A/N: Alright... finally, here we go again :o). It took me aaaaages to figure out this chapter... like, what needs to happen in which sequence and how to connect everything with each other and make sure that things still make sense :P... so... pheeeeeww, I hope I managed to do that ;).
There's some more stuff I want to explain, but... nah, chapter first, explanations later. :)
And I haven't said THANKS to my Beta Ersatz Einstein for quite a while... so I'm gonna do that now - thanks for squeezing my chapter into your real busy week, dear :). And I really do feel like we're constantly improving our little "joint venture", huh :)? Things seem to get smoother with every chapter ;)... yaaaayy! Thanks! :o)
But ok, so much for that... so let's take a ride down below Lake Laogai... here we gooooo... :)
- 12 -
DIFFERENT IDENTITIES
Motionlessly, he sat at one of the abandoned tables, chin resting in palms. Frowning deeply, he tried to stare holes in the gloomy darkness that surrounded him, that seemed to cloud his mind and take hold of the thoughts he tried to gather. So much had happened that night that he didn't know how to put his mind at ease.
After Sureen had regained her composure enough to inform the remaining guests that the restaurant would close early because of the night's incident everyone had hurried to leave. Zuko and Sureen had been silent for the rest of the night, trying to clean up the fight's mess, and then sheepishly disappeared into their rooms, hardly wishing each other good night.
The prince had tried to fall asleep, but found himself restlessly tossing and turning in his bed. Eventually, he gave up and left his room. Zuko sighed. It seemed like sleep had gone out the window for the night. Soundlessly, he had sneaked down the stairs and taken a seat in the restaurant.
He lifted his head and folded his arms. He was about to make a mistake, no doubt. He had been doing so all along. Every decision he had made had turned out to be wrong, leading him to more confusion instead of getting him closer to capturing the avatar. And now he felt like he was taking another step in the wrong direction. He was fed up with his nonexistent ability to guide himself out of his, well, "Inner turmoil" - that's what his uncle would call it, right? The other night had just been another example of his inability to make the right decision.
He didn't want to free that Jet-guy from wherever the Dai Li had taken him. After all, if Jet's plan had worked out, ZUKO would've been taken away in that vehicle. So… why should he go and free Jet, the person who hated him enough to make up such a plan?! The prince's frowne deepened. If the guy really hated him so much - well, then Zuko could easily return that to him, no problem.
But then again - a sigh escaped his lips - he had it coming, didn't he? Maybe he deserved to be hated. People like Jet had their reasons for detesting the Fire Nation. For people like Jet, the Firelord was the root of all evil. So maybe being his father's son already made Zuko a detestable person, and the way he acted around everyone he met didn't help improve his reputation, to say the least. To be honest, he was downright out of control at times. Like the day he had gone berserk in that abandoned village and burnt down the ruins until nothing was left. Or, well… the other night. Sure, Sureen bitten his hand and had lost it completely, but still… his anger had still taken over again. He hadn't meant to slap her in the face. He had gone too far… or, rather, IT had gone too far.
Apparently, he wasn't able to act according to his father's instructions, to get a grip and treat Sureen the way he wanted to. He was just the perfect misfit - in every way.
But she hadn't even been bothered about it, had she? About what he had done. Just WHY wouldn't she EVER get mad at him? Zuko clenched his fists. Why wouldn't she get tired of putting up with him? For some reason, she was willing to see him through it all.
And that was why he owed her. He really did. Not only because the other night, when she had asked him to help her free Jet, had been the first time he had ever seen that pleading look in her eyes. He owed her because she was the only person who had ever forgiven his mistakes. Even if it possibly meant he'd make another mistake.
So they'd try and find Jet the next day. It wouldn't be too much of a problem for him… just another secret mission that required his Blue Spirit skills. The bigger problem was that this time, he wouldn't be alone - so hiding his alter ego from Sureen would probably be impossible. The secret of the Blue Spirit would be revealed eventually. Zuko pressed his still-clenched fist against his forehead and pressed his eyes shut. There was no turning back now.
-x-x-x-
"Goodness, Zuko, don't tell me you spent the night down here…" Sureen grabbed Zuko's shoulders and shook them gently but determinedly.
"Hnnmmmhh… shdup… gh… offa… mh..," the prince mumbled into the tabletop without lifting his head.
"Yeah, good morning you, too." Smiling amusedly, Sureen did as she was told and turned away from her drowsy companion.
A few minutes later she returned, two cups of steaming hot tea in her hands. She took a seat at Zuko's table and placed one cup right next to his head, which was still resting on the tabletop.
"Seriously - ... - there are cozier places to spend the night - ... - just for your information," the girl continued while taking careful sips of her hot drink.
"You don't say." Eventually, Zuko lifted his head and began to massage the back of his neck with one hand. Then he wordlessly grabbed his cup of tea and joined Sureen in taking careful sips.
Just like the other night, they both fell silent. Sureen, seeing the first beams of sunlight through the restaurant's windows, noticed that the sun had risen. Anyway, she didn't have the time to sit around and watch the daybreak at the moment. She pulled herself together and turned towards the prince.
"Um… Last night I went berserk, I guess. I didn't mean to… I mean… I'm sorry. And what's mo-" Sureen was interrupted by Zuko doubling over and coughing heavily, apparently choking on his last sip of tea. "You all right?" The question remained unanswered, as the prince was too busy recovering his breath. SUREEN was apologizing? To HIM? How could she just-? He'd spent half the night wondering if and how he should apologize to her, and now SHE… what the-?
"Well, so, what I was trying to say is... I wasn't in control of myself last night and so, I guess pretty much everything I did was stupid - including my idea to ask you to help me free Jet. I understand if you don't want to. I mean, he came here to reveal your identity and to put you in prison, so I guess freeing him is the last thing you wanna do now." Sureen put her cup back on the table. "It's just… I'm afraid I can't do this without you. I don't know how to get him out all alone." She glanced at Zuko carefully, uneasily awaiting his reaction.
The prince managed to look as unapproachable as always. Obviously, Sureen thought SHE was the one who had misbehaved last night, so HE didn't have to apologize any more, right? But it still didn't change the fact that, regardless-
"So, I guess that means I can count you out? You're not gonna help me." Sureen's low voice interrupted his train of thought.
"What? NO! I mean... um… I - I don't have a plan yet. I don't know how to find your Jet. That's all." Well… at least that wasn't a lie. Zuko really didn't know how to free him.
"Oh… don't worry, I know how!" Sureen's eyes lightened. "I mean, I figured something out overnight. I have a plan. But, um… that plan includes you."
"Oh really. So? Go ahead." The prince folded his arms. Actually, he didn't mean to appear so harsh, but- oh well.
"Um… oh… sure. So… last night, when I asked the guests to leave because we were closing the restaurant… there was that one guy who, apparently, wanted to have a word with me before he left. He took me aside and whispered that I better make sure that an incident like that wouldn't happen again in this restaurant, as it would be a pity if the Dai Li made us close the place. He also advised me to be careful and to choose my words and my company thoughtfully, as people who make a habit of talking about the wrong topics in public tend to disappear. They get picked up by some Dai Li agents and never return. So I asked the guy if he knew more about that whole thing, like, where those people were taken… but he just shook his head and hurried to leave. So, I didn't quite find out where Jet is now, but at least I kind of know how to get there. Actually, all we have to do is…"
As the girl spoke on, describing her overall plan and Zuko's part in it, his frown slowly faded. Well, that seemed like a perfect job for the Blue Spirit. Plus, possibly, Sureen wouldn't even find out who was behind the mask. Maybe the secret wouldn't even be revealed. A short smirk flashed over his face.
"… And so, believe it or not, I'd be lost in this without you. Unless you help me, that whole plan won't work."
"Yeah, well, sounds like I can do it," Zuko replied, trying not to sound too optimistic. "Let's wait until tonight, though. The cover of darkness is a useful feature if you intend to stay in disguise."
Sureen nodded. "Okay, right. Sure. So... tonight then. Um… thanks for your help, I guess." She glanced at the prince for a little longer, but he showed no further reaction. She stood up and turned away from the table, intending to take their - now empty - tea cups back to the kitchen. But suddenly, she heard Zuko's voice behind her back.
"I get it that people like Jet have their reasons to hate the Fire Nation and… hate me. I guess it makes sense. But you… why don't you… why do you think differently?"
"Ugh." The girl hadn't expected that question. Perplexedly, she turned back to the table and took a seat again. "You mean the difference between Jet and me when it comes to our feelings about the Fire Nation? And when it comes to… hating you?"
The prince just shrugged his shoulders in reply. Obviously, this wasn't exactly a comfortable topic or an easy question for him to ask. Suddenly, Sureen got a feeling why he had fallen asleep at a restaurant table that night.
"Well, I guess people's points of view depend on their experiences. What you experience in life shapes your way of thinking. And, well… the main difference between Jet and me is probably that he was taken to a certain Fire Nation prison, but I wasn't. He had to see everyone being tortured and killed and, um..." Ugh. How was she supposed to go on now? No details, that was out of question. She would never say anything about what she had "watched," what she had found out about Jet on the ferry. No way. Nothing, ever. To anyone.
"… Those soldiers made sure to- to demonstrate their oh-so-great power and to make everyone realize how worthless and helpless they were. It was the soldiers' intention to break them - everyone - and they succeeded. No one could escape. No exceptions. The only thing that made Jet different is that he's the only one who wasn't given the final peace of mind: death. So don't wonder why he hates you. Or why he hates the Fire Nation, that is. I guess that's also the reason why he came here last night. No idea how he found out about your true identity, though. But he mentioned a 'Wanted Poster,' didn't he? Well, whatever." Sureen sighed, trying to get back to Zuko's question.
"But I think... I- I couldn't… I mean, it's like I just can't hate, say, the entire Fire Nation that much. 'Cause over the last few years I figured that, after all, no matter where you go, there are just people… like, separate, individual people. Everyone's different in their own way and they do what they do for a reason. No one is pure evil. Okay, well, there's ONE exception, I guess. But… um… that's not you. Not exactly." Eventually, she added, "And there's no reason to hate you just for being you, you know."
Glancing over at Zuko, the girl noticed that her final comment hadn't convinced him at all. But for the most part it seemed as if he'd gotten her point. And she hadn't told him too much about Jet and that Fire Nation prison, had she? He still wouldn't know anything, right? Nah, he wouldn't. He… wouldn't. End of discussion. She tried to push her doubts out of the way.
They would go find Jet tonight. ToNIGHT. Sureen would have to wait the entire day. The thought of leaving him at the Dai Li's mercy for another day almost drove her crazy. But Zuko was right. They needed the cover of darkness in order to make things work. And by no means did she want to endanger the successful implementation of their plan. This had to work, she wouldn't let this go wrong, things wouldn't repeat, Jet wouldn't… they wouldn't do it to him again, she wouldn't let them. Sureen took a deep breath and tried to stop herself from shaking.
-x-x-x-
"HEY! Anybody home? Long time no see! Still remember me?! Still remember what happened last night at a certain RESTAURANT!? You Dai Li guys CAN'T act that way, you can't treat this city's inhabitants like that! You can't just, you know, lock up anyone who dares talk about what you don't wanna hear!"
Arms akimbo, eyes flaring furiously, Sureen stood right in front of the main entrance of Ba Sing Se's palace, home of the Earth King and his Dai Li agents. The lanterns surrounding the massive building possibly weren't bright enough to make out her petite form in the darkness, but at least there was no question of their HEARING her. Yelling at whoever was behind those windows at the top of her lungs wasn't hard for the girl. Not at all. She was downright pleased about having the opportunity to make them listen to her. To finally let it burst out of her. How DARE they arrest Jet right before her eyes and take him to wherever?! She took a deep breath and went on.
"... Like THE WAR or THE FIRE NATION! There's a thing called FREEDOM OF SPEECH, ever heard of it?! And you can't simply kidnap everyone or try to silence the whole city by intimidating them! You CAN'T go on like that! I won't let it happen! YOU CAN'T SILENCE M-" The palace gates opened just enough to make room for two boulders that were shot out soundlessly. They hit the girl in the stomach and head, and her unconscious body instantly slumped to the ground.
A second later, the gates opened a little further and a dark vehicle with barred windows appeared.
Zuko's breath caught behind the Blue Spirit-mask as he watched the scene from his hideout. Shit. That had NOT been part of the plan! Hopefully Sureen hadn't been injured too badly…! He felt his heartbeat speeding up and immediately tried to calm down again. He needed to stay focused. He couldn't screw this up.
No one noticed the shadowy figure sneaking up and soundlessly jumping onto the roof of the vehicle before it carried the unconscious girl away.
-x-x-x-
Agni… what the…? Wow. The endless catacombs with all their caves and corridors were impressive and scary at the same time. They seemed like a giant labyrinth below the ground. Below a LAKE, to be more precise. If this underground world really was as large as Lake Laogai, then it was… wow. The prince was stunned. Bemusedly, he'd noticed that the vehicle had left the city and even the city walls and, approaching the lake. Now he knew why. Somewhere close to the shore, the two Dai Li agents had jumped out of the car. One of them had opened the back door, grabbed Sureen and tossed her limp body over his shoulder. Then they had used their earthbending skills to swiftly dig a tunnel into the ground. Zuko had needed to hurry to follow them into the darkness of the narrow corridor before the entrance had closed right behind him. The Dai Li's tunnel had soon reached one of the main corridors of the catacombs.
Nimbly, Zuko followed the two men, clinging to the rocky surface of the cave wall like he was a part of it, feeling his way in the darkness with unerring certainty. No sound or visible movement gave him away. The Dai Li agents were completely unaware that the Blue Spirit was close on their heels. Behind the mask, a smirk flashed over Zuko's face.
"Well, whom do we have here? Another Joo Dee, huh? Good, good. But obviously, we can't proceed with her as long as she's unconscious. Put her in one of the prison cells until she wakes up. Make sure you take her to the lantern tomorrow morning! Understood?!" The two Dai Li agents nodded and bowed towards another agent who, apparently, was their superior.
Zuko sighed. Sureen still hadn't woken up, and now they'd put her in a cell. But there was nothing he could do about it. But even with the girl unconscious, he had to stick to the original plan. At least now he had more time than expected. They wouldn't "proceed" with Sureen before the following morning, whatever they had meant by that. Whoever "Joo Dee" was, and whatever the hell "the lantern" was. But well, anyway. The fact that the girl was still unconscious actually gave him some extra hours to observe this place and find out where they'd taken Jet.
From his hideout in the shadows, Zuko took a mental note of where Sureen's prison cell was located and memorized the corridors leading there. His mental map of the catacombs began to take shape. The Blue Spirit threw a last look behind him at the locked door of his companion's cell and set out to explore the secret underground world.
-x-x-x-
Oh no. This was bad. Really bad. This pretty much destroyed the original plan. Zuko's thoughts were reeling. His mind tried to process what he had just learned, and, at the same time, change the plan accordingly. But if this was true, it would mean there was no way to free Jet. The guy wouldn't even want to be freed. He wouldn't even know that he didn't belong in this place. He wouldn't even remember Sureen. And there was nothing Zuko could do about it. Even with all his Blue Spirit-skills, he found himself powerless.
The first finding of his exploratory mission had been a large cave containing what the two Dai Li agents had called "the lantern." Zuko had watched another prisoner being taken to the strange device. He'd witnessed them removing each of the man's memories and replacing them with what they saw fit. By the end, the guy was virtually hanging on the older man's instructions, listening to and obeying his every word. Once the process had been finished, he had acted as if in a trance. His own will had been broken.
Subsequently, Zuko had discovered a room where a group of young women – each of them wearing the same dress – apparently had been taught about their new identities. By simultaneously repeating the words a Dai Li agent had prompted, they had learned to introduce themselves as a tour guide named "Joo Dee" who was happy to show the tourists around the great city of Ba Sing Se. So, apparently, that was what Sureen had been slated for! Zuko shuddered to think of his friend standing there in a row as well, a blank look on her face, unquestioningly repeating those empty words over and again. He wouldn't let this happen! Maybe it was too late for Jet… whatever new identity they had forced upon him in the meantime. But Zuko would definitely NOT let Sureen end up like that!
Eventually, the prince moved on, swiftly making his way further into the catacombs. At least he wanted to find Jet… find out if the Dai Li had already deleted his memory. Hidden in the darkness, pressing himself against the cold rock walls, the Blue Spirit sneaked from cave to cave, looking in every corner, opening every door. All those doors looked alike - the same shape, the same unremarkable plain stone surface.
The door right in front of him wasn't an exception. Zuko began to get bored. But as the massive stone wall slowly moved aside, the Prince eventually caught sight of…
… a giant, white, furry, six-legged creature! What the-… no way… the avatar's flying bison! Zuko couldn't believe his eyes. But why in the world had the Dai Li kidnapped that… thing? For what reason did they hide it down here? Agni… But in any case, that meant, if the creature was here now, the avatar couldn't be far! He was certainly on the lookout for his bison already.
Zuko's mind raced. The avatar! After the prince had gone off track for so long, his prey finally seemed to be within reach again! But he couldn't just… damnit! What was he supposed to do now? Just stay here and wait until the avatar showed up? Kidnap the bison and escape? Yeah sure, that fat fluffy thing would become stuck in the tunnels like a giant cork in a bottleneck. How had they even gotten it down here?! Well, earthbending, huh?
Eventually, the prince entered the cave and approached the animal, which gave a piteous moan. On closer inspection, Zuko saw the chains that bonded the creature to the ground. They cut into its flesh so the surrounding fur was encrusted with blood. Besides that, it didn't seem like anyone was feeding or watering the bison. Altogether, it was a sickening, pitiful sight.
Shit. Damn, damn, damnDAMN. He didn't know what to do.
... ...
There's no one to call
'Cause I'm just playing games with them all
The more I swear I'm happy
The more that I'm feeling alone
'Cause I spend every hour
Just going through the motions
I can't even get the emotions to come out
Dry as a bone but I just wanna shout
WHAT NOW
I just can't figure it out
WHAT NOW
I guess I'll just wait it out, wait it out
WHAT NOW
Somebody tell me
WHAT NOW
I don't know where to go
I don't know what to feel
I don't know how to cry
I don't know, oh, oh why
So what now
[RIHANNA - WHAT NOW]
-x-x-x-
(Random side note first :D... cause my brain has freakin' weird ideas *rofl*: "Yeah sure, that fat fluffy thing would become stuck in the tunnels like-" - and the first association that crossed my mind right away was, "a giant tampon in a... WHOA o.O... hell, no..." :'D *lol lol lol*. Ooooh goodness *rofl*. FACEPALM :'D! Yeah... welcome to my mind... so much for that. LMAO :D...)
A/N: Well, apparently - no Gaang in this chapter :P. The reason for this is, in the "real" canon, Aang starts searching for Appa some WEEKS after Jet had disappeared (like, when they make the Appa-flyers... and when suddenly Jet shows up again, telling them he knows where they took Appa - all that stuff happens some weeks after the incident in the restaurant).
And Sureen would NEVER have waited for THAT long ;). I mean... she wanted to go find Jet IMMEDIATELY, I could hardly make her wait just one more DAY until it was getting dark outside :P! So there was NO WAY I could have made her wait for WEEKS. So that's why Sureen and Zuko were quicker than the Gaang and discovered the Dai Li HQ first. And why the Gaang didn't appear in this chap.
Anyway... believe it or not - but the next chapter is already done :). It still needs to get betaed, that is ;). But still - yaaaaayy! That means, hopefully, this time, it shouldn't take me too long to update! Touch wood! And in the meantime, the empty review box down there is wishfully waiting for your comments! :)