Author's Note: Oops. Sorry everyone. This IS a new chapter, I just misnamed the last one...
Chapter 10: Decay from Within
Xiāngfăng addressed his fighting team solemnly, "My friends, our numbers are fewer each day, and no one is stepping forward from the city to add to our numbers. We are not rallying the people to our cause. But we will not stop until our objective is met. We are too few to split up and take each one individually. We must destroy them at their seats in the Council chambers. There will be no more delegation of my authority. I will lead this last battle."
"Boss, are you nuts? The White Lotus and Metal Bending Police are all over that building."
"I know a way in. Right past their noses."
….
In the depths of the night, in a claustrophobically small air vent imbedded in the ceiling of the city's vast array of underground tunnels, three brown-black hooded figures carried bundles in front of them, and left them at a juncture of several other vents. They left them, and moved silently in multiple directions, undetected by the White Lotus and the Metal Bending Police who patrolled the city's main tunnels diligently ever since the Equalist insurgence was discovered ruling the underbelly of the vast metroplex.
….
It was another busy morning in the capital of the United Republic of Nations. The plaza was filled with people milling about. Some were tourists, others with commerce in mind, and some with other purposes. Xiāngfăng was one of those. Looking around the vast plaza surrounding the Council Chambers, he nodded. Randomly, from all corners of plaza, his followers slowly got in the security line to enter the building. Each one wore different clothing and appeared to be no different than the ordinary citizens.
They stood in a security line at the entrance to City Hall, as the Metal Bending Police checked every visitor. The Police sensed metal on people, stopped and removed coins, watches, and various other items. Korra disdained the procedure, but conceded that weapons had to stay out of the Council Chambers and this invasion of privacy was the only way.
Each of Xiāngfăng's team made it through the check point, and silently sighed relief that they made it through. They went to one of the information desks, still as individuals or pairs. Xiāngfăng asked a pert young woman, "I have an appointment to see Councilman Ping Deng."
With a cute smile she said, "His office is on the second floor all the way to end of the hall."
"Thank you. You are most helpful."
"Shall I call ahead?" asked the young woman.
"That won't be necessary; he is expecting me," noted Xiāngfăng.
"Ok then. Have a nice day," said the receptionist cheerfully, eager to help the next person.
The others took note of Xiāngfăng headed toward the office. Slowly they all converged into a single group of a dozen and walked down the hall. Xiāngfăng thought about how desperate they had become as their numbers were decimated by still unknown attackers. An attack here would be too considered too bold, too unanticipated, because all their other attacks had been against single targets. There was also the general and incorrect belief that the Council Chambers were safe from attack. He thought of victory.
He opened the door to Councilman Ping Deng's office, and announced to the receptionist, "We are here to see the Councilman."
The receptionist was startled, "I…I am sorry but he's not taking appointments this morning. He's getting ready for the Council meeting. Can you come bac-!"
But Xiāngfăng shoved the receptionist aside, said offhandedly, "He will see me now," and opened the door to his private office.
In the moment of face to face confrontation, Ping Deng and Xiāngfăng eyed each other. But he wasn't alone in his study. A naked governmental intern was straddled across his lap at his desk, and both were fully engaged in the afterglow of relations in his desk chair. She shrieked, got up, cowered in the corner of the office, and wrapped herself in the drapes.
"You!" Ping Deng said as he stood, not caring how he looked to the intruders.
The Councilman lunged to push the intruder alarm, but anticipating such a device, one of the Equalists grabbed him and held him. They held an arm twisted painfully behind him, and muffled his mouth.
Xiāngfăng walked up to the Councilman to within an inch of his face and scoffed, "We've come to visit you, Ping Deng. I didn't know you would entertain us first. As your constituents, I was hoping you'd show us a little better welcome than calling the guard on us."
Indicating he would not yell or struggle, the Equalist holding him released the grip on his mouth and he spat, "How dare you come to our Chambers to extract your revenge. No one will support you in this. History will only call you assassins."
"History may call us whatever it wants. We come for a final solution to the bending problem, Ping Deng. And you will help us, if you value your worthless life."
"My life is forfeit to save my colleagues. I will give you no help," Pin Deng spat.
Xiāngfăng snarled, "I think you will, if you value that young woman in the corner more than just a play toy. I think you do."
"No!" He realized what was happening.
"All we want is to be in the gallery when the Council meets. We will do the rest. If you do this, your precious girl friend will be spared. I will leave someone up here with her to make sure you follow directions."
"What about me?"
"Well if you duck, you might survive, Councilman."
"As you wish, Xiāngfăng. Let no harm come to her. But I have one question."
"Ask it," glared the terrorist.
"Why?"
"Because they killed our leaders and our dreams. Non benders will be suppressed forever unless we eliminate the Republic's leaders."
Ping Deng ridiculed Xiāngfăng's contention, "Amon was a hypocrite and a fake. All he really wanted was his father Yakone's revenge on the Avatar. It was ironic, too. Avatar Korra herself is doing more for the equality of non-benders than Amon ever did for us, with real results. We have a voice now. And I am that voice. I beg you to stand down. You'll set us back decades. No one will trust non-benders after today."
"Too late man of peace. You've missed the whole point. We don't need bender overlords. We need to lead ourselves out from under that yoke. We need something dramatic to change it all. Right now. Today is that day."
"You have completely corrupted the ideas of the Equalists," charged Ping Deng.
"Who's the corrupt one, Ping Deng?" Xiāngfăng motioned over at the quaking girl still wrapped in nothing but the drapes.
Ping Deng could only sigh in shame at his own transgressions that power brought.
Xiāngfăng went over to her, pulled the drape revealing her form, still wet with perspiration from lovemaking, and smiled evilly. Xiāngfăng dropped his trousers, and pinned her to the wall, and forced himself on her with a knife at her throat, lest she fight back or scream. She looked in fear to the Councilman as she was violently assaulted. Rage welled up in Ping Deng, but he was helpless to retaliate, with a sai held at his throat by a terrorist. He strained forward, and a trickle of blood flowed from his neck. She shook her head at him to do nothing.
For Xiāngfăng this was the best of all revenge against the coward Ping Deng. All the times Ping Deng had convinced Amon to hold back from real violence were paid back now. Xiāngfăng was violating Ping Deng's woman gleefully, knowing that if either made the wrong move, he'd kill at least one of them, and he was getting great gratification from her lithe body. No wonder Ping Deng wanted this girl. The only thing better would be if she would bear his child, and his retribution on Ping Deng would last forever. None of the three knew it was already too late for that to happen.
It seemed an interminable time before he finished, and she collapsed, sobbing quietly.
He dressed and demanded, "Pull up your 'big boy' pants Councilman, and let's get on with this. You. Girl. Get dressed. Say nothing and do not resist my guard or your precious Councilman dies."
She shook her head vigorously yes, dressed and sat on the couch with a guard inches from her. Her painfully tearful eyes met Ping Deng's, but each gave a look to the other with the promise of seeing each other again.
Xiāngfăng motioned to one of his smallest colleagues, who with some others, removed the face plate of the air duct, wrapped a rope around his mid-section, and shimmied down into the dark duct. It seemed he descended forever. A tug on the rope came from below, and two burly Equalists pulled their colleague up the shaft.
A meek knock on the door came from the receptionist, "Councilman, are you all right in there?"
Xiāngfăng shot a look that could kill at Ping Deng, and the Councilman responded back to her, "We're fine - just making plans for the Council meeting with my constituents."
The small Equalist emerged from the ventilation duct with a smile and a mammoth bag of lethal weapons.
Ping Deng's spirits sank, seeing the huge sack of weapons. They had thwarted the human metal detectors at the gate by hiding the bag deep below the Council Chambers. They had known the whole layout of the city underground for years.
"All is lost now," Ping Deng thought despondently.