Hello again, my dear beloved readers!
As usually, I'm sorry for being such a lazy-ass/slowpoke. I know I haven't updated in three months. I've been struck with a growing bad conscience for some time now, knowing that I haven't had the time or inspiration to continue the story. A new Review every now and then made me constantly remember, and actually I'm happy about that. Because I love this story higher than most, and it's a sheer pleasure writing on it – when I have the inspiration to do so, really.
I've been reading loosely on another fanfiction the past week's time. That gave me my inspiration back, because it's somehow so similar to mine, and yet so different. Unfortunately it's written in present tense, and I tell you guys, it's god freaking HARD to write in past tense when your mind has started thinking the story in present tense. This is why you might find the last part at bit "forced"/unnatural. I've gone back several times and changed the words because I fucked it up over and over... *sigh*
Another thing is that the male character from the fanfiction I'm reading has a very foul temper, is angry most of the time, is violent, and so on, which somehow has an effect on how I depict Amon here. So if any of you wonder why he is so angry when he's usually just cold, I can reveal that it's not my fault! xD
Anyway, he should get back to "normal" once I've regained my writing style. I hope you can see through my weakness for a time.
Also... I know I promised you some juiciness here. It has been postponed to the next chapter, which I am in the process of writing now. Hopefully, by the time you've finished reading this chapter, the next chapter will be finished!
Please enjoy.
-:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:-
Chapter 19: Infiltration
At this time of the year, the sky had turned almost black by the time the clock reached ten in the evening. Only faint orange rays lingered above the horizon, the last minutes of light reflecting in the sea. Mako had turned to throw a brief glance at the deep waters just before leaving for his mission.
With his hands deeply buried in his pockets, the young Fire bender strode through the streets with such determination that the few passersby hurriedly moved out of his way, some mumbling to themselves about young people always being so busy these days. Mako did not hear any of them; his senses were busy looking out for potential threats, his mind locked entirely on the up-coming events.
For the very first time in years, he had decided to leave his red scarf at home, knowing that it had become one of his visual characteristics. But even though the night was cold, he was not freezing. The dark grey coat and woolen green pants kept him warm, along with the black cap on his head. The high collar of the coat hid some of his face, and with his back somewhat slouched Mako was quite difficult to recognize, if he had to say so himself. Of course, his friends would be able to identify him in less than a second, but random Equalists who only had a vague description to work from might not even suspect his true identity. He hoped.
As he neared the candy factory, he saw more and more people in the streets. Most of them were walking in different directions, but almost a fifth were headed the same way. To normal citizens, this might not have seemed like something special, but Mako had learned to look out for the discreet gathering. He slowed down to a calm pace and joined the silent stream turning down the path to the factory.
Approaching the entrance, he felt his heart pumping even faster, adrenaline rushing through his body. It was hard to stay calm, but he managed to keep himself down and silent. Looking ahead of the queue, he spotted two Equalists guarding the door. Their uniform helmets prevented him from recognizing them, but he had to assume that Kina was one of them as she had told him. But from where he stood, it was almost impossible to identify the gender, the many layers of fabric hiding the chest successfully and the helmet hiding the hair.
No matter what, he could not back down now. This could be his last chance to find Korra, and he would never be able to forgive himself if he chickened out the last moment. Even if Kina had failed to gain today's guard duty, Mako should still be able to sneak inside.
When he was number three in the line, he let his head drop just slightly, hiding his eyes in shadows from the cap. Eye contact with the wrong person could reveal his intentions. He had never been a good liar, neither did he have a successful poker face. He could not risk blowing it up.
With bated breath, he moved forward, counting seconds in his head. Looking at the stairs in front of him.
"Go ahead, move forward," a female voice said. It was muffled and unrecognizable, but he was sure it was Kina's voice. She had to be the one.
He moved forward, down the stairs and through the open door, passing another couple of Equalists. He kept his gaze down still, eyes lingering to the heels of the person walking in front of him.
Eventually, he was led to the furniture-less hall filled with people. The room was almost dark, but Mako had no trouble seeing just how many people there were. His eyes widened.
Since when did the Equalists become this popular!? he thought to himself, remembering the days when the Equalists' ceremonies were held in the streets, only a dozen or so people lingering by to hear the angry words preached into the summer evenings.
This is bad, he concluded. With this many supporters, and a growing number, it will not be long before the police force could be seized and all benders of Republic City executed. This could be dangerous!
-:- -:- -:- -:- -:-
This was one of those few things Amon truly enjoyed in life; The sound of people gathering only to hear his voice and his stories. He had yet to enter the stage, but he already knew that the room was nearly full. The air was thick with excitement and body heat. The low chattering everywhere was not to mistake, either.
The number of followers increased from week to week. Especially after the capture of the Avatar, people had started to believe that justice really existed and would be brought to Republic City. The Equalists had reached almost four hundred followers by now.
But it is not enough yet, Amon told himself, but without worries. Next weekend will change it all, however. The fall of the Avatar will be our breakthrough. Watching her fall on stage will evoke so much victory. It will be a breeze to take down the City Council and the Police Department after that.
A smile had crept onto his masked face, and it was hard not to laugh. It was all so wonderful. Everything so... perfect.
"Amon, sir?" a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.
Turning to greet Torr, one of the highest-ranked soldiers in the organization, Amon's smile faded.
"Yes?"
"I was asked to give this to you. It seems we have a new contributor," Torr explained and reached forth a letter. "It is from the owner of the vegetable store down on the corner. I believe she wants to make a donation."
"I see," Amon mumbled, a bit annoyed from being interrupted in his happy thoughts. "I am about to go on stage. Bring the letter to my office. I will take a look at it after the ceremony."
"Yes, sir," Torr said with a nod and turned around to find the small room used as Amon's temporary office whenever he were to set up a ceremony in the candy factory.
Turning around the corner, Torr continued down the hallway to the end where he knew that said office was. Slipping inside, he approached the desk onto which Amon had discarded his coat. This was everything there was in the room.
Deciding that he could not just put the letter on the desk for everyone to see, he folded the envelope neatly and stuck it into the front pocket of Amon's coat, letting the paper slip inside one of the gloves there. Now Amon definitely would not forget it, and nobody but him would find it.
Satisfied with his job, Torr slipped out again and joined the few Equalists guiding guests and followers into the great hall just in time for the ceremony to begin.
-:- -:- -:- -:- -:-
The hall had gone quiet, only the sound of Amon's powerful voice and the occasional applause echoing between the the four walls. The atmosphere frightened Mako. People were as captivated by the devil's speech, and every time Amon silenced briefly to induce a response from the audience, their unified shouts felt as a collective arousal shared by hundreds of believers. And every time this happened, Mako had to calm himself down not to shudder from disgust and jump somebody in rage. They were betraying their city!
"As most of you already know, we have the Avatar in our custody," Amon spoke, changing the subject slightly and evoking another wave of shouts. "But not for much longer. It is about time we finish what we started."
What is he talking about? Finish how? Mako thought, eyes narrowing at the man on the scene. Is he talking about taking Korra's bending, or worse..?
"On this very stage, the Avatar will kneel before me and you. She will beg me to spare her; she will cry and scream and struggle, but nothing will matter. It will be futile. She will fall."
Another orgasmic reaction from the audience. Mako felt sick, but it was nothing compared to the rage he was fighting to keep under control.
"And you, my believers, my friends, will watch as the Avatar is sacrificed. You will be witnesses to a revolution greater than any, a revolution for equalization and freedom. But this is just the beginning!"
If I attack him from this distance, will I hit? Will it be enough to knock him out? Mako plotted inwardly, rage now blocking for all logic. It did not matter if he was attacked by fifty Equalists and beaten to a pulp – he could not let Amon get away with the crap he was letting out on stage. And he could especially not let the devilish man carry out his plans. By the way Amon was talking, it did not seem like a simple purification anymore. He was talking about killing Korra.
Mako bended his knees, summoning power to his torso to allow him to form a fireball.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed his shoulder, and Mako's concentration was broken. The energy left his body immediately.
Turning around to meet his judgment, he realized that this was not just any ordinary guard – it was Kina.
"What are you doing!?" the girl hissed lowly, just loud enough for Mako to hear.
Oh, right, he remembered. He had promised not to cause any trouble or attract attention. Not for his own sake, but for Kina's.
Before he managed to reply, Kina had grabbed his jacket and was dragging him outside. He was led to the hallway and further away from the entrance and the other guards.
"Remember the plan?" the girl once again whispered. Mako nodded.
"Go to the end of the hallway and turn left. Stairs will lead you up to the vehicles. The black Satomobile is Amon's. Now, go!"
Without saying goodbye, the girl turned around and left. Mako took a second to process the information and remember the plan. Oh, right. He had forgotten to meet Kina in the hallway by himself. The ceremony was almost over. He did not have the time to rest somewhere – he had to go to the vehicles right away if he should have any hope of hiding in time.
Looking around to make sure the coast was clear, he slipped into the shadows and proceeded in the appointed direction. Just as he rounded the corner to the left, however, he bumped into someone.
Looking up, he saw another Equalist. Before Mako could respond, the Equalist had bowed nervously.
"I-I am sorry," the boy stammered and hurried forward, a coat in his arms.
Mako just stood there, dumbfounded. Had an Equalist just apologized to him? To a guy who was not even supposed to be where he was right now, far away from the ceremony and the exit? The guy had to be a total rookie to be this oblivious. But this just meant luck on Mako's side.
Or did it?
Mako also hurried forward. But he did not get far.
"Hey, you! Stop!" a voice sounded behind him. Once again Mako froze, eyes widening.
A hand grabbed his shoulder from behind. This time it certainly was not Kina. The hand was too big and too strong to be a girl's.
Keep calm, Mako instructed himself. Attack at the right moment.
"You dropped something," the guy said.
Surprised, Mako turned around. He had not dropped anything as far as he was concerned, but right now he did not think it was a good idea to disagree with anyone about anything. Especially not when he was walking in enemy territory.
The surprisingly tall Equalist had reached forth his hand on which a grey woolen glove was resting. Mako did not recognize the glove, quite certain that he had not brought any in the first place. But it was better not to talk. Talking would definitely reveal his age. And then it did not take more than a few thoughts to figure out who he was.
Nodding in agreement, Mako simply took the glove and stuffed it into his pocket.
Just like the one before, this guard just turned around and returned to his position, ignorant to the fact that a stranger was running around in the Equalists' private area. Mako was unsure if he really should believe that they were this stupid, but did he have a choice? The only other option was that he was walking into a trap set up by Kina, but that felt so unlikely. After all, she had just stopped him from blowing their cover and get caught – and if the plan was to catch him it would not have mattered that he had gone berserk anyway.
Reminding himself that he did not have the time to just stand around and ponder, Mako kicked himself into motion again and continued down the hallway to the left. He was relieved to find no more Equalists standing in his way; the hallway was entirely unoccupied here in the back of the building. Kina must have known this. After all, it would have been stupid to send him off to a place full of guards on his own. Yet, he could not help but wonder why the security in this place was so damned horrible. It was as if they denied the possibility of an infiltration. He bet that sneaking in was at least as easy as sneaking out again. And with this many unfamiliar people visiting, sneaking out had to be easy as hell.
At the end of the hallway was a staircase leading up to the ground floor. Remembering Kina's words from their secret meeting, he knew that upstairs was where Amon's vehicle would be parked during the ceremony. But he did not recall any specific location. Mentally crossing his fingers, he hoped it was close. Walking around like this made him very uncomfortable and dangerously jumpy. He was not sure that he could refrain from attacking the next person to randomly grab his shoulder.
Finally reaching the stairs, he pushed his back against the wall as he climbed up to the heavy metal door. Listening carefully for someone behind the door, he allowed himself to peek outside.
Relieved to find that the hall before him was indeed the room for goods deliverance, he sneaked inside.
In the middle of the room two black vehicles were parked.
Damn it, Kina! How am I supposed to figure out which one to choose? Mako cursed inwardly, looking around anxiously for something, anything, to show him the answer. Nothing.
They are completely identical, he concluded almost instantly, crouching between them and looking from side to side, comparing. Yup. None superiour to the other. Amon can take whichever he feels like. And I will not have time to change my location in case he chooses the other one. So I will just have to guess...
The sudden sound of chatter interrupted Mako's thoughts, and he ducked as much he could, looking out under the vehicles. Three pairs of feet appeared from a door at the far corner, slowly heading toward him, still completely unaware of his presence.
Shit, shit, shit! Mako stressed inwardly, looking around again. Nowhere to hide. He needed more time.
"Hey, did any of you bring the bags?" one suddenly exclaimed loudly enough for Mako to hear clearly. More focused on their movements, however, the bender watched their feet intensely, and savoured the fact that they all had stopped.
After a bit of interaction, one person seemed to turn around and head back. Still not good enough. Mako frowned.
"What are you lazy asses waiting for? I cannot take them all by myself!" the one man continued exasperatedly, and one more pair of feet turned around to follow him.
"I will be right there, just a second," the third said.
Seeing no other way, Mako knew he had to distract the third Equalist before he realized what was going on behind the vehicles. He formed a small ball of fire and managed to throw it onto a stack of wooden boxes just before the third turned around and continued forward. The boxes quickly caught on fire.
"What the-?" the man mumbled and ran toward the fire instead. Soon the two others joined him, fighting to deal with the fire before it spread to more boxed.
Alright, Mako thought, returning his attention to the cars. If I cannot know for sure which one Amon will take, I must make sure he only has one to choose from.
Crawling to the hood of one of the Satomobiles, Mako broke the metal lid open and looked inside. Unsure about what part to destroy, he decided to destroy as much as possible. He ripped apart all the cables he could find, melted some parts and detached some others. Then he closed the hood again as silently as possible.
By the time he was done, the three Equalists had gotten control over the fire, which was now extinguished. Only the foul smell of burnt wood and two half-burnt boxes were left to prove that there had been an accident.
Better get inside before they suspect anything, Mako reminded himself and crawled into the backseat of the still functional vehicle. From there he managed to push himself back over the seats and into the trunk. Covering himself with a blanket and placing the few stored bags in front of him, he relaxed and could only wait until he was brought directly to Korra.
-:- -:- -:- -:- -:-
"Do not forget to come to our next ceremony. I will be greater than anything you have seen so far," Amon said, putting the current ceremony to an end. "I will make sure my men spread the word about next week's meeting place. As for now, they will lead you all outside. Goodnight, my friends. Make it home safely."
Leaving the stage to the sound of an excited applause, Amon sighed silently and rubbed his temples at the edges of his porcelain mask. It was suddenly very difficult to feel the agitation which everybody around him was sharing. He, too, should be thrilled about the next ceremony, but he simply could not bring himself to feel the excitement. The next ceremony would mean the beginning of his life-long dream, but also the end of something he did not want to end... something he would hate losing so early. And for that it felt as if he was betraying himself and the whole organization – for not wanting to get rid of the Avatar anyway after years of planning the whole thing. But who would have thought what gorgeous, feisty piece of woman said Avatar would turn out to be?
Growling inwardly, he was stopped by something suddenly popping into his limited field of view – a hand reaching something toward him.
"Sir," a mature woman's voice said. It took Amon half a second to realize that the woman had fetched his coat for him. Had the situation been slightly different, he might have laughed at the silly gesture – doing him such meaningless favour did not get any recruit anywhere in his book. Perhaps it was an action fueled by adoration, but he found it hard to believe that anyone here would be acting like a personal assistant without expecting anything in return.
But now was no time to laugh. He had allowed himself to think of her too fondly yet again, the Avatar, whom he should not be thinking fondly of at all. And it ruined his mood knowing that she held some sort of power over his mind and his free will.
Snatching his coat without even looking at the woman, he continued down the hallway, closing his eyes again as he resumed the massage on his temples. This weariness would definitely cause him a headache later on, he just knew it.
Being stretched out slightly, his shoulder ached in protest where it had collided with the wall the previous evening during their fight. The Avatar's fight for freedom.
He allowed a smirk to curl his lips. A heated fight for freedom, and the girl was still in his possession. She had lost again, remaining as their prisoner, his prisoner. She was his and he would never let go.
The thought made him laugh evilly for a moment until he remembered that he did in fact have to let her go. In one week exactly. And then his mood crashed down again.
"Amon?" a sudden voice interrupted him.
"What?" the masked man snapped.
"Your car is ready," continued the man, whom Amon recognized as a distant relative of the Lieutenant. His mother's youngest cousin Joreg, if Amon remembered correctly.
"But please do not get upset. There has been an-"
Holding his hand up to silence Joreg, Amon sighed again and continued down the hallway, eyes closed as he went. No more telling of accidents and obstacles – they probably did not matter now anyway. Amon just wanted to return to his chambers as quickly as possible.
"I am tired," the leader explained and gestured for Joreg to be dismissed. Confused, Joreg stopped in his tracks, then shrugged and turned away, sighing to himself as well. Amon had been acting kind of aloof the past week's time, but Joreg understood that it probably had something to do with the next ceremony; the last secret ceremony before the revolution would break loose and everything would change. All the planning must have made Amon exhausted. But nobody could blame him for that.
Headed for the stairs leaving him to the Satomobiles, Amon allowed his thoughts to revolve around a certain female Water-bender once again. It was hard not to, really. Despite their positions and her still short imprisonment they were already sharing a bond which Amon could not quite identify. Some sort of mutual interest yet with a great deal of resistance involved. Something utmost forbidden and yet irresistibly delicious, a satisfaction reaching beyond the physical plane.
It was horrible how he had allowed himself to get entangled in that bloody mess some would call a twisted obsession. He would not call it anything but a weak moment of lost self-control and longing for physical involvement. And so it just happened to be the Avatar who was closest to him at the time. It was inevitable. And it meant nothing.
He was greeted by three Equalists when he arrived at the vehicles. Their flustered faces and raising voices made him roll his eyes upward, waiting for the bad news to make his mood even worse.
Then, before they had managed to explain the situation, Amon had caught the smell of something burnt.
"What has happened?" he asked, cutting them off. The three looked at each other and swallowed in unison. Then one decided to take the lead, and stepped forth.
"A sudden fire emerged while we were preparing your car, sir," the man said, shaking. Nobody wanted to be the harbinger of bad news.
"What!?" Amon growled and looked around, seeing nobody but him and the three. "When did that happen!?"
He knew that raising his voice did not help on their cooperation, seeing as most recruits felt an undeniable fear or awe for him, but he could not control it. One week, and so much could still go wrong, so much could happen. And if he was not mistaken, that Mako boy was able to bend fire...
It had to be him.
"Have you checked for intruders?" Amon continued, once again not allowing the men to answer his previous question.
"Yes, we have checked, sir," the one Equalist answered, still trembling lightly before the raging man. "But nobody seems to be here."
Breathing in and out a couple of times, Amon forced himself to calm down. Alright, maybe that damned Fire-bender had nothing to do with this, but he could not exclude the possibility of an intrusion. Things just did not catch on fire for no reason.
"Is it possible that a malfunction in one of the cars could have ignited the boxes?" the second man mumbled to the others, shrugging. "I know no damn things about vehicles, but I have heard stories about accidents..."
Amon considered his words for a moment, then nodded.
"I want you to check."
-:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:-
I love you all!
See you next time for some dramatic stuff – and lemon, because it's gonna be there!