Chapter 21: Operation Rolling Thunder, Part 2

FW: While I did say expect a slowdown of updates come december, it's still november so imma yeet out as many chaps as I can for yall. Hope yall enjoy it.

Inner Sanctum

Tin Dei Temple

It was by all accounts, an unnaturally warm day this time of the year, what with the sun shining brightly as it did. However, the weather was the last thing on Ursa's mind as she made her way into the inner sanctum, heels clicking on the worn stone tiles.

"Ah Miss Ursa, I was beginning to think you wouldn't show up." the man spoke, turning his head to the sound of heels on stone.

"Spare me the pleasantries, can I trust the information in this dossier?" she snapped.

"Eager to get down to business are we? Well then, the short answer is yes. The long answer is rather...complicated." the woman answered.

"A simple yes or no would have sufficed. Now spit it out, what is it you want in exchange? Information like this does not come without strings attached, I've been in the game long enough."

"We'd like to propose a joint operation between our division and your organization. We'll provide the surveillance and targeting packages while your units carry out the wetwork."

"My men are just as Fire Nation as yours. Or are the lives of underworld foot soldiers that much cheaper than graduates from the Institute of the Islands* ?"

"That is not what we mean, but we are spread thin as is with the bulk of them on deployment in certain regions of interest, we are understaffed. You are familiar with the selection rates from the Institute, no?'

"I did not delay a meeting with the major players in the city, nor the Xin Fung's calls as to why the Earth Kingdom branch is suddenly on the warpath to hear your manpower woes. Time is money, and right now it is very much wasted with this discussion here. Call me again when you have something tangible to offer." before turning to leave.

"What if I told you the same mole who turned the head of station for Ba Sing Se into a charred crisp was in touch with not only organizations here in this area but with certain factions within the Agni Kai? What's more, we have actionable intelligence as to the whereabouts of the men who tried to assassinate your child. All we need is people to act on it."

"You have what? Why did you not inform me earlier!" Ursa raged.

"We weren't sure you would show up."

"Yet here I am now, so clearly you miscalculated. I would agree to discuss further details on this arrangement but right now, you will hand over the coordinates of the men who did this, no strings attached." she replied coldly.

"Deal."

Fire Bear this is Phoenix 1-0, we are on site, intel seems solid. Waiting on your green light."

Phoenix 1-0, you may proceed."

The sounds of heavy automatic weapons being cocked and made ready filled the airwaves. Then a roaring staccato beat replaced it, the methodical thumps raining death and destruction at a leisurely three hundred rounds a minute, or a five rounds a second, every fifth one a thermobaric round..

"Cease fire!"

"Three, two, one, go go go!"

More sounds of a fierce fight carried through the speakers of the radio.

"Phoenix 1-0 what is your status?"

"Enemy units are putting up a stiff fight, it's almost as if they were waiting for us. Ah sonofabitch, Shiro's down! Take this!"

Moments later, a whistling sound was heard, along with the telltale whoosh of flames being spat in return.

"1-0 come in? Phoenix 1-0, I say again,what is your status?"

Silence reigned over the airwaves for a minute, though it might as well have been an eternity."

"Fire Bear this is Phoenix 1-1, 1-0 was KIA but we have 6 EKIA and a live one. What do we do with him ma'am?"

"Keep him alive, I have some words with him."

Turning to the two individuals sitting in front of her, she replied "If your intel is half as good as this, we just might have a partnership."

On the other side of town...

The early rays of sunlight were streaming through the curtains when Azula slowly stirred from her repose. Blinking a few times, her hazy mind tried to process the images in front of her. Raising her hand to rub her eyes, she found herself trapped in Sokka's embrace, her face nestled in his chest as his chin lay on top of her head. Somehow, they had shifted position during the night, much to her annoyance as she assumed she wouldn't shift around much, if at all.

As she wiggled around, trying to free herself, Sokka merely adjusted his grip and pulled her even closer into himself, all the while muttering words that made her cheeks feel like it was on fire, even in this hazy state. How someone could say such filthy things so matter of factly, was a question she would never get an answer to, nor was she willing to find out why.

While she writhed and squirmed, she felt something grow in size, rubbing against her slowly dampening core whilst her nipples stiffened by the continued friction against his chest, further heating her up from the inside like industrial alcohol on hot coals.

Agni, this must be some form of cruel joke, she thought to herself as she tried to hold in squeals of pleasure, which she was sure would further excite them both past the point of no return. Hell, if he kept this up she was sure she'd climb him like a tree before breakfast. I'm not ready for Zuko and Kiyi to be uncle and aunt yet!

At least his hands aren't wandering around, she thought to herself, trying to take solace in that small mercy and ignore the fact that she was also getting heated up by their tussling, all the while resisting the urge to moan and mewl like a cat in heat. The straw that finally broke the proverbial camel's back was when Sokka's lips closed in with hers as he grinded harder on her damp core. Pushed into a corner with his tongue in her mouth, she conjured a large electric bolt on her fingertips and proceeded to zap him. Hard.

Naturally, Sokka was not at all pleased to be zapped awake, not when he was in the middle of the best dream he ever had thus far, partaking in some sensually charged lovemaking with the very girl whose bed he was sharing. At least he thought he was, until he was very much interrupted by a nasty shock on his arm, leaving a big red welt. In addition, he found himself flat on his back with Azula straddling his chest. Normally, he would have made some form of dirty joke but the anger in her eyes quickly dissuaded him of such notions, though he did notice that her face was very much pink, out of embarrassment or anger he could not tell.

Then, he felt the sharp jab of her pointer on his chest as Azula hissed "What." Jab "Were." Jab "You." Jab "Thinking?!", each jab poking through his shirt, leaving a nice red mark on his chest. At this, Sokka debated his options, either lie to her or come clean about his dream. Both of which carried a fat chance of being immolated or electrocuted. Possibly both at the same time. Unfortunately, his brain was not fully awake to process the implications and thus he blurted out "You look really pretty when you blush, did you know that?"

Understandably, she saw red from his statement and proceeded to attack him with jabs and pinches that elicited yelps of pain from him. "Calm down Azula, we can talk about this, right? Ow! Stop it!", now fully awake under her relentless assault.

"First you pin me with your arms and then you try to dry hump me? Does this face look like it's open to negotiations, ice muncher?" she replied as she fixed him with an angry glare.

"Look I'm sorry, okay! I-I didn't mean it! Honest!" he protested, trying to raise his hands in surrender as well as attempt to defend himself.

"Sure you were. After all, weren't you just looking to get into my pants that time in the alley?"

"I'm sorry, okay? I can't control what I do in my dreams. Please, Azula, you gotta believe me!" he cried, almost on the verge of breaking down under her harsh gaze.

"There, there my little snow peasant. Just make sure there's no next time. Or else little Sokka gets it." she purred in the sweetest voice she could conjure, while stroking his face with her hand.

"Y-y-yes ma'am!" he stammered. Seeing his big blue eyes about to water, she bent down and placed a chaste kiss on his welt. "There, feel better now?"

"Mm-hmm." he replied.

"You are such a big baby." she remarked teasingly, before hopping off him and headed to the bathroom with an almost imperceptible sway of her hips, just enough to claim ignorance.

"Am not!"

"Please, you almost cried when I stared you down just now."

"Want me to tell everyone just what you said in your sleep last night?" he countered, to which he received a death glare from her. Taking that as his cue to exit stage left, he scrambled out of there as fast as he could, only to bump into Kiyi on the way to his bedroom. Noticing his rather disheveled look and bright red welt on his forearm, Kiyi merely chuckled, much to Sokka's dismay.

"Was sis too much for you to handle last night?" she teased.

"Why would someone put their dick in crazy is beyond me." he exclaimed

In a flash, Kiyi had him pinned to the wall with a fire dagger blazing uncomfortably close to his throat. "Say that about her one more time and I'll make sure you won't have a dick left to put in anything." she growled, eliciting a nervous and fearful gulp from Sokka. Not for the first time, did Sokka curse his big mouth and lack of thinking before speaking. As she released him, Sokka thought to himself This is just wonderful, now I've got two violent but cute firebenders threatening me now. At least Zuko isn't as hot tempered.

Hotel Azulon Black Site

Outskirts of town

"When you told me you had a live one, being on the verge of life and death was not what I had in mind." the woman remarked.

"Next time you can be in the next breaching stack. Count your blessings we even had a live one to bring back to begin with. At least my men are trained in some form of SSE*." Ursa shot back.

"That was an impressive haul, truth be told. Not sure if we'll still need this one though." The man replied, attempting to appease the women.

"Papers and money trails can only tell you so much. We need extra corroboration and besides, I want to know if he recognized any familiar faces or people who hired his crew for this op."

"How long before he wakes up?" the man asked.

"There are ways to speed it up, but the side effects might be detrimental to his memory." Ursa replied.

"And you would know because?"

"I worked in the ER for a number of years before that got rudely interrupted. Plus, my mother was a pharmacist and a herbalist so you pick up certain skills. I'll leave it at that."

"Fair enough."

"Besides, questioning him right now could lead to bad intelligence. And bad intelligence has a tendency to blow up in one's face rather spectacularly. I will keep you in the loop when he wakes."

"Very well then." the man replied, before the duo exited.

After making sure the duo was out of earshot, she motioned to one of her lieutenants and told him "Get a surveillance team on them, I want full access to their comms. This whole deal smells wrong to me."

"Yes ma'am!" he snapped before saluting and walking off to make the necessary arrangements. Checking her wristwatch, she noticed it was almost time to meet with the other heads of the city, a meeting she was not looking forward to, what with the implications of this morning's meeting plus the daylight raid on a known Triple Threat safehouse would surely have the place on a knife edge. The fucking things you do for your children's sake, she sighed. Suddenly the twin crowns of leadership and parenthood felt that much more heavier on her shoulders as she summoned her retinue to begin preparing the convoy to move out.

A/N

From previous chap, FNIA - Fire Nation Intelligence Agency; SAD - Special Activities Division
Institute of the Islands - Unconventional warfare school where FN Special Forces and other national units cross train on exercises.
EKIA - Enemy Killed in Action
KIA - Killed in Action
SSE - Sensitive Site Exploitation

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