Disclaimer: I do not own the Avatar world, that is all owned by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

Chapter 30

A Reason To Live Part 2

Multiple members of the Resistance gathered in front of the Earth King's historical palace. Since the disbandment of royalty, it had been turned into a tourist site. It was also under the Dai Li's protection to ensure it's cultural significance was not damaged. Anyways, things were wrapping up in Ba Sing Se. Almost every Dai Li agent surrendering. No one assisted those who still fought.

Their worst conflict, was surprisingly from the upper rings, who benefitted from the Dai Li's corruption. They tried to get the Resistance to leave. But, since money didn't do much for them. It was an useless effort and proved to be more of an annoyance if anything.

Bara was organizing things with the other higher ups. Rin, Arlo, and Yulan talking with each other as they waited for Wikilow to arrive with the Director. Those remaining at the headquarters had told them of his actions. It was easily surmised what he was doing. But, some of them were still concerned.

"It shouldn't take this long for Wikilow to finish things up, right? It's Wikilow, there's no way he'd lose a fight." Arlo brought up, face contorting.

"I'm sure he's fine. Maybe the Director had some far away bunker that takes a while to travel to." Yulan guessed, tapping her goggles.

"Yeah…" Rin agreed, looking off toward the distance.

He was not fine.

Wikilow's eyes snapped open to nothing. Just an endless grey void surrounding him. His body floated in the space. Confused, Wikilow tried to move away but found there was a small chain and cuff on his ankle. Of which, he couldn't see the bottom of.

"Where am I?" The Avatar asked out loud, receiving no response from the void. He tried to make sense of his situation. His thoughts immediately pinpointed what the Director had said. "A code phrase… so I was a sleeper agent after all…" Wikilow realized, guilt mounting in his stomach. "Wait, that does not make sense." The Avatar questioned, aimlessly floating. "If I am a sleeper agent. Then why did I assist the Resistance?" Wikilow wondered, forcing himself into a calm state. He had to think logically. "What would my orders be?" He continued.

However, he couldn't come up with an answer. There was also the larger concern of what the Director would now order him to do. While Wikilow was under Zhou's control.

"He could make me fight against the Resistance. But, if that is the case. It would not reverse the progress outside of Ba Sing Se. The other members should be able to take me down with time. Furthermore if many more surrendered. However there is the moral problem this may cause…" Wikilow hypothesized.

"Forget."

"What?" The Avatar thought, alarmed by the monstrous echo that reverberated throughout the void. Suddenly another chain sprung up out of nowhere, a cuff clasping around his arm. He stared at it, further puzzled.

"Forget."

There it was again, more chains leaped out of the void. Wrapping themselves around Wikilow's body. He struggled to move with them around him. What was the Director planning? What did he mean by forget-?

"No…" Wikilow gasped, eyes going wide. There was some sort of click, and the chains began dragging him down, deeper into the void. Wikilow struggled to free himself from the chains. He felt himself entering some sort of ocean, holding his breath. Wikilow continued to fight underwater. But the chains wouldn't budge. "Director Zhou couldn't be ordering me to forget the past year. He couldn't be ordering me to lose my emotions again." Wikilow thought, though he was lying to himself. The grey void disappeared. His surroundings turned a nightmarish black.

"Forget."

"I still have my memories!" Wikilow rebutted. The Avatar proceeded to review his mind again and again. The exact order of events and memories, his thoughts and feelings in them. "I was partners with Rin in the Dai Li… I met Elsi in a cave after she was kidnapped… Rin left after I took her bending when she tried to kill Elsi… Arlo… Resistance… Beifong family…" Wikilow mentally examined, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Elsi died…" The Avatar remembered, the pain piecing his heart. "…She died… Gale gave me her crystal pendant… then….then….then…." Wikilow's eyes opened. "Then…!" He muttered, clawing at his memory for details.

"No! No! No! What happened next?" Wikilow shouted, bubbles leaking from his mouth. He was forgetting.

"Forget."

"SHUT UP!" Wikilow screamed, unusual. His attempts to break free only seemed to make the chains go faster. "I still have my emotions…" The Avatar tried to say. "The Dai Li are not good, they lied… the Dai Li…" He tried to go in an act of defiance.

"Forget."

What was wrong with the Dai Li? They were for the peace and order. They were good. Wait, there had been a reason Wikilow thought they were bad. What was it again? Why had he been fight-he had been fighting? There had been, a group, yes. A group that was fighting the Dai Li. His instincts yelled that this group was bad and should be eliminated. But, Elsi, Arlo, and Rin were part of the group. Why were they in the group?

Yulan and Bara were in the group, and they were…who were those people to him again?

"I can't remember!" Wikilow gasped. He then realized the horrible truth. Once he was out, it was over. He would forget, just like they had done all those years ago. The Avatar would become a soulless puppet belonging to the Dai Li. They were killing Wikilow… just as they had killed Benji.

However, Wikilow fought. He would not forget again. He didn't want to lose his friends, his family, his emotions. He didn't want to go back to being nothing!

But his resistance was futile. The chains pulled him down through the black water, deep, deep, and deeper. With every second that passed Wikilow was forgetting everything. With every second Wikilow was losing everything.

"NO! STOP! PLEASE STOP! ANYTHING BUT THIS! PLEASE STOP!" He desperately begged, losing his strength. Wikilow was drowning. "I WANT TO STAY!" He choked, eyes wide.

The Resistance became blurry and vanished. Bara, Yulan, Bo all gone. The spirit world crumbled. Arlo and Rin, shattered into the void. Elsi… they all disappeared. Wikilow was crying, though the tears blended with his prison. He was scared. He couldn't do anything. He hated it. He hated it so much. He… he… the pain disappeared.

Hollowness crawled into his bones, sending shivers through him. And then nothing.

There was nothing…

Absolutely nothing at all…

His eyes froze, then emptied themselves of feeling. Becoming two, identical, blank circles. Wikilow felt a strong calm state fall over him as the chains slowed to a stop. Suspending his body in the black ocean's unforgiving depths. What… was the problem? Was there a problem in the first place? What was occurring again?

Wikilow lost himself again…

Wikilow didn't feel anything…

Wikilow was the Avatar…

Wikilow was loyal to the Dai Li…

Wikilow did not question the Dai Li…

Wikilow was nothing but the world's weapon…

That's right… that was always the truth…

"WIKILOW!" A girl screamed, causing him to numbly look into the darkness.

"Who is that?" The Avatar questioned, apathetic. The chains pulled him deeper, but it was like gravity was resisting. What was happening? Who was that girl? Wikilow stoically turned back above. Something told him it didn't matter. And Wikilow always listened. A sudden drowsiness was overcoming him. He opened his mouth, more air bubbles pouring out. He didn't fight as his eyes slowly closed.

"WIKILOW!" The girl's voice screamed again. His eyes weakly snapped open, the chains continuing to drag him down. There was a white flash, a face. Light grey eyes, brown curls and a soft smile.

"Wait…" The Avatar said, moving his hand toward the figure. "Elsi… I recognize you… you're… you're…" Wikilow stated, tilting his head. There was a ripple in the waters. Light, her voice, dances, fireworks, and a crystal pendant. He gasped, remembering everything. "Elsi!" And then he was a rag doll in a game of tug of war between the chains and a new mysterious force. Wikilow let out another gasp as the chains were torn apart, the pieces sinking alone.

"Elsi?" Wikilow asked, looking around through the depths. But saw nothing, the light was receding. "Where are you? Elsi!" The Avatar repeated, feelings taking over logic. But he was alone. Wikilow's eyes darkened, but then he looked down below, and then above. Realizing what had happened, and what he needed to do. There was life in his eyes.

Elsi had freed him…

And now Wikilow needed to swim up on his own…

Up…up… toward the light. Black waves turned grey as the Avatar swam up. Grey waves slowly turning brighter and brighter. Determination pumped through his limbs as Wikilow reached the light.

Wikilow gasped, eyes clearing of haze. He took an instinctive step back, realizing he had been about to stab himself with a sharp metal blade. The tip just above his heart. Gale was desperately clawing at his hands. There were small red marks from their attempts to stop him. The Avatar threw the weapon to the side, before staring at the shocked Director.

"How-never mind. The Dai Li alone controls the spirits!" Zhou tried to order again. Wikilow tensed, but he did not sink back into the void. The Avatar gave a small nod to Gale. Who after a moment's hesitation, leaped back into the air. He loosened his form, tilting his head. It was just him and Zhou Qing.

"That will not work, Director." Wikilow stated, arms behind his back. A bead of sweat formed on Zhou's face at the turn of events.

"…Are you going to kill me, Avatar?" Zhou snarled, taking a fearful step back.

"I have orders to take you down, dead or alive." Wikilow answered, taking a step forward.

"Y-you're trading one set of chains for another!" Zhou tried to argue.

"Incorrect, I make my own choices now. No one will force me to do anything again. Not the Resistance or Dai Li." The Avatar rebutted, getting into a bending stance. Someone else in his position would've drawn this out perhaps. Make some snappy unneeded remark like in those movers Arlo liked to discuss so much. But this fight was over. Zhou Qing attempted to make some other desperate remark, all easily cast aside. Wikilow turned his head up.

"YOU'RE NOTHING! NOTHING BUT A PUPPET! I REFUSE TO LOSE! I REFUSE! THE DAI LI ALONE CONTROLS THE SPIRITS!" Zhou desperately ordered.

He saw what the Director really was.

A man wearing a hat that was much too big on him. A fable, weak man whose clothing limply hung on him. A disillusioned man who had seemed so much more than what he actually was, what he himself saw himself as. What Wikilow had seen him as up until that point.

"You… you are pathetic." Wikilow spat, eyes narrowing.

Zhou Qing was a man who saw in a system how it could benefit him. Saw a system he could manipulate for his own gain. Not caring for what happened to those around him.

"Everyone, no matter what, deserves the chance to be fairly judged before anything is done or said!" Elsi had once said to him. And Wikilow had judged Zhou Qing. He had unleashed an organization or corruption onto the world. Had taken lives, ruined many more. He deserved to die. At least Wikilow thought so. However, it would be unfair of him to make that call. Wikilow was only one victim of the Dai Li's world.

"You will be judged by the people. I am confidant that you will be executed that way, Zhou Qing." Avatar Wikilow Beifong decreed, eyes white.

From the steps of the Earth King's palace, the Resistance, the Dai Li, and Ba Sing Se saw a flash of green shoot through the twilight sky. Everyone looked up. Bara had a relived expression on his face. Arlo grinned, Yulan cheered, and Rin smirked. Wikilow descended from the air, still in the Avatar state. His own hat was styled behind his head. He held Zhou Qing's hat in one hand. Zhou Qing himself in the other. Gale circled him as he landed in front of Bara.

"Avatar Wikilow." Bara greeted, handing the Director over to others for detainment.

"Bara Beifong." Wikilow acknowledged with a nod. He still held the ornate hat in his right hand. Wikilow looked out to the people gathered. His friends and family, upper and lower ring citizens, the Resistance, and the defeated Dai Li. The Avatar had an announcement to make.

He had been thinking about the future.

The Resistance's initial plans was to simply disband the Dai Li, taking in the prominent figures for trial. The vast majority of the organization was common agents. So, for them they had planned to temporarily take them in for individual assessments. The Earth States could then set up their independent law enforcement instead of the Dai Li.

But Wikilow had realized something.

Most of those agents were still people.

People living in a world where they could only worry about themselves. Saw a system they could use to survive. People who didn't know any different system, had no one to tell them what else they could do. Individuals using a blackened system, independent from one another. Climbing a ladder where other climbers were the rungs. Always looking to defend themselves from others trying to push and drag them down.

They had a role and they fulfilled it. Cold and unfeeling to the broken world around them.

That was the truth about the Dai Li. They had all been used. Wikilow, Rin, their fellow agents. They had been puppets. Zhou Qing and his abandoned inner circle the puppet masters. But strings could be broken if something changed. They were changing the world. This world the Director created. Bringing the broken pieces back together. Wikilow's existence had started as a lie. But with time he became the truth.

The Dai Li being good, for the peace, for the people, that had been a lie.

Wikilow could make it the truth.

"Too long have the Dai Li been left unchecked loss after defeat. This is what the world's current predicament has arisen from. I predict, I know we can do better this time. We can make the Dai Li better. Change it back to stand for it's original purpose and more. An organization for the the people of the the Earth States." Wikilow strongly advocated, looking Bara, the downed Dai Li agents in the eye.

"The Beifong family has experience in law enforcement. Will you use that experience and help me?" The Avatar requested of Bara, extending the Director's hat to him. The older man paused, following his gaze to the sullen rows of Dai Li agents.

Bara Beifong thought a long while before answering.

"If you lead, my answer is yes, Avatar Wikilow." Bara answered, taking the hat from Wikilow. To show that they would direct the Dai Li under new management. This proclamation was met with mixed reactions. There was a good many who opposed the notion. It would be years of seeing the results until the controversy died down. But even if it took years, eventually the Dai Li would represent something different, something better.

His friends gave him supportive gestures and cheers. But behind the crowd, Wikilow could see two figures. He was the only one who could see them. Avatar Korra and Kyoshi. His predecessors gave him an approving salute before vanishing.

He had work to do.

Authors Note: Kind of rushed this chapter. My plan for the ending was more or less, Wikilow has symbolic hat move and decides to reform the Dai Li. I wanted to try and make connections between the common agent and Wikilow. Sort of just pushed a plain people can change message. On another note, the whole swimming on his own bit was my way of addressing Elsi's fears about her influence over Wikilow. But, the epilogue's up next!