Author's Note: This is a collab request that I am writing with maimid17. She and I will be working on this project together. It is an AU ATLA story with some interesting twists. Enjoy!
Chapter One:
"Do you understand the objectives in which you have to achieve in order to make this mission successful?"
"I do, X." she said. She had no choice but to understand. This was her true chance to make things right and to make them pay for what they had done.
With eyes determined she said, "I'm not going to fail you and that's a promise."
She was going to succeed in her promise if that's the last thing she did. She owed X that much anyway.
"Painted Lady, you must understand that any emotions you have bearing against must not interfere with your objective. I personally chose you for this opportunity because I know that your the only one who could achieve it."
"I understand" she said
Her master looked at her with concerned eyes but then shook his head, "Okay, get going. You need to ready yourself. You don't have long before your mission starts"
"Roger, X"
The time had finally arrived for her to repay X and prove herself worthy after all this time. The time had finally arrived for her revenge.
~/~
The music was pumping and the room was filled with women and men who wanted to release their inhibitions. One woman in particular was just not quite ready to let hers go. In a room full of drunken people, she was not going to let down her guard so easily.
Katara was a vixen. With her full long brown curls, curvy body, and stunning blue eyes she could've had any man she wanted. Yet, she had her eyes on one man in particular.
She sat at the bar, scoping out her victim. Her big doe-like eyes looking around with sharp precision while she sipped her drink: A tequila on the rocks.
People always said your drink of choice said something about your character. If Katara's drinks said something about her, it meant she was up for a wild and adventurous night.
As a matter-of-fact, she thought she needed another one if she was going to be waiting for her prey all night.
She ordered her second drink and proceeded to stalk through the crowd. The temperature on the dance floor was a few degrees hotter. Katara could feel her skin tight red dress cling to her even tighter as she began to sweat a bit.
Yet, the heat was worth it. If she couldn't find him, her prey was going to come to her. She made herself desirable, irresistable even, just for this purpose. What man could resist her?
She sipped her drink and swayed her hips to the beat of the music. Men immediately surrounded her, begging her to grind and dance against them but none of them was the target.
Katara was a patient woman. She had come this far and reached this point so why would she rush things now?
She twirled her hips to the beat, nearly forgetting that she even had a drink in her hand. That was to say until it was spilled all over her chest. A huge tequila stain over her breasts wasn't appealing to any man, let alone the target and the man she had in mind.
"Oh I'm so sorry." A deep, sultry voice said. She looked up and smirked immediately. "Listen, I'll buy you another drink. I wasn't watching where I was going."
The target had fallen right into her clutches.
~/~
20 years ago a small girl cried into her father's arms. They lowered her mother in the ground and her whole world came crashing down.
Her brother clung to her side with his eyes swollen and red as well.
"Why'd she have to die, Daddy?" Her brother murmured.
Her father wiped the tears from his eyes, trying to be strong for his two children. "I don't know Son. Sometimes bad things happen to good people and there's no real explanation."
Katara ran up to the gaping hole, screaming as the first patch of dirt covered the shiny, black casket.
Her mother had breathed her last breathe and the small 7 year old could hardly bring her own lungs to work. Her best friend and her everything had been taken from her.
Years later, she vowed that whoever did this would have everything taken from them for taking her mother away from her. At any means necessary.
~/~
"What's a girl like you doing out here all alone?" The man asked as they waited for their drinks to be made at the bar.
She made sure that he had few view of her assets while she tried to wipe off the tequila stain from her dress. She could tell he was taking the bait, surveying her curves, and enjoying every glance at her body. He was doing just what he was supposed to do and she was happy to be on display.
"A girl like me?" She batted her eyes at the handsome male. He was an attractive man. Square jaw, deep gold eyes, dark black hair, tall and he appeared to be pretty muscular under his button up shirt. He had nice shiny, straight teeth, which probably made his smile irresistible to most women. He was very attractive and to anyone else he'd be the perfect catch.
That was just too bad that he had to look so gorgeous, Katara thought. It almost made her regret what she was going to do to him later.
He was now using his smile to charm her. "Well you're just such a gorgeous woman. You don't see women like you everyday and rarely are these women single."
"Well lucky for you I am single." Single but never quite alone. Katara always carried the memory of her mother with her. Now the sight of her mother burned in her mind even brighter.
"Very lucky for me." The drinks appeared in front of them. "I'm Zuko. And you are?"
"I'm Katara. You can call me Kat."
Though she hated the stupid pet name, it made her seem more approachable.
"Kat, how about I give you my number? You call me tomorrow and I take you out?"
He slide his number to her on a napkin. Perfect, she thought. With a phone number she could get so much info. He was playing directly into her hand.
"What are you trying to do Mr. Zuko? Are you trying to steal away a girl like me. You know I'm not from around here."
"Really? Where are you from?" He drinks a gulp of his whiskey. "And no, I'm just trying to show you a good time."
"Where am I from?" She had a flashback. Her father standing in the hallway on the phone, covering her mouth to not let out his wailing tears. Her brother, who locked himself in his room, after hearing the news. And the last time she saw her mother walk out the door, with her comforting smile. Where did she come from? Pain was the answer. "I'm from Canada."
He would find out soon where she was really from. Rage, frustration, and revenge: just to name a few places.
"My family spent a lot of vacations there. Niagara Falls is beautiful."
Of course he got to go on fancy vacations. He lived a life of luxury. Typical.
She smirked and said, "It is. If you love beautiful sites Quebec Island is gorgeous."
"I'll take your word for it. Canada must have more beautiful things to offer, other than you of course." He was basically drinking her in with his eyes. The lust had set in fast.
"Aw how sweet!" Katara blushed. "You're doing an awful lot of charming. Trying to take me home?"
In that next moment he got very serious. "Of course not. Not that type of guy, but I do like to give credit where credit is due and do the honorable thing."
Honorable. Katara had to contain her scoff at that word. There was no honor amongst thieves, and certainly not amongst murderers and criminals.
"I'm glad. Most guys would've tried to pull my dress off by now. It's nice to meet good girls, especially being in this new city."
"Well don't worry. I'm one of the good guys." Zuko got up from the bar. "I hope I see you soon. You call me."
Oh, he would definitely be hearing from her very soon.
Katara just smiled at him and waved goodbye as he disappeared into the cried. He smiled dropped fast, once he was out of sight.
Flirting was absolutely obnoxious and it made her cheeks hurt. It was a necessary evil with her job she supposed.
~/~
She got home and stripped herself of the tight red dress. She hated wearing skimpy clothes and was delighted to be able to change into sweatpants and a tee shirt.
Once her dress hit the floor she was left in her bra and underwear. She looked at herself in the mirror and immediately saw the scars.
The scars lay against her tan skin on her abdomen and back. She described the scars as her teacher, it taught her to run faster and to carry a spare dagger. They were like hundreds of little slashes, which she called badges of honor towards her journey. It was all going to pay off soon.
She slipped into a white tank top and her grey sweatpants then put her hair up in a pony tail. She hated how much it got in her face. The cakes on makeup covering her face would have to wait until after she made the call.
Once comfortable, she knew she had to call her boss. She dialed the classified number and put the phone to her face.
"Hello?" The familiar voice was on the other line.
Her voice was confident over the phone. "X, I found him. It's finally time."
X was instrumental in making Katara who she was now. Without X Katara wouldn't know half the things she knew and would've never learned how to protect herself. She wouldn't have a job. She wouldn't be so strong. And she damn sure wouldn't have been the same person if she hadn't meant X. X saved her.
X seemed pleased. "Excellent Painted Lady. The target has been acquired. As you proceed, please be careful. Be mindful that you are working for us."
She owed X everything she was. "Of course X. I will follow your orders as always."
"When are we proceeding with the next step of the plan?"
She was very direct when giving them new information. "Possibly in a few days. I have acquired a number. I will be doing some cross searches before I meet with the target again."
"Great work Painted Lady. I expect a report back to me in a week."
"Yes X. Oh, one more thing?"
"Yes?"
"Do you know anything about Canada?"
"I'll send a file over. But I assure you, they'll be no vacations soon."
She could see how it looked. Katara hadn't had a vacation in such a long time. "No of course not. It's strictly for research purposes."
X was satisfied, it seemed. "Hm. Alright. Do what you must to maintain control over the target. Until next time Painted Lady."
Next time she would check in with her boss, she'd have an amazing update and one step closer to getting towards her goal.
Author's Note: What do you all think?