Welcome to chapter 2. Enjoy!
There is nothing like a suicide bombing in the morning to really put things into perspective. This time morbid and grey is a complete understatement. Completely, absolutely, utterly hopeless is more like it. I can tell that just about everyone else around me feels the same way as I do. No one really has to say anything though, it's just a general vibe that I can pick up. You know with all the sniffling and crying that everyone is doing around the workplace.
I'm not entirely sure what they are crying about, but I have a good feeling it has to do with this morning's news of my sister's alleged death. It's good thing no one knows that the two of us were related. Dealing with all that sympathy would be too much too bear. Despite all the sadness floating around, everyone makes their best attempt to go about their business like normal. If you can call this dreadful existence normal.
Despite my near death experience this morning, I surprise myself by still coming into work only ten minutes late. That honestly has to be a new record for me. However, after a few minutes, I regret setting foot into this place today. My job at the Ba Sing Se city wide mail distribution center is usually loud and obnoxious, especially in the mail sorting room where I usually hang out in. People are always shouting over each other in a vain attempt to be heard over the sorting machinery. Today though, it's mostly a silent and sad atmosphere. I still have a hangover too, and it's unaccompanied by my ringing ears thanks to this morning's spectacle. Everyone's tears aren't exactly improving my condition either.
Originally, I was in charge of sorting through the resistance's mail and then sending it in the proper direction. This resistance was originally established to fight against the Fire Nation after they invaded the city and overthrew the Earth King. Usually there were updates about what was going on both inside and outside the city walls, which was the reason why I was interested in this job in the first place. I was hoping to catch some information about the friends and family I had been separated from, but everything turned south when the resistance decided to morph themselves into radical terrorists. Then, the new Fire Nation leadership imploded from within. I had a front row seat to watching this city tear itself apart as everyone and every possible faction made desperate attempts to grab onto power. So many people died in those early days and I still have nightmares about it to this day. Now, I just go through the mail and then collect my paycheck at the end of the week. Been here ever since.
I feel like even more of a complete mess than usual today. Because of my partial hearing loss, it's almost impossible to hear anything that's being said to me. After working for about an hour, I opt for talking things over with my boss in the hope of going home early. As I approach his office, I find myself surprised to see his door slightly open. Usually, the crusty old man has it closed at all hours. He doesn't even acknowledge me when I step in.
"Excuse me sir, Mr. Yuen," I begin.
There is still no reaction from him. He doesn't even twitch in my direction.
"Um… I don't exactly feel good today sir. It seems as though I had a bad leaf in my tea this morning."
I placed a hand on my stomach and keeled over a bit trying to imitate a gag reflex.
"I would appreciate it if you would let me go home and rest up."
That manages to get a reaction from my boss. He turns his head slowly towards me and upwards from his sitting position. What I see is red bloodshot eyes and tears streaming down the side of his face.
Thirty minutes later…
The wind has really begun to pick up speed since this morning. The trash and the dead leaves in the streets are being tossed every which way. My Earth Kingdom coat is doing very little to protect me from the sudden onslaught of chilly weather. Winter is approaching and I briefly shudder at the thought of living through another blizzard with no heat.
I make my way into the transit station to wait for one of those trams that connect the whole city together. Some of them are still powered by earth benders but the majority of them have been converted to coal power by the left-over fire nation troops in the city. The amount of pollution they create is ridiculous, and it always causes problems when the trams pass over and blanket both the people and the houses below in smoke and ash, which occurs like every few minutes. There is no word on if that is going to be fixed any time soon.
Thankfully the mood of the people around me seems to have lightened up a bit, which isn't saying much. I glance around and notice the transit agents stationed at their posts and spouting continuous propaganda about our government leaders and such. I notice that there are also new, and quite large, posters on every wall with characters that read "Report All Suspicious Activity."
"Where is this damn tram already?" I say to myself.
The wind is picking up speed and it feels like it's knifing its way through my entire body. I sigh heavily and wrap my arms around my chest to stay warm. It's times like these that I wish my old water tribe clothing could still fit me. It's such a shame that I had to throw those away.
After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, the tram finally arrives with a thick plume of smoke trailing behind.
Brilliant.
About a dozen people, including myself pile on bored. I take a seat near a window and look out over the city's skyline. It looks like a massive shanty town dotted with the occasional plume of smoke rising into the air. After a few seconds, I notice someone taking a seat next to me. I look to see a woman with brown hair and greenish, hazel eyes and dressed in a green Earth Kingdom styled tunic. She looks at me, apparently noticing my gaze, and nods cordially. I nod back in response.
After a few moments of mutual silence, she looks back in the opposite direction. I let out a sigh and get comfortable in my seat before pulling out a bottle of sake. I always carry an extra one just in case. It's technically against the rules to drink on public transportation, but no one really gives a flying shit anymore.
"Do you mind sharing that?" I hear the woman ask. "I could use a good drink."
I chuckle slightly in response and sit up straighter in my seat.
"I don't mind at all." I unscrew the lid and pass the bottle to her. She swipes it out of my hand and I watch in mild shock as she gulps down half the bottle. She finishes with a satisfied sigh before passing the bottle back to me.
"My name is Jin by the way." She says.
"Sokka." I reply before chugging down the rest of the bottle. I can't let myself be bested by her after all.
"Nice."
"Oh yeah."
For a moment, I feel a spark of warmth inside of me after this interaction. After all, it's probably the friendliest conversation that I've had all week. I quickly dismiss this though once I realize that this warmth is just the alcohol making its way through my digestive tract.
My thoughts are then interrupted by a Dai Li agent walking down the center aisle.
"Remember citizens!" he shouts. "Any harboring or sheltering of illegal immigrants is now considered a crime by the government, and you will be severely punished if any evidence is brought against you!"
I grunt in annoyance at these remarks. It's just more propaganda to spread fear through the general populace. Well, the jokes on them. I'm usually too drunk to be afraid.
"As if they actually use evidence," I hear Jin say as the agent makes his way further down the train car and out of earshot.
"Right?" I reply, trying to keep my voice down. "All they need is for someone to accuse you, and that's it."
Finally, the tram lurches forward and leaves the station, nearly giving me whiplash in the process. The window is partially obscured by the smoke but I can still see through it slightly. Thankfully someone had the brains to put glass in the windows so that the train cars don't fill up with carcinogens. Through the thick black clouds, I can see that there is a large fire out in the distance, possibly in the lower ring. I shrug it off, not really concerned.
Over the course of the next hour, Jin and I talk about the weather, the politics, and other random small talk. I learn that she is headed to her job out in the farm lands in the outer ring. Not that there is much fertile soil left to farm on out there, but it apparently pays decent money and she needs it to support her family. Evidently though, the farm is located close to the Lake Laogai refugee camp which has been experiencing a lot of unrest lately. The disorder has been causing a lot of problems in the surrounding farmlands. I don't say anything about where I am headed except that I am meeting an old friend.
Eventually, we pass through the inner wall and the outer ring comes into view. The fields stretch as far as the eye can see. Unfortunately, the view isn't as nice as it had been all those years ago. Now, all I can see are heaping heaping landfills scattered everywhere. The tram slowly begins to descend closer to the ground as we approach the next station. I start to ask Jin how big her family is when a rock suddenly comes sailing through the glass of the window and right past both of our faces.
"Holy shit!" I yell as I duck down to the floor of the train car. Jin dives down next to me and covers her head.
Glass shards from the window rain all over me. I can hear more rocks ricocheting off the trams exterior. Some of them are causing dents in the metal shell of the car. The other passengers in the train sound frantic and I hear them scrambling around to get away from the stone projectiles. I can also hear a great deal of shouting coming from the outside as rocks continued to hit us.
"Son of a bitch!" The angry voice of a man shouts out.
I open my eyes to see that it came from the Dai Li agent from earlier. He was trying unsuccessfully to calm everyone down. His face had gone red in fury. After herding several people further down the car, he jumps onto my seat before proceeding to launch himself out of the window in a fit of rage. His stone gloves raised and ready to combat the assailants outside.
Jin and I, along with all the other passengers are forced off the train at the next stop. More Dai Li agents show up to question us one by one to get our descriptions of who had attacked us. After nearly an hour they let us go, planning to start a search for their missing comrade. The tram ride was far less interesting after that point.
Eventually I reach my destination and exit the tram. Jin exits the tram at my stop as well, and after a brief nod in acknowledgment, we both head our separate ways. I exit the concourse and head down a flight of stairs towards ground level.
As I emerge from the station, I see three large cages lined up on my left side and stuffed to the brim with people. Based on how most of them are dressed, it's obvious they are illegal refuges. A mixture of both fire bending and earth bending soldiers are keeping watch, most likely to prevent escape. I just keep walking past, doing my best to ignore the cries and begs of the prisoners. But I can't help but notice an old woman dressed in what looks to be traditional Fire nation garb. She is crying softly to herself and two little kids, one boy and one girl, are tugging desperately at her arms trying to make sense of the confusion. Both are on the brink of tears themselves. I just take a deep breath and continue on. It's a shame I emptied the rest of my bottle of sake earlier.
A couple of minutes later and I manage to get through the security checkpoints. I hate being forced to go through them because they always try to take my alcohol. It's now the reason I have a secret compartment in the back of my jacket that can hold an extra bottle. Unfortunately, that was the bottle I had shared with Jin on the train.
On the other side of the checkpoint I am greeted by a familiar face, the face of an old man who clearly shows more age than he actually is. His long grey hair is tied up into a queue and a short grey beard juts out from his chin.
"How are you my old friend?" he says as he wraps his arms around me in an embrace. I can feel the smile on my face as I return the motion.
"Not much Shen. Not much at all."
Later…
"Do you know who did it Sokka?"
Shen's words knock me out of my trance and plunge me back into reality. I am in the passenger seat of his small carriage and he is in the driver seat. An ostrich horse is pulling us down the surprisingly narrow road that leads to his house that is literally in the middle of nowhere. I can feel the old man's gaze penetrating the side of my skull.
"Did what?" I ask not really paying attention.
"The bomb."
Oh that…
"Nah. Could be Earth Rebels, Fire Loyalists, The Kyoshis. Those are the usual suspects anyway."
I shrug nonchalantly. To be honest, I didn't really care either way. When something happens often enough, even something as horrendous as a suicide bombing, people tend to become numb after a while.
"I bet you ten gold pieces that the government is involved," Shen says with a slight chuckle. "Every time one of those damn politicians is in trouble, a bomb goes off in the neighborhood."
I can't help but shake my head at that bit of info because it is more than likely true. There must unlimited stores of cactus juice inside the imperial palace building based on rate that this city's leaders are losing their minds.
"Well if it is true, then that would make it the second time this month," I say.
"You feel any better?"
This time I turn to look him in the face and I can see the concern in his eyes. I can't help but scoff at the sight of it.
"No," I say.
A slight grin spreads onto his face before turning to face the road again. Even after all these years, my pessimistic attitude has yet to wear him down. If I could read auras, which probably don't even exist, then his would probably be colored blue for optimism. Or does green mean optimism? I can't actually remember.
Shen speaks again, ripping me once again from my thoughts.
"It's a good thing you don't take sweetener or lemons in your tea my friend. Loosing you and your sister in the same day would be too much to bear."
My sister… of course he would bring that up. It's only logical that he would of course. She was my sister after all. Honestly though, after getting over the initial shock of that news, I began to seriously ponder the circumstances of her supposed death. By all reason, it doesn't make any damn sense. Apparently, her body was found in a ditch with no sign of foul play and no sign that anybody else was present. Well I happen to know my sister very well, and I just so happen to know that she would never travel alone. There is only one logical explanation and that is misinformation.
"I don't think she is really dead," I declare. "She can't be."
"Well there is really no way to tell for sure," Shen answers back. "This new law about illegals that the government passed today makes it to where we can no longer leave the city anymore."
"Yeah as if we could do that before the law was passed," I say.
"Hey! Move over!"
Shen mumbles a curse under his breath and pulls on the reigns. The ostrich horse squawks in protest and moves onto the grass. I turn to see a large caravan moving past with Dai Li agents up front. They are seated on a large stage coach that has windows lined with bars. I can just about make out the faces of the people inside. Their hands were clinging to the bars, their eyes pleading for us to intervene in some way. The two of us sit and watch as the caravan rolls passed us and continues down the road.
"Illegals," Shen says. "Looks like they're taking them to the camp by Lake Laogai."
"They use this road?" I ask confused. This road looks as though it's lightly traveled and small for something as large and important as a Dai Li caravan transporting illegal refugees. It's a wonder the stage coach even fits on the path.
"Occasionally, yes." Shen has a sad look in his eyes. "I feel sorry for them my friend. After escaping the worst atrocities and finally making it to Ba Sing Se, those agents hunt them down like animals."
We sit in the carriage for a little while longer in silence and watch until the caravan disappears around a nearby hill. A cool breeze ruffles my hair, now in its wolf tail. I pull my coat tighter around me to protect against the chilly air.
"Life sure does suck doesn't it?" I say to him.
Later…
I hold a small green government issued box in my hands. The material that lines the outside is surprisingly well made and of good quality considering how they must be mass produced. I notice that the label reads "Quick Silence" and scoff at the choice of words. I suppose nobody has accused our leaders of being poetic.
"Typical," I say.
"Ah yes, I just got that in the mail today." Shen is seated across from me on a small couch sipping on a cup of tea. Seated on the couch next to me is Shen's rabbit-cat that he has uncreatively named Mr. Whiskers. Shen's eyes are focused on the little green box that is in my lap.
I notice the words "You Decide When" is written on the side in small characters on the bottom of the golden label.
"Pretty nifty eh?" Shen says before taking a sip of his tea. He gulps it down with a satisfied sigh. "They freely pass these out along with our rations, but somehow, cactus juice is still illegal."
"Clearly the laws don't stop you though," I say, placing the box on the table between us before gesturing to the rows of cactus growing in his dining room.
"True," Chen says with a chortle. "Though recently, I've merged my business with the local farmers here. We've been collaborating and smuggling it into Lake Laogai. That's where the real money is."
I shrug in understanding. Even with the world coming to an end, people still need to make a living somehow. Besides, the Dai Li clearly has much bigger fish to fry in this day and age. My legs and arms are still feeling stiff from the ride over and I decide to stretch them out a bit before leaning back into the couch. Mr. Whiskers stirs and climbs into my lap before falling back to sleep.
Great, now there's gonna be fur all over my pants.
"I suppose people gotta get their kicks somehow with the Avatar cycle being broken and all," I say. "The world's a lot less fun than it used to be."
Shen seems stunned by that comment and places his cup onto the table, taking care not to spill any on the carpet. After a slight hesitation, he looks me in the eye and speaks.
"You really think it's broken?"
"Honestly?" I lean forward in my seat and look him in the eyes in return. He is unfazed.
"Yes," I say before letting out a huge sigh and looking down at my feet.
"I don't know," is what came out of my lips, barely audible. "It's the general idea though."
Shen hears me clear as day though, despite my best efforts. He nods slowly, as if he is trying to absorb the words that came out of my mouth.
"You see? This is the main problem in the world. Everyone has given up hope. You know one of the things I used to admire about your sister was that she never seemed to lose that."
"Seriously, Shen?" I say slightly annoyed. He really has to bring her up again? I'm still doing my best to forget the news I heard this morning. I don't need it to be brought up every waking moment.
"You never even met her," I continue.
"No," he replies. "But you showed me those letters she had written to you just after everything happened and I could tell. She never gave up and neither should you. The seeds we sow in this life Sokka, will be the ones we pass on to the next generation."
I ponder that for a moment. Mr. Whiskers sits up and yawns briefly before settling back into my lap.
"I should get those words painted onto my tea cup," I say to him.
He lets out a hearty laugh before reaching for the table and picking up a small glass vial.
"Cactus Juice?" He asks me while shaking the vial in a tempting fashion.
"Nah," I shake my head. "I'm a one and done kinda guy."
"Suit yourself," he says before placing a few drops in his tea.
The next day…
I wake up that next morning in my apartment. The headache is back again, but this time, I have to thank my ringing ears for the pain. I grumble in annoyance before rolling out of my bed. The gloom and doom is back again just like every other morning. I get myself dressed into my Earth Kingdom clothes and eat a light breakfast of fruit and booze. I briefly consider strapping on my boomerang sheath, but after a moments consideration, I decide against it. I mean it's not like I use it anymore except for the occasional time when I need a back scratcher.
As I walk out the door and into the hall an hour later, I notice one of those little green government courtesy boxes just like the one Shen had received propped against the wall next to my door. I just toss it onto my bed before making my way down the stairs, through the front lobby, and out onto the street filled with the more trash piled everywhere. My senses are once again assaulted by the awful smell of the outside world. I recompose myself and stroll down the street.
Going against my better judgment, I decide to take my chances and go for another cup of tea. After a quick search, I am able to find a tea shop that isn't currently a giant crater in the ground. Thankfully the universe decides to spare me by not including another explosion into the morning routine.
As I make my way to work, I come across an entire apartment block being raided by the Dai Li. As I stroll past, I see that some of the residents are being forced to wait in a line as the agents went over their mini identification scrolls. Others are being thrown into cages lining the sidewalk. Their panicked cries fill the air as people are torn from loved ones and becoming separated as the cages become too full of people. I look up at the apartment building to see items of all sorts are being tossed out the windows into a pile on the ground below. Everything from lamps, to desks, to clothing are falling and slamming into dirt. Some of the stuff is being thrown out as high as three stories up. Many Dai Li agents are scrambling about and shouting for ids as they herd people around. I see one man lying on the ground and being beaten by several agents.
I just keep walking as usual.
I cross the street and make my way down the sidewalk to the mail office. But then, something happens that I never would have expected. A black sack is placed over my head and I can feel the distinct pressure of a sword against my throat. I drop my tea and I hear it splattering against the sidewalk.
"Move it now!" A women's voice sounds out.
Two more sets of hands grab hold of both of my arms and before I can do anything, I am tossed into some kind of a carriage and the door slams shut. I make a move for my boomerang before realizing that I left it in my apartment.
Well shit…
Before I can do anything else, I feel a blunt object slam into the back of my head. After that, everything fades to black.
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