The trial was about to begin. Toph was on the east side of the court. She wasn't there to testify against the man. He had done terrible things but never had she been the victims. She had always arrived too late on the scene. And his victims where always to shaken up to talk afterward.

It had been hard for the Chief of police to capture the most elusive man of Republic city. The defense had no solid argument and Toph knew it. He would again walk free from this trial. One of many the man had endured. In fact, he had always been release because the police, the courtman had no other choice because they could not put their finger on solid proof.

She was edgy that day especially because Sokka was going to give the Verdict this time. They all had aged. But to see the Sokka so serious, or rather sense him so stress, so stiff, it surprised the Earthbender. He never seemed tense. He was always so sure about himself lately. The war had changed him. Like everyone else in fact. Toph had passed from Blind Bandit to Chief of Police, and mother. A big change.

But kicking buts of triad members was a great job as far as she was concerned. It gave her opportunities to see actions, to be useful and to brag from time to time about how good she really was as ''the greatest earthbender ''. And it gave her excuses to meet Sokka more often.

Then people started to argue about the testimonies. Blah-blah-blah. Toph thought. Again, Yakone would walk out of the trial a free man. She wondered for a second if the lawyer was as stupid as he sounded.

Anyway, she refocused her attention to the trial. Enough with Meat-head already. It had begun.

''… will now deliver the verdict. ''

''In my years I have encounter people born with rare and unique abilities, why I once bested a man with my trusty boomerang who was able to firebend with his mind''.

He paused.

''Why, even metalbending was considered impossible for all our history until our esteemed chief of police, Toph Bei Fong, single-handedly developed the skill''.

''…''

She wasn't listened to the trial. She was focused on Yakone. Any movement on his part, she would react. Republic City didn't need him one the street and he was tired of chasing his ghost. Not that she told anyone or let it show. She was hard as rock and remained strong. But even she couldn't lie to herself about this one. Yakone had pull a lot of juice out of the police force.

''…guilty of all charge and sentenced him to a life in prison'' said Sokka.

Then something change. She couldn't see everything but she sensed something was wrong. People started to growl. First there was Sokka. He seemed in pain. His heartbeat was elevated. She sensed Yakone was now standing and laughing, a deep evil laugh.

She bent her metal cables to grab whole of Yakone but it was already too late. Her feet left the comforting floor and suddenly, the world became black. There was nothing to feel. She was in the air like a puppet and Yakone was the puppet master. She couldn't do a thing against it. All she could do was to focus on her breathing. She tried to fight it but it was so strong. ''Nobody uses Toph Bei Fong'' she thought.

She could hear Aang mumbling something about justice but all she could make was dull sounds. The metal suit she was wearing became so heavy with no one to metalbend it, it did not follow her involuntary movements as well as it would have if she had metal bend the suit. So her arm twisted it this awkward position, she reached for the key cuffs her second in command was holding. He was bloodbent, she could hear its shallow breathing.

Her feet were hanging a few inches from the grounds, lifeless. She probably looked like a cadaver with her body in the air and her dead eyes. The last time she had felt that much lost and hopeless and scared, was that time when she, Sokka and Suki had fought the fire nation airships. There too she had hanged in the void below her and waited for the end. The feeling was the same. She didn't know if Yakone was going to kill them all.

Yakone brought her so close she could feel him. And yet she was unable to release herself form his grip. He made her put the key in the hole and the next second, she heard a loud thud. The cuff were logically on the floor by now. Then she heard another loud thud. It was her. She hit the floor hard, her senses mixed up, she couldn't see clearly. She did felt the whole rooms falling under her. Everybody in the rooms seemed under his spell. That the last thing the chief grasped before losing consciousness, was her metal suit pinning her to the ground below her, too heavy for her hurt body to move whatsoever with or without bending.

What surprised her most when she awakened was the weight of her entire body. Wow it was heavy, and numb, and painful. She could barely make sense of what was happening around her. She tried to move her feet so she could touch the floor, but no motion seemed possible at this point. All she could do was to wait for someone aka Sokka to help her out.

It was every bit like that Sozin comet day. She was helpless and Sokka protected her. And she both hated it, to be weak. But at the same time something inside her liked it. Toph being Toph, she refused to feel those feeling, to acknowledge them even.

So seconds passed by has the people in the room became to move again, sound of life at last. Groaning for the most part, but at least nobody had been killed by Yakone.

She finally was able to move. She moved her dead weight has slow has possible. Her body was still shaken up by the even. Her seismic sense was also coming back. The forms around her started to take shape. She could see almost half the room clearly. But she could feel Aang. Where was he? She raised up it a split second and regretted it. The pain when all through her spine, but she didn't faint. And her metalbending techniques not all back, the suit decided to stay immobile. She metalbended it so it followed her movements. Then she realise how in pain she really was. Standing there trying to see again, she felt all her body. Her shoulder would be sore for a couple af days at least. She could feel of much Yakone had forced it to move in a bizarre angle. That explained the hard time she had now to bend anything. Her body was all tense, anticipating another attack that would never come. Her head was about to exploded. The bloodbender had deprived it from blood not long enough to do damage but long enough for a bad headache. One of those you normally have when hung up. Still she felt sicker by the minute.

Finally her seismic sense reached the ended of the room, where Sokka was supposed to be, but he was nowhere to be sense.

Where was he, and Anng. Her body started to be cooperative enough for her to move around without the risk of collapsing. So she moved around ever so slowly, to not bump in people or walls of stuff in general. She head in the direction of what she perceived to be her second in command and asked what the state of thing was.

Used to his Chief demands, he described to her the events with has much details has he could remember.

It was very close to what Toph had pull together. Bloodbending the entire room, he was even greater than she had guessed. The police officer then described how Aang had chased him and how Sokka not far behind had follow him. He could tell anything else since nor Sokka nor Aang had come back.

He had just finised his retelling that the two men arrived. They were still a bit blur to Toph but she could recognised them anyway.

''You have finished your errands, maybe now you tell the blind girl what his happening with her prisoner?'' she asked.

''Toph, you're ok, I was worried the way he bended you…''

''Pfft'' was the only sound that came through her lips. ''Again, what happened?'' She teased them like they were fifteen again.

''Yakone is not a problem anymore'' said Ang. ''I took his bending away, for good''.

She was truly relief, yet she let no emotion pass her impenetrable tower of steel. Her face did not betray her and she look like she always looked, not bothered by anyway thing, strong.

Aang retold her what had happened outside, in the street with the occasional bit from Sokka. Apparently, Aang had almost died and Sokka couldn't have done a thing about it. Anyway, it didn't take place this way, so all was well.

With that, Aang went back to Air temple Island probably exhausted , while Sokka made a statement for the press and Toph dealt with the now non-bender Yakone.

Her officers brought the prisoner back to his small cell, waiting for the transfer to the real prison, where he would rejoin all the gang members, allies and foes. With a little luck, Toph thought, they will deal with him the way she would have if she could have.

She went home to change. Her cloths were probably dirty and her armor was heavy on her shoulders. She removed it, not easily and suddenly felt lighter. She put on a hoodie and a black pant. Something confy, yet probably ugly. She didn't care. Her day had been a long one and she didn't feel like dressing like a high rank society lady. She never had, but today was especially true.

She tried to relax her shoulder and upper torso but nothing seem to help. Well, like all injuries, it would pass. She was tough.

She sighed. That day had been a long day. Lin was waiting for her at Katara's, probably doing some mischiefs with her kids. Her girl was unpredictable.