Author's note: I am really sorry but my exams are coming up and this one is important. Therefore I will not be updating Another World until after the 10th of October.
+Clivian+
Clivian pasted a smile on his face as he shielded his eyes from the sun. He lazily followed the course of the tiny white ball as it plummeted to the ground. It landed on the green. Polite clapping issued from those around him and Clivian raised a hand to them in pretend triumph. This game bored him to death.
As though some higher being had heard his prayers, an excused arrived in the form his secretary. She ran up to him in her expensive slacks and visor. She handed him his cellphone, which he gladly took, gave the other men a gotta-take-the-call look, and moved over to a parked golf cart.
It had recently been made an unwritten rule among businessmen to prohibit cellphones during a golf tournament. Clivian was not one to break such rules around his colleagues but anyone who thought that men like Clivian did not at least leave their phone with their secretary was nothing short of retarded. Of course, Clivian made sure that his secretary could not see who the caller was. This was one of the many things that Clivian's secretaries never ever questioned.
Clivian slid the phone open and entered a password. At once the digital ringtone version of Vivaldi's Spring died and a genuine smile spread across his face.
"Good news, Mr. Salwink?" Clivian asked, glancing back toward the group of golfers.
"The best, sir. All the employees hardly know much about the explosion. The surveillance technician has been taken care of as well as all the interrogation recordings and files." The gruff voice at the other end answered.
"What about the interrogator?" Clivian asked, brows furrowed. "Jones, wasn't it?"
"Well, sir, he was unconscious for some time so I went ahead and checked the medical records before the actual interview. Apparently his head injury was bad enough to cause some post-traumatic amnesia. He doesn't remember much about the explosion itself and I highly doubt he'll suspect much. He seems to believe the story that he was interrogating a spy."
Clivian considered this for a minute before replying, "Very well, Mr. Salwink. You have done well but I recommend keeping an eye on Jones just in case. Also, about agent 12. Have him contact me later at my office with an update. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, sir." answered Salwink. "Consider it done."
+Ethan Jones+
Jones had a certainly succeeded in fooling just about everyone that he had memory loss. However, this was more of a disadvantage when it came to getting out. The doctors all stressed the importance of the continued monitoring of his brain as well as some second-degree burns. Jones had no choice but to play along but repeatedly insisted that he felt fine.
After a grueling week of unnecessary brain scans and constant fussing from the more motherly nurses, Jones was allowed to leave on condition that he returned regularly for even more brain scans and burn treatments. 'Like hell' was what Jones wanted to say as he left.
Jones walked down the street towards the nearest bus stop to catch a ride to his apartment. Just as he was paying for his bus fare, Jones spotted a black Toyota two cars behind. Jones quickly turned around, acting as though he had seen nothing. For the rest of the ride he did not look around but he knew that he was being watched.
+Katara+
Keen as she was on getting back to her world, Katara thought it rather foolish trying to break into a hostile and apparently well organized group's headquarters. That was until she realized that Zuko had been planning on this for some time.
The second that Katara had (reluctantly) agreed to infiltrate Microbe on the same day that the proposition had been made, Zuko had headed straight for the kitchen. When he came back a little while later, he was holding a large cardboard box.
Katara had to admit that it was rather well thought-out. The box contained a number of things including their disguises and jumble of black equipment Katara did not recognize. Zuko handed her a pile of neatly folded clothing, instructing her to get dressed. Katara, not entirely sure what Zuko was thinking, hastened to get dressed after ushering him out.
During her extremely barely one-week stay, Zuko had expressly forbidden her from leaving the place, not that she needed telling. As a result, Katara had absolutely no knowledge whatsoever about her surroundings. The most she had gathered was from watching television and from her experience during her first day. All things considered, Katara thought she had done a very good job in figuring out how the zipper on her jeans worked and on navigating her head through the multilayered top Zuko had given her.
"Are you ready?" Zuko's asked through the door. Katara opened it to let him through.
Zuko was standing ready dressed in plain jeans, a sweater and a cap. He looked so natural in his outfit that Katara just stared blankly at him. She wasn't quite sure if she would have been able to recognize him had he been part of the stream of pedestrians outside.
Finally pulling herself together, Katara managed to ask, "Are you going to carry that thing around with you?"
Zuko looked down at the large box he was carrying and shook his head. "Nope. This is this week's garbage. I got all the other stuff out and put them in my pockets." He awkwardly patted his bulging jeans pocket while balancing the box on his other arm.
"I'll carry." Katara offered, stretching out her hands. Zuko handed her the box, thanking her.
"Oh, I almost forgot." Zuko started digging in one of his pockets and drew out a tiny black earpiece. He placed it in Katara's ear and explained, "That's a cordless earphone."
"What does it do?" Katara asked, nudging the earphone was a shoulder.
"We'll be able to communicate, sort of. I've got the other one but there's only one mic." He held up his right hand where a thin black ring was visible on his middle finger with a cord connected to it. At the end of black cord was a tiny mic about the size of a bean. "So I'll be able to talk to you but you, unfortunately, won't be able to answer."
Katara had had her qualms about just walking casually into what she now considered "the kill zone" but once she was outside, she felt less anxious than the last time she had been out on the street. Maybe it was just the consolation that she now had someone on her side but the prospect of facing a dozen armed men suddenly felt less intimidating.
After chucking the box into the nearest dumpster, Katara took the time to take in her surroundings. The apartment they had exited looked truly dismal compared to some of the other buildings around the same street.
Zuko led her past several small shops and onto the main street. It was a lot more crowded here and they had no difficulty blending in. Katara in her new "regular teenager" disguise felt more comfortable in the open while hidden by droves of other pedestrians. It seemed quite unlikely that anyone would attack this many in broad daylight.
Sticking close to Zuko, she followed him to an outdoor table just outside a restaurant. Surrounded by other diners, Katara vaguely wondered if anyone of them would ever guess that they were not a normal couple. It certainly looked strange as their's was the only table with no food visible.
"So." Zuko whispered with his head bent underneath the shade of the parasol. "Here's the plan."
Katara listened closely as Zuko outlined their plan. According to Zuko they were only about 10 minute's bus ride from where they were so it wouldn't take too long to get Microbe. This meant that they could hide in the parking lot until it a couple minutes before closing time when they could pose as the children of an employee and sneak in. The way Zuko said it, the night custodian sounded like a careless bum who didn't give a damn if a two children never got out in time.
Katara wanted to ask how he proposed to find whatever it was that he was looking for when Zuko stood up abruptly.
"Sorry." Zuko whispered. "I need to use the restroom." And with that, he excused himself. "Stay here." He added before disappearing inside the restaurant.
+Across the Street+
Across the street from where Katara was sitting, a man wearing a leather jacket was surreptitiously glancing at the waterbender through sunglasses. He had watched her leave the apartment with her companion and he had followed. Now that she was alone, it would be quite easy to get a hold of her.
The traffic light changed to green and a flock people from each end crossed, the pursuer walking quietly behind an obese woman.
The pursuer was now feet away from his target.
+Agent 12+
Agent 12 casually pressed a finger to his earpiece.
"Agent 12?" It was Salwink.
"Affirmative, sir." He answered, barely moving his lips.
"Both targets are now in view. Move in when I give the signal"
"Yes, sir." Agent 12 repeated. He chanced a fleeting look in Katara's direction. She was fiddling with the buttons on her cardigan.
"Moving in sir." Agent 12 whispered and he withdrew the gun from his pocket.
+Katara+
Back home, Katara had been accustomed to the winter furs of her homeland even though it had been some time since she had actually had an occasion to don her coat. However, this did not necessarily mean that she liked wearing the itchy cardigan she was wearing. She fingered the large plastic buttons, wondering if she could chance taking it off. Did people around here notice that sort of thing?
"Oh!" Katara mouthed in surprise as one of the cardigan buttons fell off and rolled underneath her chair. She immediately ducked down to retrieve it.
Whoosh!
Something whistled right above Katara's head as she ducked. There was a splatter, a horrified scream and sickening thud. The diners around her screamed in fright and some of the quicker ones began to scurry away.
BANG! BANG!
Another two rounds and the windows in the restaurant were smashed to pieces. The people closest screamed louder still.
Abandoning the button, Katara tipped the plastic table over so that she was facing the tabletop. Most of the people had dashed in fright and Katara was now alone with a dead victim somewhere behind her.
A trail of the victim's blood reached her shoes like a tiny crimson snake. It had once flowed through a person, whoever that may have been. Their life had been taken without warning, without mercy.
"Katara…"
Katara nearly jumped up in shock. She had almost forgotten the earpiece Zuko had given her and gently pressed a finger over it.
"Katara, I hope you can hear me." Zuko's voice whispered in her ear. "I'm inside the restaurant. The shooter's coming so don't get up. I'm going to try and take him out."
"What?" Katara whispered frantically, forgetting that he could not hear her. "Zuko, what-"
Something came running at her from the front and jumped. A split second glimpse of a leather jacket and sunglasses was all Katara caught as something else collided midair with the jumper.
"ZUKO!" she screamed but it was too late. The two rolled onto the street and narrowly missed being hit by a truck.
Katara quickly got up and tried running towards them but the traffic had swallowed both. She could not see either.
+Zuko+
Zuko could have sworn this was going to be easy. In all his short life with chasing the Avatar and breaking out of prison, rescuing Katara couldn't have been that difficult, could it?
Apparently, it could, as the situation proved. He was now in a state which required saving himself from speeding cars before saving anyone else. Pinned beneath him was the other guy. Whoever he was, he was putting up a fight and Zuko avoided a speeding bus as the other guy lashed out at him with a kick.
'Well,' Zuko thought, 'if it was a fight this guy wanted, a fight he would get.'
+Katara+
Katara was just exiting the restaurant with a mass of water floating like a blob of jelly in the air in front of her when she saw it. Zuko had obviously given up on his whole "stay hidden" regime and had started a fireworks show in front of an audience of frightened drivers. Balls of flame were shooting above the hoods of passing cars somewhere in the middle of the traffic.
"Hold on, Zuko." Katara muttered as she ran forth, water in hand.
Creating her signature ice bridge to maneuver her way over the vehicles, Katara spotted Zuko and the shooter at once.
It was a bit astonishing how the two could wrestle with each other so aggressively in the middle of the road but the cars had apparently been scared into driving around them or else fleeing from their cars and leaving their vehicles as road blockage.
Katara's heart almost stopped when she saw that the two were wrestling over a gun. Luckily, Zuko had managed to take it from the shooter but the shooter was on top of him, trying to wrestle it from his grip.
Katara made an angry roar as she sent the sent the waterwhip flying in the shooter's direction. He was knocked sideways off of Zuko and onto the next lane.
"BWWWAAANGGG!"
A passing dump truck nearly ran over the shooter. At the last minute, the shooter performed a flexible back flip and dodged death by inches.
"Zuko, get on!" Katara shouted over the traffic noise. Zuko clambered onto the ice hover board Katara had created. The second his shoes came in contact with the surface, water froze over making them fixed to the board.
It might have been a strange sight for two teenagers to be riding a platform of ice into the sky had it not been for the partial mist cover Katara remembered to conjure.
As they landed on the first deserted rooftop they could find, Katara looked back at the now obscured view of the chaotic street. Then she rounded on Zuko.
"What were you thinking, jumping into the street with a killer like that? Do you have any idea how stupid and dangerous that was?" she shouted, but not as loudly as she normally would have in fear of being attacked again.
"Look, I'm sorry Katara." Zuko said weakly. "I-"
His knees gave way and he grabbed the metal railing for support. Katara supported him into a sitting position, alarmed.
"Are you okay? Were you hurt?" Katara asked, scanning his sweaty face worriedly.
"My…leg…" Zuko pointed to hfis left calf.
Without another word, Katara cut his jeans with the help of her waterbending. She sucked her breath in through clenched teeth. The skin was burned badly and angry blisters were forming.
"Damn." Katara whispered, but at the same time engulfed both hands in water.
Katara gently covered the wound with both hands. Taking a deep breath, she concentrated hard, letting her energy flow to that one spot. It glowed white until the wound was no longer visible through the once transparent liquid.
"How-" Zuko mumbled but immediately sat up to examine his freshly healed wound. There was a small scar left but he smiled all the same. "Thank you, Katara." He said to her and despite herself, she smiled back.
+Ethan Jones+
Once he got home to his apartment on Ridge Street, he took off his clothes and jumped into the shower. In spite of having recently showered at the hospital before his departure, the thought of being followed shook him. They could have planted bugs on his skin for all he knew.
After getting dressed in new clothes, he sneaked out of his apartment, caught a taxi and drove to the police station he worked for. They would probably be watching him there but Jones had a plan.
Jones casually walked into the police station, raised his hand in hello at the front desk lady and made his way to the office labeled "Detective Yumi Kim".
Yumi was a Korean born and raised in New York. She had previously worked with the NYPD before transferring to West Verklay after her divorce from second husband Viktor Alexandrov.
She was the shortest detective in the department but certainly not a pushover. Once she had even roundhouse-kicked Officer Pratley in the face for mistaking her as Japanese. Yumi didn't talk much but she never let you forget her.
Jones knocked twice and let himself.
Jones had never been inside Yumi's office. He had always imagined it to have at least a private holding cell for any cop or felon who opposed her but it looked quite organized and normal.
"What the hell do you want?" Yumi's brisk voice came from the small desk in the corner. She was bent over a case file with her glasses on.
"Sorry to butt in, Kim." Jones said, careful to use her surnafme. "But I'm in need of your help."
Yumi looked up, looking skeptical. She had never been the one to be friendly, especially towards a male officer. It wasn't that Yumi was a feminist (she was actually known to be meaner to women), but Yumi wasn't known to deal with men, especially fellow officers.
"I need someone to track someone else." He said, glancing about the room. He was starting to wish he hadn't picked Yumi for the job. What if she knocked him out and buried him in the parking lot? Jones wasn't a sissy but even the chief was known to be chicken around her. "I think you're the best person for it."
This was certainly no flattering lie. Yumi might be ball buster, but she took her job seriously. Yumi was the type of detective to hold onto a case as long as she could and it usually paid off. Of course, she never worked with a partner, not that there was anyone who volunteered or anything. Yumi was extremely independent and that was one of the things that made her perfect for the case.
"Why would I want to help you?" she asked coldly, piercing him with her black eyes. She returned her attention to file in front of her.
"Well, here's the thing, Kim." Jones began. "You know that murder case I you've been working on? That technician from Microbe who was found in his apartment last week. I read in the papers that you were going to lead the case."
This got Yumi's attention though she certainly tried to conceal it. She looked up indifferently, cocking her head to the side. "What about it?" she asked, a warning etched into the vowels.
"Chief knocked you off, didn't he? Said it was an accidental overdose." Jones played it carefully. If Yumi decided he was toying with her, the consequences would be dire. He was almost bracing himself for her famous roundhouse kick as he stood there.
"It was a reasonable deduction. The evidence checked out." Yumi said carelessly, returning to her file again.
Jones held his breath and played his trump card. "But you don't believe that, do you?"
With years of interrogation experience on his side, Jones knew at once that Yumi had given in.
Relief flooded his heart as he began to fill her in. He just hoped that it would work.
Hope you enjoyed it! Reviews are appreciated of course. Chapter 6 will be up after the 10th of October.