Lin was absolutely sure of only two things in life:
1. Justice, in one form or another, will always be served.
2. You can never be absolutely sure about anything.
She lived her life by these two simple principles. The latter rule, especially. Lin made it a point to teach this to every single metalbender on her force.
"Never let your guard down, always be ready to adapt - no matter the circumstances."
This motto served her well in life. You could never be absolutely sure of anything, really you couldn't. It proved true in almost every single situation in both her private and professional life. After all, she had thought that her relationship with Tenzin would last, and look how that turned out. She had thought her mother would live to see her take over the police force, and she was wrong yet again. She had thought that her bending, of all things, was something she would always have, but Amon sure disproved that belief.
But, even if everything seemed lost, the first rule would come into play. Justice was served, either by fate itself or by Lin's own hands. Of that, she was absolutely sure.
And it was because of that very principle, that Lin was able to remain calm as she waited for the identification of the corpse. It could be Tenzin, or it could be someone else. Either way, the end result would be the same: Lin would find whoever did this and make sure that they paid for it.
If it was Tenzin's body, then she would personally make sure that they paid in their own blood.
Finally, after what seemed like hours of waiting, the force specialist entered the room. Shino was a nervous thing, eyes hidden behind foggy, thick-rimmed glasses. But he was extremely thorough and a dedicated member of the force, and in the end that was what really mattered. Lin straightened her back and held in her breath, looking at Shino expectantly.
"Well?" she asked, her tone sharper than usual. He gave her a shaky smile. "We got the results back: it's not Tenzin's body."
Lin nodded her head roughly. Inside, she shook with relief. Thank the Spirits. She did not know if she could bear losing yet another person she cared for.
"One of the acolytes, then?"
He inhaled deeply, "Surprisingly, no. He matched with a Jin Ye, from the Basoti slums."
Lin frowned. How did a citizen get access to Air Temple Island? It had been under her surveillance for several weeks now, and her force had been nothing but absolute in their reports. No one but Tenzin and the acolytes were allowed to check in.
"What else do you know about him?"
"He was a nonbender."
Lin stared at him, "That doesn't make sense."
Why would 'Amon' do such a terrible thing to the very people that he pledged to protect? The furrows on Lin's forehead deepened. She had heard rumors of the 'rebirth' of a second 'Amon', but had dismissed them. At the time she believed that it was most likely some sort of nutjob looking for attention. After all, the Council was ordering her to conduct nightly raids on nonbenders. It was something that Lin personally disagreed with - violence begets violence and all that - but the policy was a success. Fear was a powerful tool, something that both the old and the new 'Amon' clearly knew.
Shino cleared his throat, interrupting her thoughts. "Believe me, it gets even more weird. The victim was a known Equalist sympathizer. Our guys found old rally posters in his home, and one of the Sato's Equalist gloves. He was one of the nonbenders who was trying to fight back."
He was shaking still. Lin narrowed her eyes, "You aren't telling me something, Shino. What is it?"
The weary man did not meet her eyes. "I found something when I was running tests on the victim's body...I thought it was a mistake at first, but..."
She interrupted. "Show me."
"I'm not sure you want to see this, Chief."
"I've been around the force far longer than you, kid. There's little that surprises me anymore." It was a lie, of course. After the sight on Air Temple Island, Lin had a suspicion that Amon number two had plenty more horrors in mind.
With a resigned sigh, Shino stepped back and allowed her to pass into the backroom. The corpse lay on the examination table, covered by a thin sheet. The smell had been diluted, but only slightly. Lin barely resisted gagging as the scent of fermented rot filled her lungs.
Shino turned to her, giving one last look at Lin. "You sure about this?"
Lin managed a nod. With a grimace, Shino pulled the sheet off. The body - if it could even be called that - was just as horrid looking, as it had been when she had first saw it lying in Tenzin's bed. Its pale skin was stretched tautly over the victim's skeleton. A few rib bones jutted out, poking through the thin layer of skin. Lin repressed a shiver. After thirty years serving on the Republic City Police Force, she should be used to seeing such awful sights like this. But this had to be one of the most disgusting corpses she had ever laid eyes on.
Finally, Lin set her attention back on Shino. "Cause of death?"
Worry lines marred Shino's forehead, "At first, I thought it was starvation. The victim showed all the signs - but then, when I was examining the body I...well, I guess it's better to just show you."
"Show me, what?"
Shino began to pull on a pair of medical gloves, "Look at his stomach. Look closely."
Lin did as he said. At first she saw nothing unusual, but upon closer inspection she caught sight of something terrifying.
Beneath the skin, something was moving.
"Spirits," she breathed, her green eyes wide with horror. No, it couldn't possibly be-
Without warning, Shino pulled up a flap of skin on the stomach where he had made an incision. It was just as Lin feared. Hundred of fat-bodied parasites were writhing through remains of the victim's intestines, gnawing on whatever was left. Which, from what it looked like, wasn't much.
Lin swiftly closed her eyes. "Cover the body," was all she was able to manage.
Shino obeyed. "Sorry Chief," he apologized weakly, "I tried to warn you."
What did this mean? Why would he do this to a nonbender, an Equalist nonetheless? Lin breathed deeply, immediately regretting her decision to do so. The stench of decay was stronger than ever. She tried to think logically.
"So, the new 'Amon' force fed parasites to one of his followers? What kind of point is this guy trying to make?"
The specialist shrugged, he was just as clueless as she was. "Don't know, Chief. If..er..Amon did do this to the victim, he must have known what he was doing. We didn't find any prints except the victims on the crime scene, and this particular species - it's nasty. And rare. Native to the Si Wong Desert. From what I've been researching, these parasites go to work on the body almost immediately. There's reports that say three can take down a two hundred pound giant rhinoceros beetle in a day. This guy must have had at least twenty in him."
Something wasn't adding up. Lin looked at the corpse again. The skull was left uncovered. It grinned up at her, seemingly unperturbed by the throbbing mass of flesh-eating worms nibbling at his insides.
Ah. There it was.
Lin closed her eyes, realization dawning on her.
You sick, clever, sadistic son of a bitch.
Shino looked at her, "What?"
She exhaled. "There were no other finger prints? You're sure?"
He nodded.
But...you can never be absolutely sure about anything. Right?
"Son of a bitch." Lin whispered. She suddenly remembered Tenzin and her heart began to beat a crazy march against her chest. It was time to leave. Now.
"What happened?"
Lin turned towards Shino, green eyes frantically meeting his.
"The victim put those parasites in his body voluntarily. That was his blood smeared on the walls."
"This isn't a murder. It's a suicide."
Not so far away, a boy with a grinning face leaned against the wall.
In front of him was a man, middle-aged and pale-faced, staring blankly at the mask that he had hoped to never see again.
"Do you like haikus?" the boy asked, a kali stick twirling in his hand.
The man did not answer.
The boy shrugged, disappointed at his hostage's lack of response.
"Cheer up. I've got one special, just for you:
I wonder just how
loud Avatar Aang's offspring
will scream on this night?"
Author's Note: Please accept this chapter as an apology for my absence! I have been interning on a film, and it has overtaken my life. I promise to be more diligent in the future! SO. Tahno is a man with a plan. A very devious plan. Next chapter – one-sided Tahnorra galore.
A great big thank you to the people who leave reviews. I am always pleasantly shocked that people take time to read my stories. I hope that you enjoying the story so far!
(Oh, and sorry about the haiku. Afraid that I don't have much of a talent for them…)