Chapter 9: Lin the furious
I was up and running since the dawn had clad the town into morning dew, the air felt clean and dustless. I had been on my way towards the noodle cart, but a rather strange scene had woken my interest. The abandoned houses on the other side of the street suddenly were brimming with life. Walls were torn down, bricks carried onto the streets and many delivery trucks delivered things that were carried into the buildings at god forsaken hours. If I had been a usual noodle cart owner I of course would have snored soundly at five in the morning, but my customers also had a rather strange eating pattern. I still had not been able to see Lin, even if it was almost a weak since I started showing up in front of the headquarters. This was worrying me because there could be no way Ping had warned her – Ping wouldn´t do something like this.
And what was even more important, Ping did not know how close we had been in the past, so he simply had no reason to tell Lin about my return. I´ve always kept my family to myself for obvious reasons. Maybe I would finally gather the courage to make some chili peppered fish dumplings and storm Lin´s office, but firstly I wanted to know what these guys were doing! Three farmer longbed´s were parked in front of the tall buildings, which seemed as shabby as always. The men moving in and out there were member of the terra triad, as could easily be seen by their authentic terra band tattoos. I finally caught a glimpse of a strangely wound copper spiral, which was carried into the building with utmost care. Other men were erecting Scaffoldings in front of the facades. Also there was quite the big hole in the outer wall – you could look into the room. The ceiling had been torn out partially, while being substituted by massive iron T-bars. This spiral reminded me on old Chu "Blindmaker" Zhao, a moonshiner back in shangyang. If these guys were tearing holes in ceilings to install a distillery they really were thinking big. The hood definitely was chosen ideal, too good for rampaging gangwars and mooneaters – if you screwed some local kids – and too bad for the cops to investigate on weekly basis. Also we had a rather good working sewage system, and such, easy ways for transporting illegal goods in an out without many people noticing. I still could not be sure and so decided to go out and ask the guys. Even I had heard rumors about new, lab made, drugs that were on a different level compared the traditional stuff.
But such a lab was nothing I would like in my neighborhood and so I hoped to get a close up glimpse into the building. I knew a moonshine distillery when I saw one, that was for sure. "Morning lads!" I greeted them while opening the garage. A young triad man almost dropped the toolbox he was carrying. One of the older, most likely higher ranking men waved and swaggered into my direction. Typical earth nation thug nobility he was. A man as tall as an Oostrich horse, with shoulders broad enough to hide a door behind them. Of course he now was wearing an impressive belly under his leathery longcoat. My well trained eyes spotted a pair of small hammers beyond the loose flapping leather, which tried to cover a bare, hairy chest. "Ah look at that boys, a noodle maker. Damn it asshole – can´t yer be decent like yer neighbors n not bother in our business?" he snarled huffing his chest. I stood calmly, he wanted to scare me. But if it didn´t work, this would also not be a problem because I sure as hell was NOT the only one in this street who knew what these guys were building.
I just was the only one who had the guts to go outside while they were working. "Eh – what business. Aren´t you building a nice place in the moonshine?" I smirked, I was sure I could easily take this guy – I was a bender after all. The man blinked, his slim eyes almost disappearing in his broad face. "A look at that – a real funny pal huh?" he snickered. "Doin´ my best to entertain ya. Nah fer serious, better ya have an eye on my garage then some kid´s of the hood. " I responded. If you came to a gang asking for protection it mostly came in cheaper than the other way round. Furthermore, you had the chance of actually being protected! The man smiled. "Hm…I guess my head is a bit fuzzy from yesterday – what were ya saying Noodle boy?" he asked me feigning ignorance. I took out my last fifty yuan notes and waved them in the air. "I talk about a contract dear Sir – you watch my cart, I buy some of the stuff you´re brewing – if it´s good of course – and your boys tear every fuckers guts out who thinks about stealing my stuff." I responded dryly.
The man was simply grabbing for my money, while I dodged with two short steps and slightly kicked against the side of his knee. He was startled and almost hissed. Damned, wasn´t he interested? The man laughed a coughing laugh. "Gutsy for such a tiny lil twerp, are we?" he responded and turned to me. "Actually, what´s yer name noodle boy?" he asked me. "Lee – pops." I responded smirking, I was not going to lose against an old served enforcer, who had beaten his brains away years ago! "Really, god´s yer mom must´ve been stoned like hell to give yer such a name…mine definitely was, Name´s Aang – do I look like some friggin monk, man?" he griped. While I would have beaten up this guy for the mother comments in my youth I now was able to smile about him. "You ARE bald..." I responded. "At least I was born stoned I guess." I added shrugging. The guy laughed along with his cronies. He turned. "Eh lads- get the FUCK back to work – what´re ya even paid for!" he yelled with a sharp voice. "Yeah- yeah boss, chill down man!" the grunts were mumbling a lot of other less pleasant things but they obeyed, being simple soldiers this was the only thing they could do.
"So Aang, what´s the deal, twenty for you and twenty for the boys a month?" I asked him. Actually I was not even causing work for the guys, because they had to eye the street anyway! "In yer dreams shorty!" Aang responded clapping his wobbly belly. "More like thirty fer me n twenny fer the boys." He stated firmly. Never haggle with triads – second law of shangyang – so I just gave him the hundred yuans. "Ya know – I like being a month in the plus, never know if some monsoon tails ruin the business." I responded truthfully. "Clever ya are man – ran with a gang as a kid?" he asked while he grinning marched towards the garage and jabbed his finger in the bricks, carving the kanji for earth into the wall. He did the same next to the house entrance. "Sorta, always was more of the solitary type man. Ya know flat hierarchy's n stuff." I answered. Aang laughed, which lead to him having a coughing fit. "Till than flat hierarchies Lee – I´ll send a lad to ya when the first bottles are rollin out." He responded.
Thank the heavens, just a distillery! So I opened the garage door, swung myself onto the noodle cart and started cycling into the city. When I arrived at my usual spot next to Lao I was in the midst of setting up my cart as Inspector Chouw almost stormed my stall. "Mr. Lee – we´ve got to have a talk." He stated worked up. I frowned, what the hell did the kid want from me. "See Inspector – I´m damn busy. Your colleagues want their dumplings in an hour so I can´t hang out with you." I responded. "Hang out? I thought you were bout forty…at lea…the FUCK your´re even OLDER than fourty!" he exclaimed startled. Lao just shook his head. "Your Jasmine Lee – extra weak, as always." He responded. Lao always tried to make me drink stronger teas, because they had more fragrance as he said! I was giving a fuck about fragrance if it came to teas, I just wanted to quench my thirst. "You said you´d like to be my consultant, and now I´ve got new bodies!" he exclaimed. "And the disturbing thing is that they´re all nonbenders!" he reported. I almost spit my tea out. "The fuck – that´s interesting." I responded thoughtfully. Actually this was confirming a theory that had lingered in my mind. An equalistic Killer was a great headline, but it definitely was bullshit. Why five years after Amon was killed? Furthermore, equalists always operated in groups and if one still exited it sure as hell did not have many bending members anymore.
"Interesting – it fucks up all I´ve made up Mr. Lee. I can start from scratch again!" he rambled and than sighed frustrated. I was firing up the coal oven. "Actually I never believed in an equalist Inspector." I responded dryly. The kid was eyeing me puzzled. "You know – equalists would need some kind of weapon that shoots these projectiles, and if they had this sort of high velocity catapult, they would mass produce it und try another revolution. I always thought of – airbenders." I responded. If something could build up that much velocity it was pressured air, bent through a drainpipe or something, maybe with a funnel at one end. "WHAT?" the inspector was disturbed. "Generating high pressured air currents into a pipe, like a pimped blowgun." I responded thoughtfully. I simply had to try that out. Mako stared at me wide-eyed. "That´s, that´s just a crazy idea, but it sounds frighteningly real." He stated. "Thanks Mr. Lee, but we´ve got a problem there…Why should an airbender kill some shady teahouse owners AND probending association leaders?" he asked rhetorically. "I´d say out of political reasons, but these teahouse guys were nonbenders in third generation – perfect equalists. And the probending guys weren´t criminals!" He rambled. "And if it´s not about Rep City but some other stuff. You know that a quarter of the Dai Li assassinations took place in the firenation, do you?" I responded. "Mr. Lee, you´re quite educated for a noodle cart owner." The kid responded smiling. "Well I love physics as a hobby…" I trailed off, the water was already boiling. Good. "Some dumplings? Hippo cow extra spicy again?" I asked him.
"Nono – they were for a friend, she really loved them. I´ll take the usual." He responded. The usual meant the day´s special, which today was simmered pork with pickled banana onions. "Makin it ready." I responded while speedily placing the dumplings in the steamer, my old skills were coming back. "By the way Inspector – you don´t have time for bending practice sometimes do you?" I asked him. When I wanted to fuck up Tenzin I had to hone my bending skills, the guy had manuals and techniques I never heard of. And it would be a shame if I lost a duel I initiated, wouldn´t it? He furrowed his brows. "Why do you need practice, you said you aren´t a firebender! And heavens you own a noodle cart!" he responded. " I like bending? Yes – but firebending is closest to airbending, both are flowing and resisting – y know." I responded, what was this kid thinking of me. Mako´s eyes flew wide. "So you´re an airbender, but why aren´t you with the nomads?" he asked me. It annoyed me that even a policeman stuck to stereotypes that easily. As if every airbender liked idiotic looking wingsuits and fried tofu! Even if the media made it seem like a new air nation had arisen could be farther away from truth.
This nation was nothing but an order of people dedicated to public service – or the perverted version oft that, if you wanted to mention the son´s of the winds. But most of the airbenders simply lived anywhere through the earthern kingdoms, in families that hadn´t much to do with anything nomadic! And of course there also were hardcore nomads amongst them, and people in between – like myself! I shrugged. " I hate being bossed around, I like meat, I like weapons, fights, automobiles, alcohol and hard tribal…" I counted valid arguments for NOT becoming a nomad. He blinked astonished. "Hard tribal, aren´t you a bit too old for that?" he responded honest. I laughed "What´s music got to do with age kid? Also the southern wolf´s second drummer is just eight years younger than me!" I piped up. "You really like this growling and yelling nonsense? Combined with crazy drum beats that make your ears hurt?" Lao stated disturbed, he looked rather mortified. "Heck yeah pal!" I raised my fist into the heavens, as it was popular amongst hard tribal fans. "That's just violation of instruments! The only things that look good may be the singers!" Lao whimpered. I ignored his childish bickering.
"But back to that case of yours Inspector – is there something else that could be called a political crime? Like some really big theft of machinery, or gold?" I asked. For a second he dropped his face, then he enthusiastically patted my shoulder. "You´re insanely good at this man. Yes, damn straight there was a really big theft in staomobile automobile – and that weaponry idea is interesting. Damn it yeah – if some guys wanted to make an airnomad revolution they could go from this angle. And these sons´s of the winds demand more land than just the temples. And they want money from the firenation - a really absurd sum." He responded babbly. "Well, you owe me some training pal." I responded smirking. He eyed me questioning. " So you´re an airbending noodle cook." He stated the obvious. "Aye man." I responded. "You know I was a probending champion Mr. Lee and you have your bending like – four years, without any training from a Master – while I was worked by Lightning Bolt Zolt when I was a kid? And I´m like half your age and twice your muscle?" he obviously didn´t want to hurt my pride, actually I could not blame him for not taking me serious.
" I didn´t know about this Zolt guy, but you might be surprised at my performance. I would resort to my daughter sparring with me if she weren´t somewhere in this city doing, I don´t know what?" I responded humored. Actually I wasn´t missing Sokka as badly as I feared, mostly because I was sure that she was doing fine. "When and where?" I asked him. "Um…whenever you´re free. I guess in eight hours or such? I´ll just head towards the bunks and grab some sleep." He responded stifling a yawn. He leaned closer. "Seems you´re that Lee, the Chief seems to hold you quite dear you know? You should visit her sometimes, Lin Bei Fong doesn´t get many private visitors." He responded. I wondered when Lin had talked about me, with this kid. For a moment I was startled as I felt a slight blush creep into my cheeks. This guy really knew how to make people feel guilty! "I will Inspector – even if I may crap my pants in the process." I responded almost grim. He nodded. " Chief Bei Fong is really scary sometimes, fully do understand you. Well, I better keep going or I don´t grab any sleep at all, which would be very bad." He responded walking away with his bag of dumplings. "What were you whispering with Ispector Chouw Lee?" Lao piped up as soon as the Inspector could not hear him anymore. How nosy could one be, wasn´t it obvious we didn´t want him to hear our conversation? I blinked in awe. "Ow come on Lee, I don´t know why the guy is digging you like that but I´ll be quit as a grave!" he hustled over and almost stuck his face in my ear. "The fuck man – get the hell away from me!" I griped. "And that kid´s definitely not DIGGIN me, or to be precise I´m not gay for Koh´s sake – and if I were I would not fuck little boys!" I rambled while Lao backed up almost frightened. An old woman looked into my direction, her brows furrowed, she spit over her left shoulder to ward of the evil, also she changed her direction. Damn, that lady had bought some dumplings almost every day.
Soon afterwards I was occupied by serving his colleagues and people from the market district. It seemed my dumplings were becoming popular because sometimes s small queue formed in front of my stall. I made four yuan that day – which was my record up till now. Eight hours later Inspector Chouw showed up, this time not dressed in his uniform. He wore casual clothing, dark pants, rough boots, a frock coat over a white shirt. Interesting was that he did not wear his auburn scarf, which looked as if it were as old as Chouw himself. It was the first time I saw him without the uggly thing. "Here I am Mr. Lee – so let´s hit the gym." He responded smiling. He really seemed rested. "Lead the way – and why the hell are you calling me Mr. Lee, who has Lee as a surname?" I snickered. "You´re calling me Inspector, even if you are my senior." The officer returned. "You should call me Mako, or Chouw as you like." He responded. "Mako it is. Actually I hate being called a Mr. it sounds like I was some important person." I added. I really hated titles, because those who wore them mostly were arrogant pricks. Mako did not respond anything to that. The young pal seemed to have a stick in his backside. We chatted a bit about details of his prominent case but sadly I could not help him again. I had left republic city for too long for that. I even did not know half the places he was talking about. In the meantime, Republic City had grown so much it could compete with Ba Sing Se in everything besides history. Mako was rather sharp, nevertheless there was no nail to the coffin up till now, the case was full of holes. Actually we had no real lead, nobody had seen anyone, nobody had heard anything besides strange thunder. Thunder – that did not sound like pressured air. It was a rather long way which lead rather close to the dragonflats, which judged by the covers, still were the hellhole they were twenty years ago.
We arrived at a rather run down gym. It had quite some charm to it, I never liked places that were all glossy and new, I simply couldn´t feel at home there. Not even the Bei Fong household had been an exception, but thanks to the Chiefs crazy moods the house never looked – neat. There often were some piles of rubble in the living room, or uncleaned dishes lying around somewhere. "So you´re not so much upperclass as the media let´s people think Mako – I like that." I responded eyeing the place. "Chrm. Yeah – it´s the place where I and Bolin started training, I simply can´t get rid of it." He answered my question, a faraway look in his amber eyes. "Simpler times back then." He replied. I did not want to dig into this, most likely Mako had some things to figure out, like where he belonged and where he wanted to go with his life. He was in the decisive age, in his early twenties. We then entered, there was no wardrobe or a doorman. It smelled clean but the building itself lacken any charme. The plaster was crumbling from the walls, the chairs looked as if they had seen better times,too. Nevertheless, it was rather lively here, a lot of local youths were assembled here, idly chatting. Mako was greeted by a bunch of sportive looking pals his age. They were dressed rather poor, tattooed cheaply and sporting a look that screamed rebels. After changing into a used looking and definitely used smelling leather armor we entered the training rooms. There was nothing but a flat stone floor, the gym was set up for combat sport entirely. We both started stretching, loosing out joints and muscles, Mako was quite flexible for such a big and bulky guy. He nevertheless was startled as I also picked sixteen stone dumbbells and managed lifting them. Most likely the kid had thought I was getting fat, like most old geezers, he was dead wrong. Lee Bei Gao was finally getting muscular!
We both were streaked in sweat after the warm up. Other guys were throwing millstones into nets, or shot flames at iron gongs. Standard move practice, there wasn´t even a trainer around it seemed. "So – let´s gotta go." I smiled end entered the training arena, my body was steaming and full of Energy. The Areny was basically a traditional Agni Kai ground, a rather sloppy made on top of that. The officer entered releasing a circling arc of yellow flames. Grazing dragon, followed by shattering fortress. His wounded arm was slow, and it also seemed he was weak on the right side in general. I forbade myself to make use of that, because Tenzin surely had not a crippled right arm. I leaned back, and spun around on my heels, the air forming a hissing cocoon around myself. His flames dissipated. I responded with a similar arching low kick, the air was eager, waiting for my command. Shatter the pillar was a typical earthbending move but nevertheless it worked with airbending perfectly well. The blast was heavy and wide, but it didn´t even come close to my opponent. He seemed astonished because the sandbags started swinging five feet outside the ring. He started with Bodhisatvas thousand glowing hands. I had to duck and dogde, while searing hot flames were forcefully hissing through the air right and left besides me. I countered with the traditional phoenix wings, but it seemed as if Mako didn´t even have to think how to dodge them.
After a felt eternity the young man was rather annoyed. It was kind of humiliating for a former probender to be played by an old noodle man like that. Chouw snorted annoyed, wove his arms while strongly stepping, one forth, he took two hard blasts into his chest but even if it was painful he did not fall back, two left, handstraising in front of the chest. Flames were hissing into the air, curling themselves in bright orange whips. Sadly, Yumi had been the empress of firewhips – I literally stumbled through them without wasting a thought on defense, nevertheless a had not the time to counterattack. Actually I was too cautious because I expected him to be faster, and more cunning. Makos comrades obviously had dropped their training to take a closer look at the two of us, even if some of them almost were singed by the young man's arching firesnakes. Mako went through the whole Imperial school, throwing everything at me he had. He really had to be a natural to have this much stamina, I had to bend my soul out to stay unscorched by this flurry of offensive. More than once If felt a singing heat on my skin. It was a felt eternity until I got my fist hit in, interesting it was a simple, straight palmblast that almost propelled his staggering form out of the ring. In the end he nevertheless defeated me with something I had never expected, a front up charge competed by a simple punch into my stomach. As I was eying the ceiling with a heaving chest I had to laugh. That a kid could fool me like that, I really had gotten dull with my honorable dojo routine! I was gasping for air, as was Mako. The guys were cheering and somebody helped me back on my legs.
For a long time my body hadn´t gotten so much strain – it felt good to go all out again. "Where the heck did you pick up that guy Mako? The guy´s for hire?" some bulky earthbender asked as I scrambled back up, ignoring the pain in my stomach. "At a noodle stand." Mako responded honestly. The guys started laughing. "What the hell are you old man!" he responded shaking his head. "How on earth could you walk through my wips like that." He almost sounded hurt. I chuckled "My wife pulled them even better than you do kid. We almost sparred on daily basis after I left the forces." I smirked. Mako blinked. "ok, you really are a strange guy Lee…Man you fought your wife – that's kinda sick!" He responded wrinkling his nose. I shrugged, I was used to being called strange by now "I´m taking that as a compliment kid. Damn it, I´m done for today. Guess we should do that again." I responded, I was thirsty and hungry like a boarcupine. Luckily there was a bucket of water hanging onto the wall, I took the wooden lalde and emptied it twice. "My pleasure." Mako responded "I guess I´ll stay for al little chat with the guys Lee. See ya tomorrow." He responded while turning to his childhood friends. "Sure – have fun. See ya!" I nodded courtly and made my way towards the showers. "Bye Lee" "Take care old man." The kids were rather friendl. Actually I was not interested in talking to Mako´s friends, I really talked enough with people, while I was working. Also I knew I was a lot older than his pals, which would make it awkward if I was too close with the guys.
Furthermore the most of these kids weren´t interesting at all, I had the privilege not to bother with boring people. Later that evening, my muscles sore from the workout, I was standing in front of the police headquarters. They felt looming and dangerous. I still was unsure what Lin would do to me, but I had decided I would stand my ground and fight. I owed her that much after just breaking off contact like a jerk. Since I knew the police station by heart I had not the necessity to ask anybody for directions. Nevertheless, the different departments had changed locations inside the building. The old main station felt rather crowded, long gone the days these corridors were empty and dust filled! Finally, I had smuggled myself in front of the Chief´s office. I was wondering if Lin was still in there, I doubtfully stared at the hippo cow spring onion dumplings in my hands. If it still was one of her favourites after more than twenty years? I knocked. Nobody responded. I knocked louder. "Enter!" a harsh voice snarled. I almost didn´t recognize her voice, that sounded a lot more like her mother's then the voice I remembered. I froze. My limbs were close to moving backwards, god´s damn it Lee Bei Gao ain´t a sissy! I tried to motivate myself. "Gods damn it – come in or I´m coming out, officer!" Lin rambled annoyed. I slowly opened the door and moved in, my legs felt rather wobbly. I was shocked by Lins appearance.
Her face was settled a hard scowl with her scars prominent and dark, even in her office she was wearing an iron armor. Her face was hard as stone, she looked hard, hard and bitter. Age had not been gentle to her; the once silky black hair was grey already. She looked older than me. "H-hey Lin, you´ve got some time ummm…" I mumbled. Her eyes were flying wide as she looked at me, of course she had recognized me the second I entered her office. I was fumbling around with the bag in my hands. "Well – I´m sorry but…" I started while I desperately searched for words. "Get out of my office Lee – get the HELL OUT!" she bellowed, her face distorted in a mixture of pain and fury. "If you couldn´t bother to write a letter in twenty years I don´t need you in my office anymore." Lin had risen from her chair. The woman looked hurt and furious, her fists balled thightly. "Please let me explain why I…" I pleaded. "FUCK OFF LEE OR I´m forgetting I´m on duty and hurl you outside!" Lin threatened me while she curved up a part of the massive steel plate of her desk. As I saw the simmering rage in her emerald eyes I felt like I had been stabbed through my chest. I dropped my dumplings in shock. "I´ll not give this up Lin." I stated absent and turned before I realized that I had done what I had planned NOT to do. But when I thought about it rationally, it was of no use if Lin bended me into a wheelchair for the rest of my days. It would just make our problems bigger, because little Linny would feel so guilty she would do anything I asked from her. Her face was unreadable, it seemed as if she wanted to say something, but she did not and so I left the office. Like a beaten raccoondog I made my way home. I would try it tomorrow again, and the day after tomorrow. Even Mountains corroded with time and so would Lin Bei Fongs wrath – at least I hoped so!