The darkness did well to hide the runners, shadows casting from the trees like ghosts. There was also the added bonus of the new moon, which was completely hidden. Heavy breathing could be heard from the figures as they ran from the pleasure house, escaping from the ludicrous living of being a sex slave. They had to leave this place.

They had to stop Azula.

And Lee was going to help bring it down.

When his sister had drowned, rage unlike anything he had felt before coursed through his veins like hot lava. She had been so young and barely a month into that so-called 'profession'. She had died at the hands of a woman who only believed in suffering for the innocent. Her mind was one no one could ever really understand.

As he ran for the hidden alcove that held the nondescript car, Lee thought back to how it had happened.

(***)

Lee had known that trouble was coming for him. In Azula's eyes traitors were punished by death. There was no possible way he was going to get out of the interrogation alive. There was only one way out.

Before the meeting was to occur, he entered the monitor room and set Joshua Windstorm's as well as subsequent cameras on loop, to make it appear as if he were just sitting there for a long time. Shortly afterwards he went back to his room casually, as if he had not just committed one of the crimes that would have him killed.

In Michigan, he was something of a tech genius, but under a different name. Truth was, his name was actually Bryan Gleeson, but in order to get into the complex, he had to come up with a secret identity. He used the letters in his last name to spell Lee, and created a whole new persona in the online archives.

Azula was someone who needed people who could do horrendous things, but he was only a guard some of the time. She brought him in after reaching out via a private network because of his technological knowledge. The Dark Net, so to speak, but so classified that it was almost impossible for anyone to trace the signal.

Now that he had gained access, he had to do everything he could to get On Ji out of that place.

She had been taken about a week before at the time. Finding her had been relatively easy, but the question was, how was he going to get her out? Police would have been a smart idea, but at the same time, officers can butcher this kind of operation.

But after the drowning, it was time to face facts: Lee needed assistance.

And so, after temporarily knocking out Chan, whom he had despised because he had wanted a piece of his sister, Lee escaped the room and entered Josh's.

The man looked up in annoyance, but his face softened after seeing who it was.

Lee beat him to the punch before he could speak. "We have to leave, now."

Josh stood up, seriousness in his eyes. "Where are we going?"

"To San Francisco. I know your son is there. I can bring you to him." At first he hadn't thought about Aang's father, only thinking of On Ji and his mother, to avenge them. But somewhere down the line he thought it best to give one family a chance to live, to be together once more.

Hope and anguish intermingled on Josh's gray eyes. "I'll get to see him again." He spoke as if he couldn't believe that after over two years of hell, he would be able to escape.

Lee nodded but spoke quiockly. "Yes, but if Azula finds out that you're gone, she'll send trouble. We have to get moving." He turned and left the room, hearing the man follow him. The door closed, which was probably smart. It would give them a chance to get away. They ran down the hall to the nearest exit, knowing that they had to get out before anyone found the room empty.

The door was card activated and since he wasn't caught yet, it was safe to assume that his card was still working. Sure enough the door opened when he swiped the plastic.

Taking the initiative, he ran up the stairs to a trap door, similar to those of a basement. From the outside, that was how it should look to avoid the darker intentions of the underground. Once outside they dashed for the trees, the overgrown foliage hiding the pair successfully.

Josh broke the silence. "How do you know Aang is there?"

"Tracking," he replied, somewhat breathlessly. "I was with someone when Aang escaped, one of our best trackers. We came back after confirming where he was." He paused for a moment; it was difficult to talk and run at the same time. "Your wife is there as well."

Josh tripped but regained his footing quickly, pure shock coming to his face. "Linda, too?" he gasped.

Lee nodded. "Yeah. I'll explain later. Come on!"

They ran.

(***)

And now, as they neared the car, Lee knew it was time to explain things. Once they were settled into the car and its engine rumbled, he began, catching his breath all the while. He spoke about the reason he was there in the first place, how he found out about Josh and Aang, as well as the plan to drive to San Francisco from there since taking the plane was a bad idea right then. They could be tracked easier that way since, so far, only Lee was the target. Until they knew about Josh escaping, they were momentarily in the clear.

"It's going to take us at least two weeks, because we're taking the less used trails."

Josh looked over at him, steely determination on every plane of his face. "I'm okay with that, as long as we can avoid the girl."

Lee remained focused on the trail until they reached the roads, but he did speak. "Azula knows where he is, Mr. Windstorm. You know that as well as I do." The thought of that boy in her clutches made his stomach hurt with guilt. Ever since him and Chan had kidnapped Aang, the disgust had been almost unbearable. He hadn't been much older than his own sister had been when she was taken from their home. Lee knew it was useless to feel guilty about something that he'd had little control over, but he felt it, nonetheless.

Now was the time to repent for his crime. Azula would find him, no doubt about it, but he was going to go down fighting like he should have for On Ji and all the other people that were forcibly taken.

"I'm aware of that fact," Josh said, bringing Lee out of his thoughts. "Still, any chance we have over her, the better."

"Yeah, I know," he mumbled, once more his thoughts going in a different direction. HIs sister, poor, beautiful On Ji, who had died so young at the hands of a woman who cared little for anything.

Josh paused for a moment reaching ot touch his shoulder, surprising the young man. His voice was quiet and sad when he spoke. "I'm really sorry about your sister. I bet On Ji would be pleased that you're trying to help the others. I am in your debt, Lee. If there is something I can do to help you, let me know, okay?"

Touched, he said, "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."

The older man smiled before releasing his shoulder as silence fell over the pair, and so, in that fashion, they traversed the trail until reaching the main highway. They would fork off every now and again to make certain they weren't followed. Lee needed to be sure that they had time to at least get away, but he knew Azula. She would understand once Josh was found missing.

But he could not leave the man behind, despite the risks. His son had been taken at such an early age, never thought to be returned to him for anything. Now he had a chance to be reunited with his family after two hellish years.

Lee knew On Ji would have wanted him to let go the fact of her dying right in front of him, but he felt that he wouldn't be able to bring to himself to do it until her spirit was assuaged. He was unsure if he ever believed in the paranormal, but for some odd reason, he wanted to believe her ghost was still roaming around, waiting for eternal rest. Some say that traumatic deaths can cause such an unrest after the death had occurred.

But whether or not she was still occupying the earth in another form, that didn't disrupt the fact that he needed to help rescue those still alive. That was the only way to bring peace to his heart. Once the prisoners were free from Azula's punishing grasp, to bring light to their darkness of despair, then so would his own gloom of sadness lessen. Even if it doesn't bring his sister back.

Now it was time to make certain that the pleasure house was in shambles, to bring down an empire that had been around since before Azula was even conceived. They needed reinforcements to ensure that all who had been taken would have another opportunity to live. The life of a forced whore was abominable, to say the least.

At least now they can do something to get the 'mistress'.

It was time to fight back...

I'm sorry this is late and a bit short, but I wanted to show what happened after Lee had escaped. Either way, I'm working on the next chapter, of course, so enjoy this latest one until I'm ready to post. Again, sorry, but I hope you enjoyed it.