Sometimes, Mako thought, the worst part about dating an heiress and the Avatar was that it turned him into a snob. Like now, for instance. The pai gow parlor wasn't that different from the various front businesses where Zolt had held court and Mako had stared at gold chains with wide, envious eyes; but now he noticed things. The cheap aftershave of the doorman, the gaudy chains Shady Shin wore around his neck, the smell of lousy sake thick in the air. Men with plenty of money and power, but no taste. Appearance was everything, Fa had told him when he had arrived with nothing but his scarf and a chip on his shoulder. If he wanted to control Gaoling's underworld, he had to look like someone worth following.

Which also meant not throwing up all over the rug. I have a family. A grandmother. Cousins. Being an orphan had been as much a part of his life as his firebending since he was eight years old. He had had to be tough and sharp to take care of himself and Bolin because nobody else would. His exile had proved that being alone was his natural state. Except that he had a family. And Asami didn't hate him or think he was a monster. His fingers twitched with the urge to touch his lips for what felt like the hundredth time in the last twenty-four hours. Somehow, he had to get both of them home and rebuild his life.

But not now. Now, the Miracle Man had business to conduct. He glared at Shin. "Here to see Viper. And Ping."

"Sure, sure." Shin glared at him like he wanted to wring Mako's neck, but led him through the curtain separating the parlor from Triple Threat headquarters proper. Viper sat at a table surrounded by two girls in Water Tribe garb, if Water tribe garb involved showing off toned midsections and necklines that were just this side of indecent. Mako tried not to stare. It was another thing Fa had told him. Mako could drool after all the girls he wanted, but the Miracle Man couldn't have needs or vices because those were weaknesses. He gazed at Viper's smirking, punchable face instead. "We have a problem, Viper."

"Oh yeah? What kind of problem would that be, oh high and mighty Miracle Man?" He spat out the moniker as if it was Gommu's stew and sneered at Ryoji next to him. "Somebody hurt the dumb brute's brain by using big words?"

Ryoji growled and clenched his fist. Mako put a restraining hand on his arm. He's going to be quoting poetry and doing calculus problems in his head all night after this. He took the seat opposite Viper and shook his head in mock disappointment. "I thought we had an agreement. Bending in the streets and endangering potential customers is bad for business. Then I hear from Ryoji that Ping almost roasted his son." He looked around. "Where is Ping, anyway?"

"Special assignment," Viper said with a smile. "He'll be back in a few weeks."

Mako suppressed a groan. Viper had probably smuggled Ping out of the city the moment he'd heard about the incident with the Asami. "I think you owe Ryoji for putting his little boy in danger."

Viper snorted. "You only care because your girlfriend got a little hot. Remember what happened the last time you tried to play the big hero?"

Ryoji's eyes flicked toward Mako and his lips parted almost imperceptibly. He had never spoken of his past with anyone in Gaoling; it was one less thing they could tell the Provisional Authority if things went south, and well, what had there been to say? I used to date the Avatar and the CEO of Future Industries until I got framed for terrorism? He had a feeling he was going to be answering a lot of awkward questions in between listening to Ryoji recite poetry. "Asami is my past. I'm much more concerned about my present. Understood?"

"All right, all right. I've got some equipment coming in tonight. Mechs, that kind of thing. I'll let you have first crack at it. Even give you a discount."

Which, knowing Viper, meant it would be overpriced garbage, but there might be a few good pieces from what was left of his contacts in Republic City. "Next time one of your people gets reckless, I'm going to have to discipline them personally."

"Look at you talking like you run this town. You're the same as you always were: a soft, squishy piece of garbage without the balls to get the job done."

Mako took a breath. Don't let him bait you. "Well, if you really think that, why don't you finish me off right now? It's four on two since I assume these lovely young ladies can fight?"

"Actually, we're secretaries."

"Aw, well I can have Ryoji step outside if it makes you feel better." He smiled but flicked his wrist and formed the beginnings of a fire dagger. Even as he smiled at them, he played the fight out in his head. Viper knew what he was and what he could do, but Mako also knew that he was only where he was because Fa had gotten cocky. He had to be prepared. Throw the dagger and Viper's coat and pin him before he could stand. Lightning blast to Shin. Controlled shots to minimize collateral damage.

Viper glared at the flames, and for a moment Mako thought he might have to go through with his battle plan. "You'll take yourself out someday, and I'll be there to pick up the pieces."

"You do that. Until then, keep the peace like we agreed. I'll send somebody to inspect the shipment." He stood. "Nice seeing you again."

Ryoji waited until they were outside before he said anything. The tunnels were filled with the din of people haggling over all manner of contraband, and it was almost impossible to be overheard unless you were standing shoulder to shoulder with someone. "One of these days, he's going to come after us."

"And we'll be waiting for him. But for now, he can't compete. The Triple Threats are a shell of what they were. Treating his secretaries like arm candy doesn't help. You'd think that he'd have learned by now that the person who handles the paperwork is the person who can screw you over the hardest."

"Also, I am not an idiot." Ryoji cleared his throat. "'Another year is gone. A traveler'speople shade on my head. And sandals on my feet.' Fire Sage Oza."

Mako didn't bother to hide his smile. Ryoji hadn't liked him at first—the interloper from the country he'd left behind who his boss had of taken under his wing—but they'd bonded over their determination to be more than street rats and hired muscle.

"So," Ryoji said at last, in a way that made Mako feel queasy "The girl who saved Lu is named Meiji. I'm not the best judge of these things, but she seemed pretty. Somebody you knew back in Republic City?"

'Asami Sato. Yes, those Satos."

As predicted, Ryoji's face darkened. "I hope Hiroshi's next life is as a nice, squashable insect. But his daughter... I thought she was friends with the Avatar? Keiji said they were down in the tunnels with everyone else. And she's some kind of hero now. That was your girlfriend?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"You know, boss, you're allowed to have had a life before you showed up on the old man's doorstep. You're allowed to have a life now. This is a pretty rough business, even if you do pay me enough to keep my library up to date. I'd go crazy if it wasn't for Keiji and Takeo. You want a girlfriend, that's okay by me. Just warn me when she comes over so we don't almost kill each other."

"I said I don't want to talk about it." Mako resisted the urge to shove his hands in his pockets like a sulking teenager. Asami had kissed him, but what that meant for the future was anyone's guess. The relationship they'd had before his arrest was fragile at best. And even the first try had been a disaster because he had been busy dithering over what he wanted. And as happy and forgiving as she had been, he was technically a real criminal now and what if she couldn't deal with that or Viper used her against him or…

But she had kissed him. He had held her and stroked her hair and it had felt good. More than good. He had felt human, like he was more than an animal in a three-piece suit who did what he had to to survive. She had brought back memories of carriage rides and dreams that he could be her protector. They had talked, really talked. Someone in this accursed city cared for him and not just what he could do for her. She wanted to see him again. Him, Mako. And if he could have her, if this could work somehow, he wouldn't dither. He would take her and keep her and they would be grateful for what they had.

The Plaza was the closest their underground world had to a town square. Posters advertising everything imaginable covered the walls. Not just the vices that brought those who lived in the other parts of the city, but the underground mover houses and bookshops that sold uncensored books and newspapers smuggled in from Zaofu or Republic City. The most popular service and the one that kept both him and Ryoji in their tailored suits was simply space: makeshift hotel rooms and storage spaces for those who found the eight cubic meters per person allotted by the Provisional Authority to be intolerable. Twice weekly, a band originally from the Northern Water Tribe gave free concerts and a metal shipping crate served as a sort of impromptu Speaker's Corner like the one in the Republic City. Usually, it was empty, but today someone had climbed the crate. Several someone's as a matter of fact.

Mako's eyes narrowed. The girl at the center was about his own age with pale blue eyes and paler skin that suggested the Water Tribe and Fire Nation were both in her blood. She was almost as tall as he was, with sharp, elegant features that made him think of a storybook princess. Her hair had been pulled into a ponytail, accentuating her pointed chin and high cheekbones. It was those pale eyes that rooted him to the spot. She looked at him as if it was her perfect right and duty to command him and she was about to order him to do something stupidly noble like fighting a dark spirit.

To her right was a Fire Nation girl in grey and red. She had a sweet, open face that reminded Mako of an elementary school teacher. She fidgeted slightly at the crowd's gaze but her own never left her leader. And, on the other side, wearing a shabby blue suit that looked like it belonged to somebody's least-favorite uncle, and his hair is long and messy as ever, was Hasook.

Mako stared at him. He hadn't spoken to Hasook since the day he walked out on the Fire Ferrets and had seen him only in passing since then. He had barely thought of him at all except to thank Fate for bringing Korra into his life. As far as Mako knew, Hasook had had a decent job as a clarinet instructor and a girlfriend and baby. Things could change quickly, but what was he doing here? Hasook's gaze raked over the assembled crowd and found Mako. He smiled a knowing smile, and Mako suppressed a shiver. Asami was one thing, but for so many of his old friends to end up down here made him uneasy.

It was only then that Mako noticed the hastily applied poster behind them. A plum blossom. "Well, if Kala was hoping to shut them up after that stuff in the market, I don't think it worked," Ryoji said.

"My friends," the leader said. Her voice carried over the din and made Mako stand perfectly still. "For those of you who don't know me, my name is Karaka. I believe you've heard of the group I represent. For too long the tyrant who pretends to unite our country has dismissed us as a myth. She has dismissed all of us. We scurry down here like vermin or stay caged behind the wall when Gaoling belongs to all of us."

"Talk like that's going to get us all killed," someone muttered.

"You think staying silent will keep us safe?" Karaka asked. "We know already what those in power think of us. Their obsession with a pure Earth Kingdom. Right now, you say it's just talk. But it was just talk in the Fire Nation before they wiped out the Air Nomads and decimated the Southern Water Tribe. If we must be ruled, let us be ruled by those who would treat this as fellow citizens. Join us and fight back against those who see us as less than human."

She paused, but there were no cheers, no demands for Kuvira to be thrown down. Mako shook his head. He had had the luxury of idealism for one magical year, but the truth was that most people really just wanted to be left alone. As long as Kuvira wasn't trying to wipe them out, they wouldn't rock the boat. Low-grade misery was all most of them had ever known, and all that talk about freedom and equality was just rhetoric.

The Fire Nation woman put her hand on Karaka's shoulder and squeezed. Hasook leaned over and whispered something in her ear as they descended back into the crowd. Mako could no longer suppress his shivers. Too many old memories dredging to the surface. Not just Hasook, but Korra giving speech after speech that made him believe he too could be a hero. Talk like that could get you killed==-or at least banished. "I think I need a good, stiff drink," he told Ryoji. "Let's go back to the club."

The club had been one of the few parts of his organization that Mako hadn't inherited from Fa. Not only did it remind him of happier times in the fancy restaurants of Republic City, it was an excellent source of intelligence as the cream of Gaoling society danced, drank, and gossiped the night away. Heads turned, and a murmur broke out among those who knew who he was.

The bartender waved him over and handed him a piece of paper. "Those three got here just before you did, wanted me to give you this."

Mako turned. Hasook, Karaka and their friend. Hasook gave him the barest little wave. Mako unfolded the note.

If Team Avatar ever meant anything to you, let's talk in your office. We know what you want more than anything in the world, and we can give it to you. Besides, I know something about Asami that you might want to hear.

"I just bet you do," Mako muttered. He might as well get it over with. Hasook could be really persistent when he actually wanted something. They might come back and other people might start noticing their presence. He could afford to be a thorn in Saikhan's side, but drawing the interest of the Provisional Authority proper would cost more than revolutionaries usually paid.

Remember when you didn't care about money and just wanted to do the right thing? The voice sounded like Bolin.

He did. He had ended up here.

You weren't so cynical when it was Asami doing the asking.

That had been different. And Asami was a customer who had to pay like everyone else. Just as soon as he figured out what that favor was going to be. "Tell them that I'll meet the gentleman and the woman in red in my office in five minutes." If nobody saw him meeting with the one who made the speech, maybe they wouldn't draw so much attention. Or maybe his terms would be so unacceptable that they would forget the whole business.

Four-and-a-half minutes later, they walked through his door. "Thank you for seeing on such short notice," the woman said softly. "I'm Ria and this is Arnook."

A fake name. Interesting. "What can I do for you after that great speech in the plaza?"

"You were there?" Ria brightened visibly. "Karaka can be very charismatic. At least when her audience hasn't a;ready shut their ears." Her gaze swept around the room, Coldly and clinically and she no longer reminded Mako of a softness and nervousness had vanished. She was a hawk searching for prey. "I assume that the passageway behind you doesn't contain half a dozen soldiers ready to arrest me?"

"Why? Is there something that you should be arrested over? More than usual, I mean? Kala probably issued a warrant for treason the day she got here."

"Not quite, but not far wrong. And she's done more than that. She's working on a weapon, something that will change the face of warfare as we know it. She talks about a pure Earth Kingdom. And those who talk about purity never have a place for people like you and me." She leaned forward in her chair. "I'm not as charismatic as Karaka, but I think it's time for us to strike before they do."

"And you'll keep getting stabbed in the street. Good luck with that."

Ria blinked. "It doesn't have to be that way. If we just have the proper weapons, if we could just fight them on equal terms, maybe Gaoling would have a chance." She nodded towards Hasook. "My friend tells me that you fought the Equalists alongside the Avatar. I…know something of that. You fought for true justice and equality. Just as we are now. And just as Asami Sato is not. At least if Kala has her way."

"Is that so?" Mako kept his face and voice carefully neutral, but his stomach clenched. The thought of Asami having anything to do with Kala was absurd. She was the one who had risked and lost everything for the sake of fighting her father. Granted, she had believed he was a terrorist and sold weapons to Viper and his friends, but Kala was too much like Hiroshi for Asami to get mixed up with her.

"They had a meeting at the prefecture." Hasook spoke for the first time. "Our sources say Kala wants her to make one of Varrick's designs work in the real world. And if Kala's interested in it, then we're interested. We want that weapon, whatever it is."

"And has Asami actually agreed to build this weapon?" Silence. "I thought so. Whatever you heard about me before, I'm a businessman now. And businessmen don't fight people they know they can't beat. You're right. Your friend does talk a good game, but you'll get crushed if you ever actually take on the Provisional Authority." He looked at Hasook. "Free advice for you. If you're so worried about what Kala or Kuvira will do, then leave."

"But—" Ria began.

Mako held up a hand. "I really don't think I'm the guy you're looking for. Feel free to have a drink on the house."

Ria left, but Hasook rose from his seat and closed the door behind her. "Got a minute for an old friend?"

"You're not going to change my mind."

"You sure about that? Because I didn't come all this way and miss my kid's birthday just be told no. I'm not like you, Mako. I'm not just scraping by." He looked around the office, smirking again. "I love what you've done here. Really. Even if I do remember you saying you'd rather die than go back to the triads. I guess that's still technically true. You smuggle things for yourself, after all. Quite a step down from fighting with Avatar Korra."

"Is there a point to all this, or are you just being a jerk like usual?"

"As a matter of fact, there is a point. Remember when I told you that pro-bending didn't pay the bills? It turns out neither does the clarinet. What did pay was government work. I worked for the Transportation Bureau for the longest time. Got to see Kuvira riding that train of hers all across the Earth Kingdom." His expression changed, and when he spoke again his voice was grimmer than Mako had ever heard it. "What I saw gave me the creeps. She's the kind of woman who would turn the desert to glass and say it's more peaceful. You've heard about her reeducation camps?"

"Enough to know that I don't want to end up there." Labor camps deep in the mountains where Kuvira sent "traitors and undesirables." There was never a trial. One day a person was living their life, and the next they were gone. None of them had ever been seen again. Maybe they were doing hard labor. Maybe they were killed outright. Mako didn't want to know.

"It's worse than you think. 'Freedom through labor?' More like starving people to death and letting them sleep in their own shit."

"And how does a member of the Transportation Bureau know more than me?" The hair on the back of Mako's neck stood up. "You aren't Transportation Bureau, are you? And you aren't helping the Form Blossoms because you're stuck here like the rest of us.

"Well, it's nice to know that this life hasn't made you stupid. Let's just say that Raiko is more concerned about Kuvira than he lets on. We need a stable Earth Kingdom, but we also need for Kuvira to be weak enough that she doesn't get any ideas about staying in charge after the job's done. Or fulfilling the Earth Queen's dream of getting all her land back. Sometimes, we nudge a revolutionary that can keep her busy for a while. Sometimes, we seek out old friends in the criminal underworld." His lips were a thin line. "The United Republic needs your help. Whatever Kala wants Asami to build, we want it first. She already got a head start on the new mecha suits."

"I'm not exactly patriotic anymore. And Asami would never help Kala anyway."

"She may not have a choice. I'm sure Varrick thinks it'll make him millions, and Kala is really good at making people do what she wants. As for the other thing…" He put a hand in his pocket. "I think you got screwed, if that helps. But Raiko, he won't do anything unless he thinks he can get something out of it. And he would be really grateful if you made sure Kuvira wasn't the only one with that weapon." He pulled out a piece of paper. "Make sure Asami builds the weapon for us and you're free and clear." He smiled, but there was no trace of mockery in it. "You can go home."

Mako stared at the paper. This document hereby absolves the undersigned of any past wrongdoing, lifts any penalties, and makes him whole before the law. At the bottom was the gold seal of the Republic and the proper signatures. All printed on the right paper with every detail correct. It was genuine. A real pardon awaiting only a few penstrokes to make it legitimate. He could go home.

Home. He could see his family. The grandmother and the thousand cousins. Bolin. They wouldn't have any reason to be ashamed of him anymore. He would leave the Miracle Man behind for Ryoji or whoever else wanted the job. He would wash away the filth of the streets, use his money to do something. He could court Asami properly, maybe actually pay for dinner once in a while and—

Mako gripped his desk. Asami. Asami who hadn't yet agreed to do anything. Who had been so desperate to keep an employee out of Kala's reach that she had come to him. Who he had lied to once before. "I won't do anything behind Asami's back. I've hurt her enough."

Hasook chuckled. "So you like her after all. Rumor mill at the arena was kind of split on that. Do it to her face. Tell her you want weapons for the Republic and the Plum Blossoms, to earn your way home. If she likes you half as much as you like her, she'll say yes."

Yes, she would. Favor for a favor. After all, they all did was they had to survive. He would see her again and ask her and together they would make plans to rebuild their lives.

"You have the papers?"

Tsu-chen barely resisted rolling her eyes. "Yes, Ria, I have the papers. As soon as I get to the Fire Nation, the whole world will know what the Provisional Authority is."

Maybe it hadn't been kind to lie to Ms. Sato, but she was hardly likely to help a Plum Blossom lieutenant. It didn't matter. Soon the revolution would begin.

She put a hand over her stomach. Anything for you. You will be free.