A/N: Yes! Summer break! Enjoy the chapter :)
Part III
Chapter One: Game of Falsehood
Republic City
The Sacred Memorial Cemetery was a private grassy lawn of headstones, some tall and some short. One of these belonged to the late Toph Bei Fong who had refused a large monument before her death. Lin, her daughter, still remembered her mother saying that it was pointless to have something you couldn't gloat over when you were alive. Toph had believed that people were recognized for their valor and perseverance, not the size of their tombstones.
Ironically, that was exactly what the funeral service for the fallen Metalbending Task Force was like: big and fancy. Chief Lin Bei Fong stood in the front row of police officers, saluting the fifteen mahogany caskets as they were carried from the funeral home out onto the dewy grass lawn. Two long lines of grieving family members, coworkers, and friends flanked the procession of the caskets. They were all carried to where the individual graves were, waiting to receive the remains of the deceased. In front of each grave, a portrait of a fallen Metalbender was erected on a wooden stand, the frames lined with white chrysanthemums. At the foot of each portrait lay an incense burner, which trailed thin spirals of pale bluish smoke into the morning air.
Eulogies were delivered in a blur of police personnel, sobbing spouses and relatives, and even a few Council Members who had come to lend their support. When it was Lin's turn to speak, she wasn't quite aware that she was standing at a podium overlooking hundreds of people who had lost their loved ones. As a seasoned Chief of Police, this was also not the first time she had attended a funeral for one of her comrades, whether they had been killed in their line of duty, or, on one occasion, committed suicide. But being the sole survivor of a calamity that had resulted in fifteen dead officers changed things. Lin couldn't remember what she said later when she stumbled off the podium after her speech. She felt disoriented just by saying the names: Choi, Tran, Tanaka, Yang, Shin…
"May they all rest in peace…" the congregation murmured in unison, and Lin mumbled along as best as she could, her insides reeling.
Gao, Han, Okada, Pham, Nayak…
"…and may the Spirits warmly receive them…"
Sakamoto, Lee, Yoon, Wang…
And then there was one more… Lin tried to remember as the congregation moved around her, brushing past her, some of them patting her on the back. She didn't notice any of it. What was that name?
"Lin?" Tenzin appeared at her side dressed in the same white robes he had worn to Katara's funeral. "We should get moving. You're blocking the path."
"I forgot," Lin whispered as he led her away into the stream of people. She vaguely recognized the path they were taking back to the funeral home. Lin walked along blindly, Tenzin her only guide. "The last one – I can't remember…"
"His name was Jianjun Fu, a brave junior officer who joined the taskforce at your recommendation. He aced all his qualification exams but always seemed a bit nervous, probably because he lacked experience. But you always believed in him." Tenzin paused. "That night, he was the first to die."
Lin shuddered, her knees almost giving out. Tenzin kept her upright. They had finally reached the funeral home entrance. He helped her down onto a bench outside in the garden.
Lin gulped, holding back tears. "How did you know?"
Tenzin smiled, taking her hand in his. "Because you said so during your eulogy." He gave her hand a little squeeze. "And you mentioned all their names, Lin. Every single one of them."
The South Pole
News spread quickly of the Pyro who had single-handedly decimated Republic City's entire Metalbending Task Force. Tenzin was the first to alert them about the tragedy. Unfortunately, there was little progress concerning the search for Korra and Naga. Several weeks had passed since their disappearance and nobody was getting any closer to locating her. More pressing yet was keeping her disappearance a complete secret, especially from Korra's parents.
The day after news broke about the Pyro's arrest, Gappak hurried down to the main gates after being alerted by a harried sentry of a disturbance. As he drew nearer, he heard the high-pitched shrieks of a furious woman trying to force her way past the guards.
"I have to see my daughter!" Senna was shrieking at the top of her lungs. "You can't keep her from us! Not after what happened to Master Katara –"
"Senna!" Gappak called down once from the top of the guard towers.
"Gappak," Senna said coldly, craning her head up to get a better look at him. "Kindly open this damn door before I strangle your guards."
"Elder Gappak," Tonraq called up, cupping his hands around his mouth. "We just want to talk to Korra, that's all."
Gappak sighed. He knew he shouldn't have avoided Korra's parents for so long, especially after they had repeatedly requested to speak to Korra at Katara's funeral. The Avatar's absence at her own Waterbending Master's funeral had not gone unnoticed but no one was more suspicious about it than Senna. He could almost see the fire roaring up inside her.
"Open the gates," Gappak said to one of the sentries beside him.
"But, sir," the guard protested, looking utterly confused. "The lockdown –"
"Just do it."
Senna and Tonraq were escorted to the residential lodge where they were served hot jasmine tea and a plate of sea prune biscuits. Senna crossed her arms and refused to a touch anything. Tonraq looked just as adamant as his wife but helped himself to the tea.
"I hope your journey was fine," Gappak said as he took his seat opposite Korra's parents.
"The journey was –" Tonraq began.
"Where's Korra?" Senna demanded at once.
There was a momentary silence as Tonraq tried to hide his embarrassment and Gappak contemplated how best to proceed. With the pleasantries quite abruptly out of the way, he needed a way to stall time, divert attention, and possibly leave for a convenient emergency before things escalated with Senna.
"Korra is currently in a safe location and is being protected by a full security escort," Gappak said. "After the tragedy that occurred with Master Katara, we felt it necessary to keep the compound in lockdown which is why we are barring outsiders from entering."
"Didn't you say that Naga was somehow to blame?" asked Tonraq. "I can't believe she would ever do such a thing."
"I understand your skepticism," said Gappak. "But the evidence was quite clear. However…" He leaned in conspiratorially and was glad to see that Senna seemed somewhat willing to listen. "I've been told by the investigators that there were traces of a hallucinogen found in Naga's blood stream."
"Wait a minute," Senna said, uncrossing her arms. "You're saying that Naga was… drugged?"
Gappak nodded gravely. "So far, we've only been able to determine that Naga's food and water haven't been tampered with. But, there's always a chance that the drug was administered through a syringe or even an aerosol spray… The point is that this was the work of an unidentified person who has access to the compound. It's possible that they could still be here."
"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Tonraq demanded angrily. "Korra needs to leave this place at once!"
"Do you honestly think that she will be better protected at home than she is here?" Gappak asked quietly.
Senna made as if to speak but merely crossed her arms again and looked down at her lap, her brows furrowed. Tonraq sighed, deflating as his anger dissipated.
"I understand your concern, I truly do," Gappak continued gently. "But you must understand that keeping her under the best protection is the best we can do for Korra right now. We don't know who the perpetrator is but Korra's current security detail has been screened and checked quite thoroughly so there's no worries there. It might have been an intruder from the outside but as we are currently in lockdown, there is little chance of anyone getting back in again."
"What if they're still inside?" asked Senna, her voice trembling slightly. "What if it's someone you trust?"
"Then I will not hesitate to stop them if they are caught," Gappak replied at once. "Korra's protection is the greatest priority. When the danger is past, you will be the first to know, and you'll be granted full visitation rights."
"You mean the ones you've been denying us for the past year?" asked Tonraq bitterly. "You won't even let us talk to her."
"In light of what has happened," Gappak said softly, "I cannot say it was an unwise decision, Tonraq. Your daughter is a brave girl but her resolve would weaken if she saw you knowing you could not stay. Please be patient, for her sake at least."
Shortly afterwards, Senna and Tonraq were escorted out of the compound. Gappak watched them leave with small relief. He knew there was little time left to find Korra before her disappearance became public knowledge.
That night, Elder Gappak called the other Elders for a private meeting. In as few words as possible, Gappak relayed his plan to the others in hushed tones over oolong tea. It was a potentially risky one but the situation called for an immediate search party.
"Is it wise to dispatch such a large group of sentries?" Erma frowned. "I seem to recall your saying that less people was the wisest course."
"That might be true but we are at our limit here, Erma," said Gappak. "Eventually word will get out that the Avatar has gone missing. Tenzin has yet to locate Korra or the Polar Bear Dog. Now it is in our hands to retrieve her before it's too late."
"The sentries might not be of any use as we still do not know where the Avatar is," said Washu.
"There is a way around that," said Gappak as he drew a long scroll from his pocket. "This arrived just yesterday from Tenzin."
The scroll was unfurled and flattened onto the table. Erma and Washu leaned in to see a poster with a black-and-white photo of a Polar Bear Dog. Above this ran the caption: seeking escaped zoo animal – approach with caution. Along the bottom, a rather large sum of reward money was stated in blocked letters.
"Clever," Washu noted, leaning back on his seat. "The animal is bound to be more conspicuous and with an offering of that sum."
"People in that wretched city will do anything for money," Erma conceded with a sniff. "However, it is unlikely that we'll find Naga if Korra is keeping her well hidden."
"No, this is simply a clever cover story for our covert sentries," Gappak explained, rolling up the scroll again. "Once there, they can freely look for Korra under the pretense of recapturing a potentially dangerous animal. They can even ask witnesses indirectly about Korra by referring to her as a suspected thief. If all else fails, we do have more one Pai Sho tile to play."
"And what might that be?" Erma asked.
Gappak sighed. "We must use all our resources to find the Avatar. Failure means certain devastation to the balance of the world."
Washu nodded. "This is true. But what is this final option, Gappak? Have we not exhausted all our resources?"
Gappak hesitated as though thinking better of it. He looked around at the other Elders who were waiting for him to speak. He weighed the implications and consequences of what he was about to say. In a way, it was both an impossible choice, yet an inevitable one. He sighed.
"If all else fails," said Gappak, slowly but resolutely. "We have no choice but to use…"
..
"Howl!"
Howl turned around and was surprised to come face to face with Elder Gappak himself.
"Sir." The twelve-year-old youth bowed hastily, his face reddening with embarrassment. He was surprised to hear the Elder chuckle.
"No need to be nervous, young man," Gappak said genially, clapping Howl on the shoulder. "I see you've been working hard."
"Y-yes sir," Howl stuttered, almost dropping the backset of freshly laundered clothing he was delivering to the residential lodge. "Uh… thank you for noticing, sir."
"Of course I always notice you, son. Your mother would have been very proud of the diligent young man you've become. In fact, I think it's time you received your first real mission."
"Mission, sir?" Howl echoed blankly. This was news to him.
"Yes, well… I'm sure you're aware of the current situation regarding the Avatar…"
Howl blushed. How could he possibly forget when he'd been the one too stupid to stop Korra from running off with a dangerous animal? He hadn't realized what had happened until the next day when a stable boy discovered him lying in a pile of hay in the stable. By then, Korra and Naga were nowhere to be found.
"The thing is," Elder Gappak continued, "we're putting together a little covert search party to look for Korra. Very delicate mission, of course, what with all the Hunters about. You wouldn't mind going, would you, Howl?"
"Wha – me? I mean, of course!" Howl felt honored and simultaneously ashamed. This was both a second chance and a reminder of his previous failure.
"Good man," the Elder said, patting him once more on the shoulder. "Report to the sentry quarters once you've finished up with your regular duties."
"Yes, sir!"
Howl bowed as low as he could. He did not catch the fleeting expression of sadness that passed over Elder Gappak's face.
To be continued...
A/N: I'm so thankful for everyone who has given great feedback and support on this story. Thank you! I'm trying to think of a way to put more reader input into this story. So I came up with this idea that maybe everyone could vote for a possible romance pairing. I suck at writing romance. But it doesn't make much sense for it NOT to have any romance whatsoever. So I'm giving the decision to you guys! I'm not promising any endgames but I WILL incorporate it into this story if it gets the most votes. So here we go!
*~*~*Vote for your favorite pairing!*~*~*
Update: 2013/07/22
This event has ended! Thanks for participating!
Thanks! I'll be sure to tally up the votes :3 For those of you who are going "Aw, I hate shipping! Blargghhh!", I totally feel you, I really do. But this won't be a central thing in the story, I promise :D
