水

It was amazing, how the city had recovered so quickly from those terrible events. The towering buildings of the Central Borough loomed over all others, foreboding and domineering while at the same time representative of a bright economic future, the very image of what had made Republic City into what it is today.

The people themselves, facing so much opposition both within and without, had banded together, re-welding the battered iron walls of Police Headquarters, fixing the roads and streets that had been pulverised by countless tank treads and claws, providing warmth and comfort for the many displaced of the less well-off districts, where some of the resistance against the equalists had been the most fierce and brutal.

During this time, benders helped non-bender in an unprecedented display of cooperation and humanity, something seldom seen ever since Avatar Aang ended the Hundred Year War, managing to unite the entire world in a era of peace and prosperity, so that those who followed would never know the horrors of war.

And yet, even when the people of Republic City had banded together, there were still those who continued to prey on the helpless. The Agni Kais grew in their influence, taking over many of the neighborhoods and districts the equalists had called home in quick succession, corralling any remaining supporters and ruling over the slums with a iron fist.

The Red Monsoons, always the most enigmatic of the four triads, seemed to shrink in influence in stark contrast, moving their operations to the sewers and undergrowth of the city, taking refuge in the dark tunnels and complexes within. The murder statistic went down with them, yet the accident rate skyrocketed, a strange coincidence that the city's Police Force didn't fail to notice.

Mentions of a brewing turf war have cropped up with alarming regularity, forcing the council to mandate a law barring benders from using their abilities without a permit somewhere on their person, taking this action to ease pressure on the already weakened Police Force.

Republic City's finest had been severely crippled in recent months, with over half of their zeppelins and patrolships reported to have been shot down or stolen by either the triads or equalists. To counter this, commander Saikhan entered into talks with Future Industries, and their newly appointed CEO, Asami Sato, to step up production and research into refined airship designs, so that if Republic City faced a threat like the Equalists ever again, the police could respond in full force. The airship fleet wasn't the only department that was crippled during the conflict, Amon's debending abilities had been used on many captured officers, primarily metalbenders, shrinking the available manpower of the elite metalbending squad to half its normal strength. Lin Beifong has begun a training program, looking for suitable earthbenders to fill the ranks.

But Amon's actions had also thrown the current structure of the force into question, earthbenders and waterbenders made up the bulk of the rank and file, while firebenders were relegated to either support roles or engineering duties, and non-bending officers were assigned primarily to road patrol and the airship departments. To combat this, commander Makei devised a new department for firebenders, charged with undercover operations aimed against the triads and investigating cases of homicide and arson, originally it was exclusively for firebenders, but councilman Tenzin suggested that all benders and non-benders should be included in this new deparment.

Of course, not everyone has been able to bounce back so quickly from the shadow of Amon. Asami Sato is now head of Future Industries, and is struggling to keep her company alive against accusations of pro-equalist ties. General Iroh from the United Forces has been reassigned as a liaison to the heiress, and is overseeing the company's research and development of the controversial machines used by Amon's fanatics, as an unspoken punishment for falling into the enemy's trap and losing his honor.

Councilman Tenzin's student, Tai, has kept a ear to the ground for word on his brother's whereabouts, and the spectre of the hooded men still looms on him as he continues his airbending training, trying to focus on these things and not on the avatar's and officer Mako's blooming relationship.

The avatar herself has regained to ability to earthbend and waterbend, and Is now working on her firebending, the message of the spirit drives her to become stronger and faster, knowing that one day it will come for her.

Lin Beifong as been reinstated in the metalbending squad, her primary duties now focused on training new recruits in her mothers metalbending academy, getting their skills to the level needed to take a place among the cities finest.

With his brother's departure from the Fire Ferrets, Bolin has been forced to assume responsibility for the team, but has been unsuccessful in finding a new firebending teammate.

In the space of a few months, Republic City is nearly back to its former glory, and with the reformation of the police force now complete, the reassignment of commander Bumi to the council, the return of Lady Kya as a representative for the Southern Water Tribe, and the avatar herself preparing for a ceremony that would return what was stolen to the men and woman menaced by Amon, the city can now return to normal, hopefully leaving the sea of despair and carnage behind, and keep moving towards a bright future.

Some things are easier said, than done.

土

A/N

Okay. Basically for the past half a month or so, I've been updating and editing and adding some crazy things into both Shattered Earth and Rising Tide. Nothing has been cut or changed drastically apart from the addition of some very peculiar entities I'm sure will definitely be welcomed while everyone is at the South Pole. Korra actually goes to the Southern Air Temple with Tenzin's family.

I've essentially been brained out by rediting and resorting the entire story, so this is probably the only time I'll ever do edits on this scale to any of my stories. They are safe.

Now, here is the new and improved Shattered Earth, and Raging Flame will be coming soon!

And for those just joining us, here are the links to the first in the series.

s/8097189/1/Book-1-Rising-Tide

Oh, and here's a link to Breaking Ice, a short story which bridges Rising Tide and Shattered Earth.

s/8433653/1/Breaking-Ice