"I need your help!" Izumi pleaded.
The politicians in the large meeting room remained silent, uneasy looks on their faces. Even Representative Shimin, ever the ally to Izumi and her administration, frowned uneasily.
"Firelord Izumi, you know we have always supported you and your father's vision for our Nation, but…" she trailed off, looking away guiltily.
Zemeh, the radical leader of the National Independence Party, snorted derisively.
"Ever the coward, Shimin. What she means to say is that if we propose sending a peacekeeping force to Ba Sing Se, we'll be booted out of office before you can say 'hotman'. The people support you, Your Majesty, but the peacekeeping mission in the Si Wong and the mission to the Southern Water Tribe led to casualties. The people are weary of conflict, and asking us to intervene in Earth Kingdom matters would give our opponents credence and support. Especially when the violence in the coastal cities continues to rage."
Mutterings of agreement passed through the assembled representatives.
"My constituents are suffering from the Triad violence, Your Highness. How can you suggest intervening abroad when things are dire here?" snarled a woman wearing the pin of the Constitution Party.
Izumi shook her head angrily. Couldn't they see? They were all blind.
Shimin looked at her, sorrow in her eyes. Her home city, Shu Jing, had been badly damaged in the fighting. Even the famous Piandao Keep had been ruined by the Triads. A pang of guilt ran through her.
"Your Highness, we are already at war. The military, the police, even vigilante militias are all trying to put an end to the Triads, but they're too powerful. Half the time, when we try to arrest them, half of the police forces end up having been paid off by them. Their corruptive influence runs deep and far. I think we should trust the Avatar and your father to deal with the chaos and these terrorists you speak of. We need you here, Firelord Izumi."
Izumi looked at the plush red carpet, her fist balled with anger. The truth was, she wasn't sure what to do. The crisis here at home had proven difficult to quash, and now there were millions in Ba Sing Se in peril from the rampaging riots and crime, now allowed to spread with impunity without any sort of central government. To make matters worse, her intelligence reports indicated that regional governors, mayors, and aristocrats were considering seceding from the Earth Kingdom altogether, which would no doubt lead to warfare and chaos throughout the entirety of the Earth Kingdom.
And her last report from Goto stated simply that the Avatar was in trouble at the Misty Palms Oasis, and she had heard nothing back.
Calm down, Izumi. Anger will get you nowhere, her mother's voice echoed in her mind.
She looked back at the representatives grimly.
"The chaos in the Earth Kingdom will spread to our shores one way or another if it is not quelled soon, but you're right. We have trouble here, and I am still determined to crush the Triads, no matter what. I thank you, Representatives, for your opinions. I shall take my leave."
She bowed solemnly, and strode through the dark halls of the Assembly building, flanked by her guards, before entering the dark Satomobile.
"Let's just drive for a while, Inzali. I don't think I want to return just yet."
"Firelord, you have a meeting with the Minister of-" her guard interjected from the front seat.
"He can wait. I'm tired. Could you put on the Probending match?"
Inzali, her driver, caught her eye. The green-eyed woman smiled as she pulled out of the parking zone of the Assembly building, and the dulcet tones of Irate Irom, sometimes called 'Shiro Shinobi, but crankier, came on the radio from the Probending arena on Ember Island, which she doubted had been effected at all by the chaos.
And your Ember Island Eel Hounds push forward into Zone One, pushing the Kolau Komodo Rhinos back a zone. Here's hoping there's some actual action here in a while, ladies and gentlemen, because I'm starting to get bored. Why, back in the good old days of Probending…"
As the rough-voiced announcer prattled on, Izumi sank into the cushioned seats in exhaustion. She wished that she didn't have to contend with all of this chaos and nonsense. As always, part of her simply wanted to be alone with her books and perhaps a cup of Flameo's instant noodles. Yet her duty was here, leading her Nation through some of its hardest times since the War.
It was what she had been born to do. Her destiny.
She stared through the one-way glass of the Capital City Police Department, where an agent of the Domestic Intelligence Department was questioning the woman, who had reacted to their threats and interrogation tactics with cold stares and sullen silence.
"If you don't start talking, you're going to be spending the rest of your life in the Boiling Rock. And let me tell you; that's not a pleasant place to live. The War might be over, but the people who run that place… well, let's just say some of them act like it's still going on, which means they won't be as merciful as I am."
She stared at him blankly, and he hissed in anger, smoke curling from his palms. Beside Izumi stood Colonel Saigo, who stroked his short gray beard in concern.
"Well, Your Highness, we've tried everything short of… well, we've tried everything. I don't think she's going to talk. You said this Zaheer character and his compatriots didn't break for thirteen years in White Lotus prisons?"
"Yes, but I would have thought that these followers would be… more malleable? I don't know."
"If the White Lotus couldn't make them break, then I don't know what we can do. Sure, send her to the Boiling Rock, but I don't think we have a year to wait for her to confess anything. Not to mention her friends, ma'am."
The other two men were still alive, though they were both in the hospital being treated for their wounds. Izumi herself had been exposed to some sort of potent toxin derived from Shirshu venom, but the knives had evidently been made to knock her out, not kill her.
Though the man she had stabbed had been too far gone to save. Not that she pitied the man; she had been acting in self-defense. Thus was war.
Spirits are you that cold? That callous? Remember what father taught you; we must not fall to the curse of cruelty and hatred that has plagued our family. It is our duty to resist and control, as we resist and control the dangerous powers of fire.
"Let me talk to her."
"Ma'am?" he asked, inquisitively.
"Yes."
"I don't know that I'm comfortable-"
She smiled.
"That's an order, Colonel. Besides, she's not a bender, and she's cuffed. I think I'll survive."
Reluctantly, he walked over to the door and retrieved the interrogator, nodding to Izumi when the room was empty. She walked in quietly and shut the door behind her, sitting across from the woman and wincing slightly as the cut throbbed. It was still healing, despite the best efforts of the healers.
The woman opposite her had all the hallmarks of an Earth Kingdom heritage. Her skin was darker in tone, though not as dark as the Water Tribesmen and women. This was a tan earned from sweat and labor under the merciless sun and the endless fields of the Earth Kingdom. Her features were wizened beyond her years- she couldn't be older than thirty- and her hands were rough, as if they had been born with toughness.
Yet it was her eyes that spoke the most of her heritage. Not the green tint- which could be found even amongst the most remote villagers of the Fire Nation- but the stubborn and unyielding look of determination. It was the look, she supposed, that made each Nation unique. In the Fire Nation, where the colors were often brown or gold, the look was of pride and raw emotion. In the Water Tribes, whose eyes were usually blue, the look showed wariness but also flexibility. In the Air Nation, she supposed the look was of both friendliness and duty.
Her mother had taught her how to read people.
"I'm not as good as Azula, of course," she'd always say, "but I can get pretty close. And who knows? You are her niece, after all. Maybe you inherited her gift."
She had taught Izumi that reading people would often help in more ways than one. In the bending arena of course, but also in the Royal Court or meeting halls of politicians. Being able to know a person's inclinations before even beginning a sparring match, whether it be with fire or words, was an invaluable skill for a ruler, she had always said.
"You grew up a farmer," she began, confidently.
"Life was quiet, but hard. You worked in a farm or a mine for most of your early years. Yet something happened when you came of age. If I had to guess, your father was taken away, forced to join the Army or tossed in prison for dissidence. This fostered a hatred for the Earth Queen at first, then, for all rulers. They came to recruit you. Speaking honeyed words about true freedom, reuniting the physical and spiritual worlds, and abolishing the five Nations and letting the world rule itself in chaos."
The woman's eyes widened in shock, and Izumi knew she was at least close.
"You are a member of the Red Lotus."
She looked away.
"Zaheer ordered you to assassinate me. This was his plan. To kill me in the air and dump me in the ocean so that I would simply never return, allowing your agents to sow chaos in the Fire Nation while people scratched their heads, wondering about the fate of me, my guards, and my staff."
She avoided her eyes.
"Who are you working with here in the Fire Nation. More agents?"
The woman shivered, then looked up at Izumi again, her stubbornness replaced by vulnerable fear.
"N... no. Not Red Lotus members. Your Triads. They struck a deal with Zaheer. He'd kill you, then they'd help him cause more chaos in the Fire Nation. I never agreed with working with those greedy and vicious criminals. The Red Lotus should have been so much more than that."
Izumi's eyes narrowed. The folded red flag of her husband, the grief-stricken messenger bearing news of her husband's untimely death, and laughing face of Bao Lu flashed in her mind.
"Which Triad?" She asked, sternly.
"T-The Agni Kais. A man named Matsuiji."
"Where?"
"We… we were supposed to bring word to him in a warehouse near the Old Bazaar, Fengchun Province."
Rage flooded through her veins once more, and she slammed her way out of the interrogation room, sweeping past Saigo and storming out.
"Your Highness, don't-"
She swirled. Her gaze was not one of cool, collected rationality. It was sharp, hot, and savage, like a dragon.
"Deal with her. And don't stop me. Send word to Colonel Liu and my Task Force. We fly to Ichibamura in three hours."
She entered the hot exterior of the police station, her thoughts filled only with thoughts of vengeance and retribution.
The Future-Industries built strategic airship's interior was silent and tense as the ship flew fast for the distant city of Ichibamura, home to the Old Bazaar that had served as the mercantile center of her Nation for centuries.
Each man and woman was mostly silent, meditating or reflecting on their task. Some talked silently, and a few chuckles could be heard, while others sharpened combat knives or played with small flames, preparing themselves for the battle ahead.
Liu walked by her and gestured for her to follow him wordlessly. For the last hour, Izumi's mind had been filled with both painful recollections of her time with Kazuo and Iroh and dark thoughts of revenge.
They passed into an empty compartment near the front of the ship, and Liu turned around, his wrinkled but still powerful features contorted into a look of concern.
"Firelord…"
"Save it. I've heard it a million times. It doesn't change anything."
Liu shook his head.
"All due respect, ma'am, I'd like you to hear me out. I served your father as a young man and I've served you for even longer, so I'd hope you'd afford me some measure of respect. This isn't right, Izumi. You're doing this for the wrong reasons, and I don't want to see you hurt because your mind isn't in the right place."
"So what if I am?" she snapped, her anger uncoiling in her chest. "What does it matter why I'm doing this? These criminals are tearing apart my nation, and they have to be dealt with harshly and severely! If I have more motivation, all the better. They killed my husband, Liu. You wouldn't understand."
He clutched his graying hair in frustration.
"Ma'am, if you think I don't know how you feel, then you're a fool. The Great War took my father and my older brother. They both died on the front in the Earth Kingdom, but do you see me spouting prejudiced drivel like a traditionalist or a New Ozai cultist? No. Because I've grown past that. Revenge isn't a good thing, even for our people. It will only lead to death and destruction, and I won't let you do that to yourself."
Izumi and Liu glared at each other for several tense seconds.
"Well, if you're unwilling to do what must be done, then maybe you should stay on the airship; I'm not backing away from this fight. I just can't."
Liu frowned angrily.
"If I can't dissuade you, you have to know there's no way I'm going to let you go into this folly on your own. I can see you're going to be as stubborn as your father, but please, Izumi, just grant me this. Rule your emotions with an iron fist; do not let it be the other way around. For the sake of your son. Don't let rage make you forget that we live in a democracy, where justice is dispensed by courts, not rulers."
She shook her head angrily.
"I'm doing this for my son. Just stay out of my way, Colonel. I'm going to do what must be done."
With that, she stormed away, her skin flush with rage.
She lay on her belly, the hardened clay tiles rubbing against the hardened metal combat armor plates the task force members all wore. The heat was intense, and she had to push up her glasses several times as they slipped down her nose, but that only served to frustrate her more.
"This is the building?"
The fresh-faced recruit next to her nodded. He had been the one to sight it in the first place, and had come running to the task force as they geared up, his grayish eyes wide with exhaustion and excitement.
"Yes, Firelord. I've been watching it; there are guards patrolling the perimeter and Satomobiles with blacked-out windows go to and fro every hour or so. Whatever it is, it's fishy."
The large building was old, but sturdy. The faded sigil of the Fire Nation Army was on the side, alluding to its past as an arms factory during the Great War, but the sigil had been sloppily replaced with the symbol of Fujin Aeronautics, a leading aircraft builder in the Fire Nation.
As she watched, a couple of burly suited men rounded the corner warily, walking around the large office building and towards the attached warehouse. Izumi's eyes narrowed. This had to be it.
She nodded at the recruit, patting him on the shoulder, before sliding down the tile roof and landing stealthily behind it, where the fifteen men and women she had brought from her task force knelt, primed and ready.
"Alright. I want five teams of three. The same plan as usual; I'll lead team one on a diversionary assault from the front, and breach through the front door. Team Two, led by the Colonel, will flank from behind. Three and Four will make a perimeter and serve as a mobile reserve, and Five will insert from the roof. There seems to be hatch there; scale the building when the assault begins and move in once you hear fighting move inside.
The officers nodded, grimly, silently padding away towards their starting positions. Liu knelt next to her, staring at her intently.
"Remember what I said, Firelord. I beg you."
"Fine. Now let's win this thing and go home."
He nodded, and Izumi beckoned her team forward, stacking up against a cream-colored wall. Izumi craned her head around the corner. The alley they were in extended for several more feet, then opened into a large road that wound around the factory. Unfortunately, the road was mostly deserted, so it would be difficult to be stealthy.
She crept forward, holding up her fist, and they moved forward into the shade, watching as two different Triad guards passed around the distant building. She glanced back at her men, whose eyes were sharp and ready. She nodded respectfully, and beckoned them forward, her heart pounding in her chest and her rage barely contained.
She would find Matsuiji and Bao Lu and kill them. This she vowed.
A flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye caused her heart to do a backflip, and the very wall itself lunged at her with a deafening crack and shouts came from above. The two sections of wall smashed into her shoulders and wrapped around her like a hand, squeezing her as sounds of firebending came from behind her.
She struggled against the stone walls, igniting flames in her hands in the vain hope that she could bend her way out, and suddenly found her flames whirling around the small alley as the walls released her, causing her to fall to her knees. She looked back at her soldiers, and her stomach curled as she saw them laying on the dirty pavement, unmoving.
Angrily, she held flames in each of her hands, looking around for the unseen assailants, before the pavement enveloped her tightly, pressing into her painfully again and preventing her from moving.
Triad foot soldiers came from above and from each side of the alley, and distant sounds of fighting settled a dull dread in her.
She screamed in fury as two men approached her from her front, expelling a great wave of flames from her mouth that caused them to recoil in fear, before a cold metal strip hit her in the face, hard, and silenced her. She tried again, but it only heated the metal, and she cried out in pain, muffled.
Then, she saw him. He looked as she remembered him. Strangely normal-looking in appearance, Bao Lu, "The Brute", as they called him on the streets, approached her in a plain brown suit. Yet it was his eyes; cold and dead, that struck fear in all, including her.
Well, in this case, it was fear and then abject hatred.
Next to him strode the young recruit, who avoided her gaze guiltily.
"I'm sorry, Firelord. They got to my wife and daughter. This was the only way," he said quietly.
The sounds of fighting around the small portion of the city died down, and Bao Lu approached her, ice-blue flames dancing from the palm of his hand.
"It is an honor to see you again, Firelord Izumi. It has always vexed me that I only ever got to meet your honorable husband," he said smugly, a cruel glint in his eye.
She screamed wordlessly at him, raging that she would slaughter him and everyone he loved so as to inflict a small measure of the suffering he had caused her. However, he simply shrugged, and nodded to someone behind her. For a moment, the earth fell away, and she began to direct power through her fists to burn the bastard to death, but then an excruciatingly painful wave of electricity coursed through her, causing her muscles to clench, and then for her to slump to the ground, unable to move or bend. A woman with tattoos travelling up her neck came into a view with an Equalist glove like the ones she had seen after the uprisings back in what felt like a lifetime ago.
Bao Lu leaned down as dull hands grasped her and began pulling her towards the building.
"The Boss would very much like to meet with you, Firelord."
As she was dragged closer, she could see men dragging other red-uniformed bodies, all of them limp and still. Dread filled her heart, and Liu's words echoed in her mind.
Revenge isn't a good thing, even for our people. It will only lead to death and destruction.
As she entered the cool interior of the office building, she let her head sink to stare at the floor. She had blundered right into a trap. Now her officers were dead or dying.
And it was her fault.