That's such a terrible joke," Bao flatly replied with a roll of his hazel eyes. His voice was soft, but unmistakably male, like a tenor with a distinct high pitch. "Did you sneak in here again? You know you don't have to. The doorman will let you in."

"There's no fun in using the front door," Yahui remarked, looking quite proud of himself. "You can take a man out of the theater, but you can't take the theatrics out of the man."

"Clearly," Bao said with an over the top exasperated sigh as he shook his head. The corner's of his lips turned up ever so slightly in amusement. "So what are you doing here? I'm glad you caught the show but shouldn't you still be at work?"

"And miss my husband's big number? I could never," Yahui said before his expression relaxed into a tired smile and shoulders sagged. "Today's been a long day." He walked forward and leaned down as he wrapped his arms around Bao, resting his cheek against Bao's, unconcerned about sweat and lingering makeup smearing against his face. For a moment, Yahui could tune out the rest of the world and enjoy the sensation of Bao's warmth against his cheek.

Bao's demeanor changed in an instant, immediately looking at Yahui with concern and reaching an arm across his chest to grab the detective's shoulder. "Is everything okay? Did something happen at work?"

"Just a bit of a scuffle on Silk Street," Yahui said, gently squeezing Bao for another moment before letting go. He grabbed the wash cloth off the desk and wiped the makeup off his cheek. "It might be on the news tonight."

"Ya, you're hiding something," Bao accused him with a stern voice, turning around in his seat to stare at Yahui. The performer's hand was faintly shaking as it gripped the edge of the seat, and there was a hint of fear in his tone.

"Some Equalists attacked my partner and I, but we managed to hold them off until backup arrived," Yahui admitted, reluctant to share all the details. The risk of never going home was a part of a job, and some days it was more apparent than others. There were few bold or crazy enough to attack the police in broad daylight. "They sent me home early as a 'thank you' for uncovering a massive criminal conspiracy."

'If we were in a real car or on one of those bikes, the bastards never would have caught up to us. It's not Imnek's fault Future Industries designed a terrible vehicle. I wouldn't have done much better at the wheel of that thing.'

"Equalists?" Bao echoed with a frown, eyes narrowing and hands tightening. He shared no love for the revolutionaries. "Did you catch them?"

Yahui glanced around and leaned in a bit, speaking in a hushed tone. "Most of them, but I probably can't share too much. The Council and Chief Beifong plan on making an announcement on the situation tomorrow."

"That doesn't sound good," Bao tersely replied.

"It doesn't, no. It's out of my hands though." Yahui shrugged and dipped his head, turning to sit down on the edge of the desk. "Big things are happening and being handled by people higher up on the chain of command than me."

Bao reached forward and grabbed Yahui by the collar of his jacket, gently tugging him closer, bending the detective down as the dancer leaned up. Their lips met, and they held each other close in an embrace. "I'm glad you're safe," Bao whispered into his husband's ear after their lips parted.

"Sorry for making you worry," Yahui whispered back, his thing mustache tickling Bao's ear. "Get changed and let's go home." He wanted to relax and unwind, before he went back in the next day and put his nose to the grindstone.

---

When the couple arrived at their apartment, Bao grabbed an opened envelope off the end table by the entrance and held it up for Yahui to grab. "Courier dropped this off before I left this morning. It's a card from your mother."

Yahui took it and looked it over. It was a postcard with a drawing of a picturesque seaside resort, showing smiling people waving at the observer, the name Sanbao written in bright characters across the top. The old imperial summer home turned hotel prominent in the background, sunlight shining off the bronze fire emblems along its roof. He flipped it over and read the short message. "Her and dad returned from their trip to Ember Island. They traded one tourist trap for another."

"It sounds like they're enjoying their retirement at least," Bao said with approval as he kicked off his shoes and went to the kitchen. "We should go see them sometime, maybe during the winter solstice or new years celebration."

"Maybe," Yahui non-committedly replied. He wasn't sure how much time off he'd have in the coming days. Things were going to heat up and he suspected it wouldn't be contained in Republic City. The Equalists, were the second largest political movement in the country after Raiko's UPP and allies, and set up in major cities across the United Republic; Makapu, Yu Dao, Tieyi Shan, and even Sanbao.

'Concerns for another day,' he thought with a shake of his head, putting the card back down. He could concern himself with the rising revolution later. In the meantime he had to help cook dinner.

---

"It's quite clear that the Equalists have grown as a threat. They've put their rhetoric into action and have moved from fighting triads to fighting the police. We've tolerated their vigilante justice and calls for political violence for far too long!" Tarrlok declared, hand sweeping across the rest of the Council. The four other members, even Tenzin, nodded in agreement. "They've attacked two officers in the streets with bombs! And this is only just the start." In his other hand he held up a folder of paperwork. "Chief Beifong's raids yesterday seized dozens of their new weapons, several hundred pounds of explosives, and documents proving PRE involvement in their smuggling operations. This is the greatest threat Republic City has faced since Yakone, and it's only just the beginning." He looked to Chief Lin Beifong.

She stood in front of their half-circle table, back ramrod straight and hands folded behind herself, black metal armour creaking ever so slightly with every movement, and took the cue to speak. "We haven't determined who's supplying the Equalists yet, but that's been a priority for my officers handling the paperwork, while my metalbenders are continuing to hit Equalist dojos and recruitment centers across the city. We've seized more weapons and supplies, but many of the locations have been cleared out." Her gaze hardened as a grimace wormed its way onto her scarred face. "They've gone into hiding. They were prepared for this and moved faster than anticipated."

"This is an absolute disaster!" decried Osuza, the Fire Nation representative. She jabbed a painted nail at Lin. Her voice faintly echoed off the high vaulted ceiling and across the empty chamber. They were deliberating on a response before making any public announcements. "How could you allow them to get away?!"

"How could she? You mean how could we allow the Equalists to gain so much support?" Tenzin interrupted, staring at his fellow Councillor in irritation, and motioning around the room. "We're the ones that allowed them to grow unopposed. When people demanded change, we ignored them, and in their desperation they turned to a madman who promised them the world."

"I must agree with Councillor Tenzin's assessment," Raiko promptly spoke up, reaching up to adjust his glasses. It was a minor nervous tic that he'd never quite trained out of himself, and tried to use to his advantage to look dignified, especially since he was the only member of the Advisory Forum allowed to attend the meeting. "The Equalists have only managed to sway so many people to their side because of the lackluster performance of the Council in addressing their issues. If we pass some token reforms that move towards democratization we may be able to take the wind out of their sails. It'd convince moderates that change is happening and show that violence isn't necessary."

He wore his best to fit, dressed in a lavender suit, with faded dark purple cuffs and lapel, over top of a yellow straight collared shirt tightly held shut by golden threaded button knots. It made him and Lin the only two people in the room wearing clothing that didn't directly correspond to any single nation, and the only ones forced to stand in attendance while the Council itself sat.

Tenzin nodded. "I couldn't agree more, now is the time to act decisively and undercut any potential support they might have gained from this attack. The last thing we want is more people supporting Amon."

"And why should we care about the opinion of terrorists?" Osuza replied with a huff, shaking her head and crossing her arms. "If you're going to give in to them you might as well hand them keys to the city and our heads on a platter while you're at it."

"The Equalists aren't the only ones asking for change," Tenzin responded. "Or have you already forgotten Raiko's presence here?"

"The Forum's job is to advise the Council, not dictate to it," she responded, shooting Raiko a glare. He weathered it without pause, matching her steely gaze.

Yang, the Earth Kingdom representative, cleared his throat and shuffled his own stack of paperwork before speaking up. "There is the matter of tracking their shipments elsewhere. The documents seized by the police indicate that they've been shipping weapons across the country. We must not focus only on Republic City," Yang spoke with a calm, even tone, light catching the rims of his glasses as he tilted his greying head. He was the picture of an experienced eldery civil servant. "If the other cities' police forces aren't capable of handling the threat, perhaps Admiral Bumi may of some assistance. His sailors and marines have gotten quite experienced with anti-piracy operations."

"And take his fleet out of Whale Tail Island? Absolutely not!" Doalo, the Southern Water Tribe representative exclaimed, slamming his fist onto the table. "We need him stationed there to keep the sea lanes clear. Without him there, trade with the South Pole would be disrupted by raiders from the continent."

"The Earth Kingdom will manage just fine without the Admiral's help," Yang tersely replied, bristling at the implication. The southern coastline of the Earth Kingdom, and numerous islands beyond it, were far from Ba Sing Se's reach, only nominally under its control. Corruption within their fleets only compounded the issue, captains demanding fees from any passing sight that caught their eye.

"Yet Queen Hou-Ting had to request United Republic and Fire Nation advisors to train her navy up to par," Osuza snidely remarked, shooting a glare at the prideful Councillor before turning to Doalo. "And the Southern Water Tribe isn't at any risk of suffering from piracy, save perhaps for your own investments in the area."

"Those are perfectly legitimate businesses meant to develop the resources of islands around the South Sea! We need Admiral Bumi there to prevent pirates from seizing those mines and quarries for themselves!" Doalo shot back without hesitation.

Before the argument could escalate further, Tarrlok raised his hand for all to be quiet and looked over his colleagues with a hint of disappointment. "This behaviour in a time of crisis is unacceptable. We must stand united to deal with this threat, and not use the Council to further your own agendas." His piercing gaze shifted to Tenzin. "Despite how often we disagree on policy, I agree with you that now is the time to act decisively. The Equalists struck the first blow and we must retaliate with swift, effective action."

Tarrlok stood up. "To that end, I propose that we outlaw the Equalists as an organization. It will give Chief Beifong's police the ability to hit them as hard as possible with the full backing of the law. Their members will be arrested, their assets will be seized, and their suppliers will be uncovered." There was a murmur of agreement from Osuza, Doalo, and Yang, all three nodding their heads as Tarrlok spoke.

It was a drastic action that had only been done once before in the country's history, against the Dai Li's remnants. It would effectively outlaw being an Equalist, even associating with them, something that hadn't even been used against the triads. It spoke to the severity that they took the threat.

"My officers are up to the task," Lin firmly said. It wasn't a boast, but a matter of fact. "We're already beginning to consider countermeasures to their electric weapons."

"What of the reforms?" Raiko pressed, gaze fixated on Tarrlok.

"They will be discussed only after the crisis has passed, to do so otherwise will be seen as giving in to their demands," Tarrlok diplomatically replied, doing his best to sound reasonable. "In fact it would be quite beneficial for all of us if your party would issue a joint statement with the Council denouncing the Equalists."

"The United People's Party has already denounced the Equalists, so I see no issue with that request," Raiko pointed out with exasperation, his frown deepening.

"For once, I'm in support of Chairman Tarrlok's proposal," Tenzin said, lowering his head and briefly stroking his short pointed beard in thought. "The Equalists have left us few other options." He lifted his head and looked at the Chairman, jabbing a finger across the table at him. "I will be holding you to your word. Once the crisis has passed, democracy must come to the United Republic."

Tarrlok smiled at his colleague and turned the palms of his hands upwards. "I'm a man of my word, Councillor Tenzin. The exact details of any reforms can be sorted out at a later date. Now, all those in favour." He, and the four other Councillors, all raised their hands. "Then it's decided, effective immediately the Equalists are outlawed." He grabbed the gavel beside him and brought it down.

Its bang would echo across history.

---

Buried far beneath the streets of Republic City, in the depths of his bunker-like command complex, Amon listened to the news broadcast. He hung on its every word and almost couldn't believe what he was hearing, stunning him silent. Only when it had finished did he move, reaching to grab a cup of water. His hand was shaking from equal parts anger and anxiousness, he paused his movement and flexed it, before breathing in and out to calm himself.

'It's happening.' The war they had been waging against the corrupt benders was coming to a boiling point. The revolution was underway.

Amon glanced down at the empty eye holes of his mask, staring back up at him. It held so much mystique and power he dared not part from it, not until their work was done. It was the symbol that transformed a mere man into the leader of a revolution and gave hope to millions of suffering people. He was more than Noatak when he put it on. The irony that he donned the mask and costume in the first place to avoid recognition when he attacked the triads was not lost on him. The propaganda of the deed, the act of defiance in the face of brutality, that inspired others to follow him.

'Of course, the revolution was already under way.' Amon had dedicated decades of his life to it, but he had to acknowledge the momentous occasion. It was the first public strike against the police, the first of many that would follow in the coming months, though the circumstances around it had been less than ideal. As in all war, nothing ever goes as planned. They weren't ready, not yet, for open revolution. Their stockpile of weapons were still being built up and distributed across the country. People had to be trained on their operation.

'It's a small mercy that Sato's middlemen managed to dump their stocks in PRE without raising suspicion. The war is not lost so long as Future Industries still stands.'

He pulled his gaze from the mask and spun his chair around to face Lieutenant Lao. The man's short black hair was slick with sweat, running down his chin and along his long thin mustache that continued past his jawline. In his hand he held his cowl and goggles. He was a far higher rank in the Equalists than a mere lieutenant, the nickname sticking from his time in the military as an officer.

"Sir, what should we do about the initiates that returned?" Lao inquired, raising the report in his other hand. "Lanfen requests they be punished severely and imprisoned for their insubordination. It's a reasonable request."

"Under normal circumstances I would be inclined to agree, however it was her failure to instil proper discipline in her students that led to them acting without orders," Amon remarked, his smooth baritone voice filling the room. "She is as much at fault as her students are. Assign them to hard labour, break them up and put them into different work camps for Project Flat Top."

Lao nodded his head. "At once sir. Maybe the brisk mountain air will clear their heads."

"One would hope so. Their actions gave away one of our weapons," Amon said, vexed by the development. The electric gauntlet was an ace up their sleeves. It made any follower as effective in combat as a chi blocker, with a fraction of the training. "Has Task Force Huo Mu made any progress with their new designs?"

"They've made major headway in the delivery system and capsule itself, but it is difficult to design a metal or ceramic free weapon. They've had to make compromises with the springs and fuse, otherwise it's too unreliable to use. The design is nearly finalized and uses mostly surplus materials," Lao promptly reported. "We should be able to begin producing hundreds of them in short order."

Amon hummed in acknowledgement. "They've made swift progress then. When we strike we will be fully armed and liberate this country from the Council. Have all our cells gone into hiding?"

"Nearly all of them have reported in, sir. The ones that haven't were the ones caught yesterday. We've had to clear out a few safe houses and weapons caches to prevent the police from finding them. All told, we're in better shape than we could have been," Lao admitted with a relieved sigh while maintaining his rigid posture. "There's another issue that needs to be addressed."

Amon raised his hand and gestured for his subordinate to speak.

"The police are shutting down all Equalist businesses. That includes all our charity. A lot of people have spoken to me about our supporters being left desolate in the wake of this crackdown," Lao spoke sympathetically. "It's a concern I share with them. We're the lifeline for a lot of people."

"We don't have the facilities to house that many people. It would raise a security risk," Amon countered, unflinching as he met Lao's gaze. "I share their pain and I understand your concern. We may take in the most vulnerable, but anything more than that is unfeasible."

There was a silver lining to the situation. The Council had shown their true face to the whole world to see, and would turn the destitute into martyrs through their action. Amon could picture it in his mind, the homeless begging for food, left on the streets to suffer and die in the harsh winter. The sight would be plastered across the front page of newspapers amongst the growing unrest.

It would be one more injustice inflicted upon the non-benders of the city. Another grievance that Amon would rectify, when the time was right.

"Let them scurry about like a rooster pigeon with its head cut off, fruitlessly searching for us. We are safe in our bunkers, like a badgermole in its den, and come spring the non-benders of this country will rise from their hibernation. The righteous will suffer no more," Amon declared with a sweep of his hand, which curled into a fist. "The Council has made their announcement, and so will I. Dismissed."

Amon shot up from his chair and left his office, moving with great haste and purpose to the communications center. The nerve hub of their underground complex.

---

In the private backroom of a fine dining establishment, Lightning Bolt Zolt sat comfortably at his table, enjoying his lavish meal. The head of the Triple Threat triad was an older man, white streaks in his grey hair and sideburns showed his age, but none dared question his capabilities. He'd earned his nickname through fire and blood as a young man, and gained infamy for his ability to generate lightning. It was a skill that few possessed, and he preferred it that way, refusing to teach anyone how to do it.

There were others seated at the table, loyal men and women who served him unquestionably. He fashioned himself a respectable if ruthless businessman, at least when his temper didn't get the better of him, like it was currently threatening to do. Zolt glared at the radio that sat on the table with as much muster as he could manage, upset that his music had been interrupted by the ramblings of a conman playing revolutionary.

"Equalists," Zolt derisively scoffed, briefly contemplating igniting the radio before deciding better of it. It was his restaurant and one way or another it'd come out of his pocket to replace it. The smell of burning electronics was never worth it either. "Nothing but a bunch of cultists who think they can change the world if they kill enough people. It's unbelievable, it's despicable."

"And they're bad for business," Shady Shin chimed in, raising a fork with a piece of steak on it.

"Damn right." Zolt pointed at Shin and nodded his head. "You know what they are? I'll tell you all what they are. They're no good gangsters who think they're better than us because they pretend to believe in something. They lie, they steal, they racketeer, and now they smuggle and try to kill cops."

"I was the one that pointed them in the direction of the Equalists," Shin said with a smug smile, pointing his fork towards himself before taking a bite.

"I know you are, Shin, and I love you for it," Zolt matter-of-factly said with a hint of approval. "If you see them again, buy them a drink. They deserve it for doing us such a great favour."

That got the mobsters curious looks from the rest of his subordinates, as if their boss had said something insane. None said a word about it, but their faces told him enough.

"All that territory they used to patrol is open season," Zolt declared with a smirk, leaning back and spreading his arms wide. "They're open for business. I want our people moving in immediately. The sooner we can lock down those areas the better."

As a kid, Zolt saw the fall of Yakone's vast criminal empire, and as a lieutenant climbing the ranks in the triad he'd witnessed the collapse of Long Feng's attempted coup. Now as an old man he'd sit back and watch with satisfaction as Amon's fabled revolution ran itself into the ground. He knew that would-be conquerors came and went, thinking they were the next Chin the Great.

They always forgot that Chin died in the end. The Avatar made sure of it.

So Zolt set his sights lower, on more reasonable targets, knowing not to bite off more than he could chew, and the unclaimed neighbourhoods looked oh so juicy to his eyes.

In spite of the early snowfall, Zolt knew that things in Republic City were only beginning to heat up.

===

The Shirshus of Republic City will continue in Booker 2: Winter.

 

[Fission Battery]

===
Book 2: Winter - Chapter 1 - Cold Open
===

In the vast expanse of thick alpine forests, a large cargo truck slowly but steadily made its way up the mountain, traveling along a snow-covered dirt road at a slight incline. The only noise was the low rumble of its engine, belching out clouds of black smoke that rose into the snow filled sky in its wake. The driver knew the route well, moving with practiced ease, trusting in the wide-chained tires to maintain their grip on the ground.

Even in the enclosed space of the cabin, he was dressed for the weather, wearing a thick jacket and woolen gloves on his hands. The driver stole a glance at the occupant in his cabin, the only company he had for the trip.

Lanfen shivered as the cold gnawed at her body. She'd experienced terrible winters in her long life, but never ventured far up into the coastal mountains during the season. The frigid wind currents coming from the north pole contributed to that. It was a foolhardy notion, and yet she found herself forced to do just that as part of her punishment, on Amon's orders. She was treated the same as her insubordinate students. They had more than enough revolutionary zeal, but it was untempered by any sense.

"Failure to instill obedience in trainees and maintain discipline among the ranks."

'Lieutenant' Lao's words echoed in her mind and it would have made her blood boil, had she the energy to muster up the rage. The bitter cold drew her more immediate attention. The most humiliating part was the lack of restraints. She was a prisoner held at bay from running by the knowledge she had nowhere to go. That was true in Republic City and truer still in the tall mountains outside Yu Dao, practically on the other side of the country, far to the west of her home city.

She still believed in the cause, so she'd accept Amon's decision as much as it angered her and serve her punishment, as undeserving as it was. The term "Operation Flat Top" and subsequent journey hadn't inspired much in her mind.

"How much longer?" Lanfen broke the silence of the truck cabin, breath visible in the air.

"We're nearly there. Just another forty minutes, practically in the homestretch," the truck driver replied in an upbeat tone, voice muffled by a scarf wrapped around his face.

She nodded in acknowledgement and remained silent afterwards.

---

Within an hour, the cargo truck and its two occupants reached the peak of a hill, revealing a wide plateau that spread out before them. The thick woodlands gave way to clearcut logging, with only stumps and holes in the ground remaining. They rolled along the well-traveled dirt road towards a logging camp abuzz with activity.

The camp was bustling, hundreds of workers moving all over the place, dressed for the weather and unperturbed by it. There was a complex of wooden bunkhouses, standing beside several warehouses and garages meant for storing supplies and vehicles. There was a small office with a large radio antenna in a fenced-off area behind it, the only connection to the outside. The trees cut down were loaded onto flatbed trucks, larger than the one Lanfen sat in, to be carried down the mountain for a profit.

It was more like a large village. The most curious sight that caught her attention was a hangar with an airship in it, but the area in front of it was paved and the beginnings of several short roads were being set down in front of it, splayed outwards from the hangar. The crews were in the process of clearing the entire plateau of trees, with the hangar sitting at the center of their efforts.

'Where are those supposed to go?'

"Well we're here. Welcome to Site Two," the driver announced to Lanfen as he slowed down and pulled off the road into the garage. He threw the vehicle into park, putting on the brake, and waved out the window to the foreman looking at him. The moment the signal was given people leapt into action, forklifts moving to off the cargo in the back of the truck. It was a routine they were used to.

Lanfen felt as though she was part of a project much larger than herself. "What's going on here?"

"You'll see it for yourself." The driver pulled down his scarf and smiled at her. "It's the future of the revolution."

---

In Republic City, the sun was rising when three Red Monsoon thugs prowled the streets in the neighbourhood surrounding the southeast docks, surveying the shops from their roadster as homeless people watched them speed down the road with envious and indignant stares. It was free game for the first time in years and the trio wanted to get in on the ground floor on new 'business' opportunities. They wanted to get a cut of the wealth that had gone untapped when the Equalists were in charge, They wore similar outfits, deep blue in colour with subtle touches of red thrown in, like a crimson handkerchief in a pocket and inner lining of their shirt collars. Their hair was buzz cut along the sides of their head, with the top left untouched and tied back in a short wolftail.

They were hunting for more than money, even if they weren't sure what. There was tension in the air, like a palatable thing, that had crept into Republic City. People on edge, getting nervous, and the initial crackdown on the Equalists allayed those fears for only a few days, as the scale of the threat became more apparent. The trio felt like warriors of old on their ships in search of loot and battle.

Their collective attention turned to a bakery with the lights on inside. The owner was visible through the glass front, and they had their target in mind. The driver pulled up in front of the store and killed the engine, pocketing the keys. The sign inside the door said closed, and a quick turn of the handle confirmed it was locked. The baker glanced up at the noise in time to watch the triads pull snow from the street with a wave of their hand, hardening it around the handle and freezing the wood solid.

It was shattered with a swift kick, knocking the bell off the top and slamming it into an empty display beside the entrance. The baker jumped at the noise as they waltzed into his store. "Good morning," the driver greeted in a faux jovial tone, smirking at the baker, "we're here to collect your outstanding fines and fees, expected to be paid upfront in cash, now."

The baker remained silent and glared at the trio of gangsters.

"Perhaps you're a bit hard of hearing, but I said, now," the driver reiterated with a sneer. He held up his hands and pulled a thick crimson liquid from the flask in his breast pocket, twirling it around before rearing his arm back. The liquid consolidated into a long thin tendril, like the stinger of a predator, poised ready to strike the baker.

"Bloodbending's illegal," the baker replied, glare faltering at the threat. He took a step back away from the counter. The years of peace under Equalists had given him some backbone, one which would still break under pressure. "And I don't owe you anything."

"You think you don't, but you've gone years without paying our protection fees and we're intent on getting our pound of flesh," the gangster replied, the surface of the red tendril rippling, as if eager to tear into the baker. "Not unless you cooperate."

Another chimed in, walking up and jabbing the baker in the chest, forcing him to stumble backwards against the wall. "Us asking is more for your benefit than our's, so cough up the cash." They could have easily found the wall or floor safe and taken any money in it for themselves. It was about more than money though, they had to leave an impression, put the fear of death back into the hearts of the residents around the southeast docks. It was a show of power meant to put the peons back in their place.

The baker's resolve was shaken, until he glanced back at the door and hope filled his eyes. The gangsters heard the footsteps as somebody entered and turned to see what the baker was looking at. They froze when they saw two men, faces covered by bandana's, with electric gloves on their hands.

They shouted "For Amon!" as they charged the triads, the two without their water out hastily withdrawing it from their flasks. The driver swung his arm, lashing out at the Equalists' legs with his crismon tendril, missing one by a hair's breadth as he swung his arms down to leap over the attack. The store was filled with an electric hum as the gloves turned on, and the Equalists grabbed two triads, instantly shocking them, causing the reddish fluid to fall to the floor inert.

The driver threw himself back away from them and saw as his fellow gangsters fell to the floor unconscious. He whipped the length of water at the pair of Equalists, who dodged around the attack, and rushed him, forcing him to turn and run, vaulting the counter he raced into the backroom of the store.

He barreled through the kitchen and slammed open the backdoor, finding himself in an alleyway. He heard the sounds of an Equalist crashing the kitchen after him, so he continued running, turning back towards the street, racing towards his car. The driver lept into it, inserting the key and turning the ignition, when he saw a third Equalist beside a parked car in the rear view mirror.

Before he could shift into gear and drive off, he felt a metal object hit his back with a thud and bounce off, landing in the rear seat. He didn't have time to react as his body was wrecked with horrible pain and a deafening blast, shredded by the grenade.

---

Within the police station, Yahui shifted about on his seat uncomfortably, adjusting to the rubber vest beneath his jacket. He sat alongside dozens of other officers as they were given a crash course demonstration on the proper usage of their new equipment. It was supposed to provide some protection against the electric gloves used by the Equalists, so long as they were hit on the torso. The material didn't breathe, which would have been fine while on the streets or at his desk, but in the filled room with the building's heaters on the result was stifling.

Yahui dabbed the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. The fact that it was only a vest was a small mercy, compared to the full body undersuit given to metalbending officers. It was hastily constructed from surplus rubber bought for cheap, an incredibly rushed development meant to give the cops some measure of defense.

'They did make it in only a week. It's astounding that it works at all,' Yahui thought as he watched the cop at the front of the room receive a hit to the torso from an electric glove, unharmed by the demonstration, much to the visible relief of said cop. It soon wrapped up and Captain Delun stood up to start handing out assignments to those that didn't currently have one, which there was no shortage of.

In the week since the Silk Street Scuffle, as it had been unofficially dubbed, cases of assault and murder had spiked across the city. It'd normally put the people into a panic, but it had been only triad members and businesses hit, and by Equalists at that. There was no love lost for the victims, but it fell to the police to bring in the murderers of the city's formerly most wanted. The irony was not lost on Yahui.

"Detective Yahui and Detective Imnek," Captain Delun called, getting the pair's attention. "You've got an assault and double homicide case from the southeast docks, three Red Monsoon members hit by Equalists. You were working the area before, so it's yours." He held up a thin folder and presented it for either of them to grab, which Yahui did.

They two left the room, eager to be free of the suffocating heat of the meeting and made a beeline for their desks.

"Equalists just don't stop, do they," Imnek remarked as he grabbed the top of his vest and adjusted it, attempting to get comfortable. "At least they aren't attacking us."

"For the moment," Yahui pointed out with a frown. "We're lucky they've switched targets." When they reached their desks, which were seated beside each other, they opened up the file. It was a brief thing, listing the location and preliminary findings by the beat cop that responded to the initial call. They wouldn't be the first on the scene, unlike the last case they worked together.

The bodies were already in the morgue, while one managed to survive and was in critical condition. Izoku had already determined the cause of death and signed off on the report. "It looks like Doc has ruled they were electrocuted. Equalists grabbed their faces and cooked their brain in the process," Yahui said, grimacing at the thought. "The third one got hit by a grenade, but lived."

Imnek shared a similar expression, face twisting as if he'd bitten into something sour. "Anything else about them?"

Yahui peered over the paperwork closely. "The medics who arrived on scene were amazed he was even alive. Given the extent of his injuries we'll be lucky if he survives." He flipped the page and found that was the extent of the information gathered. It listed the address of where the attack took place. "And that's everything. We should head out to speak to the shop owner that witnessed the attack, go from there."

"Alright, let's head out then," Imenk said, grabbing his jacket from his desk and throwing it on. He was wise enough to not wear it during the morning debrief. "I'll drive."

---

The traffic of Republic City slowed for nearly nothing, save for perhaps snow. The streets were plowed and salted early in the morning already had a thin layer of snow on them, mixed with oil and dirt. The conditions forced drivers to slow down, if only out of self preservation, rather than any sort of notion of civility, and even then accidents were common, limited in scope by the low speeds involved.

The open cab design of the police truck forced the two detectives to bundle up to stay warm, wind blowing over the top of the windscreen to hit the top of their heads. The overhang gave them some cover from the falling snow. Imnek carefully navigated their way to the scene of the crime, a bakery only a few blocks down the street from the burnt out remains of Sea Serpent's Delight. They passed the bar on their way and it was hastily boarded up to prevent people from entering, which did little to deter the homeless from taking shelter in it. It had little room, so their numbers spilled out onto the streets, pilling up against building fronts and alleyways, huddled up in sleeping bags and tents for warmth. There was more out on the street than before, the nearby Equalist-run food kitchen and homeless shelter both closed down, and those dependent on them moved out onto the street.

Yahui wasn't sure if it was a mercy or a punishment. They were free to freeze or starve to death on the street, whichever came first. 'Seems the Council's still resisting Raiko's call to take over the Equalists' charity operations. At least in prison they'd be fed, and isn't that fucked.' Those who noticed the police truck's passing mustered the hatred to glare at the detective. It was a feeling he felt was justified.

The truck rolled on down the street until Imnek finally turned off to the side as they pulled up to their destination. The building's exterior was bright and colour, with a low-shingled roof jutting out above the ground floor to provide some measure of protection against the elements. The street outside the bakery had minor damage from the grenade, the triad's car taking most of the blast, save for the bits of shrapnel that left their shallow marks on the concrete and nearby building. The wrecked car had already been towed off as evidence.

"How cooperative do you think the owner will be?" Imnek asked as he turned off the engine and took out the keys. "They might be inclined to cover for the Equalists."

Yahui mulled it over in thought. "That's a possibility. I don't expect him to feel any pity for the thugs that died. We'll ask him for details and go from there. There's not much more we can do. Hits like this, the culprits rarely get caught," he admitted with a huff, shaking his head before climbing out of the vehicle.

The two walked up to the bakery, footprints on the wet snow, and knocked on the front door. It had been broken around the lock, and was held closed by a folding chair resting against it on the inside. The older man with grey hair behind the counter shot up, looking at the entrance in surprise before realizing it was the police. He visibly sighed, and looked not relieved, but resigned at their appearance, and walked over to the door to let them in.

"Officers." The older man lifted the chair and swung the door in, stepping aside as he motioned for them to enter. "How may I help you? The initial responder said I should expect a follow up."

"We just need to ask you about what happened," Yahui replied, opening his jacket to retrieve his notepad and pen. The interior was chilly from wind blowing in around the broken door, so he kept his gloves on. "We're the ones that follow up on this type of thing. Can we get your name for the record?"

"Of course," the older man said, nodding his head, he held a tired, weary smile on his wrinkled face that didn't quite match the suspicion in his gaze. It was a thing worn out of a sense of obligation to make their discussion a quick and painless occurrence. "I'm Li, the owner and head baker here."

As Yahui noted it down, Imnek pulled out his camera and snapped some pictures of the door frame. "And can you tell me what happened Li?"

Li nodded his head again. "I was preparing to open the store when these three triad members kicked in the door. I think they were Red Monsoon members, on account of their clothing, blue with red." He motioned to his breast pocket, mirroring where their accessories were. "They threatened to kill me with their bloodbending-"

"Bloodbending?" Imnek interrupted, lowering his camera as he turned to Li in confusion, before looking to Yahui. "I thought you guys rooted out any practitioners in the city after Yakone got captured. It's been illegal in the United Republic since its founding. How'd it work anyway? The next full moon isn't for a few weeks."

"They aren't bloodbenders," Yahui replied in exasperation, holding up his hand to prevent further comments. "It's an intimidation tactic. They use water mixed with a bit of cornstarch and red food dye to make it look like blood. They can't pull it from your body and nobody can do it in broad daylight." He shook his head. It was an urban legend that managed to stick around, no matter what.

Li frowned, briefly lowering his gaze and shaking his head in annoyance. "Anyway, they threatened to kill me with their bending if I didn't give them my money. I thought I was dead for sure when two bystanders came to my defense and in the struggle two of the thugs must have been fatally injured. I hid behind the counter." He gestured across the room to his small counter. "Then I heard an explosion outside, and the two who saved me ran off. I called the police afterwards." He grasped his hands together in front of himself. "That's everything, officers."

Yahui's brow faintly narrowed. The day had barely begun and he was getting obstructed out of the gate. "That part is interesting because one of your neighbours called us, not you." He gestured to Li with his pen. "I don't appreciate you lying to me."

"Oh, well, I meant to call, obviously, I," Li's silver eyes glanced to the side, "I suppose the call didn't connect properly. That must be it. I'll have my phone line looked at immediately."

"Of course," Yahui dryly replied, leveling a flat stare at the baker. "Did you recognize these two men?"

"No, officer, I didn't, I'd never seen them before in my life," Li firmly replied, bringing his gaze back up to meet the detective's. "If it wasn't for their bravery I fear that you'd be investigating my death right now."

Yahui disliked the dishonesty, but couldn't find it in himself to disagree with the old man. 'Red Monsoons like to keep up their bloodthirsty reputation by making examples out of people from time to time. Remnants of Yakone's gang that haunts us to this day. Just another long shadow cast over the city.'

"And you're certain of that?" Imnek interjected, folding his camera up and putting it away. "No distinct marks? Did you recognize their voices?"

Li shook his head, and repeated his answer. "No, I'd never seen them before in my life. They didn't say anything either." After a second he added, "They were wearing scarves I think, so if they said anything I didn't hear it."

"Do you know why they ran off? If they were acting in your defense they wouldn't have any reason to," Yahui asked simply to test the baker's story. He already knew the 'bystanders' were Equalists.

"Oh well, I can only imagine," Li replied, glancing downwards as he spread his hands apart and shallowly shrugged. "Perhaps they thought they'd be tried for murder. I don't think they meant to kill those triad thugs, but fatal injuries happen."

"Really?" Yahui sharply remarked, narrowing his eyes at Li. "That's an incredible claim given our mortician has already determined the cause of death. They didn't die from internal bleeding, the type of thing you'd expect in a brawl gone wrong, no they were electrocuted. Their faces had third degree burns on them. That doesn't happen accidentally, Li," he snapped.

The baker recoiled as if physically struck.

"It's best if you tell us the truth and not try to cover for who did this," Imnek calmly said, motioning between himself and Li. "I can understand why you'd feel indebted to them, but they're dangerous criminals. Triad or Equalist, we can't let murderers go, even if they might have helped you. Good samaritan laws can only go so far. Had they merely incapacitated the triad members we likely wouldn't be having this conversation."

Li was silent for several seconds, recovering from his initial surprise at Yahui's tone, until his jaw started to clench and hands balled up into fists. "That's easy for you to say. Where were you when they threatened me?" Li indignantly replied, pointing an accusing finger between the two detectives. "This neighbourhood was safe for years and less than a week after you start arresting Equalists the triads are already moving back in! I was preparing to retire and now that's gone out the window!"

"Equalists burnt down Lar Fao's bar and killed him," Yahui pointed out.

"No, Wei killed Lar Fao. Equalists defended my business," Li retorted with a quiet conviction. "Yes it was Equalists who saved my life and they did kill those thugs, and you know what? I'm glad they did. I don't know who they are but I wish I did so that I could buy them a drink to thank them." He let out a huff and ran his hand through his grey hair. "Now since you're convinced you already know all the answers to all your questions, leave."

"Obstructing an investigation is a serious crime," Imnek remarked in a severe tone, expression schooled after the baker's outburst. "As is knowingly lying to the police."

"I've told you everything I know. There's nothing else to say," Li firmly replied, crossing his arms.

Imnek glanced to Yahui, who subtly shook his head and flipped his notepad closed. "Thank you for your cooperation, have a nice day." He motioned for Imnek to follow him as he turned and left the store, his partner following suit after a brief moment. They walked down the sidewalk back towards their car.

"That felt like a waste of time," Imnek said with a huff. "We weren't going to get anything more out of him."

"No, no we weren't. He might have been honest about not knowing the two who did it. There were a lot of Equalists in this area. It's not unlikely that he only knew a few personally," Yahui replied, stuffing his notepad and pen back into his jacket pocket.

"You're probably right," Imnek reluctantly agreed, before switching tracks. "We should speak to the original caller, see if they know anything."

Yahui stopped outside a bookstore, only two doors down from the bakery. The front register was right beside the window at the entrance, giving the cashier a clear view of the street. The woman behind the counter spotted the police and shot up, motioning for them to come in as she unlocked the door.

 

[Fission Battery]

I started cross posting this from SB in the hopes that it'd grow the readership and help get more feedback, but that hasn't really happened. @meloa789 if you want to read the discussion the fic has generated I'd recommend checking out the SB thread. That's if you're interested. If not enjoy.

===
Chapter 2 - Through the Grapevine
===

The two detectives were ushered inside the cramped bookstore. It was a welcome reprieve from the chill outside, a heater quietly humming in the corner behind the counter. The woman looked relieved to see them and moved back behind it to give the pair room to stand in the narrow entrance.

"You're the one that called us, correct?" Yahui began.

"That's right." She nodded, before reaching up and readjusting her glasses. Her hand was subtly shaking, nerves getting to her, and she reached up to adjust her auburn hair, done up in a tight bun. "I almost couldn't believe what I was seeing at first, at least until I heard the explosion. It's been years since an incident like this has happened."

"Could you tell us what you saw exactly?" Imnek asked as he flipped open his notepad. "And your name too, for the record." The telephone operator that took the call had failed to get that info. Just another thing to fall into the cracks.

"It's Yua, I'm the owner of this store, if that matters too," Yua replied, raising a hand and idly gesturing to the shelves around them. "I was preparing to open it for the day when I saw those triad men drive by. I'm lucky they didn't notice me or else they'd have tried to rob me too." She let out a shudder and shook her head, holding her hands close and wringing them together. "I hoped they'd move on without too much trouble."

"Is that when the Equalists attacked?' Yahui interjected.

"It was yes. They didn't look like it at first, when they parked their car outside the store." Yua motioned to the street outside the window front, and then rested a hand on her chin. "It was an older Cabbage Corp model, the one with the engine in the back. It was tall and boxy but short. It looked quite squat all things told. It was almost comical seeing three grown men cramped into its tiny cabin, until I saw they were armed."

"Could you tell us anything else about it? Did it have any identifying marks?" Imnek pressed for more details as he wrote down the information.

"Certainly, it was pale green, I think from the company's winter cabbage colour line. The paint on the door was missing, like it'd been side swiped or scraped," Yua paused as she lowered her hand and crossed her arms. Her brow furrowed as she tapped her finger against her sleeve for several long moments, before letting out a sigh. "I'm afraid that's everything I can remember, detectives. The men's heads and faces were covered. I couldn't even tell you their hair colour. One might have had dark skin, but I ducked behind the counter once I realized what was happening, so I can't be certain."

Imnek nodded along. "Anything else?" he asked again.

"No, that's everything, officers. I didn't get up from cover until I heard them drive off," Yua apologetically replied, turning her palms upwards and spreading her arms.

"Okay, that should be everything." Imnek clicked the pen in his hand, closed the notepad, and glanced at Yahui.

"Thank you for your time," Yahui inclined his head towards Yua, who mimicked the gesture. The two detectives left the store, back out onto the cold streets of Republic City as quickly as they'd gotten off it. "That went well. It's something," he said as they walked back to their truck.

"It's not much. Cabbage Corp is second only to Future Industries in car sales. There's countless older models driving around," Imnek pointed out with a frown, raising a hand and gesturing to one such vehicle that passed them, a small flatbed truck. "I'm not sure where we'd even start trying to track that down."

Yahui shared his partner's concerns. "First we should pin down the exact make and model if we can, the description should help. From there we can narrow down our focus. We'll start by checking if a similar vehicle was described at any of the other recent attacks. If they used it in multiple hits there's a chance they slipped up, left a clue behind, or got recognized by someone. We should look into stolen vehicle reports. It's not uncommon for cars to get stolen and used as one off getaway vehicles by criminals. It makes it harder to track. It's usually a triad tactic, but I wouldn't put it past the Equalists to do it too," he stopped beside their truck as he listed off the steps they'd have to take. "That's all assuming they didn't just buy it for cash from someone. It'd be impossible to trace if they did."

"We might want to check out used car ads in the newspaper then. It could give us something," Imnek replied after a moment of thought, resting his gloved hand against his chin. "It'd be a smart way to get a burner car. No one would care or notice."

"We've got our work cut out for us either way," Yahui replied as he climbed into the passenger seat.

Imnek followed suit, going around the front of the truck, and stuck the keys into the ignition. "So, what do you think our odds of finding anything are?" he asked as he shifted into gear and pulled away from the curb.

"Very low," Yahui answered honestly, a frown set upon his mustached face. The Equalists were behind the attack, but they didn't know who the men themselves were. All it had taken was a simple bandana to effectively conceal their identity and like that it could have been anyone who did the deed. "We're gonna sort through files to find nothing but dead ends until we get put on another case. Chances are the attackers already went back into hiding. They might even have a safehouse nearby, watching the street, waiting to turn somebody who talks into another example, and we wouldn't even know, not unless we got a lead… or searched every apartment building room by room."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that. That's too extreme to even consider as an example. We have to focus on doing our jobs. There's not much more we can do," Imnek said firmly, raising his shoulders in a small shrug.

"Which in this case is going to involve a lot of paperwork. I prefer it to car chases," Yahui replied, shifting in his seat and bracing against the floorboard. The snow had drifted into the open cab, making the precarious seat somehow more dangerous. The only saving grace was the weather had forced other drivers to slow down, and the grip his boots gave him.

The pair methodically continued onwards, back towards the police precinct.

---

The two detectives sat at their desks, coats undone and hung up on a rack beside them and the rubber vest mercifully tucked away by their feet. With the insulation off they could enjoy the somewhat pleasant and balmy temperature. The constant flow of people in and out of the office meant there was enough airflow to avoid becoming stifling, allowing them to enjoy their break from the frigid snowfall outside.

On their desks sat a small mountain of paper. Their request for records had been swiftly approved and fulfilled without remark. They split it between themselves, starting from the latest reports from that day and slowly working back in time. Their initial cut off date was a week before that morning's attack on the Red Monsoons. It was a good measurement in their minds, since it was when Equalists were outlawed and forced to go aground. The brief chaos that followed generated plenty of reports as the police refocused all efforts to crack down on the Equalists. It left the pair with no shortages of incidents to sort through.

The amount of assaults were troubling. It had dramatically spiked as triads began to war over unclaimed territory with impunity. Equalists would periodically appear to put down a few triad members before disappearing just as swiftly as they appeared, content getting a few lethal licks in when they could. Their 'victims,' unable to hit them directly, redirected their outrage onto other triads and any civilians unfortunate to get caught in the crossfire. It was a slow burn increasing in intensity, skirmishes fought in the background that left blood on the streets.

And none of it mattered to the Council. They considered the Equalists priority number one, which meant the police did too. Everything else was a secondary concern to be dealt with later, if at all, even the escalating gang war didn't matter. It was a swift and stunning reversal of the force's previous policy of "triad first." The hammer was being brought down hard and with Tarrlok wielding it he was swinging it at anything and everything he could.

'They're directing everything they can into eliminating the Equalists as a political threat. Could they have gone after the triads this hard too? Why didn't they?' Yahui suspected he already knew the answer. 'Because the triads weren't a threat to the system.'

He ceased his musing and looked back down at the pile of paperwork on his desk. It'd proved a fruitless task so far. There were plenty of vehicles used in hit and runs and getaway cars, but none of the reports he had matched the description they were given. None were the same make and model.

"You've got any luck?" Yahui asked, gesturing to the paperwork with a scoff. "Nobody's pulled a hit with a Cabbage Corp vehicle that fits. A few of their older trucks, but no boxy cars."

Imnek nodded and held up a small stack of forms that were off to the side. "I've found a single stolen car report that matches." He shifted through them, bringing the report to the front. "It's three days old."

"It's better than nothing." Yahui raised a hand, palm turned upwards, in a half-hearted shrug. "There a phone number attached to the file?"

Imnek looked over it closely before shaking his head. "No, only name and address. It's a Mister Chen on Beanwood Avenue."

"Well let's go. We have to follow up on it," Yahui said, grunting as he pushed his chair back. He bent down to grab his insulated vest off the floor and begrudgingly slipped the warm piece of rubber back on. Imnek followed suit and the two grabbed their coats as they left the office, heading back out into the piercing chill of Republic City.

---

The sun hung low in the sky, its warm glow smothered and hidden behind a bank of clouds. Its light struggled to shine down upon the city below, blanketed in a thick layer of snow garnished with black smoke and soot, exhaust from the endless stream of vehicles and industry that filled its breadth and width to the brim. The wind whipped and raced through the valleys between buildings, carrying the polluted mixture up and through the air, over the heads of the drivers clogging the street and off to be deposited elsewhere in the vast metropolitan area.

The unfortunate many caught out in the draft huddled together in alleyways and abandoned shops for warmth, the husks of buildings serving as their only defense against the uncaring cold. They held up signs, offering to work for pay, pleading for charity and mercy, and even a few placards heastily repainted, with the words "Amon is the answer!" still visible through the new messages demanding shelter.

Yahui averted his gaze, pretending he didn't see the Equalist. He felt some sympathy for those downtrodden and desperate that turned to the madman in desperation, searching for anything better than the life they lived, but he knew where it'd lead. Where it was already heading. It was a search for answers and they'd found it in a message of hatred. 'Kill or drive out all the benders and suddenly everything will be better,' he thought with a mental scoff.

The truck passed a crowd protesting the closure of another food kitchen before they turned a corner onto Beanwood Avenue, and Imnek slowed as they approached their destination. It was a florist shop, pots of small withered flowers visible through the window, with empty display tables sitting outside, covered by a growing layer of snow. It was surrounded by closed down stores, many of their entrances boarded up by planks of wood with foreclosure notices plastered on front. Few other places were open, all in a similar state of disrepair and despondency. Yet still it stood, like a dandelion breaking through the crack in the concrete, surviving while others perished, if only for a little while longer.

Imnek pulled up in front of the florist. "Mr Chen's Flower Emporium" it proudly displayed on the window in faded and chipped paint, with an "We're Open!" sign hanging in the door. There was nobody inside besides a middle aged, tubby and tall man, a pair of glasses sitting on his face. He wore an apron covered with smudges of dirt and grim, filled with gardening utensils in use as he carefully tended to the few plants that still lived.

The detective eyed the store up with a raised eyebrow and curious gaze. "How does someone like that own a car?" Imnek pondered aloud.

"Maybe he got it used and in better days," Yahui replied, following his partner's gaze. It wasn't outside the realm of possibility, the city was filled with plenty of spare automobiles. The used market was booming, cars trading hands for cash with no questions asked.

The dirty mixture of slushy snow and oil wetly crunching beneath their boots as they stepped off the truck onto the street and onto the sidewalk, entering the store. A little bell rang as they entered and they found some relief from the cold, an old space heater sitting on the counter, loudly humming as it struggled to warm up the small storefront. The interior was filled with flowers in various states of decay, few having survived the recent cold snap that hit Republic City.

Chen beamed at them with a strained smile, stress lines forming at the corners of his eyes. "Hello!" he greeted them with an anxious chuckle. "I wasn't expecting any customers at this hour. I was in the middle of re-stocking the store." He motioned to the few living plants in his possession located on the counter.

"At this hour? It's still early afternoon," Yahui remarked. "Business that slow?"

The portly man ran a hand through his hair and nodded, his smile faltering and expression falling. "That obvious, huh?" He let out a sigh. "How can I help you officers? Are either of you looking for a bouquet?"

"We're falling up on your stolen car," Imnek started, reaching into his jacket and pulling out the original report. "It's a pale green Cabbage corp car, correct?"

"Uh, yeah, that sounds about right, with my store's logo on the side door too." Chen nodded his head, looking between the two of them slightly confused.

Imnek hummed in acknowledgement. "It was recently spotted being used in a crime and we'd like more information regarding it."

Chen's eyes widened in surprise, recoiling at the sight of it. "Oh, well uh, I honestly forgot I filed that. I'm sorry to hear about that, but I think that this is one big misunderstanding." He reached up to adjust his glasses, fidgeting with them for a moment and pushing them back up his nose. "My car wasn't actually stolen. It was borrowed by a friend of mine on short notice, and I uh, panicked, reported it by mistake. He and I sorted it all out though, and I meant to tell you guys about it." He spread his hands apart before clasping them back together. "So, I'm sorry to have wasted your time with that nonsense."

Imnek nodded along, stuffing the paperwork back into his pocket. "Okay, then can we meet with your friend to confirm he still has the car? We'd like to be thorough before moving on."

"That's not possible I'm afraid," Chen's eyes shifted to the side, looking out onto the street before turning back to Imnek and Yahui. "He's out of town at the moment and took the car with him, to drive, obviously. It's not possible at the moment, or foreseeable future really." He waved it off and went to walk around the counter, returning to tending his surviving plants.

"Mr Chen," Yahui said, frowning at the florist, "this is a serious matter. There's a chance that your car was used as a getaway vehicle by Equalists during an attack that's left two dead and one in critical condition." He paused to let the severity of the situation set in for the man.

There was always the chance that his car wasn't involved and it was a coincidence, but they could only rule it out as a possibility once it'd been accounted for. It was the only real lead they had and it didn't amount to much.

The florist's lips were drawn into a thin line as his brow furrowed and face paled. He went quiet for several seconds before responding. "Th-that's terrible to hear, but I'm afraid I can't help you."

"You can't tell us anything else? Just something to help us confirm that he still has possession of your car?" Yahui interjected, glancing up from his notepad and staring at the man expectantly. Pressuring people for info they were reluctant to share was an unfortunate but necessary part of the job. "If there's a chance your vehicle was used in a crime we're obligated to follow through on confirming if it was or not."

"There's thousands like it, mine isn't all that special, and like I said, I filed the report in error," Chen answered, sounding agitated and flustered by the conversation. "I can't tell you anything about my friend because, well, he's more of an acquaintance, a distant associate of somebody that I used to know. He really needed the car and borrowed it, and that's all I can say really." He anxiously chuckled. "I'd tell you more but that's all I know. It was short notice and I forgot, and that's all. It's just a silly misunderstanding."

"Do you even know who's in possession of your car?" Yahui asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not… entirely," Chen reluctantly admitted before shaking his head and waving off the question. "But it's not stolen so it isn't an issue. Now if neither of you two are buying anything I'd ask you to leave my store, I serve customers here," he tersely responded, pointing a fat finger at the door.

Imnek and Yahui shared a brief look, sharing the same thought. Yahui flipped the notepad closed, and inclined his head towards the porty florist. "Thank you for your cooperation. If you remember anything else please contact us immediately."

Chen didn't respond, pointedly prodigy and poking at the soil of a pot, evidently enthralled by it. The two left the store, bell ringing as they stepped out into the brisk air of the city and climbed back into their police truck.

"He's hiding something," Imnek matter of factly said as he put the keys in the ignition and turned, engine coming to life a second later.

"That much is obvious. I think we might be onto something here," Yahui replied as he shifted about the snow covered bench. He was thankful it was only his coat that'd get a bit damp instead of his pants, a small mercy. "I'd bet you that scratch on the side Yua mentioned is where the logo used to be."

"It fits the spot. That and Chen's behaviour means we might be onto something. What should our next move be?" Imnek asked. "We could take him in for questioning. If he lent his car to the Equalists that'd be a serious crime."

Yahui shook his head. "No, not yet, I want to stake the place out and wait to see if a bit more before moving. If he tries to go underground or flee the city then we grab him." He gave the storefront a sidelong glance, Chen continuing to pretend that they weren't parked directly outside his store. "We can get an undercover car back at the station, one with a closed cab too."

Imnek nodded in response as he turned the wheel and pulled away from the curb.

 

[Fission Battery]

===
Chapter 3 - Lying in Wait
===

The pair of detectives returned to the precinct to retrieve a civilian car, one with an enclosed cab and no police markings, and parked it a little ways down and across the street from Mr. Chen's flower store. It sat in front of an old abandoned storefront, a business long since dead, and the husk of a building serving as shelter for whoever wanted it. The position commanded a good view of the sidewalks and let them look inside the store, albeit from an angle. They were far enough away from it that they were confident he couldn't see them, and the homeless and pedestrians paid them no mind. Their car was a common model, churned out in the thousands, black and nondescript.

They were bundled up in their thick grey jackets and gloves to stave off the chill creeping inside the vehicle. It had to be left off to avoid drawing suspicion towards it by letting it idle for hours on end. It was a slow day as people came and went down the sidewalk, few lingering long enough to peer into the Flower Emporium before moving on. The other shops along the street suffered a similar fate. They were simply momentary distractions for people, a place to stop and stare for a few seconds, before continuing onto their true destination. An entire neighbourhood of businesses treated as mere decorations along the road, facades with empty interiors that one could gawk at free of charge.

Crowds of people continued to shuffle along for hours on end. The sun long since set and dim glow of the street light and apartment buildings above illuminating the road and sidewalks. The protest at the end of the intersection, further down the road behind the detectives, continued on unabated, even as the temperature dropped and snow began to come down harder. The masses of people huddling ever closer together outside the closed food kitchen and shelter, outrage mixed with desperation. There was nowhere to go for many of them. Trash bins were filled with fuel and rags, and lit on fire, providing light and warmth for those intent on staking a claim on the pavement.

The closed down charity had a few Equalist posters plastered on its worn brick walls, but twice as many with the UPP's logo on it. The most vulnerable turning to anyone that'd answer their calls for help.

Yahui looked away from the side view mirror, unwilling to stomach the sight any longer. "The Council really should have taken over those charities," Yahui remarked, breaking the silence of the car. "It'd have pulled support from the Equalist and helped people who needed it."

Imnek hummed in acknowledgement and slowly nodded his head. "The Council could do more, but when they can't that's where we come in."

"How much do we really help them?" Yahui quietly replied, leaning back on the seat and turning his head to look out the rear window. The throngs of people huddled around their makeshift fire pits. It was a sight distressingly common across the city during the winter months.

Imnek shifted in his seat to turn and followed his partner's gaze. His blue eyes lingered on the sight. "We can make the streets safer for them… We can try at least," he replied after several seconds. "It's not our job to house and feed them."

"That's the issue. If it's not our job then whose is it? Republic City doesn't have a local government. The Council's all we got and they're intent on letting the city fall apart around them. Eight million people ruled by five," Yahui scoffed and shook his head. "Forty million when you consider the rest of the United Republic." He readjusted himself in his seat and gazed back out the front window. The lights inside the floral shop were on, the faded glow illuminating the snow gently drifting down onto the pavement in front of it.

The sign said it was still open, a welcoming plea inviting people to come inside, yet none did so as the detectives chatted, not even to escape the bitter chill.

Imnek dipped his head in thought. "The Cultural Center provides free meals for anyone off the street. It's not much, but it does good work. I volunteer there from time to time." The corner's of his lips curled upwards in a sad smile. "My parents forced me to do it when I was younger, and I always hated it. I'd rather have spent time with my friends playing, until one day this poor family came in. They had nothing, only the clothing on their back and each other. It was the dead of winter and some of their hands were turning blue, frostbite had nearly set in. I couldn't understand it. How could someone be so poor in a city with so much?"

He tilted his head and shrugged at Yahui. "I was young, I didn't understand it at the time. I wasn't rich by any means but managed to avoid going hungry, even if we had to rely on others for help from time to time. My father tried to explain it to me. The thing that stuck with me the most was how people came together to help lend them a hand. It wasn't much but it helped them survive the winter and find good work come spring." His expression fell every so slightly. "It is limited, but every bit can help."

"It can," Yahui nodded, peering at his partner in mild surprise, looking at him in a new light. "It shouldn't be left up to us to handle it alone. The Earth Queen gives out a rice dole to all citizens in Ba Sing Sei, so that even the poorest beggar won't starve to death. If she can do it, why not us?"

"The world's gone mad if we're looking to Hou-Ting for policies," Imnek remarked with a sardonic chuckle. "I can't say you're wrong though. That's why we need to do our part, on or off duty. We care enough to keep the wheels from falling off the wagon."

"That we do," Yahui said in approval. "I wouldn't have expected you to volunteer." He raised a hand to ward off any comment and chuckled. "No offense. This is a demanding job. It says a lot that you'd do that with your time off."

"I did it a lot more when I was younger, before I became a full time detective."

"Why'd you do that anyway? You'd think a photographer would prefer to see more than crime scenes," Yahui inquired, voice tinged with genuine curiosity. He'd only been working with Imnek for barely two weeks and felt like he was still trying to get a real read on the guy.

"It was good money at first, compared to working for a local paper. I could stand the sight and smell of blood, so I lasted longer than most and it was a steady paycheque," Imnek admitted, turning the palm of his hand upwards. "Then I started to keep good at picking details out of a crime scene. I was noticing stuff the detectives were missing."

"You mentioned that part before. Shame there weren't any hidden clues in Zhang's apartment to find," Yahui remarked with a good natured chuckle.

"It comes in handy when it comes in handy," Imnek replied with a soft and muted laugh, exhaling through his nose. "What about you? You're very vocal with your criticism of the system. I'm surprised you'd end up working as a cop for six years."

The question struck Yahui. It was something he himself wondered from time to time. He leaned back, staring at the ceiling before lowering his gaze out onto the hood of the car, watching a layer of dirty snow build up, before answering. "I felt… like I could help, in some small way. I got tired of reading the newspaper everyday about some new attack and didn't want to feel like a bystander anymore. I thought joining the police and becoming a detective would change that."

There was also the skills he'd acquired as a young member in the Pottery Club, taught by members of the Dai Li alongside other initiates. The lessons that former secret police turned criminals drilled into him worked well as a detective.

"Did it?"

It took him a second to respond. "For a while. I always told myself that if I stopped thinking I could make a difference then I'd quit. I've done some good on the force, but it always felt like I've spent more time fighting against it than working with it. We're not out here to help people. We're here to keep law and order. Sometimes they overlap, most of the time they don't."

He wasn't sure if he'd since passed that point and kept coming into work out of simple habit. When would he call it quits? Would he ever? Was he just fooling himself? Not even Yahui knew the answers to those questions. He'd been a detective for six years and in that time the city had only gotten worse. The difference he'd hoped to bring about amounted to empty promises he made to himself as he watched the foundations begin to crack beneath the strain of seventy years of neglect.

'And now the Equalists are set on bringing the whole system crashing down around our ears.' He'd say it was long over do if they weren't intent on replacing it with something far worse.

Silence filled the car as both detectives were lost in their own worlds. "Maybe," Imnek quietly admitted, "I prefer being a detective over a beat cop or desk jockey. I'd take this any day of the week over walking around looking for trouble."

Yahui nodded in agreement. "I had to shadow a retiring officer for a while as a trainee. It was a mess. I hated every second of it. I'd rather be working a murder case than shaking down a beggar for vagrancy, I can say that much. Chasing down criminals is a lot less glamorous when you realize most of them are desperate poor people." He motioned to himself with a casual wave of his hand. "I was lucky enough that my mother had friends willing to help us out. I never had to steal food to live."

"That's good," Imnek replied with a wry smile creeping onto his face, "means you don't have to arrest yourself for theft."

Yahui cracked a grin and softly laughed. "I'd give myself a run for my money."

"Either way you win."

"Look at you cracking a joke, boredom must be getting to you," Yahui observed, feeling the hours begin to wear on him. "In any case, if I hadn't joined the force I'd probably have opened a dojo, taught others Silent Stone." He raised his arm and shook his wrist, the stone bracelet hidden within his cuff once more and covered by the thick sleeve of his jacket. "Then the Equalists wouldn't have a monopoly on chi blocking. It might have done more good too."

"Would you call it the Pottery Club Two?" Imnek rhetorically asked before his expression sobered up and smile fell away. "Why didn't you?"

Yahui leaned back and opened his mouth to respond, before closing it and humming. He scratched at his thin mustache and shook his head. "It wasn't feasible at the time, but if I could have… " He shrugged. "It was a day dream rather than a serious desire."

'There'd be an equal chance that it'd have turned into a dance studio instead.'

"Cost is a reasonable concern. It'd be taking a risk with a fair amount of money." Imnek shot a glance to the broken storefront beside them. There was no guarantee a dojo would last any longer than any other business in the city. It would have been a demanding affair.

"That's very true. Maybe I'll rethink it once I retire. It's never too late to become a wise old master," Yahui remarked, running his fingers along his mustache and down his chin to his chest, mimicking long flowing facial hair. He laughed at his own joke but stopped and went silent as a car similar to theirs slowed to a stop and pulled up right outside Chen's store. "Looks like we got somebody."

The two stared intently as they watched a man in a dark coat with a fedora atop his head step out of the car. From what little they could glimpse of his exposed face he had lighter skin, Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom ethnicity, with brown hair visible, illuminated by the dim glow of the storefront. He quickly glanced around and walked into the flower shop. Imnek began writing down a description of the man and vehicle he'd arrived in.

"Could you take a picture?" Yahui asked, grabbing the pair of compact binoculars off the dashboard. The narrow field of view gave him a clearer picture of the interior, even at their odd angle.

"I'd have to remove the bulb if we don't want him noticing the flash but then it won't pick up anything. It's too dark out, even with the street lights on."

"Damn." Yahui watched as Chen nervously greeted the mysterious man and recoiled as if struck when the person shouted at the florist. The words were muffled and unclear, a dulled anger was carried on the wind down the street to them. The exclamations appeared to continue for several seconds longer as they moved out of sight, away from the entrance.

The pair of detectives watched the store as tension filled the air, ready to lept into action if they heard anything. The moments dragged on, watching and waiting, until finally their mystery man and Chen re-appeared at the front door. The florist rapidly bowed his head over and over again, profusely apologizing for whatever wrong he'd committed, and the man stood in the doorway, waving off Chen's remarks. Imnek peered at him and reached for the binoculars, looking through them at his shadowed face.

"I swear I've seen him before," Imnek remarked in a low voice, brow furrowing as he wrecked his brain. "I can't remember where though."

"That's something at least, means we might have crossed paths with him before," Yahui said with a nod. "It's a good sign that we're on the right track."

The man stepped out of the door and let it close behind him without a second though. Chen quickly flipped the sign around to "Sorry We're Closed" and closed the blinds, locking down the store for the night. The man went back to his car and turned it on, headlights lit up the road.

Imnek dropped the notepad onto the dashboard and turned on their own car. The headlights left off so as not to immediately arouse suspicion and pulled away from the curb shortly after the mystery man did, following several car lengths behind him. They stayed on his tail as he turned onto a busier street and merged with the late night traffic.

They turned their headlights on to blend in with the traffic and continued their pursuit of the man, keeping a slow but steady pace as he casually navigated Republic City. He hadn't seemed to notice them, not moving erratically to throw them off his trail, and continued towards his destination, whatever it may have been.

---

As the drive stretched on, Yahui had a nagging sense of familiarity. "We've been here before," he remarked, glancing out the window. He'd seen the buildings around them before, he knew it, many times before, but from a different angle. It finally clicked to him as they passed beneath the elevated train line as they continued down the street, driving by a staircase that led up to the platform to board the train. "We're near the precinct."

The realization struck Imnek too. The detective leaning in to peer out the front window and spotting their station right on the corner of the intersection. They watched the car they'd spent the better of an hour trailing slow to a near stop before lazily pulling into the parking garage for the precinct. "Yahui..."

"Yeah I see it too," Yahui responded, a grim expression on his face. "Pull in and play it cool."

Imnek turned the wheel and they entered into the garage, finding an empty spot to pull into. The man they'd been following had already left his car, an undercover civilian model identical to theirs, and was casually walking to the door into the station, paying them no mind with his back to them. His dark coat was a similar shade of grey as theirs, denoting him as a member of the force.

"What should we do? This can't be a coincidence. We find a possible link between Chen and the Equalists, then he shows up to what? Intimidate Chen?" Imnek mused aloud as he turned off the car and stared at the back of the cop's head.

"We get his name and department, then go back to Chen and interrogate him on what they were talking about," Yahui replied, brow furrowed and lips drawn into a thin line. "We can't bring this up with Captain Delun, not yet."

Imnek turned and tilted his head, giving Yahui a quizzical stare. "Why's that? It's suspicious enough to bring up."

Yahui grimaced and let out a tch from his mouth with sigh. "We will," he raised his hand to placate his partner, "once we hear what Chen has to say. Without that Delun would tell us to get out. He thinks I've got a habit of crying wolfbat on any cop I dislike."

"Do you?"

"No," Yahui shook his head and firmly replied, "I've got higher standards than he does. He'd dismiss anything I say out of hand without someone backing me up." He motioned from himself to Imnek. "He'll dismiss you too cause you're still working with me without any complaint."

Imnek's expression soured as a frown spread across his face. "Alright," he said after a moment. "We find out what we can. Then we grab Chen tomorrow."

There was the option of a midnight raid on the poor florist's house. They had enough that they could probably justify their actions after the fact. They were hitting anyone and everyone with a possible Equalist connection as hard as they could. It was a drastic option and both understood that they'd prefer to use it as a last resort. There was no need to kick a potential buzzard wasp's hive when a more subtle approach was an option.

The two got out of their parked car and walked into the entrance of the station. The clerk manning the counter sat behind it bored, listening to the radio turned down low. It blasted the ramblings of some late night political commentator in the middle of a rant.

"-I tell you the White Lotus are to blame! They control the Council! They control the Fire Lord and Earth Queen! They even control the Avatar!" the deranged voice shouted into their mic, filling the ear with electronic static. "If we ever want to fix this country they need to go! They have to be dismantled! Why they outta-" It was cut short as the clerk lazily reached out to turn the dial, switching stations until jazz started to play from the machine's speakers, and he left it there.

"Late night," Yahui remarked as he signed the clipboard, writing in the time that they'd returned the vehicle to the garage. He quickly glanced through the names and saw somebody named 'Cho' had signed in a minute before they'd walked in.

"It alway is, detective, but I prefer it that way," the clerk replied with a chuckle and smile, leaning back on his chair. "You two and Cho are about the only people I've seen in the last couple hours. Almost everyone else either returned their patrol cars or took them home." Imnek lightly nudged Yahui with his elbow at the mention of the name.

"We were on a stake out that didn't go anywhere," Yahui said with a resigned shrug and sigh, casually resting his arm on the counter. "Typical. What about the other guy? Know what he was up to?"

"Running errands I think, getting paperwork sorted out," the clerk said with a shrug, bringing his hands up to rest behind his head. "He seemed pissed so I didn't care to ask."

"That's understandable," Imnek remarked, lightly nudging Yahui with his elbow. "Have a good night then." He started to walk away, heading into the precinct, and Yahui followed alongside him. The building was staffed by a skeleton crew, a few strangers from the day shift lingering about as the night time shift got settled in. Most desks were empty, their occupants long since gone home, with those on duty patiently waiting for the night to pass.

The two continued down the hall, heading towards their own desks, and spoke once they were sure they were out of ear shot of anyone.

"Cho's a desk jockey. That's where I recognize him. He handles records," Imnek said in a low voice. He lifted the pile of paperwork that had been sitting on his desk since they'd left.

"You don't suppose he's simply helping Chen sort out the misfiled paperwork?" Yahui dryly asked as he sat on the edge of his desk and crossed his arms. "Cause yelling at a man inside his own store would be an odd way to go about it."

"So we grab Chen first thing tomorrow and bring him in to testify to Captain Delun?" Imnek said, iterating the plan. "Then hope that we've got enough to act on and go from there."

"Pretty much," Yahui confirmed with a nod.

"Any thoughts on how Chen connects to the Equalist? He was stonewalling us, but he seemed more scared than outraged," Imnek inquired, resting a hand on his chin. "I don't know if he's a true believer or not."

"If he is, he's hiding better than most we've met so far. It could be that he was pressured into giving them his car," Yahui's brow furrowed and he scratched the end of his mustache. "Equalists get enough willing support that it's tough to imagine them confiscating somebody's property for their cause, especially someone with a failing business."

"That raises the other point." Imnek held up a single finger. "How did Chen afford a car in the first place?"

It was a question that had occurred to Yahui too. "He could have bought it used from a second hand dealership, maybe in better days. There's plenty of places in the city to get an older car for cheap, no questions asked." He lowered his arm and shrugged. "He could have taken a loan out and the Equalists took the car as compensation."

"It's possible but it doesn't fit how they operate," Imnek replied with a frown, lowering his head. "We'll have to get our answers tomorrow."

"I suppose we will."

 

[Fission Battery]

===
Chapter 4 - Nine Tenths of the Law
===

Yahui and Imnek pulled up in front of Chen's flower emporium. The blinds were drawn shut and the sign on the door said 'closed.' They'd arrived early in the morning, shortly after the store was supposed to open, based on the hours listed on the front door. A fresh layer of snow had built up over the night, adding to the growing piles along the street. The early morning foot traffic was hard at work shoving the snow drifts aside and patting down lanes on the sidewalks. A small pile of which had been pushed up against Chen's door, undisturbed save for new additions made to it by passing pedestrians. Nobody had gone in or out since the night before.

"Maybe he slept in?" Yahui remarked with a frown, giving his partner a concerned sidelong view. The unspoken fear was understood by both detectives.

"Speaking to us and Cho on the same day could have shaken him up," Imnek replied, raising his hand to gently knock on the front door. There was no immediate response, only silence from the interior. He leaned in closer to the window. "I think the lights are still on."

They waited for several long seconds before Imnek raised his hand and knocked with more urgency than before, causing the blinds to rattle against the glass. Silence reigned as the seconds passed, until they finally heard footsteps approaching the door from inside.

The haggard face of Chen appeared as he lifted a blind to see who his visitors were. His eyes widened in surprise once he realized who he was looking at and immediately closed the blind.

"Mister Chen," Yahui said in a stern and professional voice that demanded attention, "we need to speak to you. We'd appreciate it if you opened this door and let us in." It was a demand couched in a polite request.

A moment later the door was unlocked and was slowly swung open, Chen reluctantly ushering them inside his business. There were bags under his eyes and wrinkles on his shagging chubby cheeks. He lifted a hand to push his glasses back up his nose as he regarded the two detectives.

"Here to buy anything?" Chen asked with a weary sigh as they stepped inside, closing the door behind them. He motioned to the shelf stacked up high with empty planters. "I've been told flower pots make excellent practice targets for benders."

"You know we're not here for that," Imnek replied matter-of-factly.

"We saw Cho here last night," Yahui said.

The change in Chen was immediate. The lethargy left his body in an instant, replaced by nervous energy tinged with fear. His back straightened and head shot up. "Cho? Cho? That name doesn't ring a bell, nobody in particular comes to mind. Plenty of Chos in the city," he said with a shake of his head and forced laugh.

The two shared a brief look of understanding: they'd hit upon something.

"He's police officer, works in records-"

"Oh that Cho! Oh yeah, yeah, I know him, he was uh, helping me with my paperwork!" Chen interjected with a strained smile. He tapped a hand against his forehead, muttering "duh" while lowering it. "He's who I filed the missing vehicle report with initially and he wanted to make sure it was all cleared up. There's nothing to worry about, detectives. He just saved me a trip down to the station. That's all."

Yahui's frown deepened. The florist appeared to be a bit player in the whole thing, somebody swept up in events far greater than themselves. The constant stonewalling got on his nerves. The man was a stepping stone to others and confused obfuscation with self preservation. The act had gotten old fast.

"Damn it, Chen!" Yahui exclaimed, causing the florist to jump in shock. "Tell us what you know! Who are you protecting? Are they threatening you? Tell us who took your car and we can help you."

"I'm protecting myself! I want nothing to do with this!" the florist shouted back, raising his hands in a placating manner.

"From who, Chen?! Who are you protecting yourself from?!" He jabbed a finger into the man's protruding gut.

"Nobody!"

The detective glared at the man, half a mind to arrest him for refusing to cooperate, when he felt his partner's hand on his shoulder, gently pulling him back. Yahui didn't resist and quietly let out a sigh as he took a step away from Chen, quietly disappointed in himself for losing his cool.

"I'm afraid that's not good enough," Imnek began in a calmer voice. "We really need you to cooperate with us, Chen, because at this point we have two options." He held up two fingers on his gloved hand. "The first is that you tell us everything you know so we can help figure this whole thing out. I know you're not a criminal, but any information you have, no matter how inconsequential you might think it is, would be a boon in helping us and making the city safer. We need to track down the Equalists behind these attacks and find out Cho's connection to them."

He paused to let that information sink in. Revealing they were in the dark was a bit of a gambit, willing to lose face and admit a lack of control in order to fill Chen with a sense of responsibility and duty. The florist quietly took in the words, unable to raise his eyes to meet Imnek's gaze.

"The other option," Imnek continued, "is that we bring you in as aiding and abetting the Equalists by providing a getaway car for them and then obstructing a police investigation into the situation." His expression hardened. "I don't want to do that to you, Chen, but this is bigger than you. I want you to be part of the solution, but if you won't then we'll have to consider you part of the problem."

Chen grimaced, face tightening as if he'd bitten into something sour, and with great reluctance he finally let out a sigh and hung his head low. "Okay, I'll tell you what I know." He moved over to the stool behind the counter and sat down on it, while Imnek flipped out his notepad.

"Business hasn't been great lately, even before the cold snap killed most of my stock. People have been on edge and aren't spending as much as they used to. I never made a lot of money, but enough to get by until now." Chen wrung his hands together. "I tried to apply for a loan at the bank, a small one to get by, but they turned me down." His expression fell even further. He opened a drawer and threw his applications onto the counter, rejected stamped across it in big red letters. "When I was leaving the bank I was approached by a man offering me a loan instead."

"You took money from a loan shark?" Yahui remarked, shaking his head.

"I was desperate, okay," Chen admitted, turning his gaze downwards as he raised his hands.

"Which bank?" Imnek inquired, keeping the conversation on track.

"Imazu Family Savings and Loans," he replied with a bitter sigh, "down on Silk Street. I think it closed down though. It was damaged during that Equalist attack the other week."

The detectives both winced at the memory. "Can you tell us more about him?" Yahui asked.

"He was about your height, light skin, and black hair, wore shades so I never saw his eyes," Chen rattled off in brief detail. "He said his name was Li, flashed a stack of cash in my face, told me to follow him into an alley, and I figured I had nothing left to lose so I did. We talked business, and I walked out with a folder full of money."

"Wait, you didn't learn anything about him? Who did you know to repay it to?" Imnek asked in disbelief.

Chen shifted on the stool and pulled his lips into a thin line, half-heartedly shrugging. "I cared about the money. There was a chance I could save my home and business, so I took it. He got my information, and said he'd send associates to collect payment in a few months."

'Hell of a gamble. One that rarely ever pays off,' Yahui thought.

"So," Chen continued, raising a hand to adjust his glasses, "I thought I'd be smart with it. Using a loan to pay off bills and debt is a fool's errand, so I invested it in something I thought would help the business grow and reach more customers."

"A car?," Imnek hazarded a guess.

"I thought deliveries would really help. It'd cut out having to pay for couriers and let me cater to events directly, put my face out there," Chen gave a sardonic smile as he motioned to his tired expression. "It didn't work. With everyone on edge nobody wants to buy from some small time florist. Then the cold snap killed most of my inventory, and I was worse off than I was before." He paused for a moment, letting out a sigh. "When the day to pay came nobody showed up, and I thought that maybe I'd gotten off the hook somehow. That Li had been pinched by you guys and nobody knew about it."

"Then I woke up to find my car stolen. I panicked and filed a stolen vehicle report before I realized who had done it. They'd taken it as collateral."

Imnek nodded along as he wrote down all the details. "And how does Cho fit into this?"

"He showed up saying he knew our 'mutual acquaintance' then told me to sign some paperwork to resolve the outstanding report. He told me not to talk about it to anyone. He said they'd know if I did and that it'd turn out badly for me," Chen nervously glanced towards the front door. "Please detectives, keep me safe. That's everything I know."

"We will," Yahui firmly replied with conviction. The frustration he'd felt for the man had given way to sympathy. The cooperation and possible break in the case helped ease the change of mind too.

"Thank you, Chen, this is huge. We'll need you to come to the station with us. It's for your own protection and so you can testify to the Captain." Imnek flipped his book closed, motioning for the florist to follow them.

The two led him out of his shop, Chen locking up the front door with a key, and let him into the back holding cell of the police truck. It wasn't cozy, with bare metal benches and a mesh grate that divided the occupants from the officers in the front. It had a sliding panel on the driver's side to let them speak with arrestees at their leisure.

The florist nervously climbed on board, and sat down on the bench, holding onto it. The lack of handles or belts made it a bit dangerous at higher speeds. It was meant to be packed full, wall to wall, to keep people in place. A poor design choice, which Yahui felt described the entire vehicle. The backdoors were closed and locked, more for their passengers safety than anything else, and the detectives climbed aboard the bench in the open cabin, seats chilled to the touch by the cold winter air.

With a turn of the key, the engine started and pulled away from the curb, cautiously making their way back to the station, precious cargo in the hold.

---

"So Equalist loan sharks?" Imnek spoke up as they made their way down the street. Traffic was slowed to a crawl by the mid morning rush. "That seems outside their wheelhouse. From everything I've seen and heard they like to present themselves as the savoirs of downtrodden non-benders. Threatening them for money doesn't fit that image."

"No, it doesn't," Yahui said, nodding his head in agreement. "It's the first time I've ever heard of it either. I didn't know they were branching out into loan sharking. It's possible they could be doing it as a way to launder money around while muscling in on triad business." He brushed a gloved hand over the scarf in front of his face, in lieu of his mustache, as he ran with the thought. "It wouldn't be as effective as other possible avenues, but it could be a way to get dirty money off their hands fast and let them put the thumbscrews to people who otherwise might not have supported the cause. Any investigation into it would point us in the direction of the triads too, keeping us off their trail."

Imnek hummed in thought, absentmindedly shifting gears and turning the wheel as they spoke. "It's a possibility. It sounds too convoluted to me."

"Definitely," Yahui agreed. "It's the only way I could see the Equalists even getting involved with the business. The other option is that this 'Li' is working for a triad. If that's the case how'd the Equalist end up with the car?"

"Maybe they stole it? They've been popping up to hit gangs when they're distracted. It's possible they grabbed the car and used it as a disposable vehicle," Imnek suggested, shrugging with one shoulder. "Cho is a non-bender, so he could be trying to cover their tracks behind the scenes."

Yahui nodded along, resting his hand on the scarf over his chin. "That sounds more plausible for certain. That's the line of thought we take when we speak with Captain Delun. The important part is that Cho's connected to this whole thing, another stepping stone to possibly tracking down the Equalists."

"We do a lot of that. It's one person after another," Imnek remarked with a half-hearted chuckle. "I'd like to arrest the person at the top for once."

"Me too, partner, me too, maybe one day," Yahui replied. The days of bringing down big time gangster bosses like Yakone were long over. They'd survived the decades by not attracting the attention of people who cared enough to put them down, which was few and far between since Avatar Aang passed away.

---

There was an uptick in activity at the precinct, phones constantly ringing and officers hurrying back and forth. The atmosphere was tense, with a sense of urgency to everyone's actions, but subdued enough to avoid being an outright frenzy.

The cause was a fight between rival triads, duking it out in broad daylight over scraps of territory and payback. Violence beget violence and vengeance bega vengeance. Hits were carried out for the sake of putting the other guy in the morgue, one less body between whichever triad did it and total dominance of the city's underground. It was only one of many skirmishes that were beginning to break out across the city.

Yahui and Imnek cut through the crowded station, passing a line up of bloody criminals handcuffed together, and escorted Chen straight to Captain Delun's office. The door to it was open, the terse voice of the captain coming out of it loud and clear.

"Yes Chief Beifong, we've got the situation well in hand. We're processing the Agni Kai members as we speak," he said into the phone. His eyes glanced up as the detectives and witness entered his office, and immediately frowned when he saw who it was. "You can redeploy your squad. Their assistance won't be necessary."

They patiently waited as the captain nodded along and grunted an affirmative into the receiver before hanging it up on the stand with a click. "Well what is it? Can't you see we're in the middle of a crisis?" Captain Delun barked at them, raising a hand and motioning to the bustling office behind them.

"We've made headway on our case, and we believe that Officer Cho is connected to it," Imnek began. "He works in records here at this station." The captain slowly sat up straighter, staring at the two detectives with a critical eye. They suddenly had his undivided attention as Imnek quickly briefed him on what the two had uncovered in the past two days, the wrinkles forming on his bald head as his brow furrowed. At the end of the debriefing, the room went silent, as the captain mulled over the information he had been given.

"You don't have beef with Cho, do you?" Delun pointedly asked Yahui, jabbing a finger in his direction.

"No, I've never worked with him before and know nothing about him," Yahui answered honestly, shaking his head. "It was Imnek who recognized him, not me."

Delun hummed in response, switching his gaze to Chen. "And it was Cho who had you sign the paperwork?"

The florist nodded. "Yes, he said if I didn't our 'mutual friend' would find out. It was a form saying the previous report was invalid and a mistake."

The frown on the captain's face deepened. "That's the part that stands out to me. Cho doesn't handle those types of reports. He works with evidence in lock up. He shouldn't be doing that.. He shouldn't be doing that at all." Delun trailed off, glancing downwards for a moment. "You're certain he's tied to the Equalists?"

Yahui nodded. "We believe he's covering their trail for them. If he's willing to shake down a civilian over a stolen car report, then it's likely that he's been altering other records."

"He is also a non-bender as well," Imnek added. "I dislike the notion, but that may be a factor here."

Delun took in the information, then leaned forward and pressed a button on his intercom. "Kunnok, I need Officer Cho in Evidence detained, send a squad immediately. He is not to leave this building."

A woman's voice buzzed in response. "Right away."

Yahui blinked at the captain in surprise, quickly stunned by the sudden decision. 'Oh shit. How big is this gonna be?'

Captain Delun shot up from his chair, roughly pushing it back, and marched around his desk. "Officer Koa!" he barked, and an instant later a dark skinned officer appeared in the doorway. "Escort Chen to a private holding cell and guard him. Nobody is to see him if I am not with them! Understood?" The officer sharply nodded, ushering Chen out of the room.

"Detectives, you're with me," Captain Delun ordered, marching out of the room with purpose and the two following closely beside him. The captain strode through the station with purpose, a grimace set upon his face. Ahead of them run a squad of six officers, clubs at their sides and muscles tensed, ready to call upon their element at a moment's notice. They quickly disappeared from sight as they rushed on, passing through a pair of double doors.

"I'm going out on a limb here because you two seem to have the ill fortune of falling face first into other people's shit," Captain Delun gruffly said, glancing at the two of them out of the corners of his eyes. "If Cho's working for the Equalists…"

"You know him well?" Imnek asked.

"I can't say I do, but he's been here for years. Just about everything that enters the station crosses his desk at some point," Delun replied. The implications were clear to both of them.

The captain didn't slow as he shoved open a pair of doors and marched into the entrance of the storage room. Already Cho was in cuffs, looking terrified and bewildered, held in place by two officers restraining him. The rest gathered up paperwork that had been knocked aside in the brief scuffle that had evidently taken place.

"Captain! What is the meaning of this?!" Cho exclaimed in shock and rage, shaking the cuffs around his wrists.

"I'm sure you know," Delun responded, glaring at him in disgust before looking at the officers behind him. "Take him to interrogation." They nodded and left the room immediately. "While you," he turned to the remaining squad, "you are to assist Detective Imnek and Detective Yahui." He turned and jabbed his finger at the two of them. "I want everything that has Cho's signature on it to be checked and verified, make sure everything's in its place. Understood?"

A chorus of confirmations rang out, the four squad members reflexively snapping a salute. "Good! Get to work!" he ordered, before turning and leaving the room. At once the group began checking the backlog of evidence and contraband that Cho had handled.

---

"See the marks next to some of these crates?" Yahui asked Imnek as he showed him a clipboard. "None of the other items have it."

Imnek peered closely at the paperwork. It was a list of serial numbers, storage locations, and crate number, but didn't list the contents itself. Innocuous, something anyone else would ignore, eyes glazed over from the mundanity of it. "It says it's beside the loading bay."

"Okay let's check it out. You two, grab a crowbar, you're with us," Yahui pointed at the two nearest officers, who quickly did so.

The four marched through evidence storage. The initial entrance to it was behind a gated steel fence, with a shutter that opened up to a metal counter. It looked much like a bank teller's desk. The warehouse behind it was stretched to the back of the building, where a loading bay was located. It made it easier for them to move items around if need be, and was supposed to be as secure as the front, locked at nearly all times.

The sound of their boots on the concrete floor echoed down the rows of shelves and crates, until they finally came to a stop beside the bay door and turned. In front of them sat the crate, serial number matching the one on the clipboard, and a tiny 'x' marked on it with chalk. Others like it sat in a neat little row, seemingly undisturbed.

Without much fuss the two officers wedged their crowbars beneath the lid. They grunted with exertion, popping the lid off bit by bit, until it finally came free, and they moved it aside. Yahui stepped forward to look into the crate and felt his heart sink with dread.

It was nearly empty inside, save for a few Equalist posters sitting in the bottom. Amon's face stared up at him, blank eyes on the mask almost taunting him with the words "He is the future!" written beneath him.

"Imnek, I think I know what was in these. This was everything seized in the PRE raids." He raised his head and looked at his partner. "Cho gave it all back to the Equalists."

 

[Fission Battery]

===
Chapter 5 - In Sheep's Clothing
===

Yahui stared through the one-way tinted glass, watching as Captain Delun verbally tore into Cho. The turncoat sat with his hands cuffed to the metal table, not raising his eyes to meet the glare of his superior officer, clearly doing his best to maintain his composure. Other cops watched the display alongside Yahui in the dark room, a small island of quiet among the tumultuous precinct.

Everyone in Cho's department had been brought in, dragged off into their own private cells to await their turns in the hot seat. They were in the process of sorting through everything with Cho's signature on it, starting with the most recent documents and working backwards. They weren't sure who was working with him and who wasn't. It left everyone in a frenzy, suddenly trying to root out the supposed traitors in their ranks. They had nothing to hit Cho's department with, only guilt through association and suspicion, not enough for an actual arrest.

Detainment could last long enough for them to get answers. Captain Delun's plan of action was simple: grill Cho for info. The time spent finding anything to hit everyone else meant they could sit in their cells and stew in their fears. It'd make them more receptive to cooperating with their irate colleagues and confessing to their guilt. Yahui knew all the desk jockeys detained understood the idea, but figured they'd crack under the pressure, innocent or not. They'd offer each other up without hesitation once the offer was presented, anything to save their hides.

"Damn it, Cho!" Delun slammed his fist onto the table, causing Cho to wince. "Give me names! Give me appearances! Give me anything! Cause that's the only way you're getting out of this without a one-way trip to a life sentence for treason!" He let the threat hang in the air before sitting down across from Cho. "I don't care if you took money from them," Delun jabbed a finger at the man, "we all have to eat. I don't care if you believe in Amon, I truly don't. Maybe a firebender fucked your wife, I don't care."

A few muffled chuckles erupted from the officers in the dark room. They stifled them so the noise wouldn't carry through the window.

Delun leaned forward, glaring at Cho. "But I do care when you decide to fuck me by stealing from the precinct and putting the lives of your fellow officers at risk. Those nutcases already have enough weapons, and you want to give them more."

That received a round of nods and mutterings from around Yahui, and for once he was in agreement. Their ilk was a corrupt, egotistical type who tended towards getting high off their supposed moral authority, quick to forgive nearly any transgression their fellows committed against the law and people they were supposed to be protecting. To say they were flawed would be an understatement, yet between them all, as twisted as it might have seemed, was a sense of brotherhood. The basic understanding that when push came to shove they'd close ranks to protect each other without question or fail.

And Cho had violated that unspoken bond.

He was worse than an outsider acting against them. He was a traitor. He'd re-armed those who'd attacked and nearly killed other officers. Most disliked Yahui, but the moment he put on the badge he was one of them, so an attack on him was more than that: it was an attack on all of them. The fact that the metalbending squad got to play hero had stung their pride too. The favoured division on the force got the glory, so it left the rest of the force with something to prove.

Yahui didn't particularly care about any of that, but he wasn't about to voice that opinion.

Cho remained silent, staring at the desk in front of him, and with a huff Captain Delun left the room, slamming the door behind him. At once the cops rushed to look busy as he entered the dark room, walking up to Yahui and Imnek.

"When I said you were good at stepping into shit, I didn't mean for you to take that as encouragement," the captain gruffly remarked in a low voice. He raised a hand and wiped the sweat off his brow, running it back along his bald head. "Cause this is one big pile of shit you've dropped onto my lap. I got Chief Beifong threatening to commandeer the entire precinct, says everyone in the station could be flipped and she'd have no way of knowing. I said that'd be stupid because if we were all Equalists we wouldn't have fucking told her, in much nicer words of course."

"Of course," Imnek replied with a nod. "What's our next move?"

"We'll work over Cho a while longer. We've got enough that we can keep him as long as we like, so he'll break eventually. The rest of them we have to release after twenty-four hours, but we'll get something that can stick before that time," Delun matter-of-factly replied. "I'm also considering detaining every non-bender in the station."

Yahui frowned at the suggestion. "That could easily turn out poorly. We can't assume every non-bender has Equalist sympathies. If we did, we'd have to fire half of the people in this room." He gestured with his offhand. A few officers glanced at the captain with a look of concern, before pretending to work on another task.

"A background check might be more prudent," Imnek tactfully said. "See if anyone has any connection to the Equalists. It'd take longer but it'd prevent us from gutting our own manpower when we need it most."

The captain looked around the room, narrowed eyes quickly switching from person to person. "I said I was considering it." His gaze settled back on the two detectives. "The officers I sent to Cho's apartment didn't find any Equalist paraphernalia, but they did find some envelopes in his drawers filled with cash and code names. His wife wasn't home, so we're tracking her down at the moment."

'Must mean he's smart about hiding his connection to them at least. The rare Equalist that doesn't plaster posters everywhere.'

"As for you two, it goes without saying that I'm taking charge of this case. I want you two helping efforts sorting through records, set aside anything that stands out as a priority to look into. The rest we'll get to it when we get to it."

"Understood," Yahui replied, nodding his head. He nudged Imnek to follow him out of the dark room, leaving Delun to turn back to the one way window and quietly fume over the shitshow he'd been handed.

---

"This look like a mark or an ink smudge?" Yahui asked, passing a piece of paper over to Imnek. It was another serialized list of crates with a few dots next to several items.

Imnek raised it up to his face to inspect it. He passed it back a moment later. "Looks like ink smudges but set it aside anyway. We've got no idea what that could mean so it's better safe than sorry."

"I figured as much." The sheet of paper was dropped into a growing pile of forms considered 'important.' Their task would have gone much smoother if they had the paperwork hadn't been hidden by Cho. They got all the information they needed, except the actual contents of the crates listed in the paperwork. The search for an inventory list was considered a priority for that reason. It'd save them having to track down everything to figure out what might have been given away.

The two detectives had already spent hours working at their inglorious task. It was one when the phone on Imnek's desk rang. He answered it promptly, greeting the person on the other line. A moment later he pulled out his notepad to scribble information onto it, thanking the person on the other side before hanging up. "Well that's good news for once. That Red Monsoon gangster in the hospital is awake and stable. He said he wanted to speak with the police."

"That is good news," Yahui said in agreement. He stood up from his desk and grabbed his coat off the back of his chair. "Let's go see if he has anything that could help us."

Imnek followed suit, and the two left the station.

---

The hospital was abuzz with activity, the foyer filled with people constantly coming and going. The sound of a siren in the distance punctuated the murmur whenever the front doors opened, abluences rushing to retrieve patients and bring them back alive. It wasn't a frantic pace, but a steady one, running like a reliable, if worn down, machine. The bags under the receptionist's eyes spoke of the long, hard hours that he had to endure. He wasn't the only one that looked fatigued.

The chemical scent of cleaning products stung Yahui's nose. It was a sterile smell that few other places had. He flashed his badge at the receptionist, who quickly gave the detectives the room number with no questions asked. There were a few times when the deference to authority was useful.

They turned down a hall, walking at a brisk pace towards the elevator. They were passed by medics pushing a gurney down towards ER, a sense of urgency in their step. Yahui did his best to ignore the cries of pain from the woman stretched out on the gurney, clothing soaked with blood and face covered with hastily applied bandages.

The elevator doors opened with a ding and the two got on. The doors closed, silencing the noise of the foyer.

Imnek gave his partner a sidelong glance. "Not a fan of hospitals."

"I can't say that I am," Yahui replied with a sigh. "It's a place of healing, but ending up here means something's gone wrong in the first place. It's not a place you want to linger in if you can help it."

Imnek hummed, nodding his head in understanding. "I understand the aversion. The prospect of a career as a healer never appealed to me for that reason. The sight of blood never bothered me, but I knew I couldn't do it twelve hours a day, six days a week."

"It'd be exhausting work. It's almost preferable working with the dead than the dying," Yahui remarked, glancing up at the arrow moving as they climbed up the floors. "At least then you don't have to wonder if there's more you could have done."

"Too true."

The elevator came to a stop and dinged once again as the doors opened. They stepped off. Yahui looked at the floor dictionary on the wall, peering at the map for a second, before turning down the hall to the right. The two walked in silence as doctors and patients moved around them, continuing on until they reached the end of the hall.

They heard muffled voices through the door, and cracked it open.

"-and remember what I told you, Vanak. You gotta-" the man in the bed stopped talking as the detectives walked in. He was their injured Red Monsoon gangster, half of his head shaved bald and remaining hair uncombed. Standing beside his bed was a young man with a similar build, with dark skin and hair tied back into a short wolf's tail, wearing dark blue clothing with red accents.

He shot a glare at the cops before turning back to the man in the bed. "I'll see you later, Talan," he grasped his friend's hand, careful not to move the IV drip.

Talan returned the gesture, tightly holding onto Vanak's cuffed hand and giving it a firm squeeze. "You stay safe, man." They held each other's hands for several seconds before letting go.

Vanak stepped away from the bed and paused at the door beside the detectives, conflicting emotions flashing across his face. His eyes shifted to Imnek. "Take care of him, copper. This guy's like a brother to me."

"We will, it's our job," Imnek said in response, raising a hand and patting Vanak on the shoulder. The young man grunted and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Wasn't aware you'd have visitors so soon. I guess you got people looking out for you," Yahui remarked as he walked around to the side of the bed. He glanced to look out the window, curtains ajar, giving a picturesque view of the snow covered city below.

"I wanted to speak to my next of kin before I called you up. Don't you worry none, I ain't going anywhere," Talan dryly remarked, rattling the handcuff around his wrist. It kept him strapped to the bed. His body was covered in bandages and scars, the right side of his face cut up badly from shrapnel.

"Rare for Red Monsoon to speak with us, period," Imnek said.

"I'll make an exception for you," Talan raised the stump of his right arm and pointed it at Imnek, smirking for a moment before his expression sobered up. "It's about the Equalists that attacked me."

"You recognize them?"

Talan shook his head. "No, nothing like that. Those bastards were benders."

Yahui gave the gangster an incredulous stare, glancing at his partner who shared his look of disbelief. "The Equalist are employing benders in their hits now?"

"It's the truth," Talan replied, nonplussed by their doubt. "When they jumped me I took a swing at one with a water whip. It should have hit, but one of them nudged it aside at the last second and leapt over it. They took down my associates, so I ran."

"It sounds like you got sloppy with your form," Yahui dismissively remarked. He was about to say more but stopped when he saw his partner's brow furrowed.

"Are you sure one of them took control?" Imnek inquired.

"Does a platypus bear shit in the bayou?" Talan rhetorically asked, sitting up straighter and leaning over to Imnek, jabbing a finger in his direction. "They were benders. You know as well as I do what it's like when another waterbender interferes with your bending. The water was redirected. It was enough for it to miss and let them get close." He sat back and rested against the raised back of his bed. "Fuckers."

A pensive expression formed on Imnek's face, and Yahui found himself frowning as the two shared a look. "Thank you for your time, Talan," the latter said.

As they opened the door, Talan spoke up. "North or South Pole?"

Imnek paused and looked back at the crippled youth, expression softening for a moment. "South."

Talan nodded in approval, smirking at the detective. "Water Tribe."

Imnek quietly chuckled and shook his head, closing the two behind him as the two left the room to speak in the hall.

'Guess it's a bit of a friendly rivalry like Ba Sing Se and Omashu, or Yu Dao and Republic City.'

"You're the waterbender," Yahui said in a hushed tone, raising a hand to gesture to his partner. "There any credibility to that?"

It'd been ages since Yahui had sparred with another earthbender. He imagined there was some similarity between different types of bending when it came to that sensation though. He'd experienced rocks turned seized from his control or ground turned to quicksand beneath his feet before. The motions are completed but the action doesn't happen correctly.

"If they bent the water while doing another action it could be subtle enough that nobody else would notice. He said they jumped over it, so a simple arm motion would be enough to redirect the attack." Imnek rested his hand on his chin, looking at the floor in thought. "Especially if he wasn't expecting it and couldn't compensate in time."

Yahui let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "So what does that mean exactly? The Equalists are actually using benders as hitmen now?"

"I can't see it happening. They genuinely believe in their cause. It'd go against their no bender policy. I don't think any benders would willingly join up with them either," Imnek said with a frown, shaking his head. He started waiting down the hall. "Maybe a few joined and hid their bending. It could happen hypothetically, but it feels…"

"Unlikely, yeah," Yahui interjected, completing his partner's thought. He nodded and stopped to look out a window. He knew there was something missing there, letting his mind wander as he took in the sight of Republic City.

It truly was a marvel of engineering. The towering skyscrapers were monuments of concrete, glass, and steel, carefully sculptured to model the aesthetic of older wood and stone buildings. It was a concentrated effort to avoid creating a sterile lifeless environment of industry. It was a worthwhile idea, but the beauty of the cityscape tended to hide its brutal reality. The picture of the future with all the problems of the past.

From their perch, the people on the streets seemed like specks of colour and grime against a white and grey backdrop. They hurried about their lives, huddled up in their jackets and scarves to stay warm against the brisk winter air.

'Equalists. Cho. Waterbenders. How's it all come together?'

The silence between them stretched on until something started to click in Yahui's head.

'Who said the waterbenders were Equalists?'

"This isn't making any sense because we're coming at it from the wrong angle. These aren't Equalist who are waterbenders. These are waterbenders who looked like Equalists," he said, feeling more confident with every word as the pieces fell into place. "What if instead of working for the Equalists, Cho was working for a triad?"

Imnek's eyes widened. "It'd immediately make the connection between him, the car, and the loanshark make more sense. We aren't dealing with different factions. They could be all the same," he replied, brow furrowed. "Cho steals Equalist gear to give to some triads, who pull off attacks without drawing any attention to themselves."

"And they'd have the upper hand since none of their targets are expecting to fight another bender."

"It'd let them take out their rivals in the city's underworld without painting a target on their backs, and we'd be too pushing trying to track down imposter Equalists to find the real culprits," Imnek remarked, motioning between the two of them. "This is big, Yahui."

"I bet you anything that if Cho's started speaking it'll lead us to a triad, not the Equalists. We gotta tell the captain immediately." Yahui glanced up and down the hall, until he spotted a payphone by the elevators.

"The only question is which one. I'm still getting brought up to speed on the different gangs in the city proper," Imnek admitted, turning a hand upwards and shrugging it.

"Red Monsoons are the big waterbending triad, but they aren't the only ones with waterbenders in it. A bunch of smaller gangs employ them. The thing is though none of them would have the resources to get someone like Cho working for them," Yahui explained as he fished spare change out of his pocket and fed it to the payphone. "No, the only ones that I can think of that fit the bill are the Triple Threats."

He pulled the ear piece from the wall, cord extending as he held it up alongside his head, and lifted the receiver up to his face. The operator on the other line answered and he gave them the address of the precinct station. It took several long seconds until an officer picked up the call.

"This is Detective Yahui, I need to speak with Captain Delun immediately."

 

[Fission Battery]

===
Chapter 6 - The Crime of the Century
===

Yahui and Imnek found the precinct in a tizzy when they arrived. People barking out orders to each other as they rushed around, voices raised to be heard over the flurry of activity. It seemed everyone had received marching orders, and the two detectives were no exception as they were told Captain Delun wanted to speak with them immediately.

They found the captain outside his office, surrounded by a sea of subordinates. Delun spotted the pair, told his secretary Kunnok to handle the crowd of officers, and walked over to them. He motioned for them to follow him, which they did.

"Cho started singing real fast once we switched up our tactics. Once we mentioned the Triple Threats he folded like a house of cards. It made it easier to pick out who else was working for them once we realized benders were back on the list of suspects," Delun explained curtly, a grimace set onto his face. "They gave us names, locations, everything we'd need to begin rooting out the rot in the station."

"That's good news for once," Imnek remarked with a hint of uncertainty, nodding along. He gave a sidelong glance to a passing squad of officers decked out in padded armour and wooden batons at their side. It was like the station was mobilizing a small army of combatants, bender and non-bender alike ready for battle.

"Oh it is, it most definitely is," Delun replied as his face twisted into sneer. "We're gonna hit the Triple Threats, and we're gonna do it fast and hard."

Yahui's brow furrowed as he looked at the captain in disbelief and said, "I don't disagree with that plan, but why now?"

The Triple Threats had existed for decades and settled into an uneasy coexistence with the police for as long, like two predators at a watering hole pointedly ignoring each other. There'd been plenty of time to make a move against the triad. The connection they'd found was bad, enough to ensure a few cops and their cohorts went away, while the leadership got away without any repercussions. That layer of disposable minions and apathy are what allowed people like Zolt to flaunt their reputation and the law. The only times that a raid of such a scale was ever organized was if a triad had started targeting cops.

"Because I can live with money changing hands for favours, but nobody robs me and turns my own precinct against me," Delun pointedly replied, wrinkles forming along his aging head. "We can spin any justification we like after the fact, say the Triple Threats were working with Equalists and supplying them weapons. The press won't question what we tell them, especially once we get Zolt in chains."

"We're aiming for the top?" Yahui said in disbelief.

"If not him then enough Triple Threats in chains or body bags to destroy the triad as an organization," Captain Delun stopped once they reached the end of a hallway, out of the way from seemingly everyone else in the building. "Which is why I needed to speak to you two," he said in a hushed tone, leaning in as they formed a group huddle. "Yahui, you still practicing chi blocking?"

"Yes," Yahui replied with a frown, unease filling him as he sensed where the conversation was going.

Delun nodded. "Good, good, I guess it wasn't completely useless after all. I want you two rushing ahead to nab Zolt himself. I can trust you," he jabbed Yahui's arm, "because you're a damn goody two shoes with a stick up your ass, and you," he patted Imnek on the shoulder, "because you're too new for the Triple Threats to have sunk their claws into you. Plus if you were dirty, Yahui would have sold you out already."

"That's a lot to ask of us, captain," Imnek replied, deeply concerned by the prospect of chasing down a man infamously known as Lightning Bolt Zolt. "Even if the man himself wasn't a threat, he'd be surrounded by guards."

"You think I haven't thought of that?" Delun dismissively replied as he gestured between the two of them with his off hand. "You're the pointmen, we flush him out of wherever he is at the moment and tie down his entourage while you two go right to him." He switched his gaze to Yahui, whose face was screwed up like he'd bitten something bitter. "I know enough about chi blocking that the moment you get within arm's reach of him it's over."

Captain Delun clapped his hands together, stood back up, and smirked, assured at the brilliance of his plan. "Trust me, he won't know what hit him. The bastard probably still thinks we're chasing Equalists all over. By this time next week he'll be paraded through town and sentenced to life imprisonment. Maybe the Avatar will even show up to debend him too."

"What about Chief Beifong? We getting any support from her?" Yahui asked, looking at the captain expectantly.

"Beifong and her squads are currently occupied searching for possible Equalist hideouts around town. Besides, we can do this without her. You know the moment that Beifong is involved we'll all get sidelined, treated like servants in her family estate, all while she walks away with the fame and glory," Delun bitterly remarked. "That's not happening! The metalbending squads eat up a third of the fucking budget to act like showboating pompous assholes. They've got nothing to show for it, but this," he raised a finger, "we do, and we do it with good old fashioned police work."

"Do we even know where he is?" Imnek said, stunned by how simple the captain made it sound.

"We've got enough eyes on him to track his movements most of the time. He's either at one of two locations, given the time and day," Delun confidently replied.

Imnek stared at the captain in shock, before looking over to his partner with a questioning gaze, imploring him for guidance. "Do you think you can do it?" he asked after a moment of silence.

The question caused no shortage of consternation for Yahui, his brows furrowed as he was deep in thought. He'd never fought a lightningbender before, few had, and had only an educated guess on how it would go. If Zolt got a shot off at either of them, he knew it'd go poorly, so the only solution was not to give him a chance.

'Easier said than done.'

The trail of would-be assassins, rivals, and usurpers left in the man's wake in his rise to power made that clear. The risk it presented was countered by the idea of bringing the man in and tearing down the triad he'd built up. He didn't like the idea of being part of some petty power play between Delun and Beifong, but it was a tempting prospect, one that was making Yahui seriously weigh up the options.

Finally he looked up at Imnek and nodded. "I think I might be able to manage it."

Delun frowned, and shook his bald head. "I'd have liked to hear it with more confidence, but I don't have to tell you not to fuck up. It's your life on the line. Go to the armory and grab anything you need." He half turned away, then stopped and patted the rubber vest on Yahui's chest. "Keep that on too, in case they have any of those damn shock gloves on hand."

The two watched the captain walk away, and shared a look.

"This is insane," Imnek said, running a hand through his hair. "Do you actually think we can manage this?"

"We might be able to," Yahui answered honestly, with far less confidence in his voice. "We won't be going in alone. We're just the spider rat catchers. Zolt's only one man. He'll go down as easy as any other when outnumbered."

Imnek let out a sigh. "I hope so."

---

In a short time the two had gotten geared up and hopped into a police car. The garage was filled with dozens upon dozens of officers, a small army mobilized. They were all ready for battle, armoured with rubber and thick cloth vests, and equipped with batons, water filled backpacks, mallets, and many other tools of the trade. All meant to help them in their bending and non-bending fighting styles, and serve as a weapon in a pinch if need be.

The fleet of prisoner transport trucks joined the usual patrol vehicles, having been repurposed into personal carriers. Even a water tank truck, commandeered from firefighters, sat in the garage, filled to the brim and waiting to be thrown around at any in their path. The snow and slush provided more than enough ammunition for the waterbenders, but a dedicated carrier had more umph than a few snowballs could.

In spite of himself, Yahui was almost impressed with the assortment of officers gathered there. Almost. 'They're all too eager to play soldier, like they're damn Rhino Rough Riders.'

Delun strode into the center of the gathering, flanked by two officers, and a hush gathered over the crowd. "I'll keep this brief. You've got your assignments, you know what group you're sticking with, and you know who we're after." He held up a picture of Zolt for everyone to see, his aged face smirking back at them. "So let's go get this son of a bitch!"

The crowd let out a short cheer, needing no introduction or explanation for chasing down the gangster. They rushed to their cars and trucks, jumping into them with much enthusiasm, and began to roll out of the station, sirens blaring. The traffic on the street pulled aside and ground to a halt as a seemingly endless tide of police vehicles poured forth from the precinct's garage. The airwaves were filled with the chatter of coordinating cops as they began to spread out, clumped up into their formations and head to their target.

Imnek held the wheel of the car tightly in his hands, trailing behind at the end of a convoy. He and Yahui in a smaller vehicle, their usual go to truck taken up to serve as transportation. They had to be ready to pull off and race to the other location if Zolt wasn't at their first stop.

"Delun's dead set on this," Imnek tersely remarked.

"It's the first time I've ever seen him this motivated. I guess Cho selling Equalist equipment to the Triple Threats got him really pissed off," Yahui mused, shrugging with one shoulder, his other arm holding onto the handle on the ceiling to keep himself steady.

In the twilight of the afternoon sunset, they rode.

---

Dice rolled across the table, carefully watched by half a dozen pairs of eyes, all waiting to see the outcome with anticipation. They came to a stop, a pair of snake eyes staring up at them, and half the table shouted with excitement while the others bemoaned their sudden loss. Money quickly exchanged hands, bets won and lost, and the large pile of winnings divided up.

Zolt watched the events unfold with a smirk of satisfaction, before continuing to a private room in the back of his casino. He didn't want to breathe the same air as the riff raff that made up its clientele. It was all rigged, always was, but people still bought into it, thinking that they'd figured out a way to game the system to their advantage. They spent money they didn't have chasing a dream that didn't exist, then came back to him, begging for forgiveness, promising they'd work to repent, and he'd always accept it, with a price.

It was a spider rat race that he'd escaped long ago. The head of the Triple Threats was quite comfortable on top, leaving the busy work to grunts and those loyal few who he trusted. A waiter took his coat from him, carefully handling it, as another placed menus down in front of Zolt first, then his lieutenants that had accompanied him for an early dinner.

He enjoyed the fine cushioned seat, letting out a content sigh, and grabbed the newspaper handed to him without a word. The headline read "Equalist Strike Again! Five Dead!" It was a sight that warmed his heart as he let out a deep rumbling chuckle.

"Oh this is brilliant. I've truly outdone myself," he exclaimed, slapping the newspaper with the back of his hand and laughing. "The cops see a splash of red on an armband and they chase after it. We can lead them around by the nose for years. How's progress working on the Red Monsoon?"

"We're making good headway in their core territory," a woman in a red and pink dress suit spoke up. "At this rate we've got a good shot of wiping out most of their membership by year's end."

"Fantastic," Zolt said in approval, pursing his lips and nodding. "The Council outta give us a medal for all our hard work. We're doing our civic duty by wiping out the last remnants of Yakone's former gang."

There was a murmur of agreements around the table. Decades later the man still cast a long shadow over the city's underworld. The Red Monsoon's attempt to emulate their late founder was seen as distasteful by many. It made them a prime target for the disguised hit squads, though other triads were being hit too. Their rivals would fight and rage against an enemy they could never find, while the Triple Threats seemingly go on the defensive, never drawing too much attention to themselves.

"We're practically doing the cop's job for them," Shady Shin chimed in, smirking and sounding quite pleased. That elicited another round of laughter from the people around the table, even Zolt. The aging man was amused with the notion.

He looked back down at his menu, quickly reading over its contents before deciding what he'd order, passing it off to the waiter. "I'll have the-"

A bodyguard burst into the room, a panicked look on his face. The door slammed against the wall and instantly the sounds of chaos and screaming could be heard from the front of the casino. "Boss we got a situation! We need to leave now!"

At once Zolt leapt to his feet. He knew the sound of battle when he heard it.

The bodyguard at the door opened his mouth to speak but was cut off as a crismon icicle suddenly skewered his throat, emerging out of his gaping mouth, killing him instantly. The body was flung to the side by a tendril of bloody water, revealing a man in a blue suit, accented red, and stained with blood. His eyes snapped to Zolt, and burned with anger, bloodied whip snapped out.

Zolt's lieutenants lept into action, throwing themselves into the doorway. Sake was bent from the table, intercepting the tendril and freezing it against the wall. Spikes shot out from the ice, forcing the Red Monsoon attack back.

"Go! Get the boss out!" one shouted back.

Shin grabbed Zolt by the shoulders and rushed him out of the room. Zolt needed no further encouragement, adrenaline pumping. He caught a glimpse of the casino, witnessing bloodshed and chaos unfolded, an army of thirty-plus gangsters out for his blood. All armed with water, booze, and snow fashioned into deadly claws of ice and tendrils as their weapons of passion. Bodies of patrons littered the floor alongside security, caught in the crossfire by surprise.

The scent of death and fire filled the air as Triple Threat firebenders unloaded streams of flame onto their opponents, blocked by hastily made shields of ice. Snow rushed into the building like a white tsunami, turned back into water to force back the flames.

In a split second Zolt knew his crew was outnumbered three to one, with every person that dropped worsening the odds further.

So he turned towards the back and ran hard. He shoved aside a terrified patron, knocking them to the ground as he barreled out the back door, existing into an alleyway. Shin right behind him, alongside an earthbender-

'Xulang,' Zolt remembered.

"We'll take my roadster!" Shin exclaimed, pointing over to his sports car parked on the street at one end of the alley. They started running towards it, legs pumping hard against the snowy pavement. Zolt stopped and head snapped back when he heard the road of engines, turning in time to see a trio of motorcycles enter the other end of the alley.

At once Xulang stepped forward. He stomped on the ground and his clenched fists shot into the air, forcing a wall of asphalt to rise up from the alleyway. It tore free piping and wires from the ground with an ear piercing screech, blocking their pursuers. The motorcycles revved, and a moment later a bike cleared the wall, snow turned into an impromptu ramp to clear the obstacle.

Xulang squared his arms, holding them upright, jerking them back and slamming them together. The wall folded back and closed together, catching the bottom of the bike. The assailant let out a cry of pain as his legs were crushed between the thick slabs of concrete. The top of the wall began to crumble down.

It gave them enough time to reach the car, Shin vaulting the door and landing in the driver's seat. He turned the ignition engine coming to life with a satisfying rumble. Zolt shoved him aside, climbing the driver's seat for himself. "Use the snow to cover us!" he ordered. "Xulang! Hurry!"

He held no particular concern for his employee. An earthbender simply evened the odds, ever so slightly, in his favour. The tall stocky earthbender continued running towards the car, only to be impaled through the shoulder by an icicle wrenched down from the overhanging roof by the crippled waterbender.

He stumbled, clutching his arm in pain. The other two gangsters made the jump over the shortened wall, and with a sickening crunch one bike crushed Xulang, metal breaking bone and tearing flesh. Its rider leapt onto his fellow's bike at the last second, ditching the wrecked murder weapon.

Without hesitation Zolt put it into gear and floored it, skidding as the roadster fought for traction before finding it and racing off. The engine roared like a lion elephant, spitting out thick plumes of exhaust. Their pursuers shot out blasts of ice after the crime lord, each icicle diverted by Shin. The barrage was kept up by the passenger on the Red Monsoon motorcycle, able to focus on suppressing their target.

It forced Zolt to drive erratically, dodging and weaving between the busy traffic of Republic City. There were enough gaps in the road to let him maneuver, still too early in the day for most people's shifts to end. The streetlights lit his way as he tried to shake his pursuer, reaching a straight stretch of road. He shifted gears and gritted his teeth as he held down the pedal, watching the needle in the speedometer climb higher until it reached the cap.

The wind rushed over the open top, sirens blared in the distance, and despite himself Zolt felt a grin work its way onto his face. The heart-pumping adrenaline coursing through his body gave him life. The money and power were nice, but the thrill of obtaining it was his true passion.

They were rapidly approaching a three-way interaction from the midpoint. He turned the wheel like he'd done so many times before in his youth, drifting through the intersection he turned the corner. Oncoming cars swerved to avoid him, honking their horns, and a cacophony of metal on metal screeched as the bikers slammed into an unfortunate driver. Its occupants were flung across the road like dolls thrown by an angry child, and hit the side of a building with a loud wet thump. The sounds of the crash were drowned out by the approaching blare of police sirens, red and blue flashing lights lighting up the roadway.

"Damn it!" Zolt exclaimed, fist hitting the dashboard. He looked back to throw a burning streak of fire over his shoulder. It forced the police car to slow down and swerve.

The split second took his eyes off the road, and Shin shouted, "Boss! Protestors!"

The crime lord's snapped back to the road, registering the sight of plywood barricades and thousands blocking the two lanes of traffic. He hit the brake and turned the wheel hard, but lost control of the car as it skidded across an ice patch. It jolted him as it plowed over a wooden barricade, showering his head with wooden debris.

There were cries of surprise as people ran back from the car, giving it enough room to come to a stop. All looked at the two gangsters in shock, taking a second to process the situation.

Zolt shook his head, clearing the stars from his vision. He looked up and saw the police car approach fast, with several more converging on his location. A fleet of trucks poured out of side streets, all aimed at him.

He shook Shin, but the waterbender was in a daze, so Zolt jumped out of the car. He frantically looked around to where to go, where to run. He wasn't close to any safe house, and the police were closing in. All around him were people staring at him fearfully for several long seconds, blocking his avenue of escape. He knew they'd mob him if he got close, turn him over to the police.

The sirens got louder. Their flashing lights became more blinding.

Zolt breathed in, chi filling his belly as his rage reached a deathly calm. Old instincts long honed in battles came to the surface. The air tinged with electricity as sparks filled the air, gathering along the chakras of Zolt's body.

His name was earned in fire, blood, and lightning.

Time seemed to slow for Zolt. He saw the terrified faces of the two officers inside the car, frantically turning to avoid his line of fire, and felt a wild feral grin work its way onto his face.

Zolt spun on his heel, back towards the crowd, and his arm extended outwards.

---

Yahui shouted in surprise, hands reflexively reaching up to cover his blinded eyes. The force of thunder violently shook the car. His ears were ringing and all he could see was the blinding flash of light. It took several moments for his senses to slowly return.

He wished it hadn't when the screams of terror and panic hit his ears. He felt like he was in a daze, thankful that they hadn't crashed when they came to a stop, and looked to his partner, who was in an equal state of surprise.

Through the driver side window he could see Zolt running down the street, going through the bloody gouge he'd carved into the crowd. People scattered in all directions, fleeing for their lives, blocking the road further.

Yahui shook his partner and yelled, "Come on! We can still catch him!"

Imnek shook his head, looked between Yahui and his line of sight, eyes fixated on Zolt. He grabbed the door handle, throwing it open, and the two piled out of the car, giving chase on foot. Yahui felt his heart pounding in his chest, pulse racing. He did his best to ignore the sight and smell of the bodies around him as the pair chased after the crime lord. The cries of pain from survivors haunted him as he ran by.

Up ahead at the other end of the barricade, he saw Zolt hijack a truck, throwing the driver from the cab and ungracefully clambering into it. Yahui and Imnek ran hard, reaching the other barricade they ran up to the nearest car.

Yahui flashed his badge as he pulled the door open. "Police emergency! We're commandeering this vehicle!" He didn't wait for the man driving the car to respond, grabbing him by the arm and hosting him out of the driver's seat. The two climbed into the vehicle, and sped off, chasing after the truck stolen by Zolt.

"Come on, we gotta stay on his ass," Yahui muttered, leaning forward and intently staring ahead. His eyes were fixated on the truck, making sure he didn't lose sight of it.

Imnek grimaced, silently steering the car as they followed after him. The crime lord's driving became less reckless as he went off, putting enough space between him and the police that he felt confident enough to blend in with late afternoon traffic.

"Should we have stayed behind?" Imnek asked, glancing over to his partner. "I'm a healer, I might have been able to-"

"No, none of that," Yahui cut him off. "Emergency services can handle it. We can't let him go, not after that." The operation had already gone tits up. The only thing they could do was salvage it by catching Zolt. It'd be the prize that could justify it all, and if they were the only ones that could do it then they would.

They'd have to, since they were unable to call in for reinforcements.

So they sat in silence, following Zolt for nearly half an hour, until the crime lord turned onto a side street and began to slow down. It was a high density residential area, five story apartment buildings lining the street.

Yahui motioned for Imnek to pull over right after the turn, turning the lights off and parking behind another car. Another car made the turn after them and continued down the road, pulling into an underground garage beneath one of the apartment buildings.

They watched in anticipation as Zolt staggered out of the truck, standing on the side of the road for several moments, before crossing it as he approached one in particular. He pulled a key from his pocket to unlock the lobby door, opened it, and entered inside. They waited several seconds, since they didn't want to be spotted chasing after him.

Yahui took off his badge and stuffed it into his pocket. Imnek shot him a glance and did the same. As they grabbed the doors to open it, the door to the apartment building flung open, and Zolt was thrown onto the snowy sidewalk in front of the building. A pair of men with bandana's covering their faces stepped down to grab him, lifting the incapacitated crime lord off the ground.

Then they froze in shock as Amon emerged from the building a moment later.

"Yahui…"

"I see him." Fear gripped his heart. He didn't dare move a muscle, remaining as still as possible to avoid drawing attention to their car. "If they make any moves we drive out."

Amon was flanked by more Equalist guards, who ushered the residents to come forth and witness what he had planned. They needed no prompting, many looking out from their windows in morbid curiosity as Zolt was dragged into the middle of the street.

A megaphone found its way into Amon's hands. It turned on with the flick of a switch. "Equalists," his rich baritone voice rang out, drawing more of a crowd, "and our as-of-yet unconvinced non-bending brethren, before you is the leader of the Triple Threats, Lightning Bolt Zolt."

A wave of murmurs spread across the crowd, looks of fear and concerns shared between neighbours.

"He has plagued the city. He has battered, beaten, raped, and murdered non-benders for years. Tonight he has even used his rare talent of lightningbending to massacre a group of helpless protesters," Amon calmly listed off the crimes committed against them all. He paused to let it sink in. "I have no doubt that you have heard it on the radio. The failure of the police to bring in the most feared criminal in the city. The broadcasters fail to mention the years of failure that has led up until this point. It fails to mention their complicity with his crimes, allowing his reign of terror to continue unabated."

The crowd began to get worked up, murmurs increasing in tone and obscenities hurled at Zolt.

"That is because benders will always help their own!" Amon exclaimed, voice carried over the crowd by the megaphone. "The police and triads are one and the same! They are gangs of benders abusing their supposed gifts to lord over us non-benders. They have refused to bring this man and all others like him to justice for years. They have disrupted the natural harmony of this world."

The two holding Zolt propped him up further. His limbs were unresponsive from chi blocking, leaving him only his ability to glare at Amon.

"This is more than a mere political struggle. We fight to bring this world into balance." The crowd seemed momentarily confused until nods of agreement and understanding began to spread. "The spirits have told me this themselves. The Avatar has failed in their duties. They have allowed benders to bring this world out of balance. I say no more," Amon dropped the megaphone into a snowbank and strode forward to Zolt.

The crime lord tried to struggle, all in vain as his body refused to cooperate. Amon placed a thumb on Zolt's forehead, then another on his chest above his heart. An instant later light shined from beneath Amon's mask, eyes filled with a pure white glow, and Zolt went still.

"Is he…" Yahui began, jaw hanging open in disbelief.

Amon held the pose for several seconds, until finally stepping away. He visibly sighed before schooling his breathing. Zolt looked at him, eyes wide in horror.

"Just as Avatar Aang took away the bending of Ozai and Yakone, I too have taken away the bending of Zolt! The spirits have chosen me to bring balance to this world!" Amon exclaimed, his natural voice carried far over the awed crowd.

They looked on in shock, all stunned into silence by the miracle they had witnessed.

"The police have failed to deliver justice but now you may grant it yourselves. I ask you, is Zolt guilty?"

Jeers immediately erupted, all directed towards the crime lord. They were filled with cries of 'guilty.' They wanted justice. They wanted blood.

"Then you will have justice."

The two holding Zolt began dragging him towards a lamppost, while other Equalists motioned for the crowd to get closer. A random woman walked up to Zolt, looking over the gangster in disgust, before slugging him right in the face. She shook her fist in pain but was pleased nonetheless.

Amon nodded in approval and watched as the gathered mob of people began to take their frustrations out on Zolt, hurling abuses and beating him with their bare hands. They were only restrained by the Equalist presence, preventing them from outright tearing him apart. A chant began to spread through them, starting small and picking up steam, and cries of "Avatar Amon!" and "Down with the triads!" filled the air.

The detectives could only stare, unable to intervene lest they share in his fate. They watched in muted horror as someone produced a length of rope, only noticeable from the distance as it was thrown over the streetlamp. The other end was grabbed by the mob and the cheering grew in volume as the struggling form of Zolt was hoisted into the air, rising above them, until he hanged far above the ground.

They'd seen enough. Imnek put the car into reverse and pulled away from the curb. Nobody in the mob paid them any mind.

Yahui's gaze fixated on Amon as they backed up, and for a split second the Equalist leader looked in their direction, before continuing to turn. Amon looked towards the building which they'd emerged from, and disappeared back into it, followed by his entourage of Equalists.

The detectives could only drive off as the mob chanted and cheered in the distance behind them.

 

[Fission Battery]

===
Chapter 7 - Little Dark Age
===

The detectives drove in silence, the roaring crowd of people fading behind them as they sped away. They had to flee, needed to flee, scared for their lives even after leaving the scene. The sight of Zolt's dangling body entrenched in their minds. The display of mob violence stunned them, shook them to their cores. It was a few minutes until Imnek eased up off the accelerator. The car they'd commandeered slowed to a safer speed.

The air was filled with the screech of sirens and blinding flashes of red and blue pierced the darkness of the afternoon sky. A cavalcade of police cars and trucks rushed by the pair, headed in the opposite direction as them. The force of the precinct mobilized like an army, and with one enemy dead a new one had presented itself. They raced towards the fermenting riot.

Imnek and Yahui didn't look back. It was beyond them. They continued driving, Imnek's arms moving mechanically, unconsciously turning here and there. The day was long from over, yet for them they'd done their part. They had nothing to prove by throwing themselves against a mob, and nothing to gain. The night was a failure in every sense of the word and they knew it.

"That… that had to be a trick," Yahui said in a low voice, almost muttering to himself as he repeated the words like a mantra. "It had to be." Only the Avatar was supposed to be able to take away someone's bending, but yet Amon had seemingly done it. The glow beneath the mask all but confirmed it to be real.

'Hadn't it?'

Imnek remained silent. His eyes focused entirely on the snowy roads of Republic City. The remark lingered in the air, a question unanswered, until finally he spoke up. "I don't know," he quietly admitted. "We can't focus on that. We… should regroup with the others." His voice had wavered, uncertain. Without a radio they were cut off from the chatter, unaware of what the rest of the force were doing.

Besides charging headlong into a buzzard wasp's nest.

So they retraced their path, heading back to where they'd nearly cornered Zolt. They knew there'd be police there, if nothing else.

---

The rest of the evening passed by for them, moving like they were in a daze. Imnek turned off the ignition. The person they'd taken the car from was still there, speaking with a cop. He spotted the pair, and tried to address them, but they paid him no mind. Yahui stood there at the end of the street, taking in the sight.

The scene of a massacre had turned into an impromptu field hospital, medical workers and healers struggling to save lives while overworked ambulances rushed to take those stable enough to be moved to the hospital. It'd been cordoned off by tape, and a score of officers stood around with their dicks in their hands, looking over the death and destruction with blank looks upon their faces.

Nothing more than beat cops brought over from neighbouring precincts to handle the situation, while Captain Delun's men went off to race into battle. They were above such petty duties as protecting the injured and dead, and those left to deal with the clean up had no clue where to begin. A crowd of mourners and onlookers had formed, people openly weeping while others argued with the police, demanding to see their loved ones.

Already a line up of corpses had been formed along the sidewalk. The warm bodies left imprints in the slowly melting snow, stained black by dark flakes of charred flesh falling off. Their faces were covered with jackets, coats, and scarves. All taken from their own dead bodies.

And in the center of the street ran a deep gouge in the concrete, jagged and crooked. It looked like a scar, a permanent wound carved into the cityscape. It would be paved over in due time, but it would never truly heal. Yahui averted his eyes from the sight of the injured. Their moans of pain were dulled by morphine, but he could still hear their cries on the wind, like an echo trapped between the buildings that bore witness to their deaths.

He turned away.

Yahui caught Imnek's troubled gaze, disgust and horror on his face. He lingered on the sight a few moments until he noticed Yahui looking at him.

"I'm going to see if they need me," Imnek told his partner, blue eyes reluctantly shifting to the tents. "I don't know how much I can do, but any bit should help."

"Of course," Yahui nodded, voice tight. "I… I don't want to be here."

Imnek nodded and gently rested a gloved hand on Yahui's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. "It's okay. I'd call it a night if I could."

"Glad the feeling is mutual," Yahui said with a humorless chuckle. He patted Imnek on the shoulder, returning the gesture.

Imnek's hand lingered there for a moment before he nodded and made his way to the medics.

A breath of frigid air filled Yahui. The events of the day began to catch up with him. He ran a hand through his hair, and let out a long sigh, maintaining his composure for a while longer. He went over to a cluster of officers who were directing others, intent to speak with them and give them a brief rundown of events. There had to be somebody in charge of the situation, and the shitshow Yahui and Imnek had witnessed was now that somebody's responsibility.

---

The rest of the evening was a blur of activity that Yahui was partially numb to, simply going through the motions to give some sense of order. At some point a news blimp buzzed overhead, lazily floating over the street to capture the photographs of the tragedy before moving on, eager to bear witness to the chaos of the riot unfolding elsewhere. He paid it no mind. He was another officer in the crowd, trying to give some sense of direction to others.

It was late into the night when some cops had begun to clear out, satisfied after standing around for a few hours without accomplishing anything. He decided to leave with them, exhausted and ready to retire for the night. As he climbed into the back of a truck, he heard a mechanical whirl and the sound of metal boots striking the asphalt.

Yahui paused to look over his shoulder, unsurprised to see a metalbending cop arriving on the scene. Light shined off his grey armour, and with the flick of a wrist the steel cable retreated back into the pool on his back. He quickly surveyed the area and her gaze landed on Yahui. "You, detective, who's in charge here?"

He wasn't quite sure. Captain Delun hadn't shown his face since their failed raid started, and no other captain or sergeant from a different precinct had shown up. It was all beat cops and a few detectives left holding the bag while the rest were no doubt trying to quell the riot Amon had inspired.

So Yahui shrugged with one arm and gestured at him. "You are now, I guess."

He didn't wait for a response as he hopped into the truck, and shut the door, catching a glimpse at the metalbender's face, rapidly shifting from stunned to grim annoyance. The metalbender uttered no response and a moment later the truck's engine rumbled to life, shifting into gear as it drove away from the tragedy. Its hold was filled with cops that decided their shift had ended.

---

The mood was sullen, few attempting to make small talk that died as soon as it began.

The radio crackling to life with updates could be heard through the window to the cab, but it all felt like meaningless static to Yahui. It was a deluge of noise, constant calls outs of supposed combatants, their strength and locations, and demands for more support to cart away those arrested. It jumped from person to person, as if any cop with a radio was driven to yell into it like they were a soldier from a radio drama. The louder their voice the more heroic they were.

The truck stopped outside Yahui's apartment building, and he got off. The smell of ash stung his nose. He looked up into the sky to see thick black clouds of smoke, darker than the usual overcast that blighted the city. With mounting dread his eyes traced the line of ash and saw the faint distant glow of fires far off on the other side of the city. It came from where they'd come from.

A pit formed in his gut, stomach twisting into knots, and he forced himself to turn away from it.

---

The door to his apartment swung open. He heard Bao click off the radio with a gasp, and a second later his husband was in the hallway, rushing towards him. Concern was evident across Bao's face, the shorter of the two fearfully looking over Yahui for signs of injury, carefully brushing blackened snow off his uniform. Once Bao had confirmed his husband was fine, he wrapped his arms around Yahui.

"I've been listening to the reports," Bao said with a slight hitch in his throat. "I heard there was an Equalist uprising, and I was worried when he hadn't come home yet."

Yahui leaned into the hug, resting his head on Bao's shoulder and burying his face into his neck. The faint scent of perfume tickled his nose and mingled with the stench of death that had burnt itself into his memory. He felt his breath get caught in his throat as his chin began to quiver and moisture formed in his eyes.

His grip around Bao tightened, as if clinging to him for dear life. Yahui opened his mouth to speak but couldn't as a sob escaped. The sight of those maimed by Zolt's attack flashed across his mind. Innocent people cut down in an instant without any hesitation. The cruelty sickened him, how willing Zolt was to massacre a crowd of people to buy time for an escape that only ended in his demise.

Yahui had seen death before. It came with his line of work. He'd never seen a massacre before. The visages of those people struck down would haunt him, faces frozen in pain and terror as the crowd scattered and ran.

It felt like the city was coming apart at the seams, falling around their ears bit by bit. The rotten structure had begun to buckle beneath the weight of its failures and inadequacies. The jackal vultures eager to pounce on dying prey to tear off their pound of flesh before it all collapses.

Bao held Yahui close, running a hand down his back as tears streamed down Yahui's face. They shut out the concerns of the city, holding each other close as fires raged far across the bay on the other side of Republic City.

---

The next morning Yahui slept in, uncaring about arriving at work on time. The only reason he was even going in was to file a report and grab his jacket from the locker room. After that he wasn't sure what he'd do, but didn't care, not really. The previous night had stayed with him, and the news on the radio only soured his mood further.

It was called a tragedy, a massacre, a riot, an uprising, all of these things and then some. It was a day that would go down in history, with three separate instances of violence woven together as one led into another. He could only stand to listen to it for so long, shutting off the radio to eat in silence.

He kissed Bao on the cheek and left.

---

The air chilled him to the bone, a strong wind whipped through the city. In that bitter cold, Yahui rode the train, people huddled together in their thick winter jackets for warmth. It was less packed than usual, as he'd missed the morning rush, but received more than a few wary glances from other passengers.

Grey wasn't an uncommon colour, but the detective uniform was distinct enough that he turned heads. Yahui was privately thankful that he'd kept his badge in his pocket. The coat drew more than enough looks. People were on edge, tense, waiting for a possible attack or police crack down. More than a few held newspapers in their hands. The headlines read "Monsoon Massacre!" and "Delun's Disaster!" Hastily plastered to the interior of the train was a poster that said "Justice for Limestone Heights!" It was a picture of high rises on fire, base lined with skulls.

It took a second for Yahui to realize that was where Amon had appeared. Where Zolt was hanged, and people cheered in the streets at the 'justice' they'd delivered.

'It's where Delun's impromptu army went,' Yahui darkly thought. He didn't have the full details, but he could feel a knot begin to form within his gut. It wasn't good.

---

He feared his suspicion was correct once he got off the train and saw a crowd of protestors outside the precinct. They were held back by a line of police officers in riot gear and a waist high fence of stone, pulled from the road itself. They barked orders at people to stand back, a frightened look in their eyes, terrified of the size of the crowd but ready to fight if push came to shove. A single metalbender clad in dark grey armour stood beside a police truck, radio in hand. They were a threat to the crowd and commander to the cops.

The dense sea of people stretched across the road as they blocked up the street. Their voices were loud, decisive, chanting slogans and calls over and over again, mixing together into a chorus of righteous anger. Signs above their heads carried their messages further. "Down with the Council! Up with the People!" "Justice for Limestone Heights!" "Long Live the Republic!" "MURDERERS!" An effigy of Chief Beifong was held high into the air, the straw dummy hanging from a noose.

So many wore colours of mourning, grey and white, like a single mass of ash and bone. It was as if the city itself had been painted in greyscale, shades of it blending together from harsh hues of concrete facades to dirtied snow that covered the sidewalks, filled with people in between. People wore it however they could, jackets, hats, scarves, even armbands, pieces of undyed clothing wrapped around their wrists, with splashes of colour thrown in that caught the eye. Subtle hints of their political allegiance, muted in the show of solidarity, outraged at the police.

There was a steady stream of people entering and exiting the station, some caught heckles from the crowd, while a few received nothing. Merely civilians taking care of business before leaving. It almost seemed random, but a few Yahui recognized as other cops, officers that worked in the precinct for years stepping out and hurrying away to avoid the protest.

It was with great care that Yahui navigated around the block, working to avoid the crowd, and approach the precinct from the opposite direction. The crowd was larger closer to the train station than away from it. He caught some glances, but kept his head down, walking around the block before re-approaching the building. When he reached the police line a flash of his badge let him pass.

There was a sense of apprehension, a tension in the air that he felt the moment he walked in and saw people move about. It was emptier than usual, desks sat unused and unattended, yet those left moved with a sense of haste. Quick looks were shot his way, a frantic look in people's eyes, before they moved on.

As he made his way to his desk, Yahui had never seen the precinct that way before. It was like a ghost town the further inside he went. Before he could reach his desk, someone stopped him, and told him he was wanted in Delun's office.

"Immediately," the desk jockey added. It wasn't a request. It was an order.

Yahui could only imagine what Delun wanted. 'Probably going to fire me for not nabbing Zolt.'

---

The office door was open and Yahui paused as he turned to enter. At the captain's desk wasn't the captain. It was a metalbending officer, leaning over to sign paperwork with a grimace on his face. He glanced up at Yahui, green eyes narrowed into a glare, and motioned for him to sit down.

"Close the door," he said in a curt, clipped tone.

Yahui shut the door behind him before taking a seat.

"Detective Yahui, I am Lieutenant Colonel Pohon, I had some questions for you regarding last night's operation," Pohon began, grabbing a file and flipping it open, armoured finger running down a sheet of paper until stopping. "What was your task during the operation?"

Yahui shifted in his seat, attempting to get comfortable, before giving up and sitting up straighter. The tone in the man's voice made it clear he would broker no flippant remarks.

"Captain Delun ordered my partner and I to capture Zolt."

Pohon quirked an eyebrow. "An important task, one you clearly failed at," he remarked, jolting down a quick note. "I am however curious as to why Delun gave such a task to you in particular."

"I know chi blocking," Yahui answered honestly, raising a hand and turning his palm upwards. "He figured I'd have a good chance to take him down if I got close enough. Unfortunately I didn't."

"That's an unusual skill to have," Poho said, leaving the question unsaid but implied.

"I picked it up. It's an useful skill to have," Yahui replied, meeting the Lieutenant Colonel's glare. "I'm an earthbender, if that matters. I'm sure it's written down somewhere in my file."

The Lieutenant Colonel hummed, shallowly nodding his head before writing down another note. "If you want to waste your time with it, be my guest." He looked back up at the detective. "Now, it says here that you've been in this precinct for six years. In that time you haven't received a single promotion. Instead you've got a backlog of complaints filed against you. So why in the world did Delun trust you with handling Zolt?" He punctuated the statement by jabbing a finger across the desk.

"If you'd read any of them you'd know why. I didn't let other officers get away with shit and reported them to Internal Affairs," Yahui heatedly replied, mirroring Pohon and jabbing towards the stack of paperwork on his desk. "I'm one of the cleanest cops in this precinct."

"I'm aware. That's why I'm surprised Delun would pick you and Detective Imnek of all people to catch Zolt," Pohon replied, raising his voice. "You weren't one of his fixers."

Yahui froze, eyes fixated on the Lieutenant Colonel's face. "What do you mean?"

"It's exactly what it sounds like. You weren't on his private payroll," Pohon said with a scoff, shaking his head in disgust. "He was taking money from the Triple Threats, overlooking minor crimes, and giving them tips to avoid arrests. Owed them a lot too for gambling debts."

Yahui's mind reeled. He knew Delun was a bastard. That wasn't a surprise. He even suspected the man had a vice or two. It was the fact that he was on Zolt's payroll that was so stunning. The whole precinct was simply another arm of the triads, one way or another.

'Is that why Delun was so eager to crack down on them? We'd given him the perfect excuse to take out the Triple Threats. It'd wipe away his debt, remove the sword hanging above his head.'

"That… dirty bastard," Yahui verbally spat, hands tightling into fists.

"He's been arrested. That's why I'm here," Pohon cooly remarked, leaning back and gesturing to the desk. "Effective immediately, all precincts are under the direct control of Chief Beifong. She's assigned this precinct to me, so it's my job to sort through the mess Delun's left."

"That why the precinct looks like a ghost town?" Yahui wondered how many of his co-workers were crooked. He expected a few to be taking bribes, looking the other way from certain people, but the extent was shocking.

"Something like that," Pohon coyly, eyes glancing to the side for a split second. He rested his hands back together on the desk. "It's best that the slate be wiped clean, as much as possible at least. In any case, I need your account of events from last night."

Yahui's face scrunched up as if he'd bitten something sour. It was a bitter pill to swallow. That things had not only gone disastrously bad, but that it was for nothing. Just a half-baked raid that ended with a riot. He still didn't know the full extent of that either.

'It was all for nothing. We launched an unprepared, off the cuff operation with no idea what the fuck we were actually doing, and all that we ended up achieving was hurting people. All so Delun could cover up his own dirty laundry.' The thought left him feeling hollow inside. It was like an illusion had been shattered, the facade finally crumbled away revealing the truth of the matter. Six years of his life wasted.

"Okay," Yahui bitterly began, expression dour. "We chased Zolt, Amon caught him instead, took away his bending, and then the crowd lynched him." He leaned back and shook his head. "That's all she wrote."

Pohon softly scoffed. "You don't seriously believe that? Amon's a conman. He put lights under his mask," he dismissively replied, waving a hand. "Detective Imnek said Zolt had been chi blocked, so you'd have no way of knowing if his bending was taken away. I'd expect a detective to know better than that."

Yahui opened his mouth to rebuke the Lieutenant Colonel, before shutting it. It was a point he hadn't considered before. In the heat of the moment it seemed so real, but he had no real way of knowing. It wasn't relevant to him though, one way or another.

"Well if that's everything," Yahui said, standing up and placing his badge on the desk. "I quit."

"Wait, I'm short on staff. I need officers like you to rebuild the precinct," Pohon exclaimed, indignant at Yahui. "We rooted out the triads, but I need as many benders on the force as possible to keep the Equalists out! You can't just quit!"

"I don't care, file a complaint with someone that does," Yahui replied with a mirthless chuckle. He turned around and left the office, indifferent to whatever response might have come next. There was nothing left for him there. He'd grab his stuff, some paperwork, and then walk out.

---

Standing over his desk, he'd emptied it of all personal effects. It was very little, preferring to keep his life as separate from work as possible. He paused his task for a minute though. He'd spotted a paper on a nearby desktop and snatched it up to read for himself. He had to know how badly things had gone.

In a word: very.

The makeshift army of cops Delun had organized descended upon Limestone Heights like the angry fist of the Avatar. To them, the crowds of people cheering Amon's name and demanding the end of the Council looked like the beginning of an uprising, one that had already taken control of a neighbourhood. They were out to stop the Triple Threats, and instead they found Equalists. They battered the crowds, using trucks to form barricades, attempting to hedge them in, only to end up running over people.

It was chaos, an unorganized frantic melee. People fought back with anything they could, but they were unprepared. Bender and non-bender cops tore into the crowd, uncaring about who they hit in their wake. The elements harnessed as tools of war, turned against the populace it was meant to defend. Some tried to flee, several dying in the stampede, but they'd find no escape, cops breaking into homes to drag anyone and everyone back out into the streets. None were above suspicion. None were deserving of it.

In the mayhem a building caught fire. The flames spread quickly, jumping from building to building. People fled for their lives. The news blimp captured a shot of the commandeered fire truck. It sat at the end of the street, water tanks open and filled, yet police manning it content to watch the fires spread unabated. Some tried to put it out, waterbenders among the crowd revealing themselves in an attempt to save their homes. The cops redirected their efforts, and washed over whole sections of the crowd with their reservoir of water.

The soaked prisoners dragged into the back of trucks, shut in the unheated metal box for hours without any blankets or attention. The reporter that spot benders in the riot remarked to their surprise that their neighbours didn't turn on them. Those that had cheered for Amon saw no issue supporting the man while fighting side by side by a bender, so long as they seemingly knew them.

It ended hours after it had begun. It took the direct intervention of Chief Beifong along with several squads of her metalbenders to finally put an end to the violence, seizing control of the operation from Delun and forcing his officers to follow her orders. They acted with more restraint and discipline, but nonetheless carried through with arresting everyone they could get their hands on. It was a boot stamping down on their face, worn by somebody with a bit more tact.

The total death count was undetermined, easily dozens though, with hundreds more injured, and thousands left homeless and arrested. The local clinic was overburdened by the injured, and hospitals in the morning were already dealing with a spike in cases of hypothermia and third degree burns. The blimp captured a poignant shot of Zolt's limp corpse suspended above the riot. The city burned and blood stained its streets beneath his glazed over eyes as he bore witness to the bloodiest police action in United Republic City. It wouldn't be cut down until the morning.

By the end of the article Yahui's hands were shaking. The sheer pointless brutality of it all. Somehow the police had outdone the best efforts of Zolt and the Red Monsoons in death toll. The massacre at the casino paled in comparison to what Delun had unleashed. The paper crumbled beneath his grasp as Yahui crushed it into a ball and threw it aside.

He was done there.

Yahui threw off his grey long coat, leaving it for someone else to deal with, and strode to the locker room. He retrieved his drab olive jacket, quickly donning it.

As he turned away, Imnek stepped in, his own uniform traded in for a dark blue coat. The detective's expression was sullen, and he looked at Yahui with sympathetic eyes, dark circles beneath them. "I see you heard the news. You're taking it as hard as I did."

"You can say that," Yahui replied with a sigh. He shook his head. "I can't do this anymore. I've spent years of my life trying to… make an impact, in some way. In the end it wasn't possible."

Imnek's eyes momentarily glanced downwards. "Maybe, but I'd like to think we accomplished something over our careers."

"You can only do so much treating the symptoms but not the cause. It was good working with you though." Yahui placed a fist against his palm and bowed.

The gesture was mimicked, Imnek bowing in turn to Yahui. "The feeling is mutual. I'm glad I caught you before you left. We haven't worked together long, but I'd consider you a friend."

"The feeling is mutual," Yahui parroted Imnek, a weak chuckle escaping his lips. "You're a good man, Imnek. You should be anywhere but here."

"How about that noodle shop then? I'd like to be there rather than here." Imnek raised a hand with a one armed shrug. "Last night was tough."

Yahui could only imagine. He was glad he had trouble hearing the moans of pain that came from the tents. It made the night more bearable. "Sure, I wasn't expecting to quit, so I'm free all day. Every day, really." He needed a distraction, and something warm to replace the knot in his stomach.

So they left.

 

[Fission Battery]

===
Chapter 8 - The Weight of History
===

They walked the streets of Republic City. Traffic had ground down to a stand still across much of the city. Protestors had taken their places, claiming the roads for themselves packed in from sidewalk to sidewalk. It was crowded like a festival parade, but nobody was there to celebrate. They demanded justice, chanted slogans, jeered at police, and talked lively amongst themselves. The cold did little to deter them. The tension hung in the air that only lessened the further away the pair got from the police checkpoints, attempting to partition the city and keep spaces near the stations clear.

Yahui and Imnek continued on past them. Nobody recognized them as former police. None cared about them. The two looked like two more people trying to scurry on with their life and ignore the unrest around them. It wasn't an uncommon sight. Men in suits rushing to some distant office carefully navigating the snow filled streets, briefcase in hand, and rows of pedestrians lined up beside a bus stop, hopeful that the line still ran even among the turmoil.

It wasn't.

"What do you think you'll do now?" Imnek asked, glancing over at his partner.

Yahui slowed his pace. He glanced downwards in thought. It took several long moments before he spoke, "go to Sanbao to visit my parents. They retired there." He needed a break from the city he'd spent so much of his life fruitlessly trying to fix.

'Is that what did in Avatar Aang? The stress of managing it all?' Yahui wouldn't be surprised if it played a role.

Imnek hummed and nodded his head. "In times like these it's good to be with family. I'm going to be spending time with mine working at the Cultural Center. It's providing aid and shelter to those affected by, Delun's Disaster," he said after a slight pause, momentarily frowning at the name.

Yahui's eyebrows shot up. "Huh," he paused," that's… that's good work." It's what he should have been doing all those years. It might be doing more than he ever did as a detective. "When's it happening?"

"Ongoing. It's not a fundraising event," Imnek clarified, waving a hand. "People are donating what they can spare and the committee that runs the center is paying out its budget to help cover it. They've already started turning the whole place into a bunkhouse for families that lost their homes and the kitchen's been open ever since last night keeping everyone fed." A faint, bittersweet smile worked its way onto his face. "It's something else to see everyone pulling together."

"How about that," Yahui said with a nod of approval. "I'd like to help out then."

"I was going to ask." Imnek smiled as he patted his partner on the shoulder. "Every bit helps."

"I wouldn't have said no. I've got nothing else planned today," Yahui said with a weak chuckle, a smile half-forming before dying on his lips. "I feel like I need to do something… meaningful," he quietly admitted.

Imnek's own expression faltered. "Yeah, I do too."

As they walked, Yahui eyed up small groups of men and women in armbands, neighbourhood militia members shouting orders to others, giving a sense of order to the vast crowds of people. Furniture was dragged from buildings, cars pushed by manpower alone, and pavement itself torn up by earthbending. All put towards constructing barricades across roads. They were sturdier than the ones Zolt had nearly run over, and manned by more militia members to act as guards.

UPP pins on proud display on many lapels and Raiko posts were hastily glued onto the sides of their impromptu fortifications. Megaphone in hand, a party member stood atop a podium decrying the evils of the Council and Amon alike, rallying anyone and everyone who would listen into supporting the United People's Party and their allies. The cheers grew behind them as they continued onwards.

It sent a chill down Yahui's spine. It was a sense of… anticipation.

He pulled his jacket closer around himself and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He didn't know what would come, but he knew things couldn't be the same again. The people wouldn't accept it anymore. Couldn't accept it.

---

It didn't take long for them to reach the noodle shop. The crowds thinned out eventually, looking more like small social gatherings than any mass protests. The shop was open, a low buzz of activity emanating from its open doorway and windows, accompanied by the radio playing slow, methodic jazz. It was a somber tune, a change from the upbeat and relaxing songs normally played by the station. Posters sat outside, nearly pinned to a board beside it's menu and number, that read "Justice for Limestone Heights!" and "We Stand UPP!"

The smell of warm food enticed them to the entrance. It was a shelter from the dreary morning overcast.

"Hey, Detective Yahui!" Bolin loudly said in surprise. Yahui turned to see the young man smiling and waving a hand in their direction, with a Water Tribe girl by his side. He picked up his pace, snow crunching beneath his feet as he came up to Yahui. "And Detective Imnek too," he belatedly added, gaze switching to the other man a moment later.

Yahui found himself smiling at the man's greeting. "Bolin, it's good to see you in good health. I'm glad you haven't been swept up in all the shit that's been going on." He patted Bolin on the shoulder, before motioning to himself and his partner. "Though we're not detectives anymore. We quit. Neither of us wanted to waste any more of our time working for a corrupt asshole."

The former detective quickly glanced from Bolin to the young woman that was with him. 'Even when Republic City's falling apart, he somehow manages to find a date.' It didn't surprise him. The young athlete had a knack with the ladies, a sort of genuine charm that disarmed people.

"Hey Bolin, you going to introduce me to your friends or leave me hanging here?" she said with a smile, casually strolling up alongside Bolin and playfully smacking his arm with the back of her hand.

"Oh right!" Bolin exclaimed, turning back to face her. "Uh, introductions, Korra, this is Yahui and Imnek. Yahui and Imnek, this is Korra." He motioned to her, then gestured to the former. "He's helped my brother and I out a few times before. He's a reliable guy. And that's his partner." Bolin shifted his gaze to the other man. "Only met him once, but he healed me up after a match."

Yahui placed his fist into the palm of his other hand and shallowly bowed in greeting, a gesture quickly mirrored by Imnek, and returned in kind by Korra.

"So were you involved with what happened yesterday?" Korra inquired, curiosity piqued as she tilted her head ever so slightly.

"We were chasing down Zolt, but stayed behind to help with the wounded," Imnek volunteered, raising a hand and turning it upwards. "We had nothing to do with what went down afterwards."

Bolin let out a sigh of relief. "Oh that's good to hear. I was worried you guys had gotten involved in that attack on Limestone and I wasn't sure if I could associate with you anymore if you had, considering…" he admitted, slowly down when he realized what he'd said and sheepishly chuckled. "But that's not the case."

"That just means you've got actual standards," Yahui replied, waving off the remark. "Don't worry about it."

"I wish I could have been there. I only heard about it after the fact," Korra remarked with a grunt, driving a fist into her hand. "I would have shown this Amon guy a thing or two. Chosen by the spirits, my ass."

Yahui's brow shot up as his expression momentarily screwed up into a grimace. He shared a brief glance with Imnek. "Trust me, you wouldn't want to get involved. Equalists are serious business."

"And so is someone going around claiming he's the new Avatar. I'd have put him in his place," Korra confidently replied, nodding her head and turning both hands upwards in a shrug.

It was a bold claim, one which Yahui was sure many others had said many times before. The fact Amon was still around meant those that'd tried to go after him had failed. 'Most people don't have a clue how to handle a chi blocker.'

"Well don't go looking for trouble if you can help it. I'd advise against picking a fight with him," Yahui replied, urging caution.

Korra waved off his comment, gesturing to herself. "I can handle myself."

"Yeah, you should see her in a fight. She's really something else," Bolin excitedly cut in, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "She could be a pro-bender, easily," he declared, swiping his arm to the side.

"I take it that you're still doing it too then or have you tried your luck with other work," Yahui asked, quirking an eyebrow and looking Bolin in the eyes. He'd tried to impart some wisdom to the youth the last they'd met. He wasn't sure if it'd taken or not.

"I've looked into some possibilities, Mako liked the idea," Bolin replied with a noncommittal shrug, gaze shifting to the side. "I've done a few matches at the gym, but we've cut ties with Shady Shin. That's where I met Korra actually!"

"I heard it was a place to see a real pro-bending fight and checked it out. He didn't disappoint," Korra explained with a soft chuckle, shooting the young man hugging her shoulder a brief smirk. It elicited a faint blush across his cheeks.

Bolin let go of her and placed a hand on his chest. "She was so impressed she just had to talk to me, you know how it is," he boastfully said, playing off her remark and smirking as he raised his arms to flex. The visual impact of the gesture lost by the winter coat completely covering said arms. "The ladies love a good show." The movement shifted his jacket ever so slightly, revealing the edge of a dark circle on the side of his neck.

"Yeah then I whooped your butt in a sparring match afterwards," she remarked, playfully swatting his side with the back of her hand. He put his arms down and it disappeared back behind the jacket's collar.

"Does that mean you're a waterbender?" Imnek asked, latching onto a topic he could talk about. He wasn't as close to the young man as Yahui, and lacked a familiar connection. It put him on the back foot for a casual conversation. "Are you a local like me or from the poles?"

"I'm not just a waterbender, but I'm also a firebender and an earthbender," Korra nonchalantly replied with a smug smile. "I'd be a half baked Avatar if I could only bend one element by this point."

Yahui stared hard at her, disbelief written across his face. It was an incredulous claim, an unbelievable one, and he could tell his partner felt the same way. Yet as if reading his and Imnek's minds, a wisp of fire sprung to life above the tip of Korra's gloved finger, like a match suddenly lit. She gently swirled her hand, gathering snow around it and raising pebbles from the dirty road. They silently hung in the air, slowly orbiting her hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

'The Avatar…' Yahui felt his heart skip a beat and held his breath. In an instant he suddenly felt small and insignificant, as if he were a child again standing before the wizen grandmaster of the Dai Li. Before him stood a person who'd changed the course of world history in past lives and would do so again. Who had altered the path of countless destinies and who would be immortalized forever alongside her past lives. She'd lived hundreds of lifetimes and would live hundreds more, far into the future.

It was as if the gaze of the world itself was upon him, hidden behind the blue eyes of a young woman. She was the bridge between worlds in human form. The great balancer of fate. The Avatar.

Korra's smile only grew, enjoying the stunned reactions her display elicited. "I know. I'm pretty awesome."

Bolin leaned forward and placed his hand beside his mouth, then pointed at Korra. "I know, she's so cool," he said in a stage whisper, smiling at the former detectives.

And like that the spell had been broken. She was mortal again. Yahui let out the breath of air he'd been holding and ran his hand through his hair. "Well uh, it's nice to meet you, Avatar Korra."

"It's an honour," Imnek said in reverence, dipping his head in another shallow bow. He lifted his head back up and raised a hand to rub his chin. "So, I suppose, that means you're from the South Pole then." It was known that the new Avatar had been found in the South Pole, much to the chagrin of the Northern Water Tribe.

"I am, I got into town a week ago. I've been cooped up for too long and decided to see the world," Korra casually explained.

"Well I apologize for the bad first impression, cause you picked a bad time to come to Republic City. It's usually only half as messed up as it currently is," Yahui remarked, throwing a hand up and shaking his head. There usually wasn't a good time to come to Republic City, never was, but there were definitely wrose times to do so. "Traffic's usually worse. That's for sure."

The honking of a car horn and swear from its driver on the road beside them punctuated his point. A driver cut off by another passing on the right, only to come to a stop at a red light seconds later. It turned green and the two cars blended back into the whitenoise of city life.

"That's the other reason I came here. I'd heard there was an ongoing crisis and decided I had to see it for myself," Korra said, expression hardening slightly. "I can't be doing my duty if I'm stuck in the South Pole all the time training."

Yahui wondered what that entailed. 'She's the Avatar. You'd think she'd have more freedom to act than any of us. I guess not.' The exact details of her identity and activities hadn't been public knowledge. All he knew was that she'd been found at a young age and that the White Lotus had been tasked with training her. Besides that, it'd been eighteen years of radio silence from her guardians.

"You're welcome to it, by all means," Yahui said, motioning from her to the towering buildings around them.

"I've got to agree with the detective- former detective, on that one," Bolin remarked, lifting his gaze up to the dreary mid-day overcast. "It's tough to imagine how it could get any worse."

"You don't have to because I'm here now," Korra confidently replied, jerking a thumb to her chest. A moment later her stomach rumbled and she shifted her gaze to the noodle shop they'd been standing in front of, off to the side of the entrance. "Though I'm here for food. Bolin told me it serves authentic Southern Water Tribe dishes."

"It does. That's why we're here," Imnek said with a nod, gesturing between himself and Yahui. He paused for a moment before raising a hand and tilting his head to the side, looking unsure with himself. "If you want more of a taste of home we've actually got a cultural center in town. We were preparing for the winter solstice festival before, but we're currently providing food and shelter for people. If you're free, it'd be a huge boost to everyone's morale if the Avatar showed up to help."

"Sure," Korra said without hesitation, nodding her head. "I'd love to. We'll swing by afterwards. I've only been gone a week but I do miss parts of the south."

Imnek smiled, letting out a quiet sigh of relief. "Great."

"Well wait until you try Narook's signature dish," Bolin stepped in, opening the dangling curtain that made up the 'door' and ushering for Korra to enter. "It's the best Water Tribe food you'll find in the whole city."

Yahui could take the hint. "Right, we won't hold you up any longer. Enjoy your date."

"See you later," Korra said, giving them both a parting wave before she entered. Bolin shot the pair a thumbs up before he followed afterwards.

The two entered right after the couple and took the same corner booth they had the last time they were there. Far enough away from the couple that they wouldn't be bothersome, and that they could speak without being overheard.

"So… the Avatar, in the flesh," Yahui said in a low voice, glancing down to look over the menu. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"Me neither," Imnek replied, shaking his head in disbelief. He raised his menu up, looking through it with great curiosity. "Yet here she is."

"Yeah… maybe she'll have better luck sorting this city out than the rest of us."

"You can hope." Imnek shrugged and raised one arm, lifting his gaze to peer over his menu.

"It feels like that's all we can do nowadays." Yahui focused back on the menu.

The conversation shifted onto other topics as they sat there to enjoy a meal in peace, somber jazz music continuing to play from the radio. It mingled with the sound of dinners attempting to find solace from the unrest unfolding outside. The small restaurant served as a momentary safe haven to all those inside. If only briefly.

---

Raiko stood before the Council, quietly seething as he watched them uselessly bicker. The police had displaced hundreds and killed dozens, and yet the five in charge of the entire nation thought Captain Delun's only problem was he hadn't done enough to quell the "Equalist uprising." That and being sloppy about it. Only Tenzin served as the dissenting voice, but he was drowned out by the other four.

It made his blood boil. His hands tightly clenched behind his back as he held his tongue for the time being, lest he end up ejected from the chambers.

"Chief Beifong, how can we be sure this won't happen again?" Chairman Tarrlok demanded, pointing at the metal clad officer. "What steps have you taken to keep your officers in line?"

Lin Beifong stepped forward, hands collapsed behind her back. "As of this morning, I've dissolved all separate chains of command and consolidated the city's police force directly beneath my authority. I've put trusted subordinates in charge of the precincts who answer directly to me," she promptly answered. "Nothing will happen without my direct or indirect approval."

Councilor Yang nodded in approval, peering down at Beifong behind bespectacled eyes and stepping his wrinkled hands on the large curved desk in front of him. "That is most excellent." He looked between his fellow Councillors. "I believe that will be sufficient to prevent another mishap from occurring."

"That deals with one problem, but fails to address the multitude of issues we're facing. Equalists are overrunning the streets as we speak!" exclaimed Osuza, throwing her hands up into the air. "Something must be done!"

"I couldn't agree more, Councilor Osuza. That's why I propose a curfew on all non-bender citizens, effective immediately," Tarrlok firmly said. "It would limit the movement of Equalists."

Tenzin shot out of his seat. "On all non-benders?! That's insane!" He jabbed his finger at the Chairman across the table. "It's not only discriminatory against our own citizens but also completely unenforceable."

"The Councilor is right," Beifong spoke up, catching Tenzin by surprise. "We have no way of knowing who is and isn't a bender at a glance. The only way we could tell is if they demonstrate their bending, but enough benders are standing in solidarity with the Equalists that refusing to cooperate won't prove they're a non-bender."

"Exactly, it's unenforceable," he repeated himself, sitting back down. "It'd only work if it applied to everyone."

"These are excellent points, thank you for your expertise, Chief Beifong. I propose then we go with a universal curfew. All non-government employees out in the streets past eight will be detained by the police."

"What?! That's not what I was suggesting!" Tenzin said in shock.

"Eight's too early, businesses won't have enough time to operate their normal hours," Councilor Doalo interjected with a shake of his head, ignoring Tenzin's outburst. "Ten is a better time."

"Very well, the curfew begins at ten at night," Tarrlok replied, shooting the other Water Tribe representative a brief glare. "All those in favour."

Four hands went up and the law was made with no heed paid to the sole dissenting voice. Raiko's mouth hung open and he shared a lot of shock with Tenzin. The only person who cared about the common person was completely shut out from the decision making process.

"In addition to that, I believe action must be taken to disrupt the Equalists activities during the day." Yang leaned forward, glancing around the half-circle table. "I propose a ban on all public gatherings above a certain size. The Equalists sympathisers are blocking vital traffic through the city streets. They avoid arrest by hiding their allegiance, but it is clear that they stand with Amon. We must empower Chief Beifong to handle these riots swiftly and effectively."

"We can't stop all public gatherings!" Doalo shot back, turning in his seat to glare at the Earth Kingdom Councilor. "The winter solstice festival is coming up. It's supposed to be one of the busiest times of the year. If we start arresting every crowd with more than ten people we'd have to shut down every department store in the city."

"I must reluctantly agree with Councilor Doalo," Osuza spoke up, cheeks sagging in distaste as she frowned. "Commerce must be able to continue as normal, otherwise we risk sinking further into an economic slump. Amend it to a ban on all non-approved rallies. It'll put an end to public displays of political agitation while leaving law-abiding citizens alone."

Yang's eyes narrowed at his colleagues, but he politely smiled and dipped his head. "I find these amendments acceptable. Chairman?"

Another vote was called and it was passed as quickly. In an instant hundreds of thousands of citizens outside the walls of the council chamber had become criminals, unaware of the sword that was quickly descending downwards upon their heads.

"And finally," Tarrlok shifted his gaze to Raiko, sneering at him. "It's come to my attention that many that joined forces with the Equalists were members of your party. There are posters of your face plastered over the city streets."

Raiko's expression hardened, meeting Tarrlok's glare. "The people have a right to voice their political beliefs. You haven't stripped them of that yet."

"We do not strip people of rights. We protect them," Tarrlok shot back, sounding offended as he placed a hand on his chest. That received nods of agreement from three of the Councilors. "I am simply concerned that members of your own party have expressed support for Equalist ideals, the dissolution of the Council being chief among them. You denounced Amon yet I see you share many of the same talking points with him, couched behind more deniable words."

Something inside of Raiko snapped. He'd spent years suffering snide and dismissive remarks in the hopes that the people's voice could be heard, but he could not speak to the deaf. "If you fail to see the difference between us then the United Republic is truly lost!" Raiko shouted back, shaking his fist at the Chairman. "I've dedicated my life to trying to fix the messes you make and you refuse to listen to reason time and time again! Do you think things will go back to normal if you kill enough people! No-"

"That's enough!" Tarrlok shouted back. Doalo and Osuza were stunned by the outburst, while Yang looked on with grim disapproval, peering down over the frames of his glasses.

Raiko continued unabated. "There is no going back! You led us to the brink of disaster! We can't continue, not anymore."

Tarrlok looked at Chief Beifong. "Remove Raiko from the council chambers, immediately." She grabbed Raiko by the arm, who didn't resist, taking only a moment to adjust his glasses, and began to walk him to the exit. "It's clear that the Advisory Forum has become nothing more than a vehicle for Raiko to voice treasonous dissent. In light of this, I move that it be dissolved. It can no longer serve its function."

Agreements were had around the table, save for one who no longer mattered. The call was made and four hands went up, confirming what many already knew, and ending the pretense that the Council listened to anyone but themselves.

Raiko didn't look back as he exited the chambers. She continued to escort him through city hall, eliciting curious stares from passing civil servants, until they had reached the front door.

"I'd advise you to keep your head down," Beifong said, sounding annoyed and exhausted.

"Is that a threat?" Raiko bitterly asked. He didn't think it was but wasn't so sure either.

"No, I'd rather go after Equalists than waste time and effort arresting your people because of a grudge with Tarrlok," Lin honestly admitted, shaking her head. "Save the politicking until after the crisis."

Raiko huffed as he straightened out his jacket, adjusting the sleeves. "If it passes." He turned and left through the front doors, exiting out into the grand town center around the city hall. He began in the direction of the nearest UPP office, only a block away. It was meant to give them a presence in the government and keep their pulse on its affairs. Despite his removal, there were still plenty within the civil service that believed in the UPP.

The truth of the situation had become crystal clear to him. There would be no working within a system hostile to reform and arrogant in its own self righteousness.

'It seems I'll need to take a page out of Amon's play book.'

The people would rise up. Raiko would make sure of it.

 

[Fission Battery]

===
Chapter 9 - No Good Deed
===

The former detectives went their separate ways once they'd finished their meals. Yahui went home first, wanting to tell Bao of his plans and bring him along. He didn't want to leave his husband wondering what had happened to him, not after the chaos of the night before. He was sure Bao would come too.

The trip back to the apartment was brief. The elevated rail line still ran, stations guarded by squads of metalbending police. Their eyes peeled for any threats, real or perceived, and glares met by militia members from various parties doing their own part to police the area. They made no moves to fight each other, an uneasy stand off that hadn't escalated yet. Everyone wished to ensure they could use the trains, for the time being at least.

The fact that the metalbenders could wield the train cars like a weapon certainly forced people to act with restraint. They were meant to be the best of the best for a reason.

Yahui was sure it'd fall apart once the police decided they needed exclusive control over them to move forces around. 'Streets are blocked by protests. Airships can only move so many. That leaves the rail lines as the only way to respond in force.' It was a worrying thought to imagine the city turning into a war zone. He'd gotten a glimpse of that future and it shook him.

---

Yahui let out a whistle when he and Bao reached the building. It wasn't what he had imagined. He'd envisioned a small repurposed office space with cramped quarters, maybe a few stories tall, owned and operated by local volunteers. Instead he stared across the massive plaza and lifted his gaze up to the towering heights of the building. The circular domed roof in its center sat at its peak, nearly twenty stories tall.

It was a wide building that commanded the entire street it sat upon, a wide multi-lane section of the city that transformed the space into more of a public plaza than a mere length of road. Its outside was a brilliant stark white marble, capped with light blue tiles making up the roofs, with wider sections at the base shrinking every floor to provide space for them, breaking up the otherwise uniform colour scheme. Light shined brightly out of its hundreds of windows, stretching high up its numerous towers at its corners and extended rotundas that gave shape to the massive structure.

Standing in front of it was a pair of statues nearly forty feet in height. Sokka and Katara side by side, brother and sister, boomerang clasped in the former's hand and a tendril of water surrounding the latter. They stood proud on a raised tiered pedestal, giving them a dominating view of the entire neighbourhood.

The sight of the siblings held Yahui's gaze for a few moments.

The neighbouring buildings stood taller than the cultural center, but none had the gravitas that it held. It was on par with the city hall, arena, or police headquarters in terms of sheer size and grandeur on display.

Outside of its massive entrance was a large crowd of people, volunteers Yahui assumed, giving directions to people coming and going. They were signified by a blue armband, making them stand out. Alongside the sidewalk, taking up the parking spots, was a line of massive snowbanks, taken from the clear road and sidewalk by waterbenders. A few of them periodically pulled freshly fallen snow from the road to add to their growing stockpile. Innocuous at first glance, Yahui knew in a pinch they could be turned into solid barricades in an instant. It took him a moment to spot Imnek among them, and Yahui and Bao made their way over.

Imnek paused his work gathering snow, glancing up and spotting the pair. He waved, stepping away from the others to speak with the two. "You made it," he said with a smile. He offered a shallow bow to Bao in greeting, who returned the gesture. "Are you a friend of Yahui's?"

Bao smirked and laughed. "No, I'm his husband. I assume you're his partner, Imnek, right?"

"I am, though we've both quit the force." Imnek shot Yahui a glance, who shrugged in response.

"I try not to mix work with life," Yahui readily answered. He knew it was better that way. It gave less savory sorts less leverage against him if they thought he was single.

Imnek nodded in understanding. "You didn't have trouble finding it, did you?"

"Trouble? People in the Fire Nation can see this place over the horizon," Yahui remarked with a chuckle, lifting his gaze upwards. "You never mentioned how damn big this place was."

"It's tough to miss," Bao said, following his husband's gaze.

"I could have sworn I mentioned Varrick was the one responsible for it. He put up most of the money years ago to fund its construction," Imnek said, raising a hand and turning the palm upwards. "It was probably used as a tax write off to make him look good, but we got this out of it."

"Is he funding this whole charity thing too?" Bao asked with a critical tone, tilting his head.

"He doesn't have any part in it. The committee that runs the building took it upon themselves to do this. If he does take issue with it then I'm not sure that anyone would care," Imnek admitted, turning to look over his shoulder. Varrick's name on a plaque on the front of the building meant little to those who actually used and ran it. It belonged to them more than it did him.

"If he does I'm sure he can file a complaint," Yahui said, following Imnek's gaze to the crowd. "See how they feel about it."

"We'd be welcome to try it." Imnek motioned for the two to follow him. "I'll get you introduced and set up. We need help preparing food for everyone."

The couple followed after him.

---

The kitchen was large, befitting the massive structure that housed it. It was filled with volunteers who worked tirelessly to run it. The cafeteria was full of families huddled together and eating their food in solemn silence. It was a fairly somber atmosphere, tempering people's conversations among themselves. The mood was felt in the kitchen itself.

People worked without much talk. It was little comments, instructions offered to those that needed a second opinion and remarks of appreciation given. In spite of the mood, Yahui felt there was a budding sense of solidarity beneath the surface. These people who'd decided to spend their time there helping the needy. He wondered if that was where he should have been years ago, trying his luck with some community group instead of joining the police.

'I'm too young for regrets like that,' Yahui thought as he washed dishes, passing them onto Bao who dried them.

"This is an interesting idea for a date," Bao remarked with a soft chuckle. His hair tied back into a bun to keep it from his eyes. "Our first day off together in ages and we're doing chores. I don't mind it though. It's a nice break from… everything."

"Less stressful than my last job," Yahui replied with a smirk, shaking his head. "The real break comes when we leave for Sanbao. Time away from the city will do us good." There was a part of him that thought it was cowardly. The city was on the verge of violence breaking it. For all his support for Raiko's cause, he didn't want to be stuck there when shit did hit the fan.

'Not that Sanbao is perfectly stable, but better there than here in the path of the hurricane.'

"It would." Bao nodded his head.

They lulled back into silence as they worked. Imnek himself stood at a nearby counter alongside others, chopping vegetables. It was like an assembly line person finished their task and it was passed off to the next person. The prepared food went into large pots, which in turn would be taken by others and served, keeping the endless line of people fed.

"You know it's disrespectful for a cop to be here," a Water Tribe man beside Imnek said, glancing up to glare at the former detective.

"It's a good thing I quit then," Imnek replied, pausing his work to side-eye the man.

"I'm just saying it's a little twisted that the man who put them out of house and home is now doing charity work," he continued, bitterness leaking into his words. "You a waterbender too, right? How many you freeze to death?"

Imnek put the knife down with a clatter and glared at the man, who mirrored the gesture, hands curling into fists. He was a few inches shorter than the former detective, but brawnier, muscles bulging beneath his rolled up sleeves. Yahui dropped his scrub brush and turned to step between the two of them, when a woman with a blue armband did so. She placed her hands on their arms and firmly urged them to step apart.

"Enough of that, Tartok," she said in an admonishing tone. "Imnek wasn't part of the raid."

"Yeah, he was tending to the injured in the healer's tent," Yahui interjected, causing all three to briefly glance at him. He pulled the water covered gloves off his hands so he could turn to face them. "I get your distrust, Tartok," he looked at the man. "Police don't deserve it, but Imnek, he does. He was my partner, we were detectives together. The fact that we're here and not out there with the boys in black should tell you where our values are."

Tartok glared back at Yahui for several long seconds, dark blue eyes simmering with frustrations, before he glanced away and let out a huff. "Fine, nevermind then. Forget I said anything." He shook his head and walked away from the cutting board. "Chu switch off with me. I'm gonna serve people."

Chu, the woman who'd intervened, patted his arm and muttered an agreement, taking over his station as he moved to the other side of the kitchen. "Don't worry about him," she said, looking between Yahui, Imnek, and Bao. "He's always had a more… militant stance on things than most people on the committee."

"That's a nice way of saying he's got a chip on his shoulder," Bao muttered under his breath, narrowing his eyes at the back of the man's head. He let out a sigh and went back to work.

"It's alright, thanks for stepping in," Yahui said, nodding his head towards her. "It's appreciated."

"I'm surprised a member of the committee would be down here in the kitchen," Imnek remarked. He shot a glance at Tartok, gaze lingering for a moment then went back to work chopping vegetables. "You'd think somebody like that would be up top managing important stuff." He paused to gesture upwards with his free hand.

"He's always liked to lead from the front, so to speak. He puts his money where his mouth is," Chu explained with a hint of admiration in her voice.

'A big wig that gives a damn. That's a first.' Yahui could only imagine the budget the building operated with, given its founders pockets and community's size. 'A membership fee from people who could pay would keep the lights on for a long time too.' It was how the Pottery Club operated before its members secured greater sources of income.

Before they could return to their work, a small hubbub at the entrance of the cafeteria caught their attention. People's heads began to turn to see what it was, a crowd forming around the doorway, until it parted to reveal Korra and Bolin standing at the center of their attention. The Avatar exchanged greetings with people, while others stared at her with awe. In a few moments the crowd grew, lining up like petitioners wishing for their pleas to be heard.

Korra's smile faltered briefly, unsure how to handle the seriousness of the situation without her usual bravado, but her expression sobered up and she listened intently, nodding along as people took turns speaking with her. Bolin shuffled off to the side, staying near her but awkwardly rubbing the back of his head, eyes cast to the side. People evidently poured their hearts out to the Avatar in the hopes she could save them, some way, somehow.

"Well she showed up," Yahui said, sharing a look with Imnek.

"That she did."

---

It took some time for the crowd to thin, Korra assuring everyone that she would look into their problems and do her best to help them. It calmed them down, so many were looking at her with hope for the simple reason that she was the Avatar. If politicians and police wouldn't help them, then maybe she could.

She pried herself from the stranglers, her and Bolin making their way to the kitchen. Tartok shook his head and muttered under his breath in disapproval, "She's just a Water Tribe girl, same as anyone else." He kept his head down and continued working without acknowledging Korra.

"I see you've made quite the entrance. Just can't help yourself from being a showman, can you Bolin," Yahui remarked, shaking his head as he pretended to chastise Bolin. "Always got to be the center of attention."

Bolin weakly laughed. His smile strained, his usual chipper attitude dampered by the experiences he'd heard people share with Korra. It was a grim reality that he knew first hand. "Oh you know it," he replied, raising his fist slightly, before letting out a sigh. "We're here to do our part. I gotta say that this place puts Little Ba Sing Se to shame."

"My family's been bringing me here since I was a kid and I still find it impressive," Imnek said.

Chu stepped forward, bowing at Korra first, then Bolin a moment later. "We're honoured, and more than a little surprised, to have the Avatar grace us," she admitted honestly, bemused by Korra's arrival. "You are the Avatar, right? This isn't some confusion on their part?" she asked in a hush tone, shooting a glance over the serving counter.

Korra demonstrated her bending abilities, twirling soup broth and a ceramic mug around a flame flickering above her finger. "Just put us where we're needed," she replied, sheepishly smiling and waving off the light praise as she ended the display.

"You can start here then," Chu motioned to the kitchen. "I need to go meet with some people, so you and Bolin can take over chopping and serving." She walked out of the kitchen, striding quickly out the door with purpose. It was clear others had to be informed about the Avatar's sudden and unexpected arrival.

"Bolin, you're with me," Tartok said, lifting his gaze to look at him. "I need a man with a steady hand over here."

Korra gave him a flat stare, glaring at the back of his head before looking at the others. "I guess we're a team then," she said, taking up Chu's chopping station, while Bolin worked at Tartok's post. "We've all been introduced-" she glanced at Bao and paused, trying to recall his name and failing.

"Korra, this is Bao, my spouse," Yahui offered, jerking his thumb in his direction.

Korra shallowly bowed in greeting. "You have a very lovely wife," Korra said , smiling at Bao.

"I'm his husband," he replied, a smirk spreading across his face as he returned the gesture.
"Oh, uh, I meant you have a very pretty husband!" Korra remarked, hastily saving face as a faint blush spread across her cheeks.

'That's a game he never tires of, does he,' Yahui thought with amusement. It was a similar mistake he'd made when he first met Bao ages ago. As he grabbed the rubber gloves up off the counter he turned back to Bolin. "So where is Mako anyway?" Yahui asked out of idly curiosity.

"Oh he's got a date too. Some rich chick nearly ran him over with her scooter. She offered to buy him lunch as an apology," Bolin explained with a smirk, shooting a glance over his shoulder. "Guess my good luck has finally rubbed off on him."

Yahui laughed and shook his head. "It must have. I'm surprised she didn't back up and try to hit him again." Bolin had a similar reaction, unable to stifle his laughter, nearly spilling the food he was serving to a person.

"Watch it!" Tartok remarked in annoyance.

Before Yahui could return to work, Korra spoke up. "Hey, could I speak with you quickly? I need a… second opinion on some stuff." She shifted her weight and crossed her arms, a touch of anxiousness creeping into her tone. It ate away at the confidence she projected, like a chip in armour.

It was a look Yahui knew well. He nodded his head, and Korra motioned for him to follow her as they stepped out of the kitchen through the back door.

---

They went out through the storage room into a stairwell and up a few flights, away from the large crowds of people, and stepped out into a hallway several stories up. It was unpopulate, an empty hall with a window giving them a view of the grand street below. The organizers milled about, tirelessly working on one thing and another.

Korra's gaze lingered on them before she raised her head to the towering statues of Katara and Sokka, standing taller than the floor they were on. She leaned against the wall beside the plane of glass, watching the snowfall down.

Silence filled the air for several long seconds until Yahui spoke up. "So what's on your mind?" he began, gaze following her own as he looked out the window.

Korra let out a sigh and turned back to Yahui, crossing her arms. "I've been trying to… figure out what exactly I'm supposed to do, as the Avatar," she admitted with a frown. "Bolin talked about you and how introspective and stuff you're supposed to be about life and politics, so I figured," her sentence trailed off, before she shrugged.

"That's very nice of Bolin to say, though I hope it didn't dominate the conversation," Yahui replied apologetically, turning his hands upwards and dipping his head low. "I'm not sure how much I can help. I'm just an out of work detective, and you're the Avatar-"

"That's what I mean!" Korra exclaimed, throwing a hand up. "I've been told my whole life that I'm supposed to bring balance to the world, but I don't even know what that's supposed to mean, not anymore. When I got here I thought it meant beating up triads and protecting people, but now the police are the ones attacking people!" She pushed off the wall and jabbed a finger out the window. "What am I supposed to do? Start fighting them? Overthrow the Council? Tenzin's on it so it can't be all bad, can it?"

Yahui shifted his stance, leaning back against the wall. "If fighting gangsters was all that was needed to fix the city then my years on the force might have done something," he said with a mirthless chuckle. "I told myself that I could make a difference, but the cops that genuinely care either get sidelined or pushed out, sooner or later. What would you have done if you were there at Limestone Heights?"

"Tell everyone to back down, and if that didn't work, I would have started knocking heads until it did," Korra admitted, glancing to the side. "If they deserved it I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to stop them, police, Equalist, anyone. Even if it got me into trouble with the Council."

Yahui nodded in approval. "Avatar Kyoshi didn't hesitate to tell off the Earth King when he deserved it. You're a citizen of the world in a way few others are," he said, gesturing from her to outside. "What right does the Council have to rule? They don't listen to the people."

"I got that, but how am I supposed to change it?" Korra huffed in irritation. "I can't just walk into city hall and throw down with them. I'd just get arrested. What type of balance is that?"

'Oh I see.' The former detective paused, dipping his head and let out a hum as he gathered his thoughts. There was a lot he could say, so many avenues of discussion they'd be there for hours, until an older memory came to mind and he knew it was the one. It was one she could truly connect to and understand, he was sure of it. "You know," he began, a wistful smile working its way onto his face, "my earthbending master once told me a story that had been passed to him from his own master, one about Avatar Szeto."

Yahui still had a certain fondness for his former master, despite helping to put him behind bars. He played a role in shaping Yahui into the man that he was. 'If nothing else, he taught extremely valuable skills.'

Korra perked her head up slightly. "I haven't heard of him."

"He was the Avatar before Yangchen, born in the Fire Nation about six hundred years ago," Yahui clarified. "Back then the Fire Nation wasn't the strong unified state that it is now. It was much more divided. While the Fire Lord ruled the land, it was the clans that held much of the power. He had to rely on them to fill the ranks of the military and administration. The nobles of these clans vied with each other for power, risking the stability of the country at a time of crisis."

"That really is a long time ago. What'd he do?" she remarked, curiosity tinged her tone.

"Yeah, Yangchen and Kyoshi skewed the numbers." He raised an arm in shrug. "Now, Szeto came of age as an Avatar during this turbulent period. The Fire Nation was on the brink of collapsing back into warring clans. Szeto would have been well within his right to bring them into line by force, but he knew that would only inflame tensions and risk the situation spiraling. Instead he offered his services to Fire Lord Yosor as a bureaucrat."

Korra tilted her head and furrowed her brow. "So he signed his name on some paperwork and called it a day?"

"No, no, he did far more than that. Szeto wouldn't accept any titled position, instead worked up from a lowly clerk. Like any other official he had to swear an oath of loyalty to the Fire Lord. The Avatar bowed to a king," Yahui paused to let that sink in. "He lent his spiritual authority to Yosor, granting him the legitimacy to rule the nation. Those that would have plotted against him were forced to drop their schemes."

"Because the Avatar was in his corner," Korra concluded, self-assured in her reasoning. She turned her hands upwards. "I don't know, it still sounds like they didn't try anything because he could kick their butts if they did." A small flame flicked to life on her finger tip, dancing briefly before she snuffed it out.

"Maybe," Yahui chuckled, nodding his head. "Szeto proved himself a wise and capable bureaucrat, earning promotion after promotion over the years of his service, eventually becoming the Grand Advisor to the Fire Lord. From there he brokered peace between the clans, bringing them into line, and stabilized the economy. He brought stability to the country. It was a long and prosperous reign for the Fire Nation," he concluded, spreading his arms out. "Avatar Szeto knew that balance didn't mean helping each side equally. It meant helping those that desperately needed it."

It never ceased to amuse Yahui that the Avatar that helped laid the foundation for the modern Fire Nation was so admired by Long Feng. 'It's no surprise that he'd respect a fellow life long bureaucrat.'

Korra quietly processed the story, a small frown forming on her face. "So," she spoke, sounding unsure, "I should work for the Council? Unless I'm missing something that doesn't sound like the intended lesson that I'm supposed to take away from this."

"You're right, it's not, far from it. I think," Yahui sighed as he thought about how to phrase it. "I think a lot of people have forgotten how much power the Avatar, you, truly has." He held his hand out, gesturing to her. "It's not the bending. That's part of it, but it's your spiritual authority. People will listen to you. They care about what you say. Whoever you side with and back will be important. That's the lesson," he stressed, trying to important that fact upon her. "You could topple governments with a word or just as easily make them."

Her brow furrowed and gaze lingered on the floor between them, thinking over what he'd said. "I've never heard anyone put it like that before. Tenzin's usually more abstract when he talks about spiritual stuff."

"Yeah well, we don't have the luxury of a monastic life removed from everything," Yahui said with a soft chuckle, stepping over beside her to lean forward on the window sill. The sparse road traffic continued on as normal, a few trucks pulling up in front of the cultural center to drop off supplies. "I'm surprised nobody's talked to you about this type of thing before."

"You shouldn't be. Nobody's told me I should topple a government before," Korra said, corners of her lips turning upwards. She turned away from the wall and joined him in leaning against the window sill.

"I said could, not should," Yahui good naturedly corrected. They stared out at the falling snow for several seconds before he asked, "what were they teaching you down in the South Pole anyway? As far as the rest of us knew, the White Lotus located the next Avatar and has spent the last fourteen years training you for the role."

"Honestly? A lot of bending. I like it more than Tenzin's meditation lessons," Korra casually admitted. "They never really let me leave the compound unless I was supervised."

That caught Yahui's attention. He gave her a side glance, concern written across his face. "Really? That makes it sound like you were a prisoner."

"It felt that way," she said with a groan. "I had enough though. I couldn't stay down there, not after I heard Republic City was out of whack. So I snuck on board a ship."

"You pulled a runaway," Yahui said, humming in acknowledgement and nodding his head. He wondered what reason the White Lotus could have for doing something like that. It struck him as an unusual move. 'Maybe they didn't want to risk her running away like Aang did… or maybe they wanted her to join the order as a member.' He could see how others could view such decisions and spin yarns about the White Lotus secretly controlling the Avatar. He'd only known Korra for a day and he didn't buy those in the least. "I hope that was helpful."

"I think I got the gist of it. Szeto had a unique approach to being the Avatar."

"Can't you speak to your past lives?" Yahui asked, glancing at her. "You could ask him for insight," he paused then added, "of course, he might say the Council is right. He served a king, so I'd take anything he says with a grain of salt."

The question caused Korra's expression to fall, frustration flashing across her face. "I'm still working on the whole spiritual thing. I can't even talk to Aang and the previous Avatar is supposed to be the easiest to speak with," she admitted, standing up from the windowsill and throwing a hand up in annoyance.

Her words brought another memory to mind. It was sadder, though one whose wounds had since healed.

"When Avatar Aang died," Yahui began, a melancholic tone leaked into his voice, "it felt like… the world stopped. It didn't make sense anymore. He died at sixty five, still in his prime as an Avatar. The moment that he'd died it was like a piece of the country had gone with him. People mourned for weeks."

He could still remember where he was when he heard about it, helping his mother with errands after school. The music on the radio in the department store abruptly stopped as the broadcast came on, and the grief stricken announcer gave Republic City the tragic news. It wasn't one final battle against evil that had killed the Avatar, but simply age, body older and more worn out than anyone could have expected. The bags filled with bundles of fabric slipped from his hands before he realized it. The crowds of shoppers stared at each other, stunned into silence, until finally the first sobs escaped the eldest of them. Those old enough to remember life under the Fire Nation, who survived its rule, and witnessed its liberation first hand.

Their cries broke the dam.

It was also when all chance of reform truly ended, Yahui could see that now. Only the Avatar had the authority and will to force the Council to bend to the people's demand, and with him gone their inflexible regime only ossified further. 'And when I fell in with an insurgency.'

Korra stared at him with a pensive expression, lips parted as if to speak but no words came out. He averted his gaze, looking to the side and coughing into his fist. He felt as if he'd put his foot in his mouth by bringing up such a subject. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up." He shifted to look out another window further down the hall and waved his hand, shooing the topic away. "You've probably heard enough about your past lives already."

"Don't sweat it," she said after a moment, brain kicking into gear and brushing it off. She stood up from the windowsill and rested against it. "I was taught waterbending by Katara, so I've," she briefly grimaced, "had to deal with that stuff before." She raised her hands in a placating motion and put on a somewhat forced, reassuring smile. "There's nothing to worry about."

"I'm relieved to hear that, for a second there I thought I'd accidentally struck a nerve," Yahui admitted with a weak chuckle.

"You're not the first to talk about Aang, you won't be the last." Korra nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders. "He left me some big shoes to fill."

"Not as big as Kyoshi's," he countered, pausing as he caught movement outside the building. He stepped up to the glass to see a police truck slowly travel down the street, pulling up near the sidewalk a short distance away from the organizers. Two police officers stepped out from the cabin, sharing glances between each other, before cautiously making their way over.

He lifted his eyes from where they came from to see a small gathering of cops up the street. The group intently watched their envoys approach to gauge the situation. Muscles tensioned and hands slowly closed into fists, pressure building in his chest.

'This can't be good.'

 

[Fission Battery]

===
Chapter 10 - Apart at the Seams
===

Yahui heard raised voices when he stepped out of the building, volume below full blown shouting but tense and loud. The two officers were barking orders and demanding answers to a group of organizers, widely gesturing with their arms to make their point. It'd attracted a growing crowd, other members of the cultural center drawn closer to witness the terse exchange. The scatterings of people along the long street began to consolidate outside the building, ranks subtly forming up as dozens of pairs of eyes, perhaps hundreds inside the building itself, watched the cops with intense interest.

Yahui moved with an anxious urgency in his step. He had to defuse the situation. He had to try. Some community organizers were low on the list of priorities for the police, but with tensions high he feared that a misunderstanding could cause the situation to spiral. The discussion wasn't outright aggressive, yet. He quickly made his way through the crowd to the front.

There were several organizers tersely speaking with the police, exasperated by the verbal stone wall they'd been receiving in turn. He saw that Chu and Imnek were among them, the former detective seemingly unable to get anywhere with the two cops.

Instincts took over as Yahui moved forward. "Detective Yahui," he began, reaching for a badge that wasn't there. All eyes turned to him, the man who'd broken from the crowd. His hand switched its target mid-stride, pulling out his police ID from his pocket. He'd forgotten to give it back when he turned in his actual badge. "What seems to be the issue here, officers?" he inquired, flashing his ID at the pair.

Imnek opened his mouth to speak before shutting it. He shared a look of understanding with Yahui. It was a silent agreement on how to handle their two wayward "co-workers."

The two's stern expressions softened into relief and surprise. They were light-skinned with dark black hair and brown eyes, suggesting an Earth Kingdom or Fire Nation background. It stood in contrast to the veritable sea of Water Tribe people, among others, who stood outside the community center. Yahui's appearance was like a lifeline for them, something to latch onto in the face of the united opposition to their presence.

"Well look at that, we weren't expecting any back up in the area. We thought we were the first ones here." He nodded at Yahui before gesturing to himself then to his partner. "Officer Chang and Officer Minato."

Yahui frowned at them, stepping closer. "Well my partner, Detective Imnek, has been here this whole time." He turned and motioned to Imnek. The taller man was glaring daggers at the two cops. "I trust you've spoken to him to fill you in on the situation."

Officer Chang snapped his head to Imnek, surprise written across his face. "No," he sheepishly started, eyes flicking to Imnek then back, "we weren't aware that he was on the force."

"They didn't believe me when I told them," Imnek corrected. "I'd forgotten my badge at home. It was a late night, I spent it healing all those people. They wouldn't accept it though."

Chang glanced downwards as he clicked his tongue. "I apologize, Detective Imnek, I thought you'd said former cop. I wasn't sure if you were merely lying."

"You must have misheard," Yahui replied, turning his palm upwards in a nonchalant shrug. "I'm happy I could clear up that misunderstanding then, though I'd hope you'd do the same for me. I'm wondering why you two would be interested in the cultural center."

Chang motioned for Yahui to follow, who did, as they took a few steps away from the committee. Imnek joined their huddle, earning an uneasy stare from the officer. "We'd heard that an unlawful political rally was ongoing outside of the building." He shot a narrow glance to the gathered crowd intently watching the officers in uniform. "As you can see, I think our concerns were justified."

"There's been a miscommunication," Yahui readily replied, shaking his head. "There's nothing unlawful about this. These are all employees and volunteers working for the Cultural Center. They're doing a charity drive," he motioned to the building with a sweeping arm, gesturing to the fearful families standing in the doorway.

"I can assure you that the committee isn't a political organization," Imnek firmly interjected with the utmost sincerity. The conviction in the words said as if the man himself truly believed it. "I've been coming here my whole life. We're focused on community programs and charity. It should be fully compliant with the Council's latest rulings."

Yahui bit his tongue, refusing to comment on it. 'Now's not the time to get into it.'

Chang raised an eyebrow, looking from Imnek with doubt in his eyes to Yahui, searching for the truth, as he expected it. "Can you back up your partner's statement?"

"Absolutely," Yahui replied with a nod of his head. "Detective Imnek is completely correct. This is a purely apolitical organization and operation."

"Yeah, leave these people alone! They haven't done anything!" Korra interjected, striding up to them.

Chang gave Korra an incredulous stare, while Yahui held up a hand, imploring her to not escalate the situation. He wasn't sure how well his non-verbal intent came across.

"They're victims in all this!" Korra continued, jabbing a finger in Chang's direction and glaring at him. She stopped short of him, an arm's length away. "If you want to harass anyone, go after the cops that attacked Limestone Heights!"

"You shouldn't get yourself into a tizzy about that," Chang remarked with a dismissive huff, "Chief Beifong is cleaning up Delun's Disaster. Your concerns are noted."

"Please don't mind her, she's another volunteer here," Yahui said, giving Korra a brief pleading glance. He reached up and gave Chang a reassuring squeeze of the shoulder. "I know we're all on edge after last night, but these people aren't who we're supposed to be dealing with. They're the ones we're supposed to be protecting."

The officer's expression softened as a sight escaped his lips, tension leaving his shoulders. The half-truths struck a chord with him. "I'll trust you on this then, Detectives, keep up the good work."

Imnek nodded in agreement. "If the situation changes we'll call backup when we need it."

"We've got this well in hand. You can go tell your superiors they've got nothing to worry about." Yahui patted Chang's shoulder, giving the man a disarming smile and soft chuckle. "You won't be fighting an army of waterbenders today."

Officer Chang nervously laughed, eyes flicking from the two detectives to the crowd once more. "I'll leave it to you two." He looked at Officer Minato and gestured towards their care. The two got back into it, and drove away seconds later, leaving fresh tracks in the snow covered street.

Yahui exhaled through his nose, the weight on his chest lifting as he watched them drive off, backwards the assembled police vehicles up the road. When no sirens were sounded and others began peeling off to head elsewhere did he truly believe that they'd avoided catastrophe. There'd be no blood shed on the city streets beneath the watchful gaze of Sokka and Katara, not that day at least.

"What an asshole," Korra said with a huff, crossing her arms and shaking her head.

'Just a day ago I would have had to depend on men like that to watch my back in the line of duty, and now they're a bigger threat than the triads ever were. Have things really changed or have I finally accepted the truth?'

Yahui's musings were interrupted by Imnek speaking up from beside him. "If they run your numbers they'll find out you and I both quit."

"That's if they do," Yahui said, raising a finger. "There's enough chaos on the force from Beifong's purge that I doubt they'd find any if they went searching for it. They've got bigger concerns."

"It's fortunate that you forgot to turn in your ID. I was too thorough for my own good," Imnek remarked, patting his pocket where he kept his wallet. "Maybe then those bastards would have taken me seriously."

Yahui gave Imnek a sidelong look, unused to hearing his partner swear. "You and I both know bastards like that would have dismissed anything you brought up. You're a part of the crowd, anything you said is just proof you're a good liar."

"That's unbelievable," Korra remarked. "Some cop he is."

"I think you'd find people like Imnek and I are the exception, not the rule, when it comes to the police. There's a reason neither of us are on the force anymore." Yahui motioned between himself and his partner.

Chu walked up to them, relief evident across her face. "That could have gone very poorly. Thank you both for intervening. That's bought us some breathing room. Hopefully their attention turns elsewhere and we don't see them again."

"I'm sure we won't," Yahui replied with a wave of his hand, not entirely believing himself.

The tension that had held the crowd in its grip dissipated, allowing them to breathe easy once more, even if many didn't think it'd last long. They returned to their activities, making themselves busier than they were before, preparing now for what seemed like an inevitable return of the police. The freshly snow pulled from the street to add to their growing piles on the side of the road, ready to be shaped into barricades should the worst come to pass.

---

In their apartment, Yahui watched the chaos unfold on the streets below. Protestors clashed with police, benders and non-benders alike standing side by side on both sides of the barrier. Their shouts and screams echoed throughout the night, seemingly never stopping, never ending, as the melee spread further and further.

During the night a special announcement came on, Raiko, along with most of the UPP and allied leadership, had died in a building fire. A gas line burst in their party headquarters had exploded, so the report went, the words read by a state broadcaster speaking in a clipped and formal tone. It concluded that it was a tragic accident, ending quickly as music began to play again. Like that the heads of the political resistance to the Council had been cut off, leaving only local branches spread across the cities of the United Republic to fend for themselves and attempt to coordinate their decapitated party structures. The dream of peaceful independence shattered in the span of a few sentences before the radio switched back to its regular programming.

Yahui clutched a hand to his chest as it tightened in pain. 'That's it then.' Hope, he felt, was well and truly dead. The only path forward would be violence, he was sure of it. 'It's all gone up in flames.' The street fighting continued well past midnight, eventually dying down as mourning took its place.

"Should we go out today?" Yahui asked, eyes transfixed on the crowds of people milling about on the streets below. It was peaceful, neighbours gathering together as the sun came up, determined to make their presence and displeasure with the police known in spite of the chilling cold.

'Should I be out there with them?' he privately wondered. 'Am I a coward for hiding up in here?' He'd usually never be one to shy away from a fight, especially in his youth, but this was different to him. It wasn't simply a few people beating each other up. It was the state waging a war of repression against its own people.

"We should. We can't stay in here all day," Bao remarked, getting dressed to head out into the snow. The theater had since closed, waiting for the emergency to pass before it planned to re-open, leaving them both out of work with nothing but time on their hands. "Everything except the department stores are closing too."

"So back to the Cultural Center?" Yahui rhetorically asked, turning away from the window and joining his husband in getting dressed. He wanted to go back and keep volunteering there. "Let's hope the police didn't show back up when we weren't there."

"Don't want to catch up with old colleagues?" Bao remarked as he buttoned up his jacket.

"Off the force for a day and I'm already being dragged back to office events," Yahui muttered, heart not quite in the banter. It was a difficult thing to do given the circumstances. He threw on his own jacket, and together the two left the apartment.

---

Outside of the apartment building the sidewalks were cleared, snow piled up along the sides of the road and in a few impromptu barricades that had managed to survive the night. People continued going about their lives, coming and going despite the unrest, ignoring the crowds of protesters waiting for a new round of violence to kick off. It was an attempt to maintain a sense of normalcy, going through their daily motions as if that alone would shelter them from the chaos unfolding around them.

Yahui turned to see candles set up in front of pictures of the dead, some pulled from family albums and others simply cut out from the newspaper. It was a community memorial to those who'd been murdered by the state. His eyes lingered on a poster of Raiko, surrounded by the faces of other leaders of the UPP and its allies. Someone had spray painted "Justice for Raiko'' on a wall beside the memorial.

Nobody believed it was an accident, including Yahui.

As the pair walked, colours of banned political parties were being raised high in the air, waving in defiance of the Council's attempts to shut them down. Armbands were worn by many people, showing their support and involvement in the militias that had formed to defend the neighbourhood. Men and women with megaphones were warming up, ready to begin a long day of shouting slogans and political demands.

The thing that put Yahui on edge was the presence of Equalists among the groups of protestors milling about on the streets. He stared hard at one of them, an organizer, as they spoke with others and aided UPP members in setting up barricades. A sense of familiarity ate at him, until he realized the Equalist woman was a postal worker. He'd handed off packages to her before. It beggared belief.

'It won't last,' he thought, pulling his gaze away, pulling his coat close around himself as the pair moved on, keeping to themselves.

---

They returned home, avoiding the worst of the protests and police repression, moving along with a small stream of pedestrians trying to keep their heads down. Yahui was thankful the front of their building wasn't on the frontlines, not yet at least.

As the violence began again in earnest, airships were called in, their metalbending detaining dozens with their steel cables, only to leave as quickly as they appeared to respond to more protests breaking out throughout the city. The detained captives were left for police to deal with, disappearing behind the line of cops to be dragged off to jail.

Fires erupted in several more neighbourhoods, smoke choking out the sky and falling down in black-stained snow. The Council's official news spokesmen claimed they were set by terrorists, but their broadcasts were soon cut out, airwaves filled with underground radio stations from people on the ground.

Over the course of a week, Dragon Way, Silverstreak Apartments, and Lucky Boroughs soon joined Limestone Heights on the lips of people demanding justice as police fires consumed the neighbourhoods. Yahui and Bao continued their daily trek to and from the Cultural Center, each day tenser than the last. They began to leave the center earlier each day before the streets got too dangerous to walk.

The jails of every station filled up fast, then soon the prisons were at capacity and bursting, people packed into rooms like fish in a tin can. Stories of the depraved conditions shared by escapees, many caught and sent back as quickly as they broke out again. Earthbenders assault the prisons to free their fellow protestors, only to be captured in turn by metalbenders and earthbending police. They soon became fortified positions across the city, guards stretched thin by the need to put down spiralling unrest.

It carried on until one night the police were nowhere to be seen. They'd pulled back, abandoning their neighbourhood to the collection of protestors and people's militias. The site of hard fought battles turned into the center of celebration for the people. It was a small victory, an inconsequential one perhaps, but for a moment people could breathe freely.

It lasted a single night.

The following day, under the cover of afternoon darkness, Equalists began pouring out onto the streets. They were not like the simple men and women who'd taken to the barricades before, with the civilian members who wore armbands were nowhere to be seen. Soldiers tried to seize the streets and surrounding buildings, fought by the hastily reassembled gathering of peoples, who were crushed as armoured cars drove through their numbers, maiming innocents to let dozens upon dozens of combatants spill forth from their armoured holds.

He stared in horror before shutting the curtains. The shrieks of death echoed between the buildings, punctuated by the blast of explosion and the crackle of electricity. The street battle raged, militia pushing back against the Equalists, until suddenly someone sounded the retreat. Engines revved, and Yahui pulled open the curtain to see the few surviving armoured vehicles hastily fleeing, several burning wrecks of destroyed cars left behind in their wake. Surrounding them were the bodies of the dead, blood staining the snow red.

They'd been driven off, but that didn't help Yahui sleep that night.

---

In the morning a knock drew Yahui's attention. He shared a concerned look with Bao before getting up from the table and made his way to the door, peeking through the peephole. It was a neighbour, an elderly woman in her seventies, born shortly before the war ended. Her expression was terse, fretfully glancing around her and wringing her hands together.

He unlocked the door, but left the deadbolt in and opened it to greet her. "Good morning, Meel. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Detective, you need to be careful," she began in a fearful, hushed tone. "Equalists broke into the building last night. They started attacking people in their own homes and dragging them away!" She clenched her hands. "I think they were after benders."

Yahui sucked in a sharp breath, chest tightening.

"Some people were even killed!" she exclaimed in a low voice, orange eyes wide. "Li, my grandson, and his friends heard the commotion and drove them off, thank goodness."

"Thank you for letting me know, Meelu," Yahui replied, letting out a sigh and shaking his head. It was shocking news, yet somehow not surprising. It was what they were working towards.

"I've been telling everyone I can. Li went to speak with some of those organizers outside to see if they could protect the building." She dipped her head low. "It's terrible what's happening. It's like the days before the Harmony Restoration Act. People being rounded up like animals."

"Will you be okay?"

"I'll manage. I'm not a bender. They won't expect a fight from me," Meelu replied, patting her pocket, fabric pressing outside the outline of a switchblade. "Take care of yourself, Detective, and please tell Bao I loved his performance last month. It was wonderful."

Yahui softly smiled, thinking how much simpler things were then. "I will, thank you."

They parted and he closed the door, relocking it. "Bao," he said, turning away from the door, "pack your things."

He knew it wasn't safe to stay there anymore. The neighbourhood drove off the Equalists once, but at a great cost. He didn't know if they could do it again. They couldn't flee the city, travel by boat and train limited by Council decree, so only one place came to his mind: the Cultural Center. The couple grabbed the essentials along with a few mementos they didn't want to risk leaving behind, and left shortly afterwards, the smell of burnt flesh hitting their noses as they stepped out.

It caused Yahui to gag, overwhelmed by the miasma of death. The corpses from the battle the night before had been pulled from the burnt out wrecks, covered with blankets and laid out in rows along the road. Bodies were identified and tagged as volunteers hauled them onto the back of a truck. Bao touched his arm and he averted his eyes.

'It's the beginning of the end.' No one dared say the words, afraid that doing so would make it come true, but he couldn't deny the reality he was staring at. The United Republic was in a state of civil war.

 

[Fission Battery]

===
Chapter 11 - The Sound of Destiny
===

Police Headquarters had been turned into a fortress with the surrounding streets pulled up from the ground and shaped into walls of stone. The gateways were wide enough for two trucks to drive abreast, while the gate itself was made of steel confiscated from construction sites, manned by metalbenders. The grand plaza in front of the towering building had been transformed into a mustering field filled with personnel and vehicles. Cops dressed for battle in mishmashed bits of armour over their uniforms and weapons strapped to their sides, like a ragtag farce of the force Delun had gathered.

Only the metalbenders had any sense of uniformity, sleek metal armour standing out among the sea of rabble they commanded. The beleaguered police consolidated their forces, ceding entire swathes of the city to growing unrest while fortifying key areas of control.

Guard towers stood atop each gatehouse, hastily built and open to the elements. The lowly officers ordered to man them shivered in the freezing temperatures, meant to serve as little more than a show of force. An illusion of control of the situation was well in hand, even as entire roadways were stripped bare for raw materials. The hum of patrolling airship engines buzzed overhead, their spotlights illuminating the snow covered city below.

The surrounding areas were on lockdown, checkpoints attempting to control the flow of foot traffic. The protestors that had once fought the police had since been hauled off, stuffed into overcrowded holding cells awaiting a trial that will never come. A young woman huddled up in a red and grey overcoat, shifting a folder beneath her arm and breathing into her gloved hands to keep them warm as she moved towards the checkpoint.

She presented her papers when the officers demanded it, a rarity given the country's abysmal bureaucracy. It marked her out, especially when she explained why she was coming to them. "I… I have to report someone as an Equalist," she hesitantly began, pain leaking into her voice.

"Well out with it then. Who is it?" he impatiently demanded.

Asami pushed up the brim of her hat and lifted her eyes to meet the officer's. "It's my father, Hiroshi Sato."

---

Chief Beifong stared hard at the documents spread across her desk. She shifted through them, reading them again and again, not believing what she was seeing. Shipping manifestos, stock portfolios, names and contacts, encoded communications alongside the codes, blueprints, and more. All neatly organized within a folder that laid open in front of her.

It's everything she'd been searching for and then some. The proverbial key to the vault in her hands. The way to take down the Equalists. It was almost unbelievable.

"And you're sure she's the real Asami Sato?" Chief Beifong asked without looking up. In her cold metallic office stood the lieutenant colonel in charge of HQ security, alongside the deputy chief of police Saikhan.

"Yes ma'am," the lieutenant colonel said. "I thought the security guard was mistaken too, but her ID checks out. It's her."

"Then that means all of this," Beifong swept her hand across her desk, "is real." Her piercing green eyes flicked up to the officer's, her gaze hardening. "Assemble a task force, pull every metalbender from their current duty and put them on it. I want to be ready to leave within thirty minutes, understand?"

"It'll stretch us thin to do that-"

"We're already stretched thin," she sharply remarked. She shoved aside a few documents before uncovering a map and jabbing a finger onto it. "But we can't afford to hit Sato's workshop without as many metalbenders as possible. We can cut off the Equalist's arms and funds right now, and to do that I can't afford to have my best officers on daycare duty."

The lieutenant colonel's lips were drawn into a thin line before he reluctantly nodded. "Understood ma'am. I'll get on that immediately." He gave a sharp salute then left the office, closing the door behind him.

Saikhan reached up and took his hat off his balding head, putting it onto the desk as the large set aging man sat down across from Beifong. "Lin, can we trust this? How do we know these aren't fake and that daughter dearest isn't trying to frame her father to take over the company? Or worse," he leaned forward, pointing at her. "How do we know this isn't a trap? Sato could be setting us up and we'd be waltzing into an ambush."

"The Equalist would have to be exceptionally stupid to drop this in our laps, and unfortunately they've been anything but," Lin calmly replied, raising an eyebrow at her deputy. "We've had no reason to suspect any connection between Future Industries and the Equalists. It'd make no sense to draw attention to Sato like this. These show he's been vital to their operations."

"You don't invite a ferretfox into a harehen house," Saikhan remarked with a hum, inclining his head towards her and turning a hand upwards. "Especially when it's supposed to be hidden."

"Exactly." Lin nodded. "That's why we need to hit him now, before he realizes he's been sold out by his daughter." She brought a fist down into her palm. "This is huge. It could give us everything we need to track down the Equalists and finally take them down. It's the win we need to bring calm to the city."

"We remove the Equalist's biggest backer, all their provocateurs disappear, and we can get the situation under control," Saikhan surmised, leaning back in his chair. "You have my support, decisive action now is what we need."

"That's why I'm leading this operation," Lin said as she stood up from her desk, gathering the documents up into the folder. "The Council's been breathing down our neck for results and I'm going to give it to them."

"Lin, that's…" Saikhan paused, frowning at her. "You can't go."

"I'm the best damn metalbender and earthbender in the city since my mother left," she dismissively replied without looking at him. "We need this operation to succeed so I'm going to make sure it does." Lin was always more at ease in the field where she could beat her problems into line than behind a desk when no such cheat existed for paperwork.

Saikhan shook his head before standing up and snapping a salute. "Understood, Chief. I'll oversee things in your absence."

"Good, you can go to that emergency Council meeting today in my place," Beifong firmly said as she put the folder under her arm. "Give them an update on the situation. If all goes according to plan we'll have Hiroshi Sato in an interrogation room by the end of the day. Dismissed," she remarked as she left the room.

The pieces that had once been hidden for so long had revealed themselves to her. She knew that she'd put everything back into its place and that the unrest gripping the city would disappear once she had Sato in chains. He'd lead them to Amon, and like that a thorn in her side would be removed, permanently.

---

Chief Beifong stood on the roof of the HQ, surrounded by hundreds of metalbending police officers. She watched as they boarded onto the assembled fleet of police airships, filling the armoured blimps to capacity. The loud buzz of the engines turned into a roaring wind, whipping snow against her face. It was an invigorating sight. The largest collection of metalbenders in the world gathered in one place, second only to Zaofu and Ba Sing Se.

'Suyin isn't the only one with an army,' Lin smugly thought, overseeing the airships load up.

As the last stragglers found their place, she boarded a blimp, and gave the signal. Technicians ran to give room for the blimps to lift off, waving instructions at the pilots. The crew manning it sent out the order, and soon dozens of airships rose up into the cloudy sky, drawing nearly every eye across the city as the fleet of black airships took flight. Soon disappearing into the thick snowfall, even the droning buzz that filled the air was muffled and blended into by the harsh winter winds.

The airships sped off towards their destination: Sato's estate, located high up on a plateau on the edge of the city, leaving only the technicians left on the roof of the HQ.

They stood there watching for several long minutes, until one walked over to a junction box on the top of the roof. They unlocked it, swinging the door open, and grabbed the emergency landline inside of it, holding it up to their ear. They entered a number into it and the dial tone rang until a switchboard operator elsewhere in the city picked up.

"Hello?"

"Uncle is about to lose his inheritance," the technician spoke in a clipped voice.

The line was silent for a second, until the operator finally responded. "Understood, brother. Is it urgent?"

"I'd say the cake is about to burn."

"I'll inform grandfather right away."

"Understood, brother," the technician replied. A second later the line went dead and the phone was hung back up. They closed the box and glanced at the other technicians, a look of understanding shared between them.

The revolution was at hand.

---

Chief Beifong's raid on the estate had started off without a hitch. The mansion was seized quickly, the entire staff was arrested without issue, and Hiroshi Sato himself found in his office taken off guard. It took little prompting for him to cooperate with them. The proof was too damning to deny and the betrayal from his own daughter too shocking to process. With the grounds secure, Lin left only a token force to guard the airships while the rest followed her into Sato's underground factory.

They rode the industrial lift deep into the earth, then moved room by room, arresting every worker that they came across and grabbing all documents they could. The air was thick, stained by the smell of industrial byproducts that clung to the inside of Lin's nose. It was a slow and tedious process, every section of the facility sealed tight by massive blast doors, even the side officers were shut by locked metal hatches that looked like they belong on a battleship rather than a factory complex.

It began to slow them down. They'd expected a fight, perhaps an army of Equalists ready to go down in a blaze of glory against them, but instead all they found were workers and technicians within the vast facility. Some ran, trying to escape in a chase that usually lasted seconds, while most surrounded peacefully without issue, knowing they were outmatched. It took up Lin's attention when every side passage had to be methodically cleared, every door pulled out of the way. It was no struggle to move the metal hetches, yet it took time to do, and the growing number of prisoners to watch took up manpower. It only got worse when many of the prisoners began to feel lightheaded, becoming woozy on their feet.

The deeper they pushed the less officers she had with her by her side. It was exhausting work, much to her surprise, leaving her feeling short on breath and feeling woozy.

"Sato," Beifong turned to Hiroshi, glaring at the handcuffed industrialist. "How much deeper does this workshop go?"

It took him a few moments to respond, gaze sluggish and unfocused. "It's… it's not much deeper. We're near the end of it."

She nodded. "Then after that tram lines connect it to hidden supply depots." It was a statement, not a question, revealing she knew the scope of the operations, if not their exact details.

His face fell further, shoulders sagging as he hung his head down low. "Yes."

'So close to finishing this. Just nerves, maybe pressure from being so far underground,' Lin assured herself. She took a deep breath and leaned against the wall, hand resting against a vent. The officers accompanying her asked if she was feeling alright, but she waved them off. They were all in similar states of fatigue from the operation.

Her eyes felt heavy, like it was a struggle to keep them open. She could feel air brushing against her hand as it flowed into the tunnel and leaned in to get a lungful of fresh air before reeling back and coughing.

"The ventilation!" she sputtered with wide eyes. "It's broken! We're breathing in exhaust!" She hastily thrust her palm out and spread her fingers, forcing the metal vent to close with the screech of metal grinding against metal. Other officers followed suit, forcibly closing off the sources of foul air.

"We have to… We have to get back to the surface," Beifong ordered, ability to focus failing her as she swayed on her feet. The service tunnel was still filled with exhaust, and it'd taken its toll on them, weighing on their minds like a heavy blanket. It dulled their senses as it began to drag them into unconsciousness.

An officer collapsed, soon joined by others as one by one they fell, Beifong trying to force herself to stay conscious, only to find herself on the floor, staring at the wall as her vision faded to black. Rapid footfalls echoed down the metal tunnel, uniformed men and women in breathing masks quickly entering into her field of view.

They knelt down and clasped over Sato's face, and the Equalist symbol on their uniform stared back at her. "Uncle secured!" one of them exclaimed, holsting the man up over their shoulder. "Secure the prisoners and free the others! Move it!"

She raised a hand to stop them when shouting broke out. "Beifong's conscious!" The crackle of electricity filled the air and pain erupted across Lin's body. She spasmed in place, pain arcing through her muscles, until she collapsed face down onto the warm metallic floor, unconscious.

---

Deputy Chief Saikhan stood before the Council, two of the five seats conspicuously empty with neither Tenzin nor Osuza in attendance. He raised a handkerchief to dab the sweat from his brow. Lin had yet to report back from the raid, and he was growing concerned for his superior.

'You saw the blueprints. You know how expansive that facility is. Put it out of mind,' Saikhan mentally chastised himself.

Doala nervously looked between the empty seats at the conference table, eyes glancing back and forth, before settling on Tarrlok. His fat face had aged visibly by stress lines. "We can't start the meeting until they show up. Can we?"

"We have the necessary members for a quorum," Yang calmly answered, adjusting his glasses before resting his hands together in front of him. "We mustn't dally while the fate of the nation hangs in the balance."

"I must agree with Representative Yang," Tarrlok remarked, eyes lingering on Osuza's spot for several seconds. He hadn't told Tenzin about the meeting, but Osuza… she was supposed to be there. "As unfortunate as it is that they aren't in attendance, we must proceed to deal with the growing crisis on our hands. Decisive action is necessary."

Yang smiled and nodded in agreement. "I am glad to see the Chairman understands the gravity of the situation."

"Well we better act fast," Doala said, throwing a meaty hand up in the air. "I've been getting calls from business associates nonstop for the last week! They've all lost money during the Winter Solstice! We could be headed towards an economic meltdown if these riots aren't put down." He snapped his gaze towards Saikhan. "I hope the police had a damn good plan for how to deal with this."

Tarrlok held up a hand, motioning for his fellow representative to settle down. "Deputy Chief Saikhan and I were working closely on how to solve the situation."

He took that as a cue to speak up. "Our prisons are currently overcrowded and officers overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of rioters. However we've come up with a solution to both of these problems." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a map of the city, approaching the table to lay it out between Yang and Doala. "These old logging camps on the outskirts of the city are large and remote enough to serve as temporary prisons. They're already surrounded by a barbed wire fence and gatehouse. It'd take less than a day to get them up and running."

"What type of accommodations can you set up that quickly?" Doala inquired, leaning over to view the map. "It's freezing out. We can't afford a PR disaster if more people freeze to death."

A soft gasp escaped an aide in the room. No one paid him any mind, Saikhan sparing him a fleeting glance. 'He doesn't know what it takes to govern a nation. Hard calls are necessary in trying times.'

"I trust in our officer's abilities to create temporary housing quickly. The holding facilities can be made of stone," Yang chimed in, resting a hand on his chin. He hummed in thought. "It'd be sufficient until we can sort out longer term housing arrangements in the new year."

The others murmured in agreement.

"The other option I had proposed was using the military to aid in maintaining peace," Saikhan continued. "The army itself is small, but well trained and can be bolstered by the marines. Their anti-pirate experience would be invaluable in taking down the leadership of these riots."

"Didn't we already order Admiral Bumi to return to port?" Doala said, furrowing his brow and looking to Tarrlok for an explanation.

"The admiral was unable to until recently. The fleet was in the middle of operations when we gave the order, and Admiral Bumi decided continuing the operation took priority," the Chairman calmly answered, failing to hide his irritation at the admiral's lack of prompt response.

"It bodes poorly for such a high-ranking officer to fail to comply with orders," Yang grimly remarked, raising a hand and pointedly looking between his colleagues. "It'd be best to relieve him of command in favour of a more trustworthy officer, once the fleet arrives. We shouldn't risk the admiral exercising his independent judgement during a time of crisis."

"Agreed," Tarrlok nodded, glancing down at his paperwork to write down a quick note. He was more than happy to remove Tenzin's brother from command. It was one less risk to his position as Chairman of the Council. "We can't afford an unreliable military."

'The last thing we need is the two of them plotting together to launch a coup. Tenzin's been in league with Raiko since the Advisory Forum was formed, and with Raiko dead UPP leadership will fall to him.' The fact that Tenzin wasn't a member of the party mattered little to Tarrlok. He could envision it clear as day, the two sons of the Avatar conspiring together to seize power for themselves, all in the name of "restoring harmony" to the nation to stop a crisis that they instigated.

"We'll be stretched thin until the fleet arrives," Deputy Chief Saikhan interjected, corners of his lips turning downwards. "We're hard pressed enough as it is."

Doala raised a finger, the sausage-like appendage drawing the other's attention to himself. "I… may have some associates in a security firm who could assist in maintaining order. They've undergone a recent change in management, but have informed me they wish to continue our friendly business relationship." He rested an elbow on the table, waving his hand around the table and turning his palm upwards. "We could deputize them to give them the authority to act."

A sly knowing smirk broke out across Yang's face, the elderly statesman resting his hands together. "I believe that is an excellent suggestion. We must use all available resources to put an end to the ongoing crisis." He raised a grey eyebrow at his colleague. "What was their name?"

"The Triple Threat Triad, Shin's assured me that he's managed to take control of it following Zolt's passing," Doala immediately responded without shame or hesitation, raising his hands as he spoke. "They've got the experience and manpower we need, and can be out on the street helping your officers restore order today."

Saikhan balked at the prospect, grimacing at the idea. "Formalizing an arrangement like that would only make the situation worse," he curtly replied. He couldn't deny the utility of such an agreement. The triads could exist with the Council and Police, while the Equalists and UPP clearly couldn't.

'We've lived side by side with the tirads for seventy years without issue. It's agitators like Yakone, Zolt, and Amon that cause trouble for everyone else.'

"Perhaps simply an informal agreement will be necessary," Tarrlok diplomatically interjected, inclining his head towards the Deputy Chief. "We can release their members from prison as a good will gesture and turn a blind eye to their activities. It'd free up cell space and allow your officers to refocus their efforts where necessary."

He was silent for several seconds, until he finally said, "The Chief would never approve of it."

"Are you saying you disagree with the idea, Chief Saikhan?" Tarrlok rhetorically asked and stood, smiling and extending an arm towards the officer. Saikhan looked at Tarrlok in astonishment, before his posture stiffened into a parade rest. "In light of Beifong's recent failures in containing the crisis, I nominate Saikhan to Chief of Republic City Police. All in favour?"

The Chairman raised his hand, and the other two raised their hands. It was unanimous.

The gavel was brought down, making it official. "Saikhan is now Chief and Beifong will be demoted to Deputy Chief." Tarrlok sat back down. He took a sip of water to clear his throat and motioned for an aide to refill his glass. A young man standing off to the side grabbed a full water pitcher and walked over to the Chairman.

'Another one of Tenzin's allies put under thumb.' Tarrlok couldn't dismiss her, not yet, she was too popular among the officers. Her name carried too much weight. The chaos provided enough of an excuse to demote her. 'It'll do for now.'

"Congratulations on your promotion," Yang said, nodding at the new Chief before turning his attention back to Tarrlok. "There's the situation in Makapuu to consider too. The people have formed their own illegal assembly and are refusing to comply with our orders. The local police loyal to us are outnumbered by, and Doala's associates have no reach that far." He unclasped a wrinkled hand and motioned to his colleague. "I fear the situation may deteriorate without intervention."

Tarrlok's gaze narrowed as he steepled his hands together. He briefly shot a glance at the aide who refilled his glass with shaking hands, before turning his attention back to Yang. "What are you proposing?"

Yang innocently smirked, reaching up to adjust his glasses. "I served in Her Majesty's cabinet for many years before being appointed to this position. It would not be hard to call in a few outstanding favours to receive Earth Kingdom aid in maintaining order in the region."

"And in return?" Tarrlok tersely asked.

"Nothing outrageous I assure you," Yang held up a hand while smiling at the Chairman. "Queen Hou-Ting will only require economic concessions in the region and that it fall under the joint administration of the Council and Interior Ministry. The creation of this special development zone will ensure stability and prosperity in Makapuu by allowing the Royal Guards to handle security."

"Military police would alleviate manpower shortages," Chief Saikhan chimed in. "They have experience putting down revolts like this."

Tarrlok stared hard at his colleague, watching Yang take a drink of water. It was clear the Councilor had been working on that as a pet project for some time. "As long as the Queen understands this wouldn't be a territorial concession, then it has my support," he reluctantly agreed. "All in favour?"

All hands went up again and the gavel came down on the table again. The aide standing at the Chairman's side flinched at the noise.

"It's settled then," Tarrlok put the gavel down and stood up, raising his now full glass up to his colleagues. "Gentlemen, we will right this ship and chart a course through this storm. In a month's time we're be celebrating our victory over these terrorists. They will not break our nation."

Saikhan stood at attention, hands folded behind his back and saw the aide reach a hand into his pocket. Doala and Yang both stood, raising their own glasses. They let out similar cheers of agreement, drinking water in lieu of alcohol. Tarrlok threw his head back, downing the glass in one go, when he heard the aide mutter something under his breath.

"For Amon."

The detonator clicked.

The bomb detonated.

The Council died.

---

In the winding network of utility tunnels that sprawled deep beneath Republic City, Raiko sat on an old cot inside a cool dank cell. It was a bare, industrial room, in a similar facility, with a light bulb dangling from the ceiling outside the cell providing the dim illumination. The only creature comfort was the metal sink and toilet, a minor dignity afforded to the politician.

Hands held together, Raiko stared down at the floor, hunched forward. He'd raged against his captors for hours, demanding his release to no avail, and was left to wait. Days passed, a guard visiting to deliver meals before leaving. It wasn't the first time he'd been imprisoned, though it had been many years since his last stint behind bars. It gave him time to stew on the situation.

'So close,' he thought to himself with a grimace, 'attacked the night before we made our declaration. I should have expected it to come to this.' He wondered how the Equalists had found out about UPP's plans, if there was a mole within the party or if it was simply because he was constantly under surveillance.

Eventually a metal door outside of view opened up, gears turning within it as it unlocked and hinges straining against the weight on them. Footsteps down the hall followed, and Raiko stood, adjusting his clothing to appear dignified as he waited to meet his visitor.

Amon strode into view, stopping in front of Raiko's cell and staring intently behind his mask. "Speaker Raiko," he finally said, "it's good to finally meet face to face. I've wanted to speak with you for so long now."

"Amon," Raiko replied in distaste, glaring at the masked man. "How can you call it a face to face meeting when you're still hiding behind a mask and I'm behind bars?" He turned a hand upwards and motioned to his surroundings.

"An astute point." Amon reached up to lower his hood and undid his mask's strap behind his hand, taking it off. He lowered his hands to his sides. "There." Beneath the mask was the face of a middle aged Water Tribe man, strong jaw and handsome features with dark brown hair cut short and slicked back by sweat. He looked utterly unremarkable, like another person on the street. The infamous terrorist was simply human.

Raiko wondered if they'd ever crossed paths before. It was a chilling thought.

"The two of us have done more to shape the fate of this nation more than anyone else, perhaps more than Avatar Aang himself," Amon began, gesturing between him and Raiko. "I realized many years ago that I was destined to do great things in this world and alter the course of destiny. I fear however that you have refused to see the path that lay before you, if only you had the courage to take the first step."

"I lack the courage?" Raiko rhetorically remarked with a huff. "Is that why you attacked before we could announce our own revolution? Couldn't stand the competition?"

They were so close. The alliance of parties around UPP had long since drafted a proposed constitution and in the wake of the crisis pulled it out, ready to declare their own revolutionary government and collapse the Council from within.

Amon smirked and shook his head. "I couldn't let you draw attention away from the real struggle: non-bender against bender." He raised one hand then another. "The Radicals nearly broke ranks to join your movement, something I couldn't have. You've nearly stolen the revolutionary energies of our followers and distracted them with false ideas that'd only further bender control over society. You'd end up as a puppet to the White Lotus, one way or another."

"There is no struggle between bender and non-bender!" Raiko shot back, sweeping his arm. "How can you not see that? We've all suffered under the Council! Benders on the street have no more power than non-benders! They're exploited all the same!" He jabbed a finger at Amon. "Your charity work turns away enough of them to know that's true."

"We turn away potential spies and untrustworthy peoples, which includes all benders," Amon calmly replied, smirk resting comfortably on his face. "You think class of all things is the true divider of society, and look where that's gotten you. Material possessions do nothing to change the innate spirit and blood of a person. You are either a non-bender or a bender, and refusing to see that division makes you a fool or a traitor."

"Yes, that's why benders are never born to non-benders and vice versa," Raiko sardonically replied. "Your ideas, Amon, begin and end with violence against benders and anyone else who stands in your way. Benders don't control society. It isn't a source of wealth. It has no legal or material privileges. It was the imperialists of this world that put us in chains and forced us all to labour for their benefit! You'd do nothing to change that because you refuse to see that!"

Amon chuckled as he shook his head. "I'm familiar with your writing, Raiko, and I found it hopelessly naive. We are not bound by petty economic systems but by the immaterial spirit of destiny and the blood that flows through our veins. If I took your ramblings seriously then the Equalists wouldn't be where they are today. Future Industries has supplied us well."

"Future Industries? Sato? You're working for Sato?!" Raiko exclaimed in astonishment.

"With," Amon stressed.

"That bastard's stolen millions from his workers and has half the Council in his pocket! He's everything wrong with the system! How can you say you're liberating anyone when you're on his payroll?!" Raiko yelled, hand shaking as he pointed at Amon. "How can you call me a traitor to the people when you're in bed with him?!"

"Because he's a non-bender who understands the truth of the world," Amon calmly replied, unflinching in the face of Raiko's outburst. "Using the Council's greed against them only shows the immorality of the White Lotus's puppets. They've helped lay the foundations for their own undoing. Though the White Lotus are merely the latest bending cabal to shape the world for their benefit," he said matter of factly, raising his hand and curling it into a fist. "It's only now with a non-bending Avatar that non-benders may strike back against them and end them once and for all."

Raiko verbally spat at Amon, "All you'd do is unleash violence against the world. You'd turn brother against brother and rip apart this entire nation in an attempt to destroy a power structure that doesn't even exist."

"That's where your limited understanding of the world fails you. I have the ability to solve our bending problem once and for all without mass death. I'll take away their bending to purify them," Amon spoke reverently, looking down at his enclosed hand as his deep baritone voice took on a much darker edge. "Those that fight will be destroyed but those that submit may be cleansed by my hand. As the new Avatar this will be my life's work, and when I'm reborn my successor will carry on this sacred duty, until finally the world is rid of all benders. The White Lotus have declared war against us, but they will not have the victory they seek, only their annihilation."

The scope of the man's deranged ambition began to truly dawn upon Raiko. He'd suspected the Equalist's end goal was genocidal in scale, many had, but to hear it from Amon's mouth… It shook him to his core. Visions of a country burned to ash and cinders, soaked in the blood of millions flashed across his mind. The world engulfed in a war waged across generations for death's sake alone, always one more murder away from purity and perfection.

Amon snapped back to the present, lifting his gaze and resting his hands behind his back. "I'd hoped that perhaps I could make you see reason, but now I see your mind is polluted by bender lies. You're a naive fool, a useless lap dog of the Council that's distracted the non-benders of the United Republic for far too long."

He lifted the mask up to his face and affixed it in place. It's cold, porcelain features stared through Raiko. "They do not want words. They want the sounds of battle, and I am intent on delivering them."

Amon turned to leave, giving Raiko a lingering sidelong glance. "Today marks the birth of the Equalist State. Remember it well." He left, striding out of view, leaving Raiko alone in his cell once more.

The Speaker stood there horrified, before the weight of the conversation finally came crashing down on him and he collapsed onto the cot. He'd failed. His life's work was undone, all for nothing. There was nothing he could do. His eyes unfocused as he stared up at the concrete ceiling above him, wallowing in despair, until a long sigh escaped his lips.

'Perhaps it wasn't all for nothing. The networks the party built still exist. The people aren't rudderless without me. Hope lies with them. They're the only ones who can stop Amon.'

Republic City would burn, he was sure of it. The question was if it'd survive the process and what would emerge from it if it did.

===

The Shirshus of Republic City will continue in Booker 3: Spring.

===