Batman and Superman are property of Warner Bros. and DC Comics.

Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra are property of Nickelodeon and Viacom.


DAWN


Lin Beifong is a creature of habit. Her occupation demands disciplined routine, and she's had years to cultivate it.

At five-thirty AM, she rises, ignoring the joints that seem to get stiffer every day, and pushes herself through a series of calisthenics exercises. She powers through several sets of push-ups, crunches, and if her shoulders feel like they're exploding by the time she finishes her pull-ups she doesn't show it on her face.

She shambles into the kitchen, pulling on a long, mothbitten robe, graying hair mussed from sleep. The boys don't wake until six-thirty, so she has time to put a pot of coffee. She fumbles with the matches as she tries to light the stove, but eventually the coffee is bubbling away atop it.

Lin sits back in a chair at the kitchen table, and rests her arms on the weathered wood. She finds herself staring at her hands – the calluses and scarred knuckles seem all the more prominent these days. She sighs, and leans back in the chair – and when she looks at the clock atop the kitchen counter, and realises she's drifted off for twenty minutes, she curses and rises to her feet, making a beeline for her room. Once there she half-wrenches the door of the closet open, and lifts out her metalbender armour – the tempered steel quickly wraps around her body with a series of satisfying metallic sounds.

She spends the absolute minimum time needed in the bathroom to fix her hair into something respectable, and spends as little time as possible looking at her reflection. When she emerges, she can already hear the muffled sounds of activity coming from the boy's rooms – and remembers that she hasn't made breakfast yet.

By the time Mako staggers into the kitchen, bleary-eyed and wild-haired, there's a steaming plate of slightly blackened – crispy, Lin insists, crispy - breakfast waiting for him on the table. He slumps into the chair, and Lin struggles not to wrinkle her nose as he creases the police trainee uniform he's wearing.

"Long night?" Lin asks, moving to get another plate ready. Mako looks up, slowly, sleep still slowing every action. He blinks as he attempts to form a reply, half-heartedly forking an egg into his mouth.

"Kinda." he murmurs. "Toza had to do maintenance on the training rooms, so we took our evening practice late. Didn't sleep well."

Lin frowns. "You didn't need to stay – you could have used that time to study for your theory test – it's next week," she reminds him, her tone a gentle reprimand.

Mako shrugs slowly. "I would have, but you know me, Bo and Hasook practice together. And they've got no reason to skip practice, so –"

"Bolin isn't training to be a cop. You are," Lin replies. "Best thing you can get whilst you're still training for your position is a good night's rest – and I'm speaking from experience."

Mako nods again, swallowing down a slice of bacon. "I know, you're right…if the exam and the qualifiers weren't so close together, I'd know what to focus on, when to take breaks, but -"

"Life throws curveballs. Constantly," Lin interjects, maybe a little too harshly for seven in the morning. "All we can do is make the best of it. You've been able to balance your commitments so far – but have you thought about what you're going to do once you get your position?"

Mako stares down at his eggs in glum confusion, and Lin feels a pang of guilt for making him face this unpleasant fact. Better to get this over with, Lin reasons. Better that he have a plan rather than struggling to keep everything just so, and letting life overwhelm him in the process.

"I think – maybe, if we win – no, even if we place high, I can leave the team with no regrets. But I don't know if Bo would like that…," he drifts off, brooding.

"Bolin's a tough kid. He'll manage. We always do," Lin replies, attempting a soft smile, before glancing up at the clock. Her eyes widen slightly, and she sighs. Time seems to be getting away from her more and more.

"Listen, I need to go. Can I trust you to take care of your brother's breakfast?" Lin asks, rising from her chair and moving over to grab her coat from the hanger near the door of the apartment. Mako nods, chewing, and Lin moves towards the door. She opens it, and moves to step outside, but not before casting one final glance at Mako, and at the hallway leading down to Bolin's room.

She steels herself, and heads out. There's work to be done.


Lin's been chief of the RCPD for more than twenty years – she'd like to think she's got the feel, the rhythm of the station, if not the city, down pat. And, for the first few hours, it seems like a regular day – she spends the time filling out the most banal paperwork imaginable, sipping on lukewarm tea. When the last of the paperwork's been sent off, she's left idle.

Boredom finally takes over and she spends twenty minutes fiddling with a chunk of meteorite Suyin sent her last year. To this day, Lin isn't sure if it was meant to be a present or some kind of peace offering.

Empress of the Earth Empire, and she sends me a rock, Lin thinks, dryly. At the very least she could send us some Upper Ring tea. Hell, I'd settle for Middle Ring.

She bends it into a caricature of her sister's head, and flicks it, taking what childish amusement she can from the way the head's nose and cheek deform like putty.

When she tires of torturing the tiny facsimile of her sister, she bends the metal into a chunk once more and tosses it back into a drawer beneath her desk. She stalks out of her office, grunting as she tries to work out a crick in her neck.

As she moves through the corridors, the station feels more…lively, to an extent. She's constantly stepping to the side to allow officers with armfuls of paperwork and the like through, and as she decends the stairs to the ground floor of the station she discovers the reason why, her bored expression finally giving way to bemusement and shock.

At least fifty triad members, all wearing Agni Kai colours, are sitting on the chairs, on the floor, wherever there's space. They're all restrained – but in some cases it doesn't seem necessary. More than a few of the triad members are near unconscious or completely out, their faces beaten bloody.

Lin notices more than a few of them have what look to be broken bones, haphazardly splinted and set. She takes some care – not much, but some – as she stalks through the group and heads toward the front desk, eying the officer flipping through towering stacks of arrest forms.

"What the hell's all this? I wasn't notified of any major anti-triad operations today," Lin barks, catching the mousy officer's attention and causing him to jerk up in his seat with a gasp.

"C-Chief. I, well, uh – "

"Uh? What's 'Uh?'"

Lin narrows her eyes at the officer, and his eyes dart around, nervously searching for an explanation.

"Well?" Lin asks, leaning forward, watching how the officer seems to shrink back.

"T-two of our officers were called to an Agni Kai safehouse downtown early this morning. An anonymous tip."

Lin furrows her brow. Anonymous?

"When they got there, they found the occupants b-beaten into unconsciousness, and several crates of varied o-opiates. It seemed like they were getting ready to get their product out to their dealers."

Lin crosses her arms, and glances back at the assembled mass of defeated, beaten men.

We've been trying to find the central distribution point of the Agni Kais for little over a year and a half. Who the hell finds it and then leaves all these thugs and their product giftwrapped for us?

An idea occurs to Lin. An obvious one, really.

Minutes later, she's back in her office, phone to her ear. She's contacted the head of the forensics team – a new department, but a dedicated one at least – for a report on the crime scene.

"Would there be anything to suggest an attack by the Equalists?" Lin asks, fumbling with the receiver for a moment. Stupid thing. "Any similarities with last year's attack?"

"Considering – sorry, one second –" the investigator grumbles something inaudible for a moment, maybe to another officer on site, before continuing. "Considering the lack of fatalities, and based on initial testimony from the perps that were conscious, it doesn't seem like it. Doesn't seem like another triad made a move on them either."

"Well, what about the testimonies?" Lin presses on, impatient. "Anything conclusive yet?"

"Here's the thing, Chief," the CSI takes a brief moment to gather his thoughts, before continuing, "most of the testimonies mention no more than a few attackers. Some mention only seeing the one guy – if they even saw anything at all."

"Well that's a load of bisonshit," Lin grunts. "Fifty firebenders taken out by one guy?"

"It's what they said, Chief."

"…Keep at it. Contact me the instant you find anything conclusive." Lin sets the phone down with a hard chime, and leans back in her office chair.

At least the day got interesting, she muses, before sitting up straight again. She resolves to call downstairs and arrange immediate and thorough questioning for any perps that are in stable enough condition to talk.

She can feel the lure of a new case setting her blood aflame again. She feels like a hunter once more.

Lin Beifong smiles.

It is not a pleasant smile.


Kya fidgets. She can't help it, really – she was never one for sitting still or waiting. The boat she's on crawls across the water at a painfully slow speed, and she's of half a mind to stand up and waterbend the boat towards their destination at top speed, other passengers be damned. Considering, however, that the other passengers include several bright-eyed tourists and a number of children, she decides against it.

She turns around from her seat on the boat, craning her neck to spy her destination.

I see they've built the guard towers even higher this time, she notices.

Air Temple Island is a strange thing, lingering in the city's bay – half a sanctuary, half a prison. Tall, threatening barriers and gates border the island, and packs of White Lotus soldiers patrol both the wall and the shores below. Kya ignores them and instead tries to make out the familiar sight of the temple towers, reaching up towards the sky. The walls are so high that she has to stand up slightly and squint.

Finally, the boat approaches the island's dock, and Kya wastes no time in stepping off the boat and back onto ground that, despite her many years away, still feels like home. Kya makes a beeline for the temple gates as the rest of the passengers disembark behind her, but she stops when she sees the massive, ugly checkpoint that obscures it. She barely has any time to speak before she's escorted through the checkpoint by a thin-faced White Lotus grunt and promptly questioned and frisked while her bag's searched.

It doesn't hit her until she's past the checkpoint that the feeling of home has completely vanished.

Kya finds, however, that the sight of her brother, his wife and his children restores it somewhat. Meelo and Ikki rush over to her, gliding over the stones on air scooters, and Kya smiles as she crouches down slightly, trying to divide her attention equally between the two as they chatter excitedly at her. Behind them, Jinora stands beside her father and mother, far more reserved. Finally, Meelo and Ikki zoom away, and Tenzin approaches, Pema and Jinora walking behind him.

Kya looks at her brother, and he looks at her. They both immediately rush forward, embracing each other in a tight hug. Kya tries to ignore the slight tremor that she feels in her brother's hands.

"It's so good to see you," Kya murmurs, as soon as they pull away from each other. She attempts a smile, but finds it doesn't quite fit right at the moment.

"It's been too long," Tenzin nods, similarly stoic. "It is good of you to make the trip over here – I know it's been rough for those travelling into the Republic."

"It wasn't much," Kya shrugs. "A few mouthy border patrols, a few dodged convoys."

She'd say something about Suyin getting paranoid, but that's long overdue.

Tenzin's expression is resigned, but finally something resembling a smile settles over his face.

"At least you're here now. We've all been looking forward to seeing you again." He replies. Kya glances at Pema, and they share a friendly nod. Jinora remains largely unnoticed, slinking behind her mother like a shadow.

After some more small talk, Tenzin leads her up to the main area of the compound. Kya's gaze is almost immediately drawn to the lack of vegetation or trees – nothing to obscure the sightlines of sentries or guards, most likely.

"They had them removed last month," Tenzin supplies, when he notices the direction of Kya's gaze. "I protested, but they eventually got their way. They always do."

"I don't remember the White Lotus giving you or Dad many orders," Kya replies, quiet and measured.

"They're acting in our best interests," Tenzin responds, his voice somewhat tired. "We can't afford to debate these things, not after the latest series of attacks."

Kya's expression tightens. "I heard about it nearly a week after everyone else did," she muses. "Have you heard from Izumi's son yet?"

"Iroh?" Tenzin asks. "He's currently on deployment, but he may be returning to the Fire Nation early to help stabilize things."

An unspoken tension hangs in the air, until Kya gives it a voice.

"Izumi's tough. And you know she's even more stubborn than you were. She'll pull through."

Tenzin doesn't reply, and Kya remains silent as they head into the main building of the compound. As soon as they enter the warm, wooden interiors, Pema excuses herself, Jinora following at her heels. Kya watches them leave out of the corner or her eye as Tenzin leads her towards where she'll be staying. The walk isn't that long, but even Kya can tell Tenzin is hurrying, can see the tension in his back.

The moment Tenzin leads her into her room, Kya slides the door shut behind her. Tenzin turns slightly, raising one eyebrow and watching her as she moves over to the bed and takes a seat.

"Talk," she commands, motioning for him to sit in the chair at the tiny desk by the window.

"I really don't think that's –" Tenzin is cut off by Kya gesturing aggressively at the chair again. He sets his jaw as he pulls the chair out and sits down, his robes pooling around him.

"What's up?" Kya asks, leaning in, her expression softening.

Tenzin seems like he won't respond for a moment. Kya keeps looking at him, ready and waiting. Finally, he gives in and deflates, his shoulders slumping and head bowing. He brings one hand up to rub at his eyes, and Kya sees her youngest brother again, all traces of pretence forgotten.

"It's the kids."

"How do you mean?" Kya asks, mildly concerned.

"It's just – they haven't flown in so long, Kya. It's been months since they were allowed to take their gliders out. At least a year since they took a trip on Oogi or any other bison," Tenzin murmurs, voice tired. "And you wouldn't think there'd be anything wrong at a glance, but I can tell it's hurting them. They miss it. And every time I look at them, every time I have to tell them why they can't go up in the sky, it just hits me all over again."

"What? That we're fucked?" Kya asks, bluntly. Tenzin glances up, raising an unamused eyebrow, but doesn't comment on her language.

Shit. He really is in trouble, Kya realises.

"I just can't understand –" Tenzin rises suddenly, a surge of motion and robes, " – how we haven't found her yet! The one thing we need above all else…"

"For all we know the Water Tribe Avatar died young," Kya suggests. "The White Lotus should be focusing the brunt of their search on the Earth Empire territories. As difficult as they are to cover, it's worth a shot."

Tenzin shakes his head, beginning to pace. "No. They insist that the Water Tribe Avatar is still alive…and there's been nothing to suggest that the cycle's moved on. Nothing from the temples or the priests."

Kya nods, slowly. "Well…has there been any development with the Expeditionary Force? I know they're combing through the Fire Nation territories in the wake of the assassination attempt on Izumi…"

Tenzin keeps pacing, shaking his head again. "No. The Reds move too fast, they're too well coordinated." As he speaks, his voice rises and rises, frustration building. "They have agents everywhere these days. If we'd caught them even five years ago, it wouldn't have been as difficult as it is now!"

He stops pacing, and faces the window, leaning against the windowsill and letting out a deep breath. He looks out over Yue Bay and closes his eyes, his expression calming slightly as he attempts to regain his composure.

"Every day they're out there is another day my family is in danger. I can't bear it and neither can Pema," he whispers, barely audible. "I go to sleep each night, I don't know if I'll wake up."

"Tenzin –" Kya stands, reaching out to him, concern plain on her face.

"I'm – I'm not ready to die. I'm n-not -" Tenzin stammers for a moment, the words stuck in his throat. "I'm not afraid of it. I just can't stand – the idea of them alone. Pema, too – I can't even think sometimes, I'm so -"

Kya's hand comes down on his shoulder, a gentle, reassuring pressure. Tenzin nearly crumbles underneath it.

Finally, he lets out a shuddering breath, and steps back, standing to his full, impressive height, every inch the Patriarch of the Air Nomads.

Kya looks at him, hesitating to speak.

"Are you alright?" She asks, after a brief silence.

"I will be, when we find Zaheer and string him up," Tenzin replies, his tone steady and final.

"No arguments there," Kya replies, a tiny, dark smile on her face.

The two enjoy the silence for a moment, before Kya speaks again.

"So, how about dinner?"


Hours later, the mood is far lighter. Tenzin and Pema seem far more relaxed, The children are just as full of energy as Kya remembers – Meelo barrels around the table every other moment and Ikki just never stops talking. She's all too happy to answer question after question about what travelling through the Earth Empire was like, but her dinner's getting cold and eventually she has to punctuate every answer with a generous helping of her meal.

Thankfully, Meelo chooses to start pestering Ikki at that moment, allowing Kya to enjoy her dinner properly.

The rest of the dinner passes in amiable, pleasant silence, and after the children leave the three adults are free to relax a little more – or at least as much as Air Nomad tradition allows. As Kya turns down a third cup of tea from Tenzin, Pema speaks up.

"So, Kya – if you don't mind me asking, how long are you staying?" Pema asks, enjoying her own tea. "You never let us know in any of your letters."

Oh. Yeah. That. Kya sits back and meets Tenzin's gaze for a moment. "…Actually, I'm planning on sticking around for quite a while," she replies.

Tenzin frowns for a moment, but it changes into a smile just as quickly. "That's surprising – but we're more than happy to have you back at the island. Can I ask why?"

Kya clears her throat. "I've actually decided to put down roots. Travelling was getting too difficult, so." She shrugs for emphasis. "I'm hoping to find a decent clinic – hopefully I can carve out a decent living here for myself."

"So you're not planning to stay on the island?" Tenzin asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't get me wrong, I'll definitely swing by as much as I can – but I just don't think I could handle living here at the moment. No offence, of course."

"None taken," Tenzin murmurs, leaning back. He strokes his beard, thinking for a moment.

"There are a few clinics that could certainly use a healer of your calibre – I'll see what I can do to help you out."

"Thanks, I appreciate it. Where did you have in mind?" Kya asks.

"There's a clinic in the Dragon Flats borough that could use some help. The neighbourhood has a very low concentration of benders, so with your skills, you'd certainly be a welcome addition," Tenzin replies.

"Dragon Flats? Bit of a rough area." Kya responds. "Not that I'd shy away from it, though."

"Oh, it's calmed down greatly since you left. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Guess I'll start there, then." Kya decides.

"I take it you'll be staying with us until you get a place in the city?" Tenzin asks. "I know the kids would love to have their Aunt around."

Kya nods, a small smile on her face.

"I'm not going anywhere," she replies.


So yeah, it's been quite a while. I'm glad to say though, Justice League has given me a bit of a second wind, and I look forward to getting back to writing! Hopefully you'll enjoy what I've got in store.