I'm alive! Even I must admit it's been far too long since my last update, and I can't apologize enough for the wait. My first draft of this chapter lead to a concept I plan to utilize later in the story, so I had to restart from scratch. Then to make matters worse my beta is a complete jackass. For every one mistake he corrected he had several 'ideas' about how the chapter could be 'improved'. Now unless you enjoy writing your stories in a process that takes two steps forward, and one step back, then do not under any circumstances let some hack wannabe writer by the profile name Raavaatu be your beta.
Ha! Ha!
In all seriousness though I'm sorry for the long wait, and to make it up to all you awesome reader who waited so patiently, I now present my new longest chapter to date. Enjoy.
33: Matriarchs
Things were quiet on Air Temple Island. The storm that had plagued Republic City since Vaatu's resurrection had finally calmed though the lingering cloud cover indicated there was still far more to come. Dark storm clouds still covered the sky for hundreds of miles on end in all directions, so thickly that even the bright noon sunlight couldn't pierce through, leaving the entire city in a state of perpetual twilight. While lightning no longer cracked across the sky, thunder could still be heard rumbling in the distance out beyond Yue Bay, and the winds still howled through across the water and through the streets.
"I've never seen a storm quite like this one, and in all my years I've seen more than my fair share of odd weather."
Adopting a tired smile Pema turned away from her view of the stormy bay to see her mother in law Katara standing in the doorway. "At least the rain stopped, for now anyways. How is he?"
With the weight of many years on her shoulders the aged water bender slowly moved to join her daughter in law, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Tenzin is awake and he will be fine; thank the spirits, but I'm afraid he took quite a beating. Multiple lacerations on his side, two cracked ribs with three more broken, and on top of that he has a mild concussion."
"He did hit that wall pretty hard, and that dark spirit hit him even harder." Pema conceded with a nod. "How long until he's healed?"
Katara sighed. "I've dealt with the concussion, and patched up his side as best I can, but even with what little spirit water I have left; those ribs are going to take some time to fully heal. Kya and I will do what we can to help speed things along, but it will take at least a week. Until then I believe it would be best if he remained here on the island and rest."
"And he agreed?" Pema asked, her brow rising quizzically.
The water bender shook her head and smiled. "Of course not. He's as stubborn as his father was. No time for something as trivial as mending broken bone, when there is a world that needs saving."
They both laughed at that. With the increasingly somber atmosphere covering Republic city like a wet blanket, moments of joy had become fewer and far between. As depressing as that was though it made the moments with her family all the more special, despite the pain of having several of its pieces missing, what with Ikki being presumably lost in the spirit world, and Jinora searching for her.
Pema savored the moment with her mother in law, but their mirth swiftly faded back into somber silence.
"He's so much like his father." Katara said after a moment, her expression turning solemn as she looked out across to bay to the massive statue of her late husband.
"Noble, strong, caring, loyal, selfless," Pema listed off playfully, which earned her another small smile the older woman.
"Not to mention stubborn." Katara added with a tired sigh. "It's their shared sense of duty that worries me. Aang always felt it was his duty as the Avatar to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders, and that sense of responsibility, while noble is ultimately self destructive, and I'm afraid it's a trait he passed on to both Korra as his successor, and Tenzin as his son."
"If you want something done right." Pema muttered sadly.
"Excuse me?" Katara asked her blue eyes widening in surprise.
The air acolyte sighed. "If you want something done right you have to do it yourself. It's something my father used to say when I was a little girl. He always had a very hand's on approach to anything he did, he never asked for help for anything. I've noticed that Tenzin tends to be the same way sometime, trying to handle everything himself. Serving on the city council, building and leading the new air nation; he always tries bear the burden alone. Kya, Lin, Bumi, and I have had to twist his arm on many occasions just to let us help."
"And that's the problem now. Aang never wanted to trouble the people he loved with what he believed was his burden to bear, and Tenzin is the same way. He needs to rest, and he's not going to get it if he's trying to save the world."
Pema placed a comforting hand on Katara's shoulder. "Don't worry; I'll talk to him, and I'll make sure he gets his rest." She said giving the water bender a reassuring smile before going inside.
Passing through the kitchen she made her way through several corridors, and before long she found herself standing before the threshold of her and her husband's room. Stepping through she was met with the sight of Tenzin lying in bed with bandages wrapped around his middle and their two sons on either side of him.
Pausing in the doorway she watched as Meelo stood at attention before his father giving his latest field report, as usual with as much military jargon as he knew, while Tenzin to his credit listened patiently with their youngest son Rohan curled up on the bed next to him. Their eldest son had always been fascinated by the United Forces, listening to every story his uncle Bumi told with rapt attention.
Ever since Vaatu's return however; the once wild child had kicked things up a notch. Every day since Ikki's disappearance he'd spent all of his time going on patrols, running 'missions' for Bumi, and doing anything he could to help. She was proud of how well the ten year old was holding up, though she still worried for him as any mother would.
As the report reached its conclusion Tenzin noticed her in the doorway and nodded. "Well done Meelo, now report back to your uncle Bumi and he'll go over your next assignment with you."
"Sir. Yes. Sir!" the young air bender responded with a crisp salute before turning on his heel and marching his way out the door.
"Is Meelo doing alright? He's been acting more military than usual lately." She asked worriedly as she took a seat on the edge of their bed, and allowed Rohan to crawl his way into her arms."
"He's worried about his sisters and he is handling it better than I expected." Tenzin answered looking her over for injuries before taking her hand comfortingly in his. "Are you alright? What happened?"
Feeling Rohan wrap his small arms around her; Pema sighed as she absentmindedly rubbed the toddlers back. "I'm alright. Fire Lord Izumi, the water chieftains, and their guards managed to fight off the spirits."
"The casualties?" Tenzin asked with a growing sense of dread, as he recalled the mayhem and carnage that had taken place barely twelve hours ago.
"Twenty-two," Pema admitted solemnly. "The republic city and Earth Republic security teams were completely wiped out except for Lin, Tu, and those Kyoshi warriors. Raiko and the other world leaders are alright, but I'm afraid the senator who accompanied Wu didn't make it. Fire lord Izumi and the water Chieftains teams suffered some casualties but they managed to dispatch the spirits before anyone else was hurt. After that I rode with you to the hospital, so I'm not sure what happened afterwards."
Tenzin sighed. "If we're going to help Mako then we need to find out what the other world leaders are planning to do." Tenzin stated.
As he began to sit up; Pema gently pressed him back down. "No 'I' need to find out what the other world leaders are planning. 'You' need to stay here and heal." She said firmly.
"Pema; I'm fine. I've just got a headache, and a few scrapes and bruises." Tenzin said dismissively as he tried to sit up again, only for his wife to press him gently back down again."
"Scrapes and bruises huh? That's weird because when I talked to your mom a few minutes ago; she used words like concussion, laceration, and my personal favorites broken and bones." Pema said with an eyebrow raised in skepticism.
"You spoke with mother?" He asked with a wince.
Pema nodded. "Yes I did, and she said that you will be just fine."
"In a week or so." She added with increasing irritation as he tried to sit up again, before she pressed him back down with a little more force this time. "Katara said you need to stay here and rest. The sooner you accept that the sooner you'll get better."
The master air bender scowled. "Pema we don't have a week. As of now the world is on a razor's edge of disaster. Vaatu is out there doing who knows what in the spirit world, while Raiko is out here doing everything he can to rally the other nation behind him in fear. If he acquires enough support there is no telling what he'll do, or how far he'll go to put Vaatu down." Tenzin said; his frustration increasing with every word as he began to sit up again. "If we're not careful things could spiral into an all out war with all the spirits, not just Vaatu. On top of that Korra still hasn't woken up, while our daughter is lost somewhere in the spirit world, and our only hope of ever seeing her again is the latest Dark Avatar who has absolutely no reason to do anybody any favors. I can't just sit here and do nothing."
Seeing the accumulated anger, stress, and fear of the past week finally begin to catch up with him; Pema sighed as she slid Rohan off of her lap and onto the floor. "Alright sweetie; mommy and daddy need to have a grown up talk. Go find Gran-gran, and tell her I said you can have a cookie."
"Ok mama." The four and a half year old said before turning and rushing off to find Katara, wearing the kind of childish smile only the promise of sweets could inspire.
The second their youngest son was out the door and out of ear shot; she turned to face her husband. "You have several broken bones Tenzin, and as stubborn as you are this is not something you can just shrug off for the greater good. Your mother said she will do everything she can to speed up the healing process, but you need to rest." she said, gently her green eyes staring pleadingly into his grey ones.
The air bender wanted to argue further, but hearing the concern in her voice and seeing the sincerity in her eyes, his stress melted away leaving only weariness.
"But how?" He asked tiredly. "How can I just stand aside when the world is on the brink, and so many lives are on the line?"
"Because you are human." She said cupping his face tenderly. "Seriously honey you sound like Korra when she first came here to learn air bending. Honest to Raava I love Korra, but she was stubborn as a brick wall and twice as thick."
Tenzin tried respond, but the air acolyte covered his mouth with her hand. "Nope, it's as you said the world is on the verge of chaos, so we need to nip this in the bud now."
Hearing the maternal tone she used whenever she lectured the children, he knew there was no point in trying to argue until after she'd said her piece. Sighing through his nose Tenzin nodded for her to proceed.
Removing her hand from his mouth she took his hand firmly in hers. "I know you are under a lot of stress right now, we all are, but you're starting to slip into the same mindset that Korra had when she first started serving as the Avatar. You know the one that made so many bad situations a lot more difficult than they needed to be. I know her heart was always in the right place just like yours is now, but you have to understand that the world doesn't depend solely on you, and you certainly shouldn't try to face it alone. Korra learned that the hard way that she has limits and it cost her dearly. You more than anyone should know the value of friends and family, and how important it is to accept your limitations and let them help you when you need it. You're human Tenzin, you need to heal, and you can't do that if you're running around fighting dark spirits and participating in political intrigue. So please just listen to your mother, get some rest, and let me handle things for a time. Let the rest of us bear the burden for a while."
A moment of silence ensued between them. He wanted to argue with her, but there was no denying that she was right. Until he was healed enough to hold his own in a fight, which in this newfound era of darkness was now a mandatory requirement to live, he couldn't handle upcoming tribulations personally, and would only be a liability to their cause.
"I suppose I don't have a choice do I?" He asked with resignation clear in his voice as he laid back down, much to Pema's satisfaction.
"Of course not dear," She said patting his hand with a loving smile. "Now what should we do?"
"I'm not sure." The air nomad sighed. "We need to know what the other world leaders intend to do about Vaatu, so we can plan accordingly."
"Bumi is on good terms with Tonraq, and you both grew up with Izumi. Maybe he could pay the world leaders a visit, and see where they stand." Pema offered.
Tenzin shook his tattooed head. "No; that probably wouldn't be the best idea. Yes he's on friendly terms with a few of the others, but Bumi is a soldier not a politician. He would have no idea how to handle Wu, Raiko, or the twins, and then there is the fact that he doesn't always think before he speaks."
"You have a point there." The air acolyte conceded, thinking back to when her brother in law had first come to live with them after his retirement. After an extensive naval career he'd developed an unfortunate tendency to resort to sailor talk whenever surprised or in pain. After several stubbed toes Ikki and Meelo had started to pick up on his vocabulary, so she'd implemented a swear jar in hopes of curbing his coarse language. The former commander wound up losing over two hundred and fifty yuans to the jar before Ikki 'invented' a new word that he could use instead of swearing.
"This is a very dangerous game Pema, and we're the only ones trying to save everyone; Korra, Mako, and the millions of souls about to be caught in the crossfire. The only way we can save them is by keeping several steps ahead of Raiko and any faction that aligns with him, and the only way we're going to keep the upper hand is by maintaining a considerable amount of secrecy. It would be better to send Kya."
"I don't think that's the best idea either. Kya is one of the greatest healers in the world, second only to your mother. While Katara is here helping you heal, I think it would be best if she continues watching over Jinora with Kai. She still hasn't come back yet and if she stays in the spirit world for too much longer we'll need Kya's help to keep her body alive until she returns." Pema explained.
Tenzin sighed. "Well If not Bumi or Kya then who can we trust to…" He tapered off as he saw the eager smile on his wife's face; recognizing it as the one Ikki wore whenever she had a bright idea. "No! No, no, no; absolutely not I forbid it!"
Pema chuckled. "Yeah I wouldn't count on that dear. Your track record for forbidding things and them happening anyway isn't exactly in your favor." She said teasingly, but he was far from amused.
"You can't do this Pema, what about the children?" he argued.
Pema sighed. "Kya is watching over Jinora, Meelo has been sticking to Bumi like glue, and between Katara and grandma Yin; Rohan is under surveillance twenty-four-seven. Aside from Ikki the children are safe and in very capable hands. I can do this Tenzin." She said beseechingly.
"No Pema; it's far too dangerous." The air bender stated adamantly, but she would not be deterred.
"We don't have a choice Tenzin. If we're going to keep the upper hand like you said then we need to act quickly. I'm familiar with the other world leaders, I'm very subtle, discretion is my middle name and after all these years at your side I've picked up a thing or two about politics. What's more Raiko trusts you, so he would never suspect me of subterfuge. I'm not just our only option, I'm our best one. From the day we took our wedding vows I've stood by your side and trusted in you to protect our family. Now I need you to trust in me to do the same. Please Tenzin let me do this."
More than anything he wanted to say no, but once again she was right. There was far too much truth in her reasoning for him to refute her logic. She knew who the people they were dealing with, she was the least likely to draw unwanted attention or raise suspicions, and above all he did trust her more than anyone.
Glancing out the window to see the rain falling once again Tenzin sighed in resignation. "You're right Pema. You are the most qualified for this, and I do trust you. I always have and I always will, but you have to understand; we were attacked by dark spirits. If they are already appearing in Republic City, then things are only going to get even more dangerous. It's hard enough for me to stand aside; I cannot just watch you walk into the crossfire alone."
"What if I asked Lin for help?" She offered. "I might not be much of a fighter, but Lin's tough enough to go toe to toe with anyone, be they Triad thugs or even dark spirits. Hell I've seen it firsthand. We know she's already working her own angle to save Mako with Izumi's help. Maybe she'll be willing to help us with ours."
"I would certainly feel a lot better if Lin were to accompany you," Tenzin admitted with a nod. "But are you certain she'll be able to? With everything that's happened and everything that's going on she might have her hands tied."
"I don't think that current events will matter much to her Tenzin. There's something going on with Lin. Normally she so professional and in control, but when I spoke with her in her office and when met with Izumi; she was more emotional, vulnerable even. We're only just starting to become actual friends, but I think this thing with Mako is far too personal for her to say no, even to me."
"No Pema! For the last time I can't help you, now go away." Chief Lin Beifong growled as she threw a vicious right upper cut.
Pema flinched as the metal bender's fist struck the heavy punching bag with a solid thump that indicated she used enough force to give a grown man a concussion. The fact that the metal chain connecting the punching bag to the ceiling went limp as the bag lifted upward for a moment only verified that conclusion.
"Out of curiosity how heavy is that bag?" the air acolyte asked glancing warily around the deserted gymnasium.
"120 pounds; go away or get in the ring." She replied tersely.
Pema sighed. It had taken her and Tenzin nearly an hour to hammer out most of the finer points of their strategy to save Mako and their daughter. It had then taken her another two hours to track Lin down. After receiving her husband's blessing she'd gone to the hospital only to find out she'd been discharged. After that she'd gone to the Police station only to learn that the chief of police had been called in for an immediate meeting with the president. After trekking down to city hall she learned from Raiko's receptionist that the meeting had concluded ten minutes prior to her arrival, and that she'd just missed her quarry.
She then returned to the police station only to find almost everyone with their noses to the grind stone working far more fervently than when she'd first checked in. It was Lin's right hand man police captain Saikahn that informed her; the chief had returned from her meeting with Raiko in a very bad mood, and that she was more than likely in the gym taking her frustrations out on either the equipment or whatever idiot was dumb enough to get into the boxing ring with her.
That was where she found her, alone beating a poor punching bag to within an inch of its life, dressed in a white tank top and sweat pants, with blood stained bandages wrapped around her upper arms where a dark spirit's claws had punctured her armor.
Seeing how royally pissed off the Beifong woman was she'd been hesitant, but time was of the essence and enlisting the metal bender's aid was the single non-negotiable requirement she needed for her husband to be even remotely comfortable with the idea of her acting in his stead.
She knew the older woman's challenge had been a joke as much as it was a warning, but there was no other way to get the police chief's attention. If she was going to get off the sidelines and actually do something to protect her family; she needed Lin to back her up, and if that meant throwing down with her husband's ex girlfriend then so be it.
"You can't be serious." Lin said pausing in her merciless assault on the punching bag to watch in disbelief as the mother of four shed her red cloak and grabbed a pair of boxing gloves of a rack.
"Oh I am dead serious Lin," she replied trying to climb into the ring. Between her loose fitting air acolyte robes and the fact that she'd never set foot into a fighting ring in her life; it wasn't much of a surprise that the large elastic cords wound up flipping her over onto the ring floor with a dull thud. "Now shut up and listen to me, or come get your butt kicked."
Rolling her green eyes the veteran police officer picked up another pair of gloves, and expertly stepped into the ring, much to Pema's envy as she stood up with a groan.
"What do you want Pema?" she asked, raising her gloves in a defensive stance.
"We need your help Lin. Tenzin was hurt pretty badly when those dark spirits attacked the world summit. He's going to be fine but Katara says it will take some time for him to fully heal. Since he is going to be out of commission for a while we've agreed that it would be best if I took the lead on our plans to help Mako."
As she spoke Pema raised her gloves and began hopping around like she'd seen Mako and Bolin do whenever they sparred using their pro bending style of bending.
"What the hell does that have to do with me?" Lin asked testily as she threw an exploratory right jab, causing Pema to instinctively hop back to avoid it.
Regaining her stance Pema continued to hop from foot to foot. "It has everything to do with both of us. If we're going to help Mako we need to know who all is gunning for him. Being the wife of the Chief Air Nomad I have the perfect excuse to get close to the other world leaders, and thanks to Tenzin I know enough about political maneuvering to find out what they intend to do. I can get the information we need, I can do it discreetly, and Raiko believes he has the new air nation's full support so he would never suspect me of subversion. However things are getting more and more dangerous; if more dark spirits or who knows what starts showing up I wouldn't stand a chance on my own."
Finishing her sentence Pema threw a quick combination of jabs. Being an experienced fighter in both bending and in hand to hand combat as well as being in far better physical condition Lin easily avoided the meager strikes, leaning left to avoid the right jab, and leaning right to avoid the left jab.
"So what; you expect me to be your bodyguard? Why don't you just have Kya or Bumi do it?" the metal bender asked incredulously as she knocked the third strike to the side with barely any effort, before retaliating with a right hook.
She hadn't hit her nearly as hard as hard as she had the punching bag, but she'd still used enough force to send the younger woman spinning comically into the elastic ropes which in turn flung forward and down onto the mat with another solid thump.
Stunned but nowhere near deterred Pema rolled over with a groan and stared up at the metal bender standing over her. "Kya is looking after Jinora, and Bumi is running the island in Tenzin's stead. I don't expect you to be my bodyguard Lin. I expect you to be our friend." She said slowly standing back up and meeting Lin's scowl with a one of her own.
"I'm the black sheep in my family Lin. My grandparents were benders, my parents were benders, my husband is a bender, and our four amazing children are benders. Now I know there is a lot more to fighting then just bending, but unlike Asami I am neither trained nor skilled in the art of kicking butt with my bare hands. You are one of the most powerful benders in the world, and aside from me you're the one Tenzin trusts completely. He needs to rest, and we need him to be thinking clearly if our plans to help Mako are going to work, and he can't do either of those things if he's worrying about me. Knowing that you have my back would give us both enough peace of mind to do what we need to do to save Mako, Ikki, and more than likely Korra too."
Hearing the conviction in her voice and seeing the determination woman's green eyes Lin sighed. "Look Pema I want to help more than anyone, but I can't help you. Raiko found out about my meeting with Izumi, and he wasn't pleased."
"Did he fire you?" Pema asked worriedly, but Lin shook her head.
"No. Raiko is not stupid enough to discard his chief of police during times as uncertain as this, and besides firing me wouldn't have been a severe enough punishment in his opinion. Either way you might be able to fly under his radar, but I can't. I'm completely out of the loop, and if Raiko hears that I've been paying visits to the other world leader, he'll know something is up. I can't help you." She said turning away unable to look her in the eyes.
Hearing the shame in her voice at not being able to help them; Pema walked up and placed a comforting glove on the metal bender's shoulder, and gave her a sad smile. "Thanks for the concern Lin but you underestimate me. Seeing or hearing that you and I are meeting with the other leaders might raise a red flag for Raiko, but I'm perfectly capable of meeting with the world leaders by myself. I'm a big girl Lin; I don't need you or Tenzin to hold my hand. I just need you to have my back. Can we count on you?"
Lin's smile said that she would help them, but the metal bender shook her head. "I don't know; things could get pretty dangerous. I think I might agree with Tenzin. Even with my help this mission is still probably far too dangerous for you."
"I can handle myself in a bad situation Lin." Pema said, her green eyes narrowing.
"Are you sure? This isn't your nomadic little island. Nobody's going to be pulling punches, and you couldn't even land one on me." Lin said with a smirk as she crossed her arms.
Pema scoffed. "I'm definitely sure. My life was very different before I became an air acolyte, and while I might not be a bender, or a martial arts fighter, or a weapons expert, but before my father passed away spirits rest his soul he taught me three things to help me if I ever got into a fight."
"And what might those be?" Lin asked curiously.
Pulling off her right glove and dropping it to the mat; Pema raised a finger. "One: if people are foolish enough to underestimate you don't correct them, make them pay for it."
Lin raised a brow at that.
"Two: it doesn't matter how weak you are, or how strong your opponent is, if you have the element of surprise the odds are in your favor." Pema continued, raising a second finger.
"And the third?" Lin asked wondering just what kind of man the air acolyte's father was.
Pema smirked. "Well actually the third one is a bit of a secret." She whispered conspiratorially, glancing suspiciously around the empty gym, before gesturing for her to lean closer."
Not seeing any reason to do otherwise Lin did as requested, and to her eternal bewilderment she suddenly found herself knocked flat by a left uppercut.
Laying there flat on her back in the empty gymnasium with the slight taste of copper in her mouth; Chief of Police Lin Beifong could only stare up at the ceiling completely dumbstruck by the fact that she'd just been sucker punched by an air acolyte. At least until her view was obstructed by Pema leaning over her while holding up three fingers.
"Three: I don't need to be much of a fighter to have a mean south paw." She said wearing a smile so bright that it proved beyond a doubt which parent Ikki inherited her smile from.
Lin glared up at her. "There is something important I have to deal with today. Meet me at the Grand Republic Hotel tomorrow at six o'clock sharp. We can see where Izumi stands and work our way from there."
"Six o'clock sharp. Got it!" The air acolyte chirped happily as turned and made her way carefully out of the ring.
"And Pema?" Lin called out stopping her halfway from the exit.
"Yes Lin?" she asked curiously.
"If you tell anyone what happened here I will kill you." She growled dangerously as she leveled a signature Beifong death glare in her direction.
Pema just smiled in return. "I wouldn't dream of it Lin." She called back sweetly before heading for the exit.
All the while wondering if her husband's ex girlfriend was serious, or if their friendship had finally reached the point where death threats where simply terms of endearment.
Hearing the exit door close Lin sighed in exhaustion. Not from the little sparring session she'd had with the air acolyte, if it could even be called that, or even the merciless beating she'd given the punching bag. What truly left her weary was her prior meeting with the President.
Somehow Raiko had found out about her meeting with Izumi. The second she'd answered the phone in her office, and heard him calmly request her presence at city hall, she'd known that he knew.
She'd expected him to be absolutely furious for her blatant disregard for his orders and complete betrayal of his confidence. He wasn't, and while that didn't scare her it was unnerving.
There had been no yelling, no firing, no demotion, no suspension, not even an argument. He simply asked her if she was the one who'd spoken to the Fire Lord. Knowing that there was no point in denying it; she had answered with a cold yes.
He'd merely nodded in acknowledgement before turning his attention to appeared to be mundane paperwork. "As the first elected president of this United Republic of nations it is as much my duty to protect and serve the people as it is yours Chief Beifong. In fact the only discernible difference I see between our jobs is that where it's your responsibility to look after the finer details of Republic City; it is my responsibility to look at the bigger picture." He said.
"And what is the bigger picture?" She'd asked coldly.
"That Republic City will burn Beifong." He returned, meeting her steely gaze with his own. "The threat Vaatu's return posses is imminent, overwhelming, and undeniable. His very existence could be the downfall of this nation if not all of humanity. What's more we had the chance to put an end to this disaster before it even began, and all it would have cost is one; single; life. As distasteful as the choice may be if one life must be sacrificed to ensure the survival of thousands more, then it's not even a choice is it? I don't know if your emotions got the better of you, or if Vaatu was just too powerful, but you, General Iroh, and Avatar Korra each had a chance to put him down, and you all failed miserably. Now the smoke is rising, and the only hope we have of stopping this new Dark Avatar is if the five nation's band together, all of humanity standing united against him."
The president set his pen down with a tired sigh, and slid the paper he'd been writing on across the desk. "I understand Mako was your protégée and that you two were close, but there is no saving him now, and I cannot allow you to further jeopardize our efforts to put an end to him. Tenzin and Iroh see the bigger picture, and in time so will the other world leaders. I had hoped that you could see the bigger picture too, but since you've proven yourself incapable of that you will have nothing more to do with the Vaatu situation. You will return your attention and efforts back to police work and the finer details of Republic City.
"What is this?" She asked picking up the document, and giving it a cursory glance before paling in recognition of the ten names listed before her, and feeling as though she'd just been punched in the gut.
Seeing the pain in her eyes Raiko sat back in his chair adjusting his glasses. "Details. It was a miracle that no one was killed over the course of Vaatu's resurrection and escape, but just as I've feared; now as Vaatu's power has grown, so too has the body count. Twenty-two lives were lost in the attack on the world summit Chief Beifong, ten of your own men counted among them. You are to have no further contact with the other world leaders, and as punishment for your subversions I'm ordering you to personally go to the homes of every officer on that list, and kindly explain to their families what happened, and why their loved ones are never coming back. I expect it to taken care of by the end of the day Beifong."
She knew every name on that list by heart.
The majority of the officers she'd personally trained in the art of metal bending. Her relationship with her trainees had always been strictly that of student and teacher, molding and forging them into her elite metal bending task force. While not as close to any of them as she was with Mako who'd been her intended master piece, seeing them in their metal armor always filled her with pride. Not so much the motherly pride she'd felt for her prized detective, but the pride of a sculptor admiring her creations; the very backbone of the RCPD.
Their untimely deaths were disheartening to say the least, but it was the loss of officers Ran, Toro, Jaka, and Genju that struck her hardest. She'd served with those four since the days when her mother had been the chief of police. Having known and worked with them for so long they had become more than just her subordinates and colleagues. They'd been her friends. It was hard enough to accept that they were all gone, but to have to face all of the loved ones they left behind in one day; it was just cruel.
Even now she could feel that damned list folded in her pocket feeling far heavier than a single sheet of paper had any right to. It's presence a constant reminder that the grim task needed to be done, the hearts to be broken. It needed to be done soon lest she leave the families of the departed lost in a limbo of not knowing where their loved ones were or if they were ever coming back.
Taking a deep breath she stood up from her place in the boxing ring, put away the equipment, showered, donned her armor, and with a heavy heart she ventured out into the cold rain almost wishing her heart were still made of the cold stone it had been before Mako, Korra, and the air benders had managed to worm their way in.
Almost.
Meanwhile across to the storm ridden city at the Grand Republic Hotel tempers were on the rise.
Sitting across from each other in the air nomad suite Prince Iroh the second sat across from his mother Fire lord Izumi. For over ten minutes they sat there in silence. There was no yelling, no arguing, all was silent as they sat there golden eyes locked with gold in a battle of wills.
"How much did Lin tell you?" Iroh asked calmly, breaking the tense silence.
"She told me everything I needed to know." Izumi answered with equal calm. "And everything you didn't tell me." She added with an icier edge.
"Raiko gave us express orders. She had no right to tell you." Iroh answered dismissively.
Izumi's eyes narrowed. "She may not have had the right to tell me, but I and the other world leaders had every right to know the whole truth. If we are to face an enemy then we must fully understand what it is, where it came from, and how it came to be if we are to overcome it."
"But you have no intention of overcoming Vaatu. Do you mother?" Iroh accused.
Izumi frowned. "I have every intention of seeing Vaatu stopped Iroh, but unlike Raiko I am not willing to condemn an innocent man to death when there may yet be another way."
"There is no other way!" Iroh roared. "Mako is gone and all that remains is the Dark Avatar. If we don't stop him now before he regains his full power, then we may never be able to stop him. All hope will be lost."
Izumi remained silent for a moment. "Your aunt Lin seems to have hope." She replied evenly, seemingly unfazed by her eldest child's outburst.
"Chief Beifong wants there to be hope for Mako, and in her desperation she's allowed her emotions to cloud her judgment." Iroh countered.
"And your judgment is so clear?" Izumi asked sadly. "If Lin is blinded by emotion then you are no less so. Your pride and shame of the past drives you down a reckless path that ends in nothing but pointless bloodshed. You proclaim your reasons to be for the greater good and whether or not you actually believe that I see it for what it really is; just another excuse to turn your back on your family; more so than you already have."
Iroh made to respond but stopped himself. Closing his eyes, he took a calming breath, before releasing it in a tired sigh.
"Now we're just stirring up the ashes of an argument to old to matter." The prince said standing up. "Think what you will, but I do understand the importance of family and as regrettable as Mako's fate is; I believe President Raiko's course of action is what's best; not just for the united republic but for everyone. Can we count on your support?"
Izumi sighed.
Looking up to see the determined yet almost pleading look in his golden eyes, the eyes of a dragon shared by everyone in their ancient bloodline. Seeing this she wanted to say yes. There had been a rift between them ever since the day he'd left the fire nation to join the United Forces, and the fact that this was a chance to begin healing that rift made the offer so much more tempting.
She knew painfully well that these chances grew fewer and farther between as the years passed, but she also knew that Lin needed her help as well. Just remembering the pain she'd seen in her green eyes was enough reason to withhold the answer Iroh wanted.
Putting aside the fact that she was as stubborn as the element she commanded; for the proud metal bender that was Lin Beifong to come before her and not only ask but plead for her help proved that it was her son who was in more desperate need of help.
"I'm sorry Iroh, but my answer remains no. Raiko may handle thing his way, but the fire nation shall handle things my way. I only ask that if this is the path you wish to walk that you do so carefully."
The general nodded. "I will. Good day fire lord Izumi." He said formally, bowing in the traditional fire nation style before heading towards the door.
"Did you know he was a phoenix?" Izumi asked softly, watching the reflection of her son in the large bay windows stop, his hand hovering over the doorknob.
"No, and whether or not Mako and Bolin are truly part of the Phenix blood line has yet to be seen. However as strained as our relationship may be, if I had learned who they were before all this happened, you would have been the first to know."
With that he opened the door and left.
As the door clicked shut Izumi closed her eyes and sighed tiredly as she heard Kahn walk in from the adjoining room.
"Well that went better than expected." The captain of royal guard said casually.
"We've certainly had worse." Izumi admitted rubbing her temples. "I don't suppose we have any jasmine tea on hand?"
Her question was quickly answered the clinking of a tea trey being set on the table in front of her.
"Way ahead of you your highness." Kahn said smirk.
"Honestly Kahn you're a spirits send." Izumi said with a grateful smile as she took a sip in hopes of quelling her growing headache.
"So you keep telling me." Kahn said crossing his arms over his armored chest. "What do you intend to do?"
Reluctantly the fire lord set her tea down.
"Lin asked for my help, so I will do whatever I can. Though it may seem impossible the fact that Tenzin agrees that there is hope for this new Dark Avatar leads me to believe that there may in fact be a way to save not only his life, but the lives of everyone bound to be caught in the crossfire of Raiko's growing crusade. I need to send word to my father, and let him know what is going on."
"I'll prepare the message immediately." Kahn said dutifully, turning to go draft the letter, but Izumi stopped him.
"No Kahn, I will send the letter. You have more important matters to attend to."
"I beg your pardon?" he asked raising a scarred brow quizzically.
"While I am dealing with this Dark Avatar business, I want you to find Lin and see if there is anything else she's neglected to tell us. I want you to find out if Mako and Bolin truly are descended from the Phenix bloodline. If they are then that means the phoenix may have been nesting here in the colonies for generations. If they have then I want to know what happened to them, and before you say anything there no one else I can trust with this, so you are just going to have to suck it up, and trust in the remaining guards that you personally trained to defend me. Now is there anything you'd like to ask?"
Kahn scowled in frustration. "Is that an order your majesty?" he asked knowing after all their years of trust and friendship that there was absolutely no point in trying to argue with her.
"Yes it is." She said scowling in return for his your majesty quip. "Now go."
Shaking his head he turned and headed for the door intent on leaving the fire lord to her tea and planning.
He'd always hated attending to 'royal errands'. They tended to take time and attention that he'd much rather be spend doing his job of protecting the royal family.
At least with this assignment he could take solace in the fact that there was an actual reason behind him having to work with the chief of police, and that this wasn't just another blatant attempt to set him up with someone.
"Oh and Kahn, a little advice before you go."
"I don't get paid enough for this." Kahn muttered to himself as he made his way through the rainy streets of Republic city's downtown district, commonly known as the Dragon Flats.
It didn't take an eye as well trained as his to recognize the area as one of the city's seedier districts, and the plethora of graffiti indicated that he was more than likely in Triad territory.
Which Triad it belonged to he couldn't be sure, but judging from the architectural style of the buildings around him the dragon flats possessed a strong connection to fire nation. This meant it was most likely controlled by the Agni Kai's or possibly the Triple Threats.
Either way the suspicious glares he received from lit windows of small shops and the few soaked souls he passed along the street suggested the area was highly disputed and likely changed owners every few weeks or so.
What the Chief of police was doing in a part of town like this in her off hours he didn't know. What he did know was that it had taken him four hours to track her down. The first two hours he'd spent searching for the item Izumi had insisted he acquire before meeting with the metal bender. The very same item he now kept clutched close in his coat pocket.
After that he'd made his way to the police station only to learn from a pair of oddly hairless beat cops, that chief Beifong had left and more than likely wouldn't be back until tomorrow morning.
With Vaatu growing stronger by the day, the likely hood of further dark spirit attacks was constantly increasing. With that in mind he wanted to find chief Beifong as swiftly as possible. The sooner he found the information Izumi wanted; the sooner he'd be back by the fire lord's side where he belonged.
Since the police chief was currently off duty he began asking the other officers around the station where he could find her.
Most of them said they didn't know, or that she was probably at home, but the surest answer came from a man by the name of Saikahn who told him that after the trying day she'd had; there was a good chance that she was in the Dragon Flats, at a place called the Dragon's Nest.
Now after two hours of searching through the rain he found himself standing across the street from the Dragon's Nest tavern.
The building was slightly smaller than most, but no less withered and worn than the rest of Dragon Flats. Most of the red paint on the outside was faded and chipped, and broken roof tiles littered the side walk out front with clay shards. The taverns sign was equally faded and in the fading light of dusk he'd almost missed it completely, or he would have if not for the screaming.
At first it had been drowned out by the rain and thunder, but as he drew closer he began hearing the sound of breaking glass, splintering wood, and cries of agony coming from across the street. All the tell tale signs of a bar fight.
Recalling how most of the officers back at the prescient kept saying that Chief Beifong was in a bad mood he figured that Saikahn had been correct, and that she was probably inside blowing off some steam.
A fact that was proven beyond a doubt as a rather large man came crashing out through the front door and onto the sidewalk, only to be dragged screaming back inside by a metal cable.
One minute later the bar fell quiet, leaving only the rain to stave off the silence.
Kahn arched a brow at that. "A very bad mood." He muttered as he made his way across the street.
Stepping through the doorway and over the shattered remains of the door, he found the interior of the Dragon's Nest unsurprisingly in ruins. Tables were overturned, chairs were broken, and at least a half a dozen men lay on the tavern floor groaning in pain, with two more hanging upside down suspended from the ceiling with metal cables.
As impressive as the scene was though he only gave it a passing glance before turning his attention to the miraculously intact bar, and the armored woman sitting at the far end of it.
"I already warned Izumi about blind dates, so for your sake you'd better be here for the fire whisky." Lin said testily before accepting a glass from the elderly fire nation man behind the counter.
If the elderly bartender cared that she had just trashed his place of business, and beat his other clients senseless; he showed no sign of it. He just smiled kindly as he set a bottle of fire whisky in front of the police chief before shuffling his way to the other end of the bar giving her some privacy.
"Is that why you are here? The fire whisky?" Kahn asked stepping over an unconscious man as he took in more of the damage.
"That and the clientele." She answered with a shrug. "The Agni Kai's are the only ones dumb enough to mess with me when I'm in a bad mood, and the gym's punching bag just wasn't doing it for me. What's it to you?"
"To me? Nothing." The fire bender said indifferently as he came to stand before the bar several seats down from her. "To fire lord Izumi however it's a reason for her to say 'I told you so'."
Lin smirked into her glass. "That always was her favorite phrase growing up, the little know it all. So what did she tell you?"
"That a workaholic like you was probably busy and if I wanted to get your attention I would need these." He said pulling the bag from his coat pocket and sliding it down the bar.
Without even looking Lin caught the parcel before it knocked over the bottle in front of her. Setting her drink down she opened the bag only to scowl in disbelief at what she found inside. "Are these what I think they are?"
Kahn nodded. "The fire lord insisted I get some before starting my assignment. It took me two hours to find the one shop in the entire city that sells them. I assume I have your attention?"
"Whatever Izumi wants it must be really important if she sent you out to find coconut covered chocolate truffles in this storm. Although I'm a little surprised she didn't make you buy me flowers too?" Lin asked curiously, trying but unable to hide the delighted gleam in her green eyes or the small smile tugging at her lips.
"She tried, but I was able to talk her down to just the chocolates." He answered honestly, wondering if perhaps the police chief would be cooperative despite her stubborn reputation.
While Izumi seemed confident that the metal bender would do everything she could to help them he wasn't so sure. He'd heard quite a bit about the prodigious Lin Beifong from both lord Zuko and Izumi over the years; with the former praising her skill and accomplishments while the latter was hoping to set him up on a date with her despite his constant objections.
While the royal family had painted him a vivid picture of the eldest Beifong daughter, he'd learned a lot more from their first encounter outside Izumi's hotel suite. After ten seconds and a glaring contest he'd known exactly what kind of woman he was dealing with. Lin Beifong was the kind of woman who was determined enough to accomplish whatever she set her mind to, and more stubborn than a komodo rhino if she wanted to be.
"Alright then you have ten minutes of my attention. What do you need from me?" she asked popping one of the rare treats in her mouth.
She'd never been much for sweets even as a child, but coconut covered chocolate truffles had always been a weakness for her. There was just something about them that brought back happier memories.
"I need you to tell me everything you know about Mako and Bolin Phenix. Particularly their family history." Kahn said getting right to the point.
Lin's mood sobered instantly. "I changed my mind. Go away." She said sliding the chocolates back and returning to her drink, her moment of bliss shattered before she could even finish chewing the first chocolate.
"I have no intention of going anywhere Beifong; not until I have what I came here for." Kahn growled, his patience wearing thin, as the stubborn komodo rhino he'd first met in the hotel began to appear. "That 'do what I say or be snapped in two' tone of voice might scare most, but it won't work on me. Izumi has already decided to continue helping you save the Dark Avatar despite prince Iroh's objections to reconsider. However if she is going to help then you need to tell me everything she needs, and wants to know."
He expected her to growl right back. To bare her teeth and tear into him like she had the triad goons that littered the tavern floor, but to his mild surprise she didn't. Instead she turned away from him to stare down into her drink, a look of sorrow in her green eyes.
"Look Kahn; I don't know you very well, but from what Izumi tells me you take your job very seriously and from what I've seen you're damn good at it. I can appreciate that. Just like I appreciate what Izumi is doing for me; more than you could ever imagine, but I can't do this now. I've already spent the majority of my day wandering through a living hell; I don't intend to spend the few hours I have left of it dwelling on the one person I've failed the most in this world. Just leave me alone so I can mourn in peace."
He was fully prepared to argue, but her words gave him pause. "You're mourning already? I thought you had more hope for this new Dark Avatar then that." Kahn asked curiously while glancing over his shoulder to see several of the triads getting up.
"Mako!" Lin shouted furiously, striking the counter hard.
The loud bang of her fist hitting the bar top startled the triad goons, who in response dropped right back to the floor and curled into the fetal position. Evidently whatever they'd done to piss the metal bender off the first time; they sure as hell weren't taking any chances of doing it again.
"His name is Mako." Lin said again, more softly this time before sighing tiredly. "The world wants him dead for becoming something that we all turned him into, and I've already lost ten good men in the massacre yesterday. I've dealt with more than enough death then, and I've had enough of it for today."
For a moment his thoughts returned to the night before; dark spirits swarming all around the darkened city hall, slaughtering everything in sight. Twenty-two men had been killed that night with two of his own men counted among them.
Though he didn't show it losing two of his guards had cut him deeper than any wound the dark spirits had been able to inflict. With her officers making up almost half the list of casualties, he could scarcely imagine how she must be feeling now.
"I'm sorry for your loss miss Beifong. Were you close to any of them?" he asked sincerely.
"As close as any commanding officer is to their men. I trained six of them in metal bending, and the other four I've served with since my mother was the chief of police." She answered solemnly.
Kahn nodded solemnly. "My family has served in the royal guard for generations. Like my father before me and his father before him I've dedicated my life to protecting the fire lord and their family. In all my years of service I've lost my fair share of comrades, including two more last night. It's never easy, and we've both been in this game long enough to know it will never get any easier."
"And it shouldn't. Anyone who feels nothing at the death of those serving under their command doesn't deserve the honor of leadership." Lin said with a scowl, though her feature softened as she turned to face him. "How many have you lost?" She asked with sympathy in her green eyes.
"To many," Kahn said taking a seat at the bar, but making sure there was at least one open stool between them. "And now I have to break the hearts of two more families when I return to the fire nation."
"In that case you probably need this as much as I do." Lin said refilling her glass before sliding the bottle of fire whisky towards him.
"Thanks but I don't even have a…" looking down Kahn found an empty glass sitting before as though it had materialized from thin air. "Glass?"
Lin smiled upon seeing the surprised expression on the veteran honor guards face as he looked back and forth from the glass in front of him to the elderly, almost ancient bartender standing at the other end of the bar cleaning the counter seeming as if he hadn't moved an inch, though his sleepy eyed grin suggested otherwise.
"That's Mr. Ping. Don't ask me how he does it. I've been coming here for years and I still don't know. Just enjoy your drink before I decide your company isn't worth keeping."
Deciding to heed the metal benders advice Kahn poured himself a drink, but before he could take a sip, something occurred to him. "You said you've had enough death for today. What did you mean by that?"
For the second time that night her moment of mirth was swiped away by a simple question.
Taking a drink Lin sighed. "Raiko wanted to ensure the cooperation of the other nations as swiftly as possible. To do this he felt it would be best to keep the other world leaders on a need to know basis. I didn't agree with this, so against Raiko's orders I came to Izumi, and told her who the new Dark Avatar was, how he came to be, everything."
"Not everything. You failed to mention your protégée was a Phenix." Kahn said with an edge of accusation in his voice.
"And what exactly does my detective's pedigree have to do with anything?" Lin demanded waspishly.
The fire bender just shook his head. "More than you know Miss Beifong, but his bloodline is a matter of great consequence to Izumi and the entire royal family. That's why I tracked you here tonight; to verify if Mako and his brother are who Izumi believes them to be."
"And who exactly does she believe they are; long lost royalty, or something?" Lin demanded.
"Who they are is none of your concern, at least until we sober up tomorrow." Kahn said calmly taking a sip of his whisky.
Lin glared in response though the alcohol made it hard for her to stop her cheeks reddening. "I suppose I can live with that. Now where was I?"
"You were pissing Raiko off." Kahn said matter-o-factly.
"Oh right. I came to Izumi and told her the whole story, but somehow Raiko found out. Suffice to say he wasn't happy to know I had betrayed his confidence. He could have ordered me to resign from my station, or even had me arrested for treason if he wanted to, but he didn't. After today though I almost wish he had. It would have been preferable to facing all ten families of the men I lost in one day."
Kahn balked at that, and seeing the stunned look in his eyes Lin smirked humorlessly. "You were right when you said we've both been at this game for a long time. I've delivered my fair share of bad news over the years, and I've always faced the families personally when one of my officers' die, but normally it's the fallen officer's partner who breaks the initial news to the family."
"It's better to receive terrible news from a friend who cares about and understands your pain." Kahn said solemnly as he slid the bag of sweets back to the mournful metal bender. "My business can wait until tomorrow. I'm sorry for bothering you Miss Beifong." He said turning to leave.
"No you're not." Lin said, the smirk in her voice stopping him before he could take even two steps.
"Excuse me?" He asked turning back to face her, his scarred eyebrow raised inquisitively.
"Don't get me wrong your sympathy is genuine enough, and I appreciate it, but you're not sorry for bothering me. You came here on a mission, and if it weren't for this last week's worth of hell finally catching up to me I'm sure you'd be just as big a pain in my ass as you were when we first met the other day. Now you lost two men yesterday, and dealing with Izumi day in and day out I'm sure you could use a drink as much as I do. Now sit your ass down."
"I'll admit your offer is tempting if a little blunt, but I really should report back to fire lord Izumi even if it is empty handed." Kahn said, but after a moment his expression turned thoughtful. "On the other hand having a few drinks with you might get fire lord Izumi off my back about dating for at least a few weeks."
"Izumi tries to set you up on blind dates too?" Lin asked sympathetically.
"Every chance she gets." He sighed, taking a seat next to the metal bender and refilling his glass. "I swear if lady Izumi hadn't become the fire lord she'd have been a matchmaker."
Lin smirked. "Believe me you have no idea." She chuckled as she raised her glass. "To the royal pain in our ass, long may she reign."
Returning her smirk Kahn raised his glass to hers. "To fallen comrades, may they rest in peace."
You definitely know it's been too long since you updated if you feel like your writing skills have gotten rusty. Please leave me a review and tell me what you think. As a writer it always helps to know what you guys liked, and what you think I could improve upon.
Now I know what you're all thinking. where the hell is team dark avatar (TDA)? Like I said in the previous chapter with multiple plot lines in one story, a writer must attend to all of them. TDA, republic city, red lotus, they all make up a big part of the story, but I promise you all two things. One: I intend to get better at juggling them all, and in doing so get better at updating in a more timely manner. And two: TDA will return with a vengeance next chapter. All this time I've been planning out and thinking through what comes next, and with any luck it will be worth the wait, which hopefully will be a lot less long this time.
Once again thank you all for reading, reviewing, and following along so patiently. You guys are the best and I hope you stay tuned for chapter 34.