Ch 12 it gets worse
"Is it true?" Asami asked, walking into the police station.
"I'm sorry. You're entire shipment was stolen." Mako said.
"Without that sale, I don't know how much I'll be able to keep future industries afloat. What am I going to do?" Asami asked.
"Don't worry. Chief Beifong is looking into it. We'll get them real soon." Mako said.
They watched as Lin talked with the captain of the ship.
"It's been a long day. Tell me what happened." Lin said.
"We were ambushed 30 clicks outside the harbor. We never heard them coming." The captain said.
"That's the third attack in the same spot." Lin said.
"Exactly. I'm betting the north is trying to stop shipments from getting to the south." The captain said.
"Did you notice anything suspicious about the attack?" Lin asked.
"Yeah. The bombs exploded in a way I never seen before. They were detonated remotely." The captain said.
"Like the bombs at the cultural center." Mako said.
Mako entered the room, and asked the captain some questions, but was rebuked. Khan smirked. That was not how you investigated a crime scene.
"Nice try, rook. Didn't I tell you we'd have to do this on our own?" Khan retorted.
"Hey, I'm just trying to solve this case." Mako defended.
Khan pinned Mako against a wall.
"Everyone is blaming the northern tribe. It may be true. But we have to look at this from the outside, not from the inside. Our only shot left, is to capture the attackers ourselves. Otherwise, republic city will be forced to send troops to the northern tribe, and that will lead to a world war." Khan said.
"I have an idea." Mako said.
"What is it?" Asami asked.
"A sting operation. We set a ship as bait and take it into the ocean. When they attack, we capture them." Mako said.
"Lets do it." Asami said.
"It's not easy. We need the police, and Beifong said no. If she discovers I went behind her back, I'm off the force."
"Wow. I wonder what she did to become the chief." Khan said, making a rude gesture with his fist and mouth. "If she'll fire her own officers for trying to solve a case, when others aren't doing so, than she's not fit to wear the badge, or the uniform."
"Mako, I not no one left. Mom's gone, my dad's in jail. Future industries is all I have left." Asami pleaded.
"I want to help, but this is more than a to man job. We'd need a ship." Mako said.
"You need a ship, I got a ship." Varrick said, walking up to them.
"We don't need your help." Asami shot.
"Great. I'm in." Varrick said.
Khan looked at him suspiciously.
"What I do to get on the psychopath's bad side?" Varrick asked.
"I'm not a psychopath. I'm a high functioning sociopath. Do your research." Khan said, the last part condescendingly.
Hours later, a cargo ship was loaded with dummy crates. Khan looked at the warehouse from future industries. It was filled to the brim with biplanes and mecha tanks. Asami had enough weapons to fight a small war. But this was the last of future industries. Her company was practically bankrupt.
Mako went to get some help, but couldn't get any. In desperation, he turned to the triple threat triads.
"This is gonna backfire." Khan warned.
"I've got no choice." Mako defended.
"You're not cut out for this shit, are you?" Khan asked.
"No. But I'm doing what I can." Mako said.
"Does that include hiring criminals as extra muscle?" Khan spat, ignoring the fact that he himself was once a dangerous criminal.
The sting operation went underway. For hours, they sat on the ocean, waiting for an attack. And Two Toed Ping just wouldn't shut up. Khan went to him and gave him a brutal uppercut. Not only did he knock him out, but he also broke his jaw, severely damaging the bone.
"I'm gonna check it out. Something's not right." Mako said.
Mako went to see what was wrong, since the attacks should have occurred by now. But nothing was going on. Instead, he heard Shady Shin and Viper talking.
"We were paid to keep Mako and that dame and muscle guy busy. Just wait a few hours." Viper said.
"We gotta go, now." Mako said, grabbing Asami and making a run towards the life boats.
"Where do you think you're going?" Viper asked, stopping the two of them.
"Mako, Asami, move!" Khan shouted. He ran towards Viper and punched him real hard in the torso. Viper flew off the ship and landed in the water. He sank towards the bottom of the sea, dead.
"Is he dead?" Mako asked.
"Has to be. Hit him hard enough to disrupt his heart, if not destroy the organ." Khan said.
Mako and Asami climbed on a speed boat, and raced towards the docks. Khan stayed on the ship and hunted the remaining triads.
"I knew this was a bad idea. I knew it." Khan muttered.
He quickly found Shady Shin and killed him. With time running out, Khan grabbed the last speed boat, and made his way to the docks. He exited the boat, and ran to find Asami and Mako.
He didn't find them, and waited the next day. He soon found Mako 'interrogating' Two Toed Ping.
"Get out of here." Mako said, tossing the criminal aside. Khan grabbed Ping's head and twisted it hard, snapping the neck and killing him.
"That's how you get things done. What did he say?" Khan asked.
"Not much. Some guy came and paid them to keep us busy. Looks like it was all for naught. And it's worse. While we were busy, everything left in Future Industries was stolen. Asami has nothing left." Mako said.
"I'm sorry." Khan said.
Khan went to his apartment and went over all the information about the investigation so far. It all added to nothing. It seemed like they lost this round. Whoever got ahold of those weapons and technology in the warehouse, had an incredible amount of firepower.
Mako burst into Khan's apartment, almost getting his head cut off in the process.
"You shouldn't barge in like that. I almost killed you." Khan said.
"Sorry, but I got important news. I think it's Varrick." Mako said.
"Why?" Khan asked.
"I was observing a scene he was filming for his movie. He used explosives as part of the scene. A technician showed me how it worked. They were using the same detonators that we found at the bombing." Mako said.
"Anything else?" Khan asked.
"He just bought a share hold of Future Industries. He practically owns the company." Mako said.
Days passed, and the duo continued to investigate the crimes, but were forced to hide it from the Chief. One day, Lin came to Mako and tossed a scimitar sword to him.
"We're going after Mako." Lin said.
"What?" Khan asked.
"Long story short. We captured some triple triads who said he helped them steal a bunch of supplies from future industries." Lin said.
Khan kept his poker face, but inside he was furious. This women was a worse detective than Lu and Gang. But in order to continue investigating the case, he had to keep it shut.
The ride was silent and tense. Both had their own thoughts. Lin was thinking, 'what the fuck is Mako thinking, let alone doing?!' Khan was thinking 'Who's the cock sucking son of a bitch that's trying to frame Mako and stop the investigation?'
"Police, Open up." Lin said, banging on Mako's door.
"What's going on?" Mako asked, seeing Lin and Khan.
"We busted some triple threats who said you hired them for a job." Lin said.
"All right. It's true. We were trying to figure out who stole Asami's stuff, so we hired them for a sting operation. I'm sorry I went behind your back." Mako said.
"According to them, you did more than that. They said you helped them steal a warehouse of future industry supplies." Lin said.
"That's bullshit!" Asami defended.
"You're gonna believe a bunch of criminals?" Mako asked.
"I have to follow a lead." Lin said, as she investigated the house. Khan went into a back room, and noticed a window. It seemed slightly damaged. The frame was welded shut, as if it was done by fire bending.
"Guys, come here." Khan said.
Khan showed them the burnt window frame.
"Looks like fire bending." Khan said.
"Someone broke inside. But why?" Asami asked.
Lin came to the trio and brandished a box filled with explosives.
"It's simple. Someone breaks into Mako's apartment, and puts the bombs there to frame him. It would have worked, if not for the piss poor job of closing the window." Khan said.
"Then Mako is innocent." Asami said.
Khan turned around and looked thru the window. If they hit Mako's place, then…
"Alright. Put the cuffs on Mako. Throw him into jail." Khan said, formulating a plan.
"Wait. We just proved that Mako's innocent. The evidence fits. The broken window, explosives." Lin said.
"Exactly. Whoever is behind this, wants Mako to be thrown into prison, so that this investigation can't go on any longer. If they know that I and Mako are partners…" Khan kicked the window off the frame.
"Get to my house immediately!" he yelled, before jumping from the second story and landed on the concrete. He then ran as fast as he could towards his apartment.
Lin, Asami, and Mako went into Lin's car and drove towards Khan's house.
"What's going on here?" Lin asked.
"Me and Khan are working on the case together. We have intel and documents at each other's place." Mako said.
"Why didn't you keep it at the station?" Lin asked.
"You and everyone refused to believe me. You're always saying it's the northern tribe. But what if it's not? Khan maybe crazy and a rookie, but he's a damn good detective. Better than Lu and Gang." Mako said.
"True, but we keep valuable documents at your houses?" Lin asked.
"Oh. So you and everyone else can destroy them? Because you think we're nuts for thinking otherwise?" Mako retorted.
Lin stayed quiet. Mako was right on all accounts. They reached Khan's house and ran up the stairs to find the superhuman.
They heard some shouting and ran towards the kitchen.
"I'm with the mujahedeen! We'll cut you wide open, pour salt all over the wound, peel your eye lids back, and leave you to fry you in the desert! Now tell me. Who ordered you to raid my house?" Khan yelled.
"Fuck you." The agni kai triad said. He then bit a tooth, and quickly died.
Khan reached into the dead triad's mouth, and found the remains of a cyanide capsule.
"Poison. He took his own life." Khan said.
"Why?" Lin asked.
"That's stupid of you to ask. So he wouldn't rat his leader out. Back to square one." Khan said. He grabbed Lin's handcuffs and put them on Mako.
"It's for your own good. Someone wants this investigation stopped. If you're caught walking the streets a free man, you'll be killed." Khan said.
"I understand." Mako said.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Khan." Lin said.
"I know what I'm doing. I'm doing the right thing. Unlike everyone else." Khan said.