"Please wait here. Captain Saikhan will be meeting with you shortly," an officer informed. Jay and Asami nodded, before proceeding to sit down inside the meeting room. Jay looked around at the metal walls, metal table, and other metal fixtures while sipping his tea. Before long, the right-hand man to the Chief of RCPD arrived.
Saikhan was a middle aged man with a bald spot in the centre of his head. Serving as the right-hand man to Chief Lin Beifong, daughter of the former Chief and famous metal bender Toph Beifong, Saikhan was the second in command of the Republic City Police Department, the police force maintaining law and order in Republic City. The number one enemy of the police force was the well-organised triads, who maintained an unofficial status quo relationship with the police. However, recently, the police had publicly declared it would double up the efforts to end the triads. This was probably the reason why he and Asami was here today.
"Miss Sato, Mr Jay, thank you for taking the time to come down here today," Saikhan said as he took a seat at the table, gesturing for them to do likewise. Asami sat down opposite Saikhan, while Jay sat to her right.
"As you probably have heard, the Republic City Police Department is intending to double its efforts to crush the triads, which is why we would like to have the most modern equipment to help us," Saikhan continued while sifting through a huge paper file. Finally pulling out a thick document, Saikhan handed it Asami, adding, "This is the list of equipment we are using right now that comes from Future Industries, along with the date. However, some are rather old and possibly outdated, like our satomobiles. Maybe you could take a look and suggest what we could upgrade or add in. We also have a list of requirements attached at the back."
The meeting ended fairly quickly, with Asami and Jay shaking hands with Saikhan, before the latter was summoned to see the Chief. Another meeting, this time with the heads of the police force and the Chief herself, was scheduled in a week's time, giving Jay and Asami only a week to work on the proposal and new equipment. Before long, the duo were heading back to the office, this time with Jay at the wheel.
"Relax Asami, I know what I'm doing," Jay assured as he saw Asami leaning towards him to get a better look at what he was doing. At Asami's insistence, Jay learnt driving from her. Little did she know, Jay knew how to drive cars that make hers look like mere toys. Needless to say, she was really surprised that he "picked up" driving at an incredible pace.
Soon, they had reached back at Future Industries, and they instantly got to work. Most of the equipment supplied to RCPD were satomobiles, as well as police airships. While the airships were much newer than the satomobiles, some of which were more than ten years old, they still needed upgrades too. Before long, Asami and Jay had identified the equipment that needed upgrading.
"I'm so relieved that we are doing it. I heard rumours of the police wanting to source equipment from Cabbage Corp as well," Asami said to Jay as they packed up at the end of the day. Jay remembered hearing Asami ranting about Cabbage Corp, how they copied the idea of the satomobile but somehow managed to produce a cheaper and much lower quality one, and now they are doing the same with airships.
"Well, I'm sure the police knows about the quality and reliability of Future Industries," Jay spoke, while Asami simply pouted at the side. "Who cares if the police knows? We would never expand fast enough just selling to the police!"
"Ahh, that's when we can launch an advertising campaign to boost sales," Jay said with a gleam in his eye, while Asami simply looked quizzically at him. "What do you mean boost sales? Only the police uses our products."
"Having the police using satmobiles is beneficial. After all, if it's good enough for the police, surely it is good enough for the average person too," Jay replied while sifting through his own stack of documents.
"You know, you are much smarter than you look," Asami teased as she eyed Jay.
"It's better than looking much smarter than you are," came Jay's witty reply and they both shared a good laugh.
That night, Jay and Asami decided to head over to the Pro-bending Arena to catch the pro-bending match. The tournament was coming up soon, and now was the time where the teams would compete against each other to see who can make it into the tournament. Teams from all over the world, even as far as the Northern Water Tribe, gathered to compete against each other for a place in the championship. While Jay had heard about pro-bending as well as listened to matches occasionally on the radio, this was his first time watching pro-bending.
"Asami, where are we heading?" Jay questioned as he noticed Asami made a left turn instead of turning right and heading to the spectator stand.
"They have a private room reserved for my father," Asami chuckled as a staff opened a wooden door, revealing an elevator heading to the box seats.
The box room was not too big, yet lavishly furnished, almost reminding Jay of Kwong's Cuisine. Leather chairs, wooden furnishing and even a bookshelf with actual books were a far cry from the cramped, stadium-like seats below. Furthermore, they had an excellent view of the playing arena, with only the box room on the opposite side enjoying the same vantage point.
"So you supporting any teams in particular?" Jay asked as he absentmindedly flipped through a pamphlet listing the matches for that night. There were teams from all over the world, including the four other nations, yet most of the teams were from Republic City and rightly so - pro-bending was created and most well-developed here.
"I kinda like the Fire Ferrets. They are a new up and coming team from Republic City."
"So you support the underdogs? But it's kinda hard for them to break into the top ranks and compete with the champions right?"
"Yeah I guess so," Asami replied, "I think they have to pay some championship ante, and for a new team, its kinda wasted to see them unable to make it in. I would be sad if the Fire Ferrets were unable to make it in."
"Well maybe Future Industries can sponsor them?" Jay asked, remembering the highly-sponsored and commercial nature of sports back in his world.
"Sponsor? As in pay for them?" Asami looked at Jay, raising an eyebrow. Pro-bending teams being sponsored was extremely rare. Most of the time, they either had connections to the triads or were from wealthy families. Sponsored by a company? Now that is interesting.
"Yea, Future Industries could sponsor the Fire Ferrets by helping cover the championship ante and stuff, and in turn they could wear uniforms with the Future Industries logo. Kinda effective advertisement if you ask me, being the most popular sport," Jay replied as if it were nothing at all. Well it was normal, at least to him. "Anyways, I'm heading to the toilet before going to get some fire flakes. Want some?"
"You don't say. Get me like five boxes or something."
As Asami watched Jay walk off, she thought to herself. Sponsoring the Fire Ferrets? Not only could she help her favourite team besides supporting, but she could also help promote Future Industries. The Fire Ferrets could have the logo on their backs, and with the number of people watching surely it will be good advertising. Why hadn't she thought of it before?
"Asami! What are you doing here?" A familiar voice called out, as Asami spun around and saw her father entered the room.
"Dad? What are you doing here?"
"Oh I'm just catching up with some old friends and business partners. We are seated in the other box. You here alone?" Hiroshi entered the room, walking about and taking a look at the books on the shelf.
"No, I came with Jay."
"He's an alright guy. Just don't scare him off with your invention, although actually it can be a common area for you guys to bond. Just don't forget to take things slowly," Hiroshi teased before leaving the room.
"Dad!" Asami groaned but Hiroshi had already left, heading back to his own room. Asami sighed, before shaking her head and sitting back down in the leather couch. She had spent so much time working on her inventions, completely neglecting her social life, that Hiroshi had assumed any guy she spent time with was her boyfriend.
Since young, Asami had always been interested in mechanics and inventing, rather spending time working on contraptions than hanging out with people. This, coupled with the fact that her wealthy background meant she learnt from private tutors at home rather than in school, meant the Asami did not have many friends. Unlike most young women her age who spend time going out with friends, Asami would rather work on greasy cars in a garage, and this has scared off guys. Well, most guys, except one.
Ever since she met Jay along Sokka Avenue that one morning, Asami knew that there was something different about him. At first, she was curious as to who he was, and how he was able to identify what was wrong with the car she had created, and even point out that it could have been done better. To her surprise, he turned up at the interview later that day, and completely blew the other interviewees out of the water, securing a job in her company.
However, the more time she spent with Jay, the more she realised she didn't know about him. Jay was not much different from the average guy - tall, slim with black hair in a side part, although to his credit he was rather attractive compared to the average guy. Personality-wise, he was definitely an introvert. He was able to look at things in a logical manner, preferring to use logic over feelings, although that meant he did not show much of his emotions. Jay also seemed full of bright ideas, but what struck Asami was how casually he would say it, as if it was nothing at all. In the few months he was at Future Industries, he had already come up with dozens of new innovations, and his department was certainly helping the company maintain and even widen its decisive edge over competitors.
Jay had also unknowingly become a large part of Asami's life. Before Jay came, Asami was mostly working on her own. She did play a role in her company, but most of the time she was on her own exploring new ideas and inventions in her own workshop. There were simply not enough people who appreciated or even understood what she was doing. Her father was definitely the innovative type, having build up Future Industries, but he was too bogged down with work to partake in innovation.
However, after Jay arrived, she began spending more and more time with him. At first, it was because she was his boss and he was new to the company, but as time went on, Asami began finding herself spend more and more time with him outside of work. They would eat lunch together, in the office of course, and they would sometimes go on walks after work. He was the only person that she felt comfortable sharing her ideas with, knowing that not only would he not laugh at her idea, but he would also be willing to help her improve her ideas and make it happen. Sometimes, she would find herself smiling at all the small things he did. Once when he was out of Republic City for a few days on a business trip, she genuinely felt at a loss of what to do without him and kept thinking of him, right until she saw him disembark the ship at the harbour where she was waiting. Just what was going on?
It hit Asami. The signs were already there, and she should have realised it sooner. She had fallen for Jay.
"You wouldn't believe the lengths I had to go to obtain fire flakes," Jay's voice could be heard as he entered the room carrying five boxes of the fiery snack, snapping Asami out of her thoughts. Watching Jay struggle to balance the five boxes, Asami chuckled a little to herself, before helping him catch one of the boxes.
"Why did you get so many?" Asami asked, to which Jay just gave her an "Are you serious?" look.
"Oh my gosh I meant that as a joke. However, since they are here I guess we just have to finish it not to waste food," Asami slowly reached for the five boxes of pure deliciousness, as Jay rolled his eyes at the side. Soon, he too reached for the snack.
The lights in the arena went dim, before a single spot light illuminated the play area. The talking amongst the crowd first went to whispering, and then to total silence. More spotlight illuminated the sides of the arena, with some of the light reflecting off the shimmering surface of the water below.
"Ladies and gentlemen! I'm coming to you live from Republic City's Pro-bending Arena, where tonight the best in the world continue their quest in achieving the championship. Today marks the first day of the entry rounds, where the winners will proceed onto the qualify for the championships. Grab your snacks and grab your kids because this match is gonna be a doozy!" The announcer excitedly shouted, his voice booming across the entire arena. Jay recognised the small figure inside the radio announcer's booth between the two private boxes as Shiro Shinobi, the pro-bending main announcer.
Soon, the match was about to begin. Both teams, one in red gear and the other in yellow, faced each other off at either end of the game area. An eerie hush fell upon all the spectators, as everyone awaited the signal.
Ding! A bell was rung, reverberating throughout the entire arena. Almost instantly, a stream of water was pulled out of the grates by one of the red teams, although it was blocked by a similarly fast earth disc. Before long, the two teams were locked in fierce combat, with each team gaining ground, before being pushed back, and then counterattacking and so forth.
"So, which team do you think it's going to win?" Jay asked Asami as he leaned over to see the pamphlet she was holding.
"Asami?" Jay called again, as Asami snapped out of her daydream with a jolt.
"Oh sorry," Asami blushed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "I was just thinking of something."
"You alright?" Jay pushed a little more, eyebrows raised in suspicion. After having gone months without any matches during the off season, everyone usually focused intently on the first few matches, and certainly not stare off into space thinking of something.
"Really, I'm fine," Asami said as she glanced at Jay, who had now focused his attention on the game, blushing a little as she did so. Mentally scolding herself, Asami tried to remind herself that she was a strong independent woman who wouldn't be caught up thinking about a guy, yet to her dismay, she found herself taking more and more glances at an oblivious Jay.
"That's gotta hurt! Finish him! End his career!" Jay shouted as he watched the intense match below unfold, bringing back memories when he watched his first wrestling match. Soon, the red team won, having managed to blast all three blue team members into the water. The crowd went wild for the Earth Kingdom native team, as they waved back before heading back to the locker rooms. Leaning back into his seat, Jay turned to look at Asami, just barely catching a glimpse of her staring at him before she snapped her head back to the pamphlet. What was she up to?
"That was the last match, you going soon?" Jay asked Asami, who pretended to look up from her pamphlet. "By the way, I didn't know you can read upside down," Jay teased, gesturing to the upside down pamphlet in Asami's hands. Chuckling to himself, Jay got up from his seat and reached for his coat. Although Asami guaranteed that this was the latest fashion, the chinese styled jacket was just not to Jay's liking. How he wished he had his trench coat from back home. 'Mental note to self: invent the trench coat'.
Before long, Jay was in the comfort of his home, lounging on his favourite chair listening to the radio. Surrounded by paperwork. The once quaint apartment had given way to a messy workspace. Afterall, Jay had about a dozen projects going on at once, not to mention the latest police modernization project. Before long, Jay soon fell asleep, just as the radio announcer finished his last words and the radio turned to static.
The rest of the week were spent in the office, with Jay and Asami working away to meet the new police requirements. This would be an important deal for Future Industries, not only being worth a substantial amount of money, but also good for publicity. This is even more important considering Cabbage Corp has recently been trying to enter the law enforcement market.
The Republic City Police Department was the law enforcement agency in charge of Republic City, capital of the United Republic of Nations. It comprises of a chief, detectives, officers, and an elite team consisting of all metal benders. The Republic City Police Department are equipped with a range of technologies, most notably their special satomobiles and police airships provided by Future Industries. However, most of these are slowly becoming outdated and obsolete, and with the new war declared on the triads, they are going to need all the upgrades they can. That is where Jay and Asami step in.
"I remember being here just yesterday," Jay joked as he tapped his feet, while Asami was reading through her file as they both sat in the same waiting room Saikhan had met them a week ago. This time, however, accompanying Jay and Asami were proposals after proposals, upgrades after upgrades to meet the police department's needs - all the product of hard work, sleepless nights and Jay's and Asami's combined intelligence.
"Mr Jay, Miss Sato, the chief and the other heads are ready to meet you. Please follow me," a detective entered the room, beckoning for the duo to follow him into a large meeting room. Along the table sat the leaders of the police force, and at the very end was Chief Lin Beifong herself. Jay was familiar with that name. He had read in the books how her mother was the legendary Toph Beifong, one of the members of the Avatar's team that helped take down Ozai and end the war. She had discovered metal bending, and would then go on to perfect it. Oh, and she was also the first chief of police, complete with her very own statue outside the station.
"Good afternoon Mr Jay and Miss Sato," Lin spoke, with an air of authority that sent a small shiver down Jay's spine. It was one thing to learn of something via book and word of mouth, and experience it first hand. This was one woman Jay wouldn't want to mess with, or even get on the wrong side. "I trust that you have looked through our requests and requirements and have come up with responses. Please begin," Lin spoke again, giving an indication that him and Asami were free to begin.
"Good afternoon Chief Lin and the various heads of the police force. I am Jay, and today we would be…" Jay began his presentation. Soon, the meeting was in full swing. Jay and Asami had responses to the various requirements and requests by the police. This meeting was just a preliminary session, as there had to be rigorous testing before the new equipment would be accepted by the police. For their ageing fleet of police satomobiles, they wanted to replace with it newer options. Jay had a few options for them, such as upgrading their fleet of satomobiles with upgrading kits, taking a satombile that is already in current production and modifying it for police work, or even designing an entirely new satomobile. In the end, they chose to have a current satomobile be adapted for police work, although they did indicate interested and ordered a prototype should there be a completely re-designed satomobile. For their airships, the main hull and structure would remain, although Jay did suggested adding newer features, such as having spools of metal wires to capture criminals on the ground from the safety of the airship, rather than having to deploy officers. This could also be used to save lives in an emergency, such as a sinking boat.
The meeting ended with the police department once again confirming that Future Industries is indeed the best choice. They were also sufficiently impressed with Jay, who is seemingly able to meet their requirements with little difficulty. Having signed a lucrative contract with the Republic City Police Department, Jay once again found himself with Asami at Kwong's Cuisine, along with Chief Lin Beifong.
"Once again Republic City Police Department is glad to know that we are equipped with the best equipment, thanks to the efforts of Future Industries," Lin spoke as she carefully sipped her soup. If Jay were to describe her in three words, it would be tough, uncompromising and blunt. She carried with her an air of authority, with a no-nonsense attitude when it comes to her work. From what Jay had observed earlier, she believed in a strict enforcement of the law, even till the point of using military strength. He also knew from his books and word of mouth was that she was a powerful metal bender, which was to be expected since her mother was the legendary Toph Beifong.
"Well, we all play our part to keep Republic City safe," Asami replied diplomatically as she slowly sliced her food.
"I wish that were true. One of the companies that used to produce our uniforms decided to relocate to the Earth Kingdom, and refused to help us modernise in return for helping the more lucrative Earth Kingdom military. Thankfully, we are awaiting a prototype uniform from another company," Lin grumbled as she finished her soup, pushing the bowl aside.
"Isn't the metal bending uniform right now pretty much the same as the regular police?" Jay asked, causing Lin to look at him. Under her powerful gaze, Jay couldn't help but flinched a little on the inside, despite knowing full well that she did not mean any harm.
"Yes, but our new armour would be all metal. I'm not too sure of the details, but I've left one of my lieutenants in-charge of this whole thing. I've got bigger things to worry about," Lin said. 'Metal armour…' Jay thought to himself, somehow finding something amiss about that. However, before he could think of what was wrong, he was drawn into the conversation once more by Asami.
That night, Jay once again found himself in his favourite chair, sipping his cherry-berry lemonade, overlooking the nice city skyline. His apartment was not far from the main city, and quite near to the harbour too, which made for an excellent view. Furthermore, it wasn't in the shadier parts of the city where the crimes were rampant.
It had been a few months since Jay had arrived in this world. It was familiar, yet different from his own world. He had started off as a fish out of water, but soon integrated himself into this bizarre world, in the process learning more about it. He had worked as a waiter, a chef and now a designer. But even then, while he never really considered himself a part of this world, the effects of time were slowly getting to him.
Yes, in the first few months after he woke up injured in a park, he was very sure that the moment the opportunity came, he would return back to his world. But now, as time moved on and Jay gotten used to the life here, even forming a routine and friends like Asami, he was more and more unsure what he would do when the opportunity to return home came. He was in this world, and slowly becoming part of it.
"Maybe, I will live out my days here, and eventually start a family here," Jay mused to himself as the music died out as the radio services ceased for the night. Soon, he fell asleep to the low buzzing of the radio.