Eventually we drove them off. The other's did anyway. Jian One licked its wounds while the fighting simmered in the background, a constant staccato and drumroll echoing off of the hills. We solemnly picked ourselves up, and dusted ourselves off, and tried to hold it all together. We had risked it all to save that gunner's life, but all of us felt very low having now learned that the co pilot who Hei Bai had worked so hard to save had died. Gone back into shock before the air ambulance could even reach him. Hei Bai tried to look inscrutable, but in his own way he was weeping. To think, killed by his own fellow soldier.
Chang wasn't taking it as well. To see his own son's best friend, a child, not only cut down but fighting against us as a terrorist. Was he coerced? Did they torture him to do it? Was he brainwashed into fighting in a conflict far beyond his years of understanding? So this was the real tragedy of civil wars. Friends as enemies and brother against brother. This whole country seemed ready to come apart at the seams.
"I am sorry," Buno said to Chang. "We will find the animals who are responsible and we will make them pay."
"You need not look very far." Thein Kyu said. "Their will be a member of the Party somewhere in this village. He will be dressed as a citizen. I am sure of it. He will have been here to inspect the village's loyalty and seeing it lacking will have coordinated the attack from inside."
Hei Bai's ears perk up at this. He picks up his radio and whispers a command into it for the other officers in the area. The whole military is like a grotesque and primitive organism. It has its own organs, and behaviors. It has it's own nervous system. A rustling is seen through select neurons in the beast as its officers all talk into their radio, and the demeanor of the animal as a whole changes as they begin issue orders or silent hand signals down to enlisted men. They begin rounding up families outside their huts and ranches and collecting them together, and begin to question them. Some shrug their shoulders, others point, and a single man that Buno has glued his eyes to begins to to walk rather briskly while avoiding eye contact.
Buno gives a look to Hei Bai and Hei Bai returns it. This man passes not far from a pair of soldiers as he goes right for a nearby satomobile. Hei Bai clicks his radio and whispers into it. The soldiers cock their heads at attention to the order. Hei Bai lets an uncharacteristic cuss word fly over the open radio as the man pulls out a machine pistol and the two soldiers fall wounded to the ground.
Before most of us could process what had happened, the sweaty man had hopped into an open top satomobile and begin racing off down the dirt road. With a toss of his arms, Peng heaved the dirt beneath the satomobiles wheels, but the driver regains control after swerving and careening around the road. Peng shrugs his shoulders
"Well," he says, "it's not like he can outrun a hummingbird gunship."
"No!" Hei Bai responds, "they haven't finished sweeping the road for mines. I want him back here alive and in one piece!"
Hei Bai points to me and Koko and then aggressively stabs his finger at the closest Satomobile.
"On it, sir!" I shout as we both take of running, vaulting over the rear bumper in a single bound and crashing itnto the front seats. Koko flips the engine on, revs it while she pops it into first, then second, then first gear again and we're off like a rocket. It doesn't even take us sixty seconds to catch up to him, not that he was hard to find with all the dust he was kicking up behind him. About a klick and a half from the village by; the idiot doesn't even notice us until we're five meters from the his bumper.
Right as we're coming up next to pulls out that little pistol again. Koko slams on the brakes as he opens fire. I don't even hear the reports, I'm so preoccupied with the windshield next to my face turning opaque from bullet holes. Koko falls back a little, mostly because she's kicking the windscreen out with her foot. She doesn't need it. Airbender, after all.
"You'll have to get us closer!" I shout. "Right behind him."
It may be the stupidest thing I've done yet, but I climb up onto the hood of the vehicle…
She has no problem catching up to him. We're bumper to bumper. Crouching down like an animal I prepare to jump. I swallow. "Hold it steady!"
"I know!" she shouts back.
I jump.
Nope. I'm about to be roadkill.
Koko kicks her foot back over the dash and a blast of wind hits me right in my rear, throwing me up into the Satomobile. I land in the passenger seat with a 'poof!' The Party member looks at me. I lock eyes with him. I smile, "hello." I didn't quite expect the knife.
He whips it out fast, slashing down into my chest and collar bone. I grab his hand wielding the knife. With that touch I electrocute him and then slam his face into the steering wheel. There's a satisfying toot from the horn. As I pull the parking brake and the satomobile crawls to a halt, Koko and I give each other the thumbs up.
By the time the Party member starts to come around, my laceration to the chest has finally stopped bleeding - though to be fair, Hei Bai has done a good job at the bandaging and gluing me back together. Eye's wide, they dart around the scene before he tries to bolt from where he sits only for one of the dozen soldiers smack him back to the ground with a whimper.
"Hello, Mr Party member," says Buno. "Why don't you tell me about what's you're doing here?"
"I am Xemin. I am official member of the Party. I am here on Party business."
"So why do you carry a gun and shoot at my soldiers, Xemin?"
"I.. I am only protecting myself," he stuttered. "You were going to arrest on false pretense!"
"I don't think they're false, Xemin. I think you were helping these terrorists. In fact, I think you were ordering them."
"Lies!"
"In fact, several of the prisoners confessed your name before they knew we suspected you. Do you see that man," Buno pointed at Chang. "His son's - Ping Bei Lu's - best friend died here today, fighting for these terrorists. And I'm sure he participated in mob violence with the other troublemakers, too. Why don't you tell me why he would do such a thing for your Party?"
Something stirred in Xemin, "The Party would make a child fight? There is no such implication whatsoever! Everything I have done was in accordance with the Party, in accordance with your elections, and in accordance with basic law. I have rights, after all! I could have just sat here in silence as is my right but instead I am trying to help you and answer your questions.
I am actually anxious for you all! Really, it's true! You guys are good at one thing. All over this country, where ever you go, you do not run as fast as these terrorists, or they would never get away with this! They have a saying in the mainland Earth Kingdom's People's Democratic Republic, 'say nothing, and you'll make a fortune.' But still I am trying to help you. The questions you ask… so naive! I can tell you - not as the Party, but as an elder - that I have seen too much of this. If I had said nothing perhaps it would have been the best. But I thought I've seen all of you so enthusiastic to win this war, and now I am trying to answer questions and cooperate even against my own interest!"
"Mr. Xeming…"
"But if I said nothing, that wouldn't be good either! You are so desperate to find excuse for failure of both this war and of your politician's service that you would find me and the Party to be a scapegoat should I not answer your absurd questions. And of course those animals would find the village outsider as an easy scapegoat too, instead of turning over their real masters. Naive! You really think I could orchestrate this village attack? You really think I am responsible for trouble makers? You really think I am responsible for beating up Bei Li's son? Ha! Do-
"Mr. Xeming, perhaps you should have said nothing after all? How did you know that Chang Bei Lu's son was beaten by trouble makers."
Then the Party-man went white as a bed sheet. The words he tried to form came bubbling and gurgling out as he searched for excuses. But ignoring this all Hei Bai picked up his FN FAL, loaded it, charged the handle, and handed it to a distant and weak-kneed Chang.
"No please! You cannot do this! I am a member of the Party! I…"
The first shot tore a hole through the man's stomach. The screams were almost as loud as the report. But then then next shot to the gut came a few seconds later. And the next one after that. And then again. And until the entire magazine was slowly emptied. But Chang never looked to see the bloody gore he created, though his hands were shaking. He kept looking off to the mountains.
When we returned to the fob we were given liberty for the next thirty six hours as rehab for the events of this morning. No one really wanted to talk about it; the fight, the casualties, what Chang did, what Chang had to do, the Party...
The Party…
The Party was inescapable. The Party was everywhere. The Party was more than just the Earth Kingdom and it only just dawned on me how insurmountable their struggle would be going forward. There is no winning against the Party. But I didn't have to win. I only had to survive long enough to walk away from the table. Time to go all in - I went straight back to Hei Bai's tent once we were dismissed.
"I'm leaving." I said.
"Why?" Hei Bai didn't look up from his paperwork.
"There's no way I'm sticking around for this. Not after seeing the party"
He shrugged, "I convinced Koko to stay, and maybe I can convince you."
"I don't think you can. Money's not good enough. Simply doubling my pay isn't going to get me to stay on this rock." That was a bit excessive, but now I could begin haggling.
"I didn't just double Koko's pay if that's what you think. But, OK, name your price."
Time to really go in, and really hope he doesn't call my bluff, "Triple it."
"OK. Done."
What? "Maybe my price doubled again."
"OK. Then I'll double it. Triple it. Quadruple it. Tell you what, Hou Yi. I think your offer is weak so here's mine. I'm going to offer a lifetime supply of free money. Free housing. Free food. Anything you want is yours, no questions asked. You can live the rest of your entire life here, all on the work of my fat-ass dirty yuan."
"…I"
"what? You're in it for the money right? Got more money than you could ever spend. Budget is meaningless to me, I have a blank check from Du Lin herself. Take all you can, give nothing back. That's all you care about right?"
"I don't understand… are you that desperate, or are you trying to mock me."
"What I'm trying to do is offer you a home. And I'll tell you the truth. I am very desperate. I am desperate because of what I am fighting for. What we're all fighting for. It matters, Hiro, even if you don't care."
He produced a blue slip of paper, scratched a line thru the numbers, wrote a new one, and then signed and initialed.
"Speaking of which. Take this. It's your check for the week. Quadruple is OK for now, yes? Good. Can you do me a favor?"
"What?"
"Take my jeep. Give Chang a ride to Capital City so he can cash his check, and then take him home so he can see his family."
I took Hei Bai's key's and found both his Satomobile and Chang shortly after. I tried to make small talk on the way to Capital City but Chang didn't say much. He doesn't say much of anything. Just as well. When he does you can smell the chewing tobacco on his breath. We pulled up to the Capital City bank.
The two of us wait in line for half an hour, only for the teller to say "I can't cash these government issue checks here. You'll have to go to a government treasury office."
"No we don't," I said. "This is a government bank. Our checks here are as good as anywhere else.'
"Well OK then, sir. We're going to need to see some IDs."
Chang and I fish into our pockets and present them.
"Oh I'm sorry. These IDs are not good."
"Why?"
"because there's no voter ID card. Without it there's no way for me to verify that you really are a citizen of Jia."
"Well neither of us can get voter registration. We're not water tribe."
"Then how do we really know that you two are Hiro Yusha and Chang Bei Lu?"
I open up my uniform, showing my Jian issued dog tags and the new patch stitched onto my uniform.
"I serve in the military. These are military issue dog tags and patches."
"No. you could have stolen it. It could be more forgery. Please come back later when you have proper documentation."
"Ok… OK…" I said. I ripped open my shirt, revealing the bandages and stitches underneath.
"I got shot and stabbed today. Wanna take a closer looksee?"
I ripped the bandage from my chest, and gritted my teeth and winched as the stitches came out with it. Blood starts dripping over the teller's desk.
"As you can see, this one's not actually too bad. Just a grazing slash from a knife wound. But I'm luck… if he had thrusted I probably wouldn't be alive.
"Hiro!" Chang shouts, "What are you doing? Stop this."
"Security! Security!"
Blood's still dripping all over the desk.
A dozen soldiers rush in from somewhere and come to us. Chang stands off to the side and sighs. He puts his hands up and doesn't say a word. Just keeps looking out into space.
"ma'am? What's the problem"
"Remove these two right now!"
Half of these soldiers are non-Water tribe. They look at the military patches on our shoulders and they hesitate
"Oh," I continue. "Are these forgeries too? Do you think I did this to myself?"
Splat, splat, splat. The blood drips to the floor, it runs down my shirt.
"Hiro…" Chang says, "Everyone's staring."
"Let them. Let them ask why this teller won't cash our check's we've earned by bleeding for their country."
The dozen soldiers sent to arrest us move to stand beside us, shoulder to shoulder. They don't say a word. Maybe they know the experience all too well. They stare down the teller with burning eyes. Trembling, she takes the checks, wiping the blood off one of them, and opens his register. He takes out the money and hands it to us.
"Get out, dirt bender."
Moron doesn't even know neither of us are Earth Benders. But I guess all yellow-skins look the same to him.
As I walk out of the bank I'm not quite sure I even did what I just did. The dozen soldiers walk out with me and salute me. A tribal cop on the street sees us and salutes us. I tell the Chang to get in the car and drive. He drives away as fast as he can.
"Don't worry. I won't waste any more of your time by stopping at a hospital or something. Just don't go off-roading or anything while I do this."
He nods. I reach into the back seat of the car and grab one of Hei Bai's trauma kits. I pull out a thread and needle and being stitching back up the gash on my breast. I sanitize it and put a bandage on top. I cover up my wound and ripped shirt with my jacket.
We drive for another hour. After forty minutes of silence, Chang says to me, "I know you're mad. Please let it go, Hiro. It's not worth it."
We're driving straight into the sun but it doesn't blind us. It's warm and setting and red like the blood stained to my shirt and it looks like the whole sky is on fire. Don't ask me if there's any meaning in that, I don't know.
Another half hour goes by and we roll up to one of the farmstead villages. Indistinguishable from the one we fought at earlier. A mix of mud and thatch huts and new modern homes. As Peng got out of the care he motioned for me to come out, too. The cicadas are busy singing in their trees, screaming Kree! Kree!
In the dirt three boys were playing. A beautiful native woman stood by one of the houses, watching them. One of them was water tribe, by the darkness of his skin. All three of them ran around together with pots and colanders on their heads, holding sticks in their hands.
They stopped and looked at us as we approached. They took off their pretend helmets and started running toward us.
"Daddy! Daddy!"
"My boys!" Chang breaks into a smile and runs toward them. He scoops them both up, one in each arm and starts spinning around and around. They're giggling.
"whoo hoo," he sets them down and gives both of them big sloppy kisses on their heads. "daddy's a little dizzy now. You wanna see the airplane?"
"yeah! Yeah!"
Chang holds his arms out to his sides like wings and begins running around. His sons follow him running, making their impression of an airplane.
"Wanna see what a jet plane looks like?"
"what's a jet, daddy?"
"Come-on, I'll show ya!"
He holds his arms swept backwards now, and begins making sharp twists as he runs and makes a zooming whooshing noise.
As I'm standing there the water tribe boy runs up to me. He's wearing a pot on his head like a helmet, carrying a stick for a rifle, and he's got some rope wrapped around himself like a bandoleer
"Are you a soldier too?"
"well… yeah!"
"Private Tam reporting for duty sir!"
I awkwardly returned the salute.
"Thank you soldier! Are you a hero like Ping and Pong's dad?"
Before I could think of anything to say, one of the boy's locks eyes with me. He tries to smile, But behind it i can see into his eyes as they pierce through me. They're eyes I've seen before. Burning eyes. Soldier's eyes. Same as the soldiers in the Capital City bank. The eye's of someone who's lost their innocence.
"Come along, Ping," Says Chang, the boy turning away from me. "Supper is ready."
I don't try to stick around much after that. The whole experience leaves me feeling… uncomfortable, for some reason. But as I was walking to my car, I saw another Satomobile drive up to edge of property. Out hops… Buno and Thein Kyu?
"Just in time!" Buno says. "Hiro, I will need you to come to the Capital with me. But first, I will need to speak with Chang."
Chang waves his children off to his wife and goes to speak with Thein Kyu and Buno. Sitting in Hei Bai's stamobile parked nearby, I can fragments of their conversation as they stand near Buno's jeep. It's not much, but it's enough to know what's going on…
"No," says Chang, "He doesn't know yet."
"Do you plan to tell him?"
"Eventually. But how could I ever tell him that it was at my hands? I think he's beginning to suspect that his friend is already dead. After all, they haven't seen him in months now, not since the mob."
"And that's the other thing we need to discuss. This situation is putting me in a difficult situation…"
"Buno, please." Says Thein Kyu, "He's been through enough today already."
"I understand," says Buno, "but it's put me in a difficult position. I don't want this either. But at the end of day, your son participated in that mob. He beat people, too. Du Lin's stance is very clear, we punish criminals no matter what, to send a message to would be troublemakers. I'm not sure how much longer I can protect him from the police."
Chang looks at the ground, and tears begin to flow down his cheeks. "The harvest has been bad this season. Not enough rain. They say it is because the spirits are upset, that the bloodshed has angered them and that they will be unhappy until wrongs have been righted. I cannot stop justice. But my greatest regret is that now Ping never be a doctor, or anything more than a farmer. They will never let a criminal work outside tribal lands"
"Have them drop the charges, Buno." Thein Kyu responds. "The evidence is circumstantial, even if it is true. We'll get Du Lin to drop the charges."
Chang interjects, "Du Lin is hard to convince. She would never put herself in such a position to be seen as playing favorites or abusing her power."
"Then an exchange. Leniency for the boy, but I will stand trial."
"Thein Kyu…"
"No, Buno. I have done what I have done. But the boy risked everything to do the right thing, without lying or deceit. Hei Bai has already agreed to help me. Du Lin may want to send a message of justice to would be troublemakers. But if we do not show leniency here then we will lose their hearts and minds because we will deny them hope."
They talked at little more, until Thein Kyu and Chang embraced each other and Buno approached me saying, "Follow me and Thein Kyu to the Capital. Du Lin wants you present for an emergency meeting. Then we'll reset the clock on your liberty."
The sun had set by now and the twilight turned to darkness. The drive back by myself was long and arduous and I would have been lost had Buno not been leading the way. Only the internation radio kept me company, the latest teenbopper music being looped over the airways.
On a winter's day/
I'd be safe and warm/
In Ba Sing Sae/
Fire Nation dreamin'...