Stare of the Abyss, Stare of the Mirror

The woman who was once called Suki, who thought that her name was Azula, was gazing into the face of her worst nightmare, and that nightmare was none other than herself.

Gold eyes stared back. Dark hair gleamed in the light of the fires. Armor glittered dully with the colors of the Fire Nation's military. She walked like she owned the world, and there was no doubt that this woman was the greatest living danger to peace alive. She moved like a Master Firebender-

Wait.

The woman who was once called Suki had been able to bend blue fire. Her own recollections weren't entirely reliable, true, but her most recent memories were completely consistent on this matter. She could summon and command azure flames since the moment she was forced by Ozai (Father?) to remember her true name. Only one person alive could Firebend like that, and that was Princess Azula of the Fire Nation. Logically speaking, there could only be one Azula, regardless of appearances. The woman who was once called Suki looked again at the person standing in the darkness before her, but this time, she did so more critically.

And in doing so, she realized that she wasn't looking at her own face at all.

Nor was it the face of Azula.

It was close, certainly, and most people would probably accept that visage as the Fire Princess readily enough- even those who had seen her in person- but the person who was once called Suki had a special edge: she was strongly familiar with the faces of Zuko and Ozai, as well. Looking at this armored figure pretending to be Azula, there was no echo of the Royal Family in her features, no strong similarities that honored the blood of the clan.

The woman who was once called Suki- the woman who was the One True Princess Azula- thought back to her own reflection, and had to suppress a shudder when she realized that she could easily see those aspects of Zuko and Ozai (Family) in her own face, now that she knew to look. Her head hurt at the effort, and the dark warehouse threatened to spin around her, but there was no doubt in her mind about what she herself looked like, no vagueness. She could remember being Suki, and covering those features with the facepaints of Kyoshi. In those memories, she could now see the echoes of the Fire Nation's Royal Fmaily. With an effort, she could even find a shadowy memory of being in the Fire Palace, looking into a large, opulent mirror and running her fingers over a facial bruise that spilled out over her young features.

How had she gotten that bruise? Well, it wasn't important.

Azula let out a heavy breath as she realized who she was, and that the woman in front of her was a fake. A good fake- and one who oddly had a hair color that matched the official depictions better than Azula's own auburn locks- but a facsimile all the same. Less practical minds might have wondered about a secret sister, or a duplicate constructed by a Spirit with limitless power, or just mere coincidence, but Azula's mind- for all its current functional problems- was not given to flights of fantasy. This was merely a mundane imposter.

Of course, that was a problem all unto itself. Azula had a feeling that her already complex life was about to get orders of magnitude more troublesome.

Still, nothing was going to be dealt with by just standing around and staring. Blinking, Azula let reality reform around her into a dark warehouse filled with freshly painted caterpillar tanks, illuminated by a team of Firebenders who surrounded her in a display that was only slightly confrontational. She inclined her head at her pretender. "A pleasure to meet you, Princess Azula. A surprise, as well. I hadn't heard that you were still active. In fact, you're looking remarkably more healthy than Fire Lord Zuko- oh, excuse me, the usurper Zuko- had described to the public when he took control of the Fire Nation."

The pretender's eyes narrowed and a strong frown twisted her lips. "You consider yourself remarkably well informed, for someone who I was told laid no claim to a name or history."

"I worked in border enforcement fairly recently. It was my job to be well-informed about world affairs." Azula bowed at the waist and held it for a moment. "Still, I have been rude to you. I apologize for my behavior. I was caught off guard by your appearance, and I hadn't even thought to associate your name with a movement to strengthen and unite the former colonies." If Azula needed further proof that she herself was the real thing, she had only to notice at how easily lies came to her tongue.

The pretender let her frown wash away, but the superior smile did not return. She was on her guard, understandably. For all Azula might try to smooth things over, the damage had still been done. Even if the pretender was a fake, she wasn't a moron. She nodded and said, "I accept your apology, Lady Chijin. Do keep control of your mouth in the future." Then she threw a fist right at Azula's face.

Azula's response was unconscious and as fast as lightning. She brought her own right arm up in a motion that swept in front of her face and collided with the pretender's forearm to throw it off its path. The fist passed beside Azula's head, and the wind roared in her ear like a screaming dragon, but there was no impact. Azula continued the motion of her arm, twisting it around the pretender's, yanking, and then locking the other's limb under her armpit. Even as that was happening, Azula brought her other hand up and summoned a ball of fire in her open palm. She held back at that point, content to have the imposter trapped, with a fire attack ready to go at the first sign of further hostility. So it was that in the darkness of the warehouse, Azula had a long moment to notice that the light being shed by her own flame was no different than that of the other Firebenders.

Azula looked up at her left hand in surprise, and found a ball of reddish-orange fire dancing in place there, sputtering at the tips.

What- ?

"Ah, you are a strong one," the pretender's voice sounded in Azula's ear. "Aren't you going to free me now?"

Azula forced herself to recover. Perhaps she was sick in some way, and her fire would return to its normal azure color eventually. She didn't have time to worry about it now. Her fire would become blue again, she was definitely the one true Azula, and the pretender was a threat. She clung to those facts and told herself that they were unquestionable.

Azula held her general position, keeping the pretender's arm immobile, but lowered her other hand and let the flames dissipate. Their faces were close, and they had no choice but to stare each other in the eyes. Azula cleared her throat before she spoke, fearful that her voice would fail her the same way the azure flames did. "It's unwise to let a powerful Firebender gain any distance in a fight. I have a good command of Fire myself, but the Princess Azula is said to be among the greatest in the world. I think it to my benefit to keep things within hand-to-hand range for now. I'm well trained in that, as well."

The pretender blinked, and her gaze fell from Azula's eyes. "I- My-" She took in a heavy breath, and then spoke again. "My Firebending is gone."

"Gone?" Azula nearly lost her grip on the pretender in surprise.

"Y- Yes. The Avatar thought it would be enough to stop me, but- I'm not- he couldn't-"

Azula's stare drilled into the golden eyes of the pretender, and she realized two things. First, the other woman was wrong. The Avatar had done nothing to her. She spoke of something that she didn't understand in the slightest. Azula remembered how... her father had been when he ambushed 'Suki' on Kyoshi Island. Even with all that time since his defeat at Aang's hands, there was a hollowness within his gaze, a slump to his body that had nothing to do with his bones or muscles. The flow of Qi through his body had been twisted and corrupted, blocked in a way that had nothing to do with the physical world. On the deepest level, he was a broken man, and the light in his eyes was dimmed for it.

And in the blackness beyond where the remnants of her memories faded to tatters, Azula sensed a cold wind and a biting fang of ice. When she imagined that look in Ozai's eyes, she could feel a piercing freeze like some phantom pain that existed beyond physical healing. Was that what was happening to her, now? Had something been done to her, to try to make her like Ozai? Was such hollowness her own destiny?

There was no such pain in the pretender's golden eyes.

The second thing Azula knew was that the pretender absolutely believed she was telling the truth. She didn't have Toph's ability to detect the internal physical signs of telling lies, and there were stories that the Princess Azula could fool even the blind Earthbender's extra senses, but the Azula that existed now somehow knew that this woman in her grasp was not telling intentional falsehoods. Perhaps it was something in the pretender's eyes, or a chain of physical tells in her expression, or the way she held herself or the tightness of her skin, but the perception was all subconscious to Azula, now.

She would just have to be willing to stake her life on it.

She finally let go of the pretender's arm. "Again, my apologies. I am truly sorry for how hostile I seem. I'm really not very good with surprises, and this meeting almost seems designed to keep me ill at ease. The sooner we get to business, the sooner I hope to justify my worth."

The pretender- no, she wasn't pretending if she truly believed what she was saying. This woman was trapped into being Azula for both herself and the outside world, a fate that was akin to a long session of torture followed by a death sentence. It was a curse. And the woman here was a victim.

The Victim inclined her head towards Azula, a superior smile once again lighting up her face. "Shingyung will give us our briefing, and then we will all finalize the details of the plan. A plan to destroy those who would work against us, and the lands of the former colonies. I have no doubt, my sister, that your worth will be evident to all of us before long."

Azula nodded, and made no sign that she had just realized that anyone who could do this- find a woman who looked just like the Fire Princess and truly make her think that she was Azula- was an enemy on a level beyond even what she had thought of Zuko, Aang, Sokka, and all the others. Perhaps her former friends weren't even her primary enemies at all.

In the darkness, surrounded by flames with her greatest weapon having abandoned her, Azula was scared.

Shingyung's cold words stood in contrast to her overly warm method of talking. "Blasting jelly has become quite scarce outside the Fire Nation since the war ended, but I managed to procure something almost as good- flare juice. It requires much flame and heat to make it explode instead of merely burn, but the results will be more than enough to critically damage the factory."

The group of rebels- including Azula- had moved into one of the tanks being stored in the warehouse for the briefing. Azula and Shingyung were the only ones not wearing Firebender armor, a major concern in case fighting broke out in the cramped metal troop compartment. Not that Azula expected anyone to attack her again; she had apparently passed their tests for now, and even if she had armor, fighting nine trained Firebenders in close quarters was a losing prospect.

Still, Azula kept track of all the glowing lamps in the hands of the soldiers. She was fairly sure that she had the Firebending power to make them explode, if it came to that.

Shingyung was the only one standing. "We'll be transporting the flare juice in multiple containers, one for each member of the team. That will make it easier to transport than a single barrel, given the amount we need, and even if we lose someone, there should still be enough to make a worthwhile bomb. You will all be provided with diagrams for constructing the bomb. Make sure you study them. If case we suffer losses, any of us needs to be able to assemble the bomb on site." Although Shingyung's briefing was professional enough, the way she moved and talked was anything but. Her voice kept its breathy quality, and grew more singsong as she became more enthused with the plan. The only thing swaying more than her hips was her long glossy ponytail.

One of the Firebender soldiers raised a hand. "What kind of security are we expecting?"

Shingyung smiled at him and tilted her head to the side. "Excellent question, Gunjin. We expect security to be fairly light around the factory, merely a handful of watchmen patrolling the outside, but part of the facility will be active with a small night shift. We'll have to stick to the unused portions of the building, and proceed cautiously to make sure that we aren't detected by any of the workers."

Then, Shingyung walked over to where The Victim was sitting cross-legged on the floor. "The Glorious Princess Azula, as our capable field commander, will choose the scouts to move ahead of the main group. Those scouts will be responsible for detecting any risks, and if necessary, neutralizing them quickly and silently." Shingyung turned her gaze from the false princess to Azula herself, and her painted smile grew wider. "I think our new recruit will be especially effective in this regard."

Azula didn't react.

Shingyung looked around at the whole group. "Only Princess Azula and I will know the day the operation will take place. Once we finish here, you will all go to your safehouses and await word. When you get the message, leave immediately and meet up with the group here. Make no mistake; this mission is an important step in our cause. The factory is producing weapons for the Earth King, selling him a modern military that will eventually give him the full abilities of the Fire Army and at least triple the strength. If we don't put the fear of the former colonies into these ironmongers, they won't stop until they've sold our enemies the means to enslave us all again, this time under flags of green."

It all sounded so pretty, and Azula could feel the fervent heat coming off the Firebender soldiers. It was making the tight compartment positively stifling. Time to inject some coolness. "And what of the Princess?" Azula looked around at the others, then let her gaze settle on her facsimile. "If you don't mind my asking, what is her stake in the former colonies?"

The Victim raised her perfectly shaped eyebrows. "The free cities that used to be the Fire Nation Colonies are the only places in the world that have not yet called for my death or imprisonment. I would repay my adopted home by helping to build the strength that the Fire Nation once gave it, before my brother stole the crown from me. I'm surprised you need to ask. Aren't our stories of a similar nature?"

Azula just looked at the floor.

"Now," Shingyung said into the thick air, "here are your diagrams for the bombs. Look them over, make sure that you understand them..."

Once the briefing was over, the group exited the tank and began leaving the warehouse one by one. Azula purposefully hung back and occupied herself with some stretching exercises after the cramped confines of the tank, letting the Firebender soldiers go first. They donned cloaks before they exited the building to hide their armor. Azula suspected that they had only worn the distinctive uniforms in case she had turned out to be an enemy and they needed the protection during the resulting fight. For all that she had been ushered so quickly to this meeting, it seemed they were still taking precautions against her. She couldn't help but wonder what other safeguards might be in place.

Finally, she was left with only the company of Shingyung and The Victim. The taller woman dropped her smile, and laid her hands on The Victim's right shoulder. "We should go."

The Victim gave the other a lazy look. "You may leave. I wish to speak with our new recruit. Alone."

"Princess-"

The Victim brushed the hands off of her, "Watch what you presume, for your own sake. We will speak again later, but for now, you are dismissed."

Shingyung gave the false Fire Princess a long look, and then broke out into a wide grin. "Exquisite." She bowed low. "It shall be as you wish, Your Highness."

Azula watched the tall woman go, and made sure that she had left the warehouse before turning back to The Victim. They stood together in the center of the building, and the only illumination came from the moonlight that leaked through the windows, leaving everything stained with shadows. With no torchlight to sparkle off The Victim's armor, or to illuminate the reddish shade of Azula's hair, the two women might have been mistaken for sisters. Or was Azula letting her fears color her perceptions? "What did you wish to speak to me about, Princess?"

The Victim examined Azula where she stood, and raised a hand to cup her chin. "You fascinate me, 'Chijin.' Honestly, it strikes me that we share some similarities. There are clearly betrayals and traumas in our pasts, but there's more than that, isn't there? The way you talk, move, even think... I look at you and see who I might have been without my name and Station." She looked up to the windows that glowed with lunar light, then back to Azula. Her face was white with the reflected glow, and her expression was that of a restless ghost. "It's lonely being us, isn't it?"

Azula blinked with surprise. Of all the things she expected to hear from this creature, that was the absolute last. "Yes. I... suppose it is." She thought back to everything that had happened since she fled Kyoshi Island. After leaving Captain Toru and his daughter Meisai upon her arrival in the lands of the former colonies, Azula hadn't spoken to anyone about anything but her business. She had learned the names of only a handful of people, and forgotten them quickly. If she succeeded in her quest and truly learned what had been done to her, what would come next? She'd still be Azula, still be a wanted criminal, and still have no one who cared about her as anything more than an opportunity.

Would the real Azula worry about such things? Was the shadow of 'Suki' still tainting her?

Yet, wasn't The Victim here a living counterpoint to that idea? Here the woman was, believing herself to be Azula and working to carve herself a new power base, and she was still lonely. Part of being Azula, it seemed, was hurting inside.

The Victim nodded and gave a small smile. "I've had my difficulties, and the memories aren't entirely clear..." A wince momentarily flashed over her face. "But I know I used to have friends, and family, but they all... the feelings of betrayal are sharp. It feels like I was ripped from a place of comfort and cast out into a world of cold and solitude. I can see that it must be the same for you. People look at us, how strong we are, and comfort themselves with the belief that we are incapable of feeling, that every hurt they want to inflict on us is justified because we aren't like them. But we're not inhuman. And if people can't realize that-" The Victim's fists clenched at her side. "-Then we will take our due." She turned wide, glistening eyes on Azula. "We can only hope to survive the process, yes?"

So, The Victim had problems with her memories as well. Fascinating, but at this point it was merely another log on the fire of Azula's suspicions. She closed her eyes and nodded. "We are alike. It, well, helps to know that I'm not entirely alone in this world." Azula meant every word. Whatever process had produced this strange duplicate of her old life wasn't important right now. Azula would find it, and in doing so hopefully discover her own history and identity, but she decided that it wasn't her only goal. Maybe the old Princess Azula wouldn't have cared, or perhaps she would have relished the challenge, but it didn't matter. She was what she was, and so she could only act according to what she needed and wanted right now. And she knew very much what she wanted.

Azula was going to save The Victim, because in a sense Azula was also a victim, and The Victim was also Azula.

Identities were tricky that way, it seemed.

Azula looked over at this cruel mirror and said, "Do you- did you ever love your family? If you don't want to answer, it's-"

"Yes." The Victim's voice was clear and strong, but her gaze was not on Azula. She was staring into the shadows around her. "It's hard to remember, but... I remember feeling love, and trust, and respect. I was hurt, I recall that bitter feeling well enough, but I trusted at one point. Maybe I let them hurt me long after I should have tried to stop it. Memories themselves can change in the details, and," here, she massaged her forehead, "for all their lack of clarity, there's no mistaking the emotions I felt. But I'm sure I don't need to explain all this to you."

Azula wrapped her arms around her own body. "Don't you? Knowing is one thing, but understanding it is another." She looked straight at The Victim. "I don't really know anything about you or your life. I know the public story, of course, but I've learned recently that the words of others are about as trustworthy as dreams. I'm fairly certain that I would not believe you if you explained it to me yourself. I know you wouldn't believe me, in the same situation. But the only truth that matters is you standing before me right now, and you have taught me some very valuable things tonight." Azula straightened her back, stood at full attention, and held her right fist up against her chest. "I pledge my loyalty to you. I will give you my service, and in doing so, will make myself into exactly the person I want to be. Let the worlds of Life and Spirit stand witness."

The Victim grinned with obvious satisfaction. She stepped over to Azula, and placed a hand on her auburn head. "Your loyalty is accepted with Honor and Grace. From this point forward, you are defined as my ally and warrior. Forget the false name of Chijin. I hereby name you Azure, and your new life begins now. Just as I have your loyalty, you will have my favor and respect."

The girls bowed to each other, then turned and left the warehouse by opposite doors. Azula paused just outside the building, and snuck into a pitch-black alleyway. Taking a deep breath, she cupped her hands, then exhaled and pushed her Qi into motion. A fire appeared in her palms, flaring bright blue before settling back into the reddish orange color of before.

Azula let it sputter out and then moved off into the night. She still had work to do, it seemed.

In her briefing, Shingyung had been clear that the timing of the bombing mission would be a surprise. This complicated things for Azula, and meant that she would have to choose speed over caution. The day after the briefing and her meeting with The Victim, whipped by a cold wind beneath a slate gray sky, Azula snuck out of her comfortable hotel room through a window and made her way into the nicer section of the city of Yang. While the rest of the city was dirty and crowded in a variety of ways, one particular neighborhood was kept clean and free of the press of the common people. There, the owners of the factories kept lavish estates that surrounded the government headquarters like the walls of a fortress.

In that neighborhood, Azula's brown tunic stood out for the simplicity of its design as much as its color. Elaborate red robes were the most common sights on the street she traveled, but Azula had cleaned herself up before setting out on this trip, and that combined with her grace of movement and clear purpose to keep her out of trouble.

For now.

She found the government headquarters without difficulty; it was the gaudiest of the buildings in the entire neighborhood. Most of its coloring was darker, and Azula thought she spotted a few places where newer paints were chipped to reveal the original red shades beneath, but that was hardly important right now. Instead, finding shelter from the wind within an arch that faced the headquarters, Azula watched the flow of people in and out of the building.

Her memories may have been suspect, but she recalled details of her time during the Yu Dao Crisis. That alone made those memories fairly trustworthy; vagueness was a sign of the enemy. She clearly recalled standing beside Zuko and taking command of the Fire Palace's security, along with all the possible holes she identified. Although it was impossible to confirm, she believed strongly at the time that the assassins who tried to kill Zuko had pretended to be servants and entered the palace through the doors and lanes given over to the staff's use. That's what she was looking for, now.

It wasn't even hard. The servants and lower-tier staffers were easy to identify by their green clothes.

Azula buried all signs of her tenseness and started walking boldly toward one of the busier entrances she identified, a door set just around the corner from the grand staircase leading up to the main entrance. Getting through that portal would be only the beginning of the effort, as she would have to find her way through not only the back rooms and halls but also the more prominent areas of the headquarters, straight into the office of the city's governor himself. She would have to bluff, sneak, hide, bluster, and perhaps even fight her way into the most secure room in perhaps the entire city.

That shouldn't be any harder than sneaking Sokka backstage during a performance of the Ember Island Players, assuming the memory was real. (Azula very deliberately didn't push at it, never mind how much thoughts of Sokka hurt.) Avatar Kyoshi's province had once produced the world's best spies, before she turned it into an island and rededicated its Warriors into protectors.

Clutching a letter in her sleeves, Azula stepped into the headquarters.

The Governor of the City of Yang came back from a rather sumptuous lunch to find a letter sitting right on the center of his desk that he was fairly sure he hadn't seen before. On the other hand, things were so complex these days that he might have just lost track, never mind that certain parties among his supporters liked to contact him through unusual channels. With a sigh, the Governor sat down at the desk and read over the note:

'Governor,

'I apologize for the mysterious nature of this warning. I am an agent with ties to the Avatar and certain of his supporters, working to investigate and infiltrate enemies of world peace who are operating in the colonies. I have made significant progress in this mission, but have over the course of my workings uncovered information about a planned attack within your city. I would like to minimize the damage and prevent any loss of life, but can only do so much from my position. I ask of you to pass a warning on to the private concerns who own the targeted building, and to arrange things so that the target is left with only a token defense that will withdraw at the first sign of trouble. Unfortunately, it is not possible to prevent the attack itself without compromising my true loyalties, and it is my strong belief that many more deaths will result if I am not able to bring this dissident organization down.

'I understand that this request may sound suspicious. All I can do is assure you that when the attack itself happens, you will see that the strength and resources of your opponent are enough that they do not need to stoop to such uncertain means of accomplishing their mission. If you ignore this warning, the damage will still be done and people will be hurt. If you heed this warning and it turns out to be a trick, the attack will merely be a little easier for your enemies, and you will know their nature and be able to hunt them down in short order.

'The site of the attack is the main Bing Rong Armors Manufacturing factory. The date is unknown to me, but it will likely happen some time in the next week.

'I once again beseech you for your aid, and I have every confidence that you will handle the matter with skill and discretion.

'With Gratitude,

'A Friend'

The Governor read the note over three times, and then indulged in another sigh. That was the problem with the world these days; it was a complete free-for-all, and everyone seemed to be working for several different masters while thinking only of themselves. It was much simpler when it was merely a choice between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom, and not much of a choice at that.

Still, that was what had to be done, these days, to survive. And the Governor prided himself as a survivor.

He rang the small bell on his desk, and his secretary quickly appeared in the office. The young man bowed quickly but with obvious respect. "Yes, sir?"

"Take a note, please." The Governor waited while his secretary set up the paper and brush, and then began dictating. "The enclosed was found on my desk, in my office, origin unknown. Please advise." Once the secretary was finished, the Governor looked him right in the eyes. "Deliver these two papers personally to Shingyung at the usual place. Await her reply and bring it straight back to me. Also, see about clearing some of my schedule for the afternoon. I expect I'll have to arrange a meeting with the Bing Rong people. Hm, as long as we're on the topic, let's make sure we have some gold on hand. Those people do like their hard currency when it comes to making deals."

Four days after her adventure sneaking in and out of the Governor's office, Azula was still working on her Firebending.

The windows were all closed but uncovered, letting the sunlight in while keeping the chill in the air out. Azula was seated on the floor beside the bed, and after two hours of doing nothing but breathing, she was ready. She brought her hands up and together in front of her chest, level with her heart, and focused her will and Qi through her body. As expected, a fire sprang to life in her hands. It was a brilliant blue shade, but as Azula watched, the tips began flickering with orange and yellow, and the flame shifted in color as though it was bleeding. Soon, she held a flame that couldn't have been distinguished from the fruit of any other Firebender.

That made her angry.

She was Azula. She knew for a fact that she could summon azure flames, that she was supposed to! It hadn't even been an effort before, so why should it be one now? Azula was having enough of complication, enough of mysteries that sprang from within her own body, enough of nothing making any sense.

She indulged in that anger, held it, caressed it, whispered sweet promises to it of the bliss to come, and then intertwined it intimately with her Qi.

The fire rose and grew, but did not change color.

With a snarl, she snapped her hands apart and tore the flames into nothing. Then she leaned back against the room's bed, and held back a little whimper.

She was saved by a knock at the door.

When she answered, a girl in yellow was waiting. "Lady Shingyung says that the hour of reckoning is at hand. Are your mind and body ready?"

Azula snorted and stepped past the girl. "You could have just said that the mission is on." Hopefully, the night would bring no more complications.

She knew already that it was a hollow hope.

TO BE CONTINUED