Hiroshi couldn't make the time to meet Amon the day after being shown the masked man's unique power. The next day, he sat in his office and fumed, reading the newspaper. By any spirit that might happen to care… Tarrlok got more odious with each passing day. Spinning tirades about how bender dominance was the natural order of the world… in fact, how it didn't exist at all. Everything was as it should be, simple as that.

He threw the newspaper down on his desk. It was as if Tarrlok had chosen to escalate his insufferable elitism and entitlement just in time to tip the balance of Hiroshi's indecision. Yes, if the Republic City Council couldn't be made to see that they continued to prop up a grossly unequal system, then maybe Amon's solution – in fact, the solution that was Amon, as he kept putting it – was the only one the non-benders had left. Hiroshi couldn't help but picture Councilman Tarrlok in Ga Min's place, flailing in panic after his bending had been taken away. It was a pleasant thought to have.

But imagining things would accomplish nothing. With a scowl, Hiroshi set about altering his schedule to allow for a few meetings with his Equalists, and with Amon. Who, it seemed, was as busy as Hiroshi himself. According to other Equalists, the revolutionary spent his days recruiting and training. He delivered speeches to the Equalists, and spoke with non-benders outside the movement on secret rallies and meetings. And membership swelled. Amon's rhetoric brought many non-benders into the ranks, seeking training and weapons against benders. Amon also provided the former, sharing his chi-blocking techniques with others. He was an amazing fighter, perhaps a match for Zia – or more than a match for her. Rumours abounded of how he had travelled the world, fighting benders and seeking enlightenment. Hiroshi wasn't interested in rumours, however. He was going to hear Amon's story from the man himself, as he had been promised.

The Equalist safehouse that was currently in rotation was bustling. The vigilante group had many places strewn about the city that they used for storage, training and meetings. Less than a half of them was in use at any given time, with the Equalists periodically emptying them and moving to another one. It had played a great part of keeping the movement secret. The one Hiroshi had just entered was a former pro-bending gym that had fallen out of use. Ironic that the anti-bending vigilantes would use a facility formerly dedicated to a sport that put benders on a pedestal.

When Hiroshi entered the building through a back-door, he saw a group of people practicing chi-blocking on special mannequins, which had the pressure points of a human body marked on them. They were still beginners, and so were simply remembering the position of the pressure points on immobile training dummies. The real challenge was hitting the pressure points of a mobile, bending enemy. It wasn't an early art to learn. Which was why many Equalists preferred the modern weapons Future Industries secretly manufactured. Above them, on a platform, stood Zia.

The former Kyoshi Warrior had certainly changed since that first excursion of the Equalists. She has aged, but it only toughened her up. She was a short, broad-shouldered woman with cropped hair and dark skin. On the left side of her face, running down her neck and onto her shoulder, was a nasty electrocution scar – a memory of when she faced down Lightning Bolt Zolt himself. It was a close fight, far closer than the crime boss liked. But in the end, lightning was ever so difficult for a non-bender to defend against.

"Mister Hiroshi!" She cried when she saw him. After some years, she finally stopped referring to him as "Mister Sato". "I didn't know you'd be coming today."

"Well, the current political situation seems to be escalating," Hiroshi responded, climbing the stairs to her vantage point. "I thought I'd take some time to inspect the troops, as it were."

Zia's face darkened.

"I know, I've read the papers too. I swear, that Tarrlok! It's like he's intentionally trying to goad us. He can't possibly believe all that drivel he tells the press."

"Who knows what that man thinks," Hiroshi said with a sigh. "The other Councillors are just opportunists. Tenzin is in over his head, and always has been… the only reason he got this position was because he's Avatar Aang's son, and the only adult airbender in the world. But Tarrlok is a real problem. He tells the benders of this city what they want to hear, and keeps non-benders powerless by dressing it up as a concern for tradition."

Zia shook her head.

"It's always the same, isn't it. They say we're as valuable as benders, but when push comes to shove, they always end up more important. It was like that with the Dai Li, back in Ba Sing Se. And it's like that here." She looked up at Hiroshi. "Did you know the Kyoshi warriors retired back to their island? It was that, or keep playing assistant to the Dai Li under that spoiled brat of a queen."

"It's always been like this," Hiroshi observed morosely. "We've always had to try harder just to get on equal footing with the benders. The only thing that has changed in the last half a century is that we've finally started to take issue with how the world revolves around them, and decided to do something about it."

"Yeah!" Zia grinned. "We did! And we are doing something about it! Is it true what they say about Amon? That he took someone's bending away, permanently?"

Hiroshi was surprised, both by her enthusiasm – although Zia had always been rather hot-headed – and her knowledge of Amon's ability.

"It is true. I see news has spread."

"Well, not to everyone. But I talk to a lot of the troops," Zia said. "Many of them brought to us by Amon. He's said to be an amazing chi-blocker. I'd love to test myself against him someday. And you wouldn't believe the rumours that are circulating about where he came from and why he wears that mask."

"I rather think I would," Hiroshi remarked with some amusement. "I do intend to hear the real story from Amon himself, of course. He has big plans, and he promised to be honest with me. It's part of the reason why I'm here now. I need to contact him."

"That's fortuitous," said a voice behind them. "It's exactly why I'm here now."

Hiroshi and Zia turned around. Amon's lieutenant stood in front of them, having just climbed up the stairs.

"Oh. Well, Zia, this is…" Hiroshi paused. "I'm sorry, I never did learn your name. Everyone always refers to you as… Lieutenant."

"It's quite on purpose," the man responded. "It's also why I'm rarely seen without my mask on. The fewer people know my name, the better. Same goes for my face. We're all a conspiracy here, but my conspiracy needs to go a little deeper."

"And why is that?" Hiroshi asked, not bothering to make sure it was fine to ask this question. He was still the leader of the Equalists.

The Lieutenant looked between Hiroshi and Zia, who was observing him with curiosity.

"What I say here must be kept between us, of course," he said. "I'm a soldier. A low-ranking officer in the United Forces. I call myself Lieutenant not just because I'm Amon's right-hand man, but because it's the rank I should have got by now if they hadn't kept promoting benders over me." The Lieutenant's normally impassive and rational tone now had an edge of deep resentment to it. Hiroshi and Zia nodded sympathetically.

"It's no secret that the United Forces favour benders. They do have their power, but the ability to bend does not equal tactical thinking and leadership," Zia said, shaking her head. "At least the old Fire Nation was honest about it."

"I have a history of exemplary service, and could outfight half of the benders in my regiment," the Lieutenant went on. "More, if they gave us some modern weapons. But tell that to the brass. The only non-bending general is that idiot Bumi. And he only got the job because he's Avatar Aang's son. So the higher-ups cover up the fact that he's a fool with a lot of dumb luck that should never have made it past being a floor-sweeper. Never mind that everyone knows how embarrassed Aang was because his firstborn was a non-bender."

"They say his methods are unorthodox, but they work," Hiroshi pointed out. He wasn't sure how much he agreed with the Lieutenant's assessment of General Bumi. Or that Avatar Aang was ashamed of having a non-bender son. Then again, it was known he'd always groomed Tenzin to be his successor…

"Which is just how they explain it when his bumbling around doesn't actually manage to ruin things," the Lieutenant answered dismissively. "Frankly, he's making the rest of us look bad. If he is the most prominent example of a non-bending career military, it's no surprise we're all dismissed as useless. Maybe that's why they keep him upstairs, not just because of his father. He can serve as proof that we're unfit for command and responsibility."

Hiroshi didn't respond at first. He had never thought about it this way, but his involvement with the military had always been peripheral – limited to trying to pitch more advanced weaponry. Which was turned down by the politicians, not the soldiers.

"I do remember you using a weapon I found familiar," he said instead. "A stick, hooked up to an electrical current. I designed something along those lines, but could never make it work properly. It always ended up unwieldy."

"Oh, yes," Zia said. "I've had people using them accompany my chi-blockers. They're easy to use and can deliver a punch, but hitting a bender with them is the issue. And they're easily disabled. Shock-gloves are much more practical."

The Lieutenant nodded.

"You're brilliant when it comes to technology, Mr. Sato, but you're not a soldier and the only real test for a weapon is on the battlefield. After Amon recruited me, I worked with another soldier who had joined at the same time, and we figured out how to make it smoother. It's based on a weapon named Kali stick… used in martial arts on an island just on the edge of United Republic. Combine it with the shock-weapon technology and suddenly you can paralyze someone in seconds. And it's harder to counter than chi-blocking."

Hiroshi rubbed his chin. The conversation had entered a territory he felt much more confident in than the recent politics.

"Very interesting. We've never been able to recruit anyone from the army… we've never really tried. It was considered too risky. I see Amon has managed that. I would very much like to examine that weapon. So far, my biggest success in this field have been the shock-gloves."

"They're fine weapons," the Lieutenant said. "They're easy to use, and that's important. What we need is something we can arm a large number of people in. Chi-blocking allows a non-bender to face down benders on something of an equal footing, but not everyone can learn it. Shock-sticks like mine, even upgraded to be practical, also require training. The Equalists have been an elite group, so far. The shock-gloves and other weapons we devise can allow us to field an army."

"He's right," Zia interjected. "It takes a long time to turn someone into a chi-blocker. Getting close enough to a bender to chi-block them is a very… intense effort. A lot of people simply can't manage that. But if we gave them proper weapons…"

Hiroshi, however, focused on something else in the Lieutenant's words.

"An army?" he asked. "Is that what Amon is planning?"

"We're rallying the downtrodden of this city, aren't we?" The Lieutenant shrugged. "Numbers are a weapon. If we can arm them in tools both more powerful and easier to use than what non-benders have had to work with in the past… benders will have a reason to fear, won't they?"

Hiroshi couldn't deny that. Bringing technology to the masses had always been his goal. He managed it with Satomobiles. But his efforts to do the same with weapons technology had encountered a stone wall. Benders were content to partake in technology bending couldn't replace, but giving non-benders a taste of the power they had? No, that was clearly unacceptable. Still, an army… that was something else. That word had weight.

"I believe I need to speak with Amon in person," he simply said. "He clearly has plans for this group that I will need to form an opinion about."

The Lieutenant nodded again.

"Yes. He told me to deliver his invitation. He will speak with you in a house under this address tomorrow evening." He slipped a note into Hiroshi's hand. "It is imperative that you do not bring anyone."

Hiroshi and Zia both frowned. Reading their expressions, the Lieutenant shrugged.

"If you do bring someone else, they cannot hear what he has to tell you. How you arrange that is up to you. He does urge you to be cautious, of course."

"Caution is what brought me this far," Hiroshi said. "Very well. I will be there. Zia will be there as well. As a precaution if nothing else."

Zia grinned.

"I've been dying to meet Amon, anyway. I'd love to know if he's as good a chi-blocker as they say."

The Lieutenant shrugged again.

"It's your choice. One way or the other, we will see you there tomorrow at 6 PM."

The next morning, Petuwaq entered Hiroshi's office, discreetly.

"Mr. Sato," he said. "I… received word from some of the people you had observe Ga Min. They tell me she's dead. She was drunk and picked a fight with some small-time Agni Kai enforcers. The fight got out of hand and they killed her. Apparently she was too drunk to remember she couldn't bend anymore."

Hiroshi sat back in his chair, feeling a coldness in his stomach. Dead. That was not what he had wanted. He wanted to see her punished, but not dead. According to the account, her death was her own doing, but… Amon had taken her bending. If he hadn't, she would still be alive.

"Thank you. You may go," he simply said.

Once Petuwaq was gone, Hiroshi took a deep breath. That evening, he would speak with Amon, and everything would hopefully become clear. He would know what the masked man planned. He just had to get through the day. And he had learned to hide his inner feelings as he went about his business.

Around five, he left his workshop to prepare for his meeting with Amon. On his way out, he met Asami.

"Hello, sweetie," he said. "I'm afraid I must leave… an unexpected meeting come up. I'm not sure when I'll be back."

"What's wrong, dad?" his daughter simply asked. Hiroshi blinked.

"Wrong?"

"You're tense. And it's as if your thoughts are elsewhere." Asami's expression was concerned. "What's bothering you?"

Hiroshi sighed and ran his hand through his haid.

"I'm… it's Tarrlok," he said, settling on something that was at least partly true. "I'm tired. Tired of living in a city that is so different and yet the same than the old Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom. We will always be just glorified butlers for benders."

"Oh, don't say that, dad," Asami responded, firmly. "Things are changing. They're getting better. Tarrlok and the rest of the Council won't have their way forever. Didn't you believe it too?"

"I do," Hiroshi said, although at that point, he no longer did. "But while you might live to see it, I'm not sure if I will," he added, chuckling. Then he stepped up to hug his child.

"Don't change, Asami. Your idealism warms this old man's heart."

The building Amon waited in turned out to be located in a very bad part of town. Hiroshi was glad he had brought Zia along. She would make short work of anyone who decided on a little mugging. The Lieutenant waited at the door. He had no weapons with him, and he wore an inconspicuous grey coat.

"Good, you're here. Amon is waiting inside. Mr. Hiroshi, please follow me. You'll have to wait downstairs, Zia. Keep an eye out for trouble. What Amon will says is for mine and Mr. Sato's ears only."

If Zia had reservations about being excluded, she kept them to herself.

"So long as I get to talk to Amon afterwards," she simply said.

"That can be arranged. And now…" the Lieutenant opened the door.

Hiroshi followed him up creaky, dust-covered stairs. On top of them was a short, cramped corridor lined with two pairs of doors, with another one at the end of it. The two men walked through it, and saw Amon sitting down on a mat in an empty, featureless and all-around barren room. He looked up at them, as if awakening from meditation. His mask was, of course, featureless.

"Mr. Sato. Lieutenant. Good. Now I can finally satisfy your curiosity. Please, take a seat."

Hiroshi sat down on another mat, not entirely comfortable. He wasn't getting any younger. But it seems Amon wanted to introduce an ascetic atmosphere to the meeting.

"Let us start with something I will do only once," Amon said, reaching up. Hiroshi and the Lieutenant actually held their breaths as he threw back his hood and took off his mask.

Underneath it was a dark-skinned and dark haired middle-aged man, clearly of Water Tribe heritage. His face was marked with scars – a burn scar here, a cut there, and a nose that had clearly been broken and didn't grow back correctly.

"Here, for a moment, I am not Amon. Not entirely. The name I was born with and used for a time is Noatak. And the story that led me to discarding it began… here."