Archive of Our Own

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As I come to I hear an all too familiar sound that I've grown to despise, the alarm clock on the drawer next to my bed is going off. Its metallic ringing fills the room as it proclaims that it's time to get out of bed, that another day in my life is beginning.
I roll onto my side and blindly swat at the clock, wanting nothing more than for it to just shut up. My wish is granted but the alarm goes flying and lands somewhere on my bedroom's floor. It's not the first time that's happened and it won't be the last. I'm not concerned, the damnable thing can take the abuse. It's why I bought it after I learned my lesson with its predecessor. It's been a month and I'm still finding stray pieces of alarm clock. It's like they're breeding just so they can be underfoot when I'm walking around.
Malevolent clocks aside, it was time to start getting ready. That's easy enough if my shower is quick. If I take too long then someone's bound to flush a toilet and I'll get frozen or scalded depending on how the water heater feels that particular morning. Today I'm lucky. Yesterday I wasn't.
There's barely anything in my fridge when I open its door. I won't get a paycheck until I clock out today and my bank account is even emptier than my fridge. There's still a loaf of bread but that's it. Dry toast is better than going hungry but my stomach's still gonna gripe. Just gotta tighten my belt and get through it.
The last thing to do before leaving is to get dressed. I slide my closet doors open and take a look at the familiar sight. In the South people wear fur and hides to protect them from the freezing cold and blizzards that howled as they tried to bury you alive. But if you want people in Republic City to not see you as an outsider then you have to dress like one of them. Half a dozen identical white shirts with collars, plain ties and several three piece suits in three different colors. Gray, black and black with pinstripes. I grab one of the dress shirts and button it up before throwing on a black suit and tie. I took a moment to peek between the blinds of my apartment's only window.
Cheerless clouds float over the city and their misty drizzle is darkening the streets and sidewalks below. I turn away from the window and make my way over to the coat rack by my door. I grab a beige trenchcoat and slide my arms through its sleeves. Then I grab my fedora and stick it on my head before putting on my shoes and heading out to the elevator.
Despite the weather, I'm far from the only person on the streets. Like me, they've all gotten accustomed to the year round bursts of rain that happen in this city. The real problem is that other people's umbrella's are always threatening to knock off my hat or poke me in the eye with one of their tips. My walk to the local train station goes without incident. I pull out my train pass and flash it at the transit agent too quickly for him to make out that it's expired. He eyes me suspiciously for half a second and my heart beats a little faster but my stride doesn’t miss a beat and he turns his attention to the people behind me. Good thing I'm wearing a suit.
As the train rumbles along the track, my attention is focused through the window towards a view I've seen a hundred times before. Dingy buildings only three or four stories make up most of the city but then at its center are the skyscrapers soaring above everything else. That's where the rich and powerful people are, the ones who pull the strings of the officials in charge of the city. It's also not where this train is taking me. My stop is far away from that part of Republic City.
When I get off the train there's other people heading the same direction as me but most of them are men. I don't pay them much mind and instead my gaze wanders between all the women ahead of me. A few of them are wearing dresses and the rest are wearing skirts. Most of those are pleated but there’s a few hip hugging pencil skirts mixed in here and there. As they peel off from the crowd I wonder what their jobs are. Nurses tending to the sick, waitresses running dishes or maybe they plant themselves in front of a typewriter all day or something equally as mundane.
After a few blocks all the other women are gone and so are almost all of the men. People don't come to this part of town very often. At least not during daylight hours. The women who work here make their living dancing up on a stage or by lying down on their backs. Some do both. The men who frequent this area are johns or the ones who take the johns money and keep them in line. Mostly.
The company I work for is located on the very edge of the red-light district. It'd be nice if the office were somewhere more respectable but this area has its advantages. Leases are cheap here and the property owners don't ask questions because they don't want to know the answers.
There's already someone in the office when I arrive but that's to be expected. The office's secretary is always the first person to get here. Erine's a scrawny dame that somehow manages to look like she spent yesterday tanning on the beach no matter how gloomy the weather has been. Her hair would be touching her shoulders except she keeps it curled up so much that it's all resting against her neck. She's holding a phone in one hand while writing something down with the other but she still gives me a glance. “She just walked in. I'll give her your message and she'll be on her way.”
“What message?” I ask, suddenly feeling something squirming around in my gut. “That wasn't the cops was it?”
Erine smirks a little as she holds out a piece of paper towards me after hanging up. “After that incident at the Black Falcon I'm sure Beifong would like to question you herself. There's the address. Didn't say who they were but she asked for you by name and said they'd pay you five hundred yuans just for showing up. Don't know how you're so lucky but try sending some of it my way why don't you? Here's the keys to one of the cars.”
I just laugh and take the address before heading towards the garage. I don't own a car, can't afford to pay for a parking spot in this city. I know how to drive though and the business owns two vehicles that we can use to get around when needed. I hop in the car and pull out a map of Republic City from the glovebox while looking at the address I've been given. It takes me a couple of minutes but I find the location. Technically it's a part of Republic City but this place is even further out than the suburbs on the outskirts of the city. Only one kind of person lives out this far. Whoever this client is, they have money. Enough money to throw five hundred yuans at me just for showing up to talk. That'll pay my rent for a year and I won't have to tighten my belt any more. It takes me twenty minutes just to get out of the city and even at high speeds it's another twenty until I arrive at the address I've been given. The road leads out of the forest and up to a large metal gate. A high fence runs outwards from the gate on both sides and jagged spikes with wicked looking barbs protrude from the fence's top. I have a sneaking suspicion this fence surrounds the entire house, a not so subtle way of saying keep out.
I pull up to the fence and glance around. There's no door, or gate in this case, man to be seen but there is what looks like a call box off to my left. I roll the window down and hit the switch. At once a man's voice comes through, only slightly distorted by the device. “Yes?”
“It's Korra, the private investigator.” I say. “I was told you'd be expecting me?” There's no response but the gate slides open just enough for my car to pass through it. I shake my head a little and begin to roll my window up while driving forward. Friendly bunch here.
Once I've made it to the end of the driveway I get out of the car. In front of me stands a large archway made of flawless, lustrous white stone. Probably marble but rocks aren’t my area of expertise. Past that, on a second level, is a large tower made of the same stone. Beyond that, on yet another level, is the actual house itself. House isn't the right word though. Neither is mansion. The only word that comes to mind is that it's a palace. The kind of place you'd expect the Fire Lord or the Earth Queen living in.It’s at least three stories tall but that’s only a guess. What’s more is that this place is as large than the dump I live in and it could very well be bigger. Only part of it is visible from down here. The most striking feature is that the curved roof looks like it's made of bronze but I think that's just paint. At least I hope it is.
A man is walking down the stairs towards me. Not a single hair on his head is out of place and his embroidered jacket and pants look impeccably neat, as if they were ironed just now. He bows forward from the waist towards me. “Detective Korra, it's an honor to make your acquaintance. The master is waiting. If you'll follow me.”
Detective Korra. I like the sound of that even if it isn't exactly accurate. I follow the man as he begins heading back up the stairs. Time to go see who this ‘master’ is and why I'm here.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

As I climb the stairs, I'm expecting this man to take me towards the mansion that I can see above me. To my surprise, he turns and heads off to the right. After a second's hesitation, I follow but not without a tinge of regret at not being able to see the place’s interior..

In short order, we pass through an archway carved out of the stone wall and I can see where he's leading me. Directly in front of me is a long straight stretch of black asphalt flanked by red and white crash barriers on both sides. The track heads off into the distance, sinuously curving and turning through the grounds until it comes back to form a complete loop. Off to my right is what looks to be an enormous garage with multiple steel doors on it. The track and garage aren't what draw my attention though. It's the man and woman waiting a few meters past the wall. The man seems to be in his fifties and the woman looks like she's around my age, maybe a little older at twenty or twenty-one. She's also holding a clipboard in her hands.

Most of the man's hair is a light black save for a few streaks of gray and he's sporting a mustache that runs down to and along the bottom of his chin. A jacket rests atop a pair of broad shoulders and his vest bulges outwards as it covered a once stout chest that's gone soft from the excesses that a life of luxury brings. The ensemble is completed by a pair of golden pince-nez glasses and a pair of baggy gray pants. He's not what catches my attention though. The other person is far more... interesting to look at.

I'm not a short woman. Taller than most women in Republic City as matter of fact but the one I'm looking at has several centimeters on me. She's wearing a scarlet dress and a pair of matching silk gloves with sleeves reaching almost to her elbows. One side of the dress is cut to show off a pale and shapely leg. A full-bodied mane of hair black as coal tumbles all the way down to her lower back. Her cheekbones are high and proud while her light green eyes stare back at me.

The man who led me here bows to the pair and makes his departure. The man who was waiting here steps forward and holds out his hand. “It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Detective Korra. My name is-”

“Hiroshi Sato.” He might have put on weight but there's still a firmness to his grip that I hadn't expected from an industrial magnate.

“You recognize me? I'm surprised. I've never been a fan of letting the papers take my picture.” Hiroshi admits.

“I wouldn't be much of an investigator if I didn't recognize the founder and president of Future Industries. You were only eighteen when you figured out how to mass produce a car and and you became a millionaire before you were twenty-five.”

Hiroshi chuckles dryly. “It seems you remember that better than I do. But where are my manners?” He turns to gesture at the woman beside him. Allow me to introduce-”

Even as he starts speaking it’s obvious what he's going to say but I'm still surprised that he's saying it. Everyone knows that Yasuko Sato passed away fourteen years ago and that Hiroshi never remarried. He's still a person though and we all have certain needs in common.

I knew what this woman was the moment I saw her. All that expertly applied makeup on her face. The expensive dress she's wearing and the way it exposes one leg. She'll have the charm to tell stories and trade quips with the best of them. The refinement and bearing to not look out of place at the most exclusive of social gatherings. She knows all the dining etiquette needed for even the most elaborately set table. Don't let that trick you into thinking she's another milquetoast piece of arm candy however. As soon as her client takes her back to their bedroom she'll be as wild between the sheets as that person wants her to be. But only certain people can count themselves as potential clients however and that group doesn't include a schmuck with an empty bank account like me.

“-my daughter, Asami.” Hiroshi finishes his sentence.

His daughter. Hiroshi Sato has a daughter that no one knows about, least of all me. “You have a daughter!?” I exclaim before mentally slapping myself on the forehead. At least I didn't say anything about thinking she was a high class prostitute.

“Indeed I do. I'm not surprised you didn't know that fact since very few people do. No one knowing who she was made sure they didn't treat her differently because of who I am. We'll announce it when the time is right but I trust you can understand our desire for privacy in this matter.”

“Of course.” Saying anything other than that isn’t an option here. “It's none of my business and it's not why you asked me to come here. So, why did you ask me to come here, Mister Sato?” It’s a curt question, but Hiroshi Sato's a busy man and I'm sure he'll appreciate not wasting anymore time on me than necessary.

Asami steps forward and holds the clipboard and a pen out towards me. Her voice is smooth, the kind of voice I'd expect to hear from the stage of a jazz club while I'm having a smoke and drinking a beer. “Before we get to that you need to sign this Detective Korra.”

“Private investigator.” I say, but with a distinct lack of enthusiasm as I take the clipboard.

“What?” Asami tilts her head to one side, taken aback.

“I'm not a detective. I'm a private investigator. Detective is an official police rank so I can't call myself that according to United Republic law. I can't arrest people and I need a permit to carry a gun.” I explain to them. “What is this?” I ask while looking at the clipboard.

“It's a non-disclosure agreement.” Hiroshi replies. “There's certain trade secrets involved in this matter that are crucial to the future of my company. If any of them got out then rest assured I'll take the necessary steps to hold you accountable. Oh yes, I forgot that I promised to pay you for agreeing to meet us.” He pulls a check out from his coat pocket and holds it out to me.

A chill runs down my spine as while taking the check and sticking it in my left pocket. There's still a pleasant smile on his face but it does nothing to dismiss a sudden feeling of dread. His demeanor may be genial but he's showing me a glimpse of the iron fist that I knew had to be there. You don't rise to the top of a place like Republic City without one. All Sato has to do is make a phone call and I'll find myself taking a one way trip back to the South on the next ship available. And that's if he’s feeling generous.

I look down at the clipboard and scrawl my name in at the bottom without reading any of the print. There's no point in doing anything else. Hiroshi Sato's not a man who likes to be told no. “All right. What do you want to show me?”

Asami takes the clipboard from me as her father begins walking towards the garage. They were willing to tell me that Hiroshi Sato has a daughter that no one knew about but they demanded I sign an NDA before showing me whatever is in that garage.

Time to see just what I've gotten dragged into.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Hiroshi is in the lead, I'm in the rear and Asami is between the two of us as we head towards the large garage adjacent to the race track. Hiroshi goes past the large metal doors lining the front of the building and up to a regular sized door, also made of steel, at the far end of the building. There's a keypad next to it and Hiroshi covers it with one hand while punching a combination in.

While he's doing that, my gaze drifts to the fairest member of our little gathering. Now that we’re closer together, it's easier to see the details of her dress. There's no embroidery and it seems to be made entirely out of silk. The top of the dress is tied to a pair of metal rings to hold it up and a sash around Asami's waist holds the rest of the dress shut. My gaze dips lower until I'm staring at the exposed part of her leg. Her pale skin is flawless and her calves are perfectly formed and practically begging to be touched.

There’s a short cough and I raise my gaze to see that Asami's green eyes are looking back at me. Blood rushes to my cheeks when I realize she's caught me staring at her leg. She sneaks a peek towards her father but Hiroshi is busy with the keypad. Asami's fingers curl around the cut in her dress and she lifts it higher giving me a view of her previously covered thigh. The glimpse only lasts a second before she lets the dress fall back into place and she gives me a bold wink that I’m glad her father didn’t see.

Hiroshi finishes entering the password and the thick metal door opens up. He seizes the metal handle and the door silently swings open as he pulls. “Ladies first.” I gesture at the door while looking at Asami and there's the barest hint of a smirk on her face as she heads into the garage. The interior is completely black, save for a bit of sunlight from outside, until Hiroshi starts flicking switches and the lights flicker on with a buzzing sound.

I've been in professional garages before but never one this large. There's somewhere around twenty cars parked in two parallel rows with a large open space between them. Some are built for luxury but others are sleeker or smaller and meant for the racetrack. Ventilation fans are mounted to the ceiling and tools of all shapes and sizes are hanging on tool racks while cabinets mounted on wheels are scattered throughout the garage. The floor is remarkably clean for being a car garage. This place had to have seen its share of spills but the Sato's run a tight ship it seems.

A portion of the garage has been sectioned off by a pair of walls that look newer than the rest of the building. That's where Hiroshi is heading. I glance at the cars as we pass by, mostly out of curiosity but not without feeling a little green with envy when I think of the beat up loaner that I drove here. Hiroshi comes to a stop next to another door and he hides the keypad from view once again as he begins pushing buttons. Once we're inside I come to a halt as I stare at the... machine in there. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before and machine is the first word that comes to mind. “What is this?” I ask Hiroshi with a slight frown.

“An excellent question, Korra. This,” Hiroshi waves at the machine, “is the future.” He says with a hint of a smile, looking pleased at his little pun. “I'll tell you but first I'd like to see if you can figure out what it is.”

Well this is just great. Sato's testing me. He wants to see how good of an investigator I am. Problem is that taking photos of a cheating spouse ain't the same as trying to guess what a mystery machine is for. I don't have a choice though. I step forward and begin looking at this... thing.

Its middle part looks like a cone made from metal that was painted red, wide in the front and tapering to a rounded point at its rear. A pair of rubber wheels are mounted near the front along with a smaller wheel at the narrow end. There's a pair of holes near the front of the cylinder and each contain a chair with seat-belts attached to them and there's some sort of metal stick in front of each seat. Various dials are mounted in dashboards past the sticks and there's a windshield mounted on the top of the cone in front of the forward hole as well. Extending out in either direction from the cylinder are a pair of stiff metal boards connected together by struts and there's a similar, albeit smaller, pair at the rear. At each end of the front boards is a propeller with three metal blades like what you'd see on an airship or boat.

I rub at my chin and turn around before looking at Hiroshi. “Is this supposed to be some kind of airship?” He nods and waits for more. I frown and look back at the machine. “Where's the envelope? I don't see where it's supposed to go.”

“It doesn't have an envelope.” Hiroshi answered, looking even more pleased with himself than before.

“What? If there's no envelope then how does it get off the ground...” I wonder aloud while staring at the supposed flying machine.

“It's somewhat difficult to explain.” Hiroshi replied as he looked at his feet for a moment. “The math explains it quite well but I don't want to bother you with trigonometry equations.”

“That's fine. The only numbers I care about are the ones in my bank account.” I say with a shrug. If he says the thing can fly then that's good enough for me. “So what's so special about this new flying machine of yours? We already have airships. You know that better than me. Future Industries is one of the companies that makes them after all.”

“That's true.” Hiroshi admitted. As he does so, I glance around to see where Asami had gone. At some point after coming inside she had pulled up a chair and sat down. She's barely spoken and now the question of why she’s even here is bouncing around inside my head. Her father's known to be a shrewd businessman but surely he couldn't have predicted her presence might distract me.

Hiroshi's voice begins to grow louder and he starts pacing as he begins to recite a clearly practiced sales speech. “Airships have been soaring through the skies for decades but their time is coming to an end. Helium is scarce and difficult to mine and transport which makes airships expensive to operate. They're difficult to control and handle poorly in bad weather. It's only a matter of time until something better comes along and that something is right there.” He spins and points at his invention.

“My airplane is the future of aviation. It's already faster than any airship could be and it doesn't require any helium. This plane can only hold two people but I've already been experimenting with designs that can hold more people. Imagine an airship that can carry a hundred people across the ocean to the Fire Nation in half the time it takes an airship to make the same journey. In the future, planes will be faster. They'll be cheaper. They'll take less time to build and they'll be easier to maintain.”

“So you've built something that's going to replace airships.” I say with a look at the so-called 'future of aviation'. “But why am I here? I'm no engineer or scientist. I'm a P.I. How can I help you with something like your plane?”

Hiroshi turns around to face me, his fervent demeanor vanishing as he became serious. “Because someone is trying to steal my work. Last night someone tried to break into this garage but they ran when one of my security guards spotted them during their patrol.”

“Why not go to the police?”

“The police will ask too many questions. My airplane here is a closely guarded secret and I want to keep it that way. Your agency is known for its discretion and I require that above all else. Why are you here? Because I need to find out who’s trying to steal my secrets and you're going to do that for me.”

Hiroshi glances at his daughter then back at me. “There's one more thing before I go. My daughter will be accompanying you on this investigation. If you have any questions then Asami will be able to answer them and if she can't then she'll contact me. You and I must not be seen communicating with each other to avoid raising any possible suspicions. Lastly she has a line of credit that she can draw upon so you have money if you need it.”

And like that, Hiroshi Sato was gone.

I look at the other woman in the room and that tiny smirk from earlier reappears on her face, but much wider this time. She leans back in her chair and crosses her legs, the one exposed by the cut resting on top. “I think you and I are going to have a lot of fun, Korra.”

The question of who brought me here has been answered but now there’s a more pressing one. Whether or not to be worried by this. On one hand I've gotten mixed up in something above my paygrade. On the other I'll be accompanied by a raven haired beauty. One thing's for sure.

I didn't expect any of this when I woke up this morning.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

I've been working as a private investigator for almost two years now. It wasn't what I had in mind when I came to Republic City. I was like all the other immigrants who came here with stars in their eyes and grand dreams of making a fortune. It only took a week for an ugly reality to set in. There's money in this city but not for people who just walked off a gangplank. Many of them left the city in search of farms they could work on. Others, like me, stayed as they tried to eke out a living. It so happened that an investigative agency in the red light district was hiring but a couple of more days would’ve seen me working in a different building in that very same district.

In those two years I've done pretty much everything a private investigator can legally do. Catching cheaters and/or con artists red-handed, background checks, and tracking people down just to name a few. I've also done some stuff that wasn't strictly legal to expedite the stuff that was. It's why people come to us instead of the police because we're not afraid to get a little dirt on our hands. It's also why the cops hate us.

But now I've gotten stuck dealing with a different kind of case than anything I've done before. Following a cheating husband with a camera is one thing. Getting dragged into industrial espionage is another. This is a game I don't know how to play.

I don't have a choice though. Hiroshi Sato's not someone accustomed to people failing him so I have to do what I can and hope it's enough. In any case, the most critical component is information and right now I have zilch. Time to change that. “Do you mind if I ask you some questions, Miss Sato?”

“Miss Sato!?” Asami exclaims. “No, no no, don't call me that. I'm not an old woman yet. Asami will do just fine. Ask me anything you want.”

Anything huh? Probably just a figure of speech. I do have one question before we get started though. I reach into a pocket and pull out a cardboard pack. “Mind if I smoke?”

“Only if you don’t hold out on me, but not in here. My father doesn't like smoke around his cars.” Asami stands up and I hold the pack out to her so she can grab one of the white sticks in it.

The clouds are beginning to leave the estate behind them and I can see blue sky above after we step outside. In the distance, grassy hills rise up from the earth, a prelude to the towering mountains that separates us from the Earth Kingdom. I pull out my lighter, a contraption of gold plated steel that easily fits in my palm. I cheap out on a lot of things but this little gadget wasn't one of them. I light Asami's cigarette then my own. I inhale deeply, letting the smoke fill my lungs before exhaling slowly. That familiar tinge of euphoria begins working itself into my brain and I can feel myself starting to relax already. Beside me Asami forms her red lips in the shape of an 'o' and blows out a ring of smoke. “So you have questions, Korra?”

“Yeah I need to talk to the guard who saw the intruder. Your old man said he worked the night shift but is there a chance he's still awake? If he saw the intruder's face then we could take your guard to a guy I know and get a portrait drawn up.”

Asami shakes her head and taps on her cigarette to shake some of the ash loose. “No, he's already gone. He told the other guards he was going fishing somewhere and that he'll be out of touch for two days.”

What a great way to start an investigation. The only witness isn't around to describe who he saw and won't be for two days at that. Finding the perpetrator would be difficult even with a drawing of their likeness. Finding him or her without it in a city numbering in the millions is impossible. “Can you show me where they were trying to get in, Asami? There might be some prints at the crime scene. It's a stab in the dark, but better than nothing.”

Asami takes another drag and blows another ring of smoke up into the air before looking sidelong at me. “Prints? Do you mean fingerprints? I think I read about those in the paper a few years ago.”

“That's right. The police collect the prints of everyone who gets tossed in the slammer. I wouldn't be surprised if our perp has a record already.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Look at where we are, Asami. Your family's estate isn't anywhere near the city. Most robberies are smash and grabs or crimes of opportunity. Breaking into a place like this takes planning and equipment. The person we're looking for had to drive all the way out here and get over a nasty looking security fence so they could try to break into your garage. If you're trying to steal a car then you'd boost something in the city. Whoever it was was probably a professional and they were after something specific.”

I turn around and glance at the steel door we had entered the garage through. “Is this where they tried to break in?” I inquire with a glance at Asami. She nods and I lean in to peer at the hinges. No scratches there or anywhere around the door itself for that matter. Explosives could do the trick but those are noisy and it'd be hard to get away from this place without being followed if you made a ruckus. This door doesn't have a traditional lock that can be picked so that just leaves the keypad. “I'm gonna head back to my car and grab the fingerprinting kit out of it.”

“You have a fingerprinting kit in your car?” She sounds more than a little surprised by that.

“It's not my car. It belongs to my agency. We keep things that we might need for our assignments like cameras and other stuff in it.”

“Does that include guns?” Asami asks.

I hesitate for a moment while looking at her. Not a question I was expecting. “No... we don't store our guns in the car. We keep them on us when we're working, Why do you ask?”

Asami peers up at the clouds for a few seconds before answering the question. “Well, you said private investigators needed a permit to carry a gun so I was curious about it. I didn't think people needed permits to own a gun.”

“For most people that's true. But P.I's need a permit so we can carry a concealed weapon. It's also us legally covering our asses if we ever have to actually use our guns. Mostly the gun's just for show since people stop doing whatever it is they were doing when you pull a gun out.”

“Are you carrying now?” Asami asks, almost mischievously, as she looks me up and down.

So that's why she's asking. She's a bored rich girl looking for something to spice up her day. If I was a cop she wouldn't be asking because enforcing the law is what cops are supposed to do. I'm just a private eye, the gray line between officers sworn to defend the law and crooks bent on eking out a living no matter what it takes. Showing her my piece won't hurt anything and I've always been a sucker for a pretty girl.

“Yeah, I'm carrying.” I say before setting my cigarette in the corner of my lips. I pull my gun out of my right pocket. It only weighs a kilogram but it always feels heavier than that when held. The gun's got a rectangular barrel and it's entirely made of a dark dull gray steel save for the grips. Those are made of wood and have a pattern of tiny diamonds engraved into their surface.

I turn so that the barrel is pointed away from Asami and I drop the magazine out of the handle into my other hand. I thumb the safety, rack and lock the slide, then check to make sure the chamber is empty. Once I'm satisfied the gun isn't loaded I hand it to Asami.

Asami turns the gun over in her hands as she looks at it. Her fingers run over the gun's surfaces, both rough and smooth before she wraps her fingers around the grip. She holds her arm out and points the gun towards the trees and her finger squeezes the trigger. Nothing happens and she hands the pistol back to me. “Have you ever had to fire your gun, Korra?”

A sly smile creeps onto my face as I put the magazine back into the pistol and set the safety before returning it to my right pocket. “I'll be back in a couple of minutes.” My cigarette falls onto the concrete and gets crushed beneath a boot before I take off to go get that fingerprinting kit. As soon as I return I set the kit down and begin pulling the things I need out of it. “Who all uses this keypad besides your father? I need to know so I can eliminate their prints from the ones I find.”

Asami shakes her head. “Only my father and I know the code to the garage so you should only find our prints on there. Let me know when you're ready to take my prints.” She pulls one of her gloves off.

A couple of minutes later and the prints from the keypad have been taken. I reach up to take Asami's hand and press the tip of one finger into an ink pad then onto a piece of paper. It's identical to one of the prints previously collected. “Well, shit.”

“What is it, Korra?”

“I only got two prints from the pad. One of them is you and I just saw your old man touching this pad so the other one has to be him.” I start putting my things back in the kit and shake my head. “Is there anything that you haven't told me yet? I have some sources I can contact but right now I’ve got nothing to go on.”

A frown tugs at the corners of Asami's lips and she glances over her shoulder at the garage. “We... I forgot to mention it but we found a camera by the door after our guard alerted us. The intruder must have dropped it when he was spotted.”

I bite back a caustic remark. Alienating Sato's daughter won't do me any favors, but it sure would’ve been nice if she had mentioned that earlier. “Can I see it?”

A minute later and we're back inside the garage as Asami leads me to a workbench next to the wall. On it is a blocky camera, light bulb and all. I pick it up and rotate it around as I examine the outside. Nothing on the outside to indicate who owned it. There is a spot where the manufacturer's name had been but it looks like it was sanded off. I glance sidelong at Asami. “Do you know how to take one of those apart?”

Asami bites her lip then shakes her head. Worth a shot but I guess her father's genius hasn't rubbed off on her. I grab a hammer off the wall and swing its head towards the glass lens. Asami throws a hand up to protect her face as pieces of camera fly all over the workbench and I toss the hammer down onto the wooden surface. It takes me a minute to sort through the debris until I find what I'm looking for. A scrap of metal with letters on it. 'Cabb.'

It's not the whole name but it's enough for me to know what my next step is.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“All right, Asami. Let's go.” I say while taking a step back from the workbench.

Asami tilts her head to the side as she momentarily glances at the mess I've made. “Go? Go where?”

“I got a lead from the camera but a name's not proof of anything. We need to head to the city so I can follow up on it.” I explain while adjusting my coat's collar. “Shall we?”

“Not yet.” Asami says as she saunters by me and heads for the door. “I'll need to change if we're going to do that. Come with me.”

Once we're outside, I move forward so that I'm walking beside Asami but she increases her pace and moves to the side so that's she's directly in front of me. Generally speaking, I'd consider this a power move, a way of trying to show whose in charge. Not this time. Given the way she was flashing her leg at me, I can't help but think that she wants to be in the lead so that I'm looking at her as we walk. Normally I'd respond with a move of my own but the view of her shapely hips is a pleasant one so I'll let it slide. This time.

“So, if you live here, how did no one realize that you might be a Sato?” I ask while trying to distract myself from her rear end by looking at the mansion's interior. It's a battle I'm barely winning, though it doesn't feel like a victory.

The walls are painted white and every few meters there's a plant resting on an end table or a painting hanging on either side of the hallway. All the ceilings are vaulted and chandeliers hang from the ceiling while lightbulbs hidden behind sconces serve to illuminate the hallways. The carpet's been dyed a deep red and it's so thick that my feet are sinking into it with each step.

“Oh I don't actually live here, Korra. I live downtown. I just keep some things here in case I need them, like today for example.”

“What's special about today?”

“Isn't it obvious? You're here. They say the first impression is the most important so I dressed up for the occasion.” She comes to a halt and looks back over her shoulder at me while brushing her fingers along the thigh she had earlier shown me. “I think it worked. But if we're heading into the city then I need to get out of this dress and into something more practical.”

Asami starts moving again and turns a corner before opening a door made of an unfamiliar dark wood. She curls her finger, beckoning me inside. I swallow and step inside and close the door behind me. Asami walks across the room and disappears behind a dressing screen. My pulse begins to beat a little faster when that dress of hers lands on the top of the screen. I can't see her, of course, but I'm still in another woman's room while she's changing on the other side of a thin partition. She's in her underwear at the very least and possibly might be naked right now. I don't know which it is and I have even less of a clue which option I would prefer.

There’s not very much time to ponder the answer to that question because Asami comes out after a minute. She's wearing a jacket as black as her hair save for a wide strip of crimson in the middle. Her bulky looking pants are crimson as well, thigh pockets and all. She's wearing a pair of tan leather gloves but her knee high boots are black and it seems there’s a pattern to the colors she favors. She flicks her hair back so it's behind her shoulder before putting her hands on her hips. “So, where are we going?”

“You'll see.”

When we arrive at our destination Asami's face drops and she frowns at me. “The library?”

We're in the parking lot of the city's biggest library. The stone building stands three stories tall and runs the length of an entire city block. “Yep. If you need to look something up then this is where you go.”

“Huh.” Asami grunts. “I was expecting you to take me to a bar or club to meet a shady contact or something like that.”

I suppress the urge to laugh as we climb the stairs and head inside. “I think you've read too many serials, Asami. They wouldn't sell if they were accurate.” I pause by the front desk and show the librarian my card. “Just here to look at some microfilm.”

The librarian shrugs and doesn't even bother to look up as she continues perusing some document. “Sure thing. Knock yourself out, Korra.”

“They know you by name?” Asami asks in disbelief. “How often do you come here?”

“A lot more than you'd think.” I push open a door marked 'Archives' and head inside. The room is empty like usual and I point at a box. “Grab that for me will you? The machine takes a bit to warm up.”

“What are you looking for?” Asami pulls the box off the shelf and looks inside it. There's multiple circular spools separated by dividers inside it. Each spool has a long strip of clear plastic with hundreds of black squares evenly spaced throughout it.

“That camera was made by Cabbage Corp, your father's biggest rival. It makes sense they'd be behind something like this. Their deal to sell airships to the Earth Kingdom was big news but your father's airplanes puts him way ahead. If they could steal the design then they could come up with a cheaper alternative like they did with their cars.” I flip a switch on the microfilm reader and the device squeals as it comes to life and the dark screen grows brighter.

Asami sets the box on the desk next to me and she folds her arms as I continue explaining what I'm doing. “I don’t have any leads right now so the papers are a good place to start. You might want to get comfortable. This is gonna take a while.”

Asami looks around at all the metal shelves holding dusty cardboard boxes before grabbing another chair and sitting in it while I feed the first spool into the machine. I don't know if she gets bored easily but even a patient person won't enjoy hanging around here for hours while I read every single page of all the newspapers published in the last month or maybe even a second if I don't find anything in the first.

Page after page scrolls by on the screen as I skim through one after the other. I don't know what I'm looking for really. Stock price changes, news presses, something, anything related to Cabbage Corp. Failing that I can try to see if any known thieves or burglars were released from Republic City Prison recently. It's tedious work, but it's a task I've gotten used to because I'm still the “new guy” at my agency. I can't exactly zone out since this involves reading but I've gotten to a point where everything just kinda fades away until there's nothing left for me other than the screen and these spools of microfilm.

When I finish going through the spools I wearily unload the last spool and set it back in the box. I turn in my chair to look back at Asami. Her head is dipping towards her chest and her eyes are closed. She's asleep. I rotate my left wrist so I can check the time. We've been here for five hours.

I frown and shake my head, at myself as much as at her. Her father might want her to accompany me on this investigation for whatever reason but she didn't have to hang around while I searched through all the papers of the last three months. Did she even leave once to go to the bathroom or did she just watch me until the monotony became too much and sleep overtook her? My hand shakes her shoulder and she jumps, startled. For a moment there’s confusion in her eyes before they land on me. “What's going on, Korra? I just closed my eyes for a second.”

“Come on, we're leaving.” I hit the machine's power switch and slide the box of microfilm back onto the shelf before opening the door and stepping outside.

“Did you find what you were looking for?”

I shake my head and stick my hands in my pockets. “No, I didn't find any leads. Cabbage Corp hasn't said anything important and there haven't been any notable people released from prison lately. Right now I'm hungry so let's go get something to eat. There's a hot dog stand not far from here.”

“Food sounds good. You didn't find anything here so what's your next step?” Asami asks.

My next step. It's been in the back of my mind ever since this morning but it's something I wanted to avoid if I could. What I said this morning about the Sato Estate was true. It's not a place any random crook would try to rob but not just because it's out of the way. It's because of who owns the place. Money is power and Hiroshi Sato is one of the richest men in the city. The only criminals who wouldn't be afraid of him only lack that fear because they have something equally powerful behind them.

The Triads.

Time to go see an old friend.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

My car comes to a halt and something rattles as the engine stops. There's plenty of other cars in the parking lot with us but they’re all empty. Asami is also in the car but I can’t help but feel decidedly alone as I stare out the front windshield.

Directly in front of us is a squat building made of bricks painted white. The roof is peaked and there's thick black letters painted above the front door. It doesn't look like much from the outside however this is one of the best kickboxing gyms in the city. This place isn't dangerous for most people but its real owners don't care much for private investigators, a group I happen to be a part of.

“Toza's Corner.” Asami says as she reads the name of the gym. “What is this place?”

“It's a gym. I didn't find anything at the library so I have to talk to someone here. We have to be careful here so there's some rules that I want you to follow. Let me head in, wait two minutes then come in. I don't want people to think you're with me. You should be fine if you do that, but if you see someone wearing a suit then stay away from them.”

Asami giggles and looks down at my outfit. “You're wearing a suit. Should I start running now or wait until you're inside?”

I suppress the urge to roll my eyes. She's not taking me seriously. “I'm not joking. This gym belongs to the Triple Threats. If there's a made man here then things could go south real quick when they see me.” I reach into my pocket and pull my gun out and eject the mag out to check that it has bullets. I already know the gun is loaded but hopefully the gesture will drive my point home.

Her eyes widen as I stick the gun back in my pocket. “What should I do if something goes wrong?”

“Well, if you hear gunfire then you should run.” I get out of the car and start heading for the front door. Asami remains in the vehicle and I feel somewhat better knowing that she's listening to me now. I wasn't lying, things could go wrong but I'm not expecting them to. This place does belong to the Triple Threats but there's a reason I'm here. I have history with this place and the people who handle its day to day activities.

I pause at the front door and take a deep breath before pushing it open and stepping inside. There isn't any carpet, just interlocking black foam tiles all over the floor. One side of the gym holds everything you need to pump iron. Weight bars, iron plates of various weights, benches, racks and plenty of barbells, kettlebells and medicine balls. On the opposite side are all the bags. Heavy, speed, double-end, uppercuts, whatever you need to hone your skills. In the middle is a boxing ring. There's people throughout the building but I'm not interested in talking to just anyone. As I look around I can feel old memories rushing back at me.

I had trouble finding work in Republic City after I got here and that meant I didn't have money most of the time. No money meant not having anywhere to live and being unable to buy food. It's not something I'm proud of these days but when your choices are starve or eat bread you dug out of a garbage can... well it's a choice that hunger will make for you. That's what I was doing when the brothers chanced across me in that alleyway.

The first of the two is in the middle of a boxing ring. Bolin's the shorter brother but sporting more than enough muscles to make the difference up. He's got a round face and a shaggy mop of black hair. Thick bushy eyebrows sit above a pair of green eyes and that small grin of his that never seems to vanish is present. He's got a pair of heavy white boxing gloves on along with shin-guards. At the moment he's launching combos with his hands and feet into the pads another gym member is holding. The sounds carry loud and clear across the gym to where I am. Bolin isn't holding back much today but that's how it goes when you're getting ready for your next fight.

The other brother is standing next to the ring, his amber eyes locked onto Bolin with that razor sharp focus he applies to everything he does. As the combos continue, Mako yells encouragement or hurls criticism when Bolin makes a mistake.

At first glance, you wouldn't think Mako and Bolin are brothers. Mako's taller and leaner, his face is narrow and sharp where Bolin's is round and chubby. They have the same hair color but that's it. Mako's the older brother and the more serious of the two but I know he's got a dry wit and he's even capable of smiling when he feels like it.

It was Bolin who convinced his brother to let me stay at their apartment that night when we first met. He's always been the softer of the two and I guess seeing me eat garbage tugged at his heart-strings. It was only supposed to be for a night or two but we quickly learned we all had something in common. Martial arts. My style of striking is different than theirs but the targets you're aiming for are the same no matter what style you use.

Cleaning a gym after classes isn't glamorous work but it was better than what I was doing. Wipe down the bags, clean the mats, re-rack the weights, sweep the floor, disinfect sweaty gloves and so on. It was a never ending task, and one that always left me smelling like bleach, but I wasn't going to complain.

Things were good for two weeks but then Shady Shin showed up and I learned an unpleasant truth. Mako and Bolin had taken me in because they had once lived on the streets just like I was doing at the time. But now they worked for the Triple Threats, one of the Triads in Republic City. Running numbers, taking bets, street scams, delivering messages. The two were crooks.

And they were my only friends and... Mako had become more than that. His brother was the more jovial of the two but there was this smoldering intensity in Mako's eyes that I had never seen before. Whenever he looked at me I would start to flush and it always seemed like I was going to burn away. But then Shin walked through their door without so much as knocking. He didn't have to.

Mako and Bolin may have been my friends but Shin's a made man and he said I couldn't stay so I had to go. Shin had an offer for me though. I may have been a street rat but I was, in his words, 'a pretty thing to look at and that men would pay money for me to open my mouth and spread my legs.' I had until the end of the week to decide. That evening Mako made me a promise. If I took Shin's offer then he would be first in line so at least my first client would be somebody I knew. I ended up meeting Erine the next day and got an offer to work at an agency of private eyes. Mako was still my first though as we shared one last night together before we wound up on opposite sides of the law.

It's been nearly two years and we haven't seen each other since.

As I approach the boxing ring a bell goes off and Bolin stops throwing strikes. He leans forward and rests his gloves against his sides as his chest rises and falls. Sweat's dripping from his hair and he turns his head to the side as he wipes it off before seeing me. Bolin’s round eyes widen in surprise when he sees me and he stands upright. “Korra?” Bolin crosses to the edge of the ring and leans against the ropes as he looks at me. “I haven't seen you in forever! I'd give you a hug but I'm all sweaty and you're wearing a suit. Looking snazzy by the way.” He turns and yells at his brother. “Hey, Mako! Look who it is!”

Bolin might be ecstatic to see me but his brother doesn't share his enthusiasm. His face is drawn but there's a guarded wariness in his eyes that I've never seen before. “Korra? What are you doing here?”

Mako not being happy to see me isn’t surprising though it is disappointing. The surprising thing is that he isn’t trying to hide it. His shoulders are tense and his voice is wary, as if afraid of getting bit by something venomous. “I need to talk to you, Mako.” I pause and look around at the other people training in the gym. “Privately.”

Mako looks around for a second then back at me. Most of the gym patrons here are probably just regular people but there's a very good chance that there's a Triad associate or two here. If they happened to recognize me it'd be bad news for both of us, but worse for Mako since Bolin would share his brothers fate. “Fine. We'll talk in the office. Come on.”

He heads toward a door in the back and unlocks it with one of the keys on the keyring he keeps stashed beneath his shirt lapel. Inside the office is a steel desk that has a lock on every drawer and there's a mostly empty bookshelf along the back wall. Mako shuts the door then grabs the chair sitting behind the desk and moves it around to the other side for me. He half leans, half sits on the edge of the desk and folds his arms across his chest. “What are you doing here, Korra? Private eyes aren't welcome in places that belong to the Triads, not to mention that whole mess at the Black Falcon.”

“I'm working a case but I haven't turned up any leads so far. Have you heard anything about thieves getting out of jail or a heist going down lately?”

Mako looks at me for a second before shaking his head in disbelief. “Are you being serious, Korra? I know we have history, but you know who I work for and they don't look kindly on rats.”

“I know, I know. I'm just in a tight spot right now so even a slim chance isn't better than the nothing I got right now. If I don't come up with something then Sato isn't gonna—”

“Sato? As in Hiroshi Sato?” Mako cuts me off.

“Yeah. Someone broke into the Sato estate so he hired me—”

Mako cuts me off again while shaking his head. “What have you gotten yourself into, Korra? You should leave this alone. I mean it.”

Before I can respond the office door slams open and Bolin bursts into the room. “Mako, we gotta go! There's cops out front. We're getting raided!”

Mako and I exchange a glance and we both start to move at the same time. Unfortunately for me I'm sitting in a chair and he isn't. His fist flies through the air to connect with my chin and the world goes black for an instant. I stagger and fall to the side, taking the chair down with me. A boot slams into my belly, driving the air out of my lungs. A second kick in the same spot leaves me crumpled up on the floor as the brothers beat a hasty exit out a door hidden behind the bookshelf.

By the time I make it up to my hands and knees there's other people in the room with me. “Don't move! Keep your hands up!” Even if Bolin hadn't said it was the police I would have known right away from that strident ring of authority that people magically acquire the moment they become a cop.

I put my hands on the back of my head and kneel painfully on the floor. “I'm a private eye and I have a license to carry a concealed firearm. Gun's in my right coat pocket and the license is in my wallet.” There's no question I have at least one gun pointed at me and I don't want to give its wielder a reason to get jumpy.

“Lie down on the ground!” Once I follow the order, a knee digs its way into my kidneys to keep me pinned down. The cop grabs my weapon, my wallet and in a few seconds my hands are cuffed behind my back. They pull me to my feet and the cop looking through my wallet has an amused grin on his face. “Well well, looks like we bagged Korra the private eye. I hear the chief wants to talk to you.”

Hurrah for me.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

My butt is seated on an uncomfortable steel chair and my hands are cuffed and chained to a table in front of me. I'm in a small room with dull gray walls and a uniformly black carpet. One of the walls has a one way mirror on it and there's another chair with a lot more padding than mine has. There's nothing on the walls or ceiling, no paintings or portraits or anything remotely interesting to look at. The walls are soundproof as well so I can't hear anything from the police station outside. The only things a person in this room has to pass the time are their own thoughts, whatever those may be.

When the cops raided the gym they arrested everyone and hauled them off to the nearest station which just happened to be Republic City headquarters. Almost everyone else there were just civilians trying to train and work out. They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time but with raids like these the police grab everyone and sort through them later. By now the civilians are long gone with an apology for the mix-up but said apology is just a legal formality and doesn't do anything to make up for ruining their day.

Now it's just me and any Triple Threat associates that the cops may have picked up. I've been in this small room for four hours. Waiting. It's a simple tactic but effective nonetheless. Arrest a person, throw them into an interrogation room and let them simmer until they're scared, anxious, and ready to crack. There was a time when this would have worked on me but I've been on the other side of that mirror before so I know this game. The only question is when they'll make their next move. Fortunately, I don't have to wait much longer. The door opens and a woman steps inside and I curse inwardly when I see who it is.

She's wearing a pair of black slacks and a black jacket with gold buttons and gold stripes along her lapels over a stiff white collared shirt. The logo of the Republic City Police is fastened to her jacket's left side. When she was younger her hair was black but now age has turned it a dark gray. There’s no wrinkles on her face and her green eyes are are still sharp and piercing . However, her most prominent feature is the pale red scar running from her jawline almost all the way up to her right eye. Legend has it she got the scar while trying to arrest her own sister but the last officer to dare ask her about that story spent the next five years patrolling parking lots. I don't know if it's true or not but it's a fact that everyone, criminal and cop alike, agree that Lin Beifong is the orneriest, meanest, and toughest daughter of a bitch in the city.

From what people on the force have told me, Beifong's default expression is irritated. On an ordinary day she's curt at best and it doesn't take much for her to start getting angry. At this moment she's smirking and it's not hard to guess why. The cops have never liked the agency I work for and it's a sentiment that rises all the way to the top and I just got picked up during a police raid. If Beifong can find a way to connect my agency to the gym’s owners then I'm back out on the streets or going to prison. She sets a folder down on the table and takes a seat opposite me. “I've been hoping I'd have the chance to get you in here ever since that incident at the Black Falcon but that can wait.”

Lin opens the folder and sets three photographs in front of me. Each is of a different person and clearly taken by someone shadowing the individuals from a distance and most definitely without permission. Bolin, Mako, and Shady Shin. “Do you recognize any of these people?”

If I say yes then I'm associating myself with known criminals and making myself a person of interest in an ongoing investigation. If I say no then I'm opening myself up to obstruction of justice, not to mention the fact that it'd be a lie. I tilt my head towards one shoulder then the other as I stretch my neck and say nothing.

Lin raises an eyebrow but also says nothing and waits as we stare at each other. It's a contest of wills now. Who's going to be the first to let the silence and pressure get underneath her skin and make her crack. Lin's got an advantage though and it's not a small one. She's the chief of police and she's got the authority that seat brings, the weight of every cop out there on the streets behind her. I can almost literally feel it pressing in on me from all sides as I sit there, cuffed to a table in one of the interrogation rooms in the building that serves as the police force's headquarters. On my side well... I'm stubborn but it's not enough. It's not nearly enough.

I shift uncomfortably and I'm about to open my mouth when the door swings opens. A slender man with slicked back hair and an expensive looking suit is standing there, briefcase in hand. Lin rises from her chair and slams her hands on the table. “What's the meaning of this!?”

He steps inside and looks at me for a moment before turning his attention to the police chief. His free hand reaches into his pocket and he withdraws a small white card which he holds out to Beifong. “Pardon the interruption. My name is Amal and I represent the law firm Henrik and Epcar. I am here to request Korra's immediate release.”

Lin takes the card and tosses it aside without even looking at it. “Henrik and Epcar? Why are you getting involved with this? Korra's a piece of gutter trash who can't afford your firm. Who sent you!?”

“That is not relevant to this conversation nor does it have any bearing on the issue at hand. I've already spoken to the officers who made the arrest. Korra has no known connection to the Triple Threat Triad. All of the other apprehended individuals without connection to the Triads have been released save her. I have been told she has been held in here ever since her arrival.” His eyes flicker towards my handcuffs and he frowns. “A total of four hours I believe? She has not been allowed access to a bathroom or given any water to drink. If you intend to press charges then I ask that you do so or release her immediately, otherwise I will file a protest regarding the manner in which she has been detained.”

For a moment it looks as though a vein in Beifong's forehead is going to burst but then she throws a key onto the table and silently storms out. Amal picks the key up and undoes my restraints. “Come with me, if you please, Korra.”

I rub at my raw wrists and follow Amal to the front desk. It takes a minute to retrieve my things from a man in a metal cage. Gun, magazine, wallet, lighter and my smokes. Then we're headed outside. By now the sun has set and the cars on the road all have their headlights on. We walk to the parking lot where the lawyer's car is waiting. Amal gets behind the wheel while I sit in the rear. He doesn't start driving right away so I ask the obvious question. “Why are you helping me? Beifong was right, I don't have the money for an expensive lawyer like you.”

Amal looks at me through the rear-view mirror. “I actually don't know. I'm just an associate but our managing partner said I would be considered for a junior partnership if I got you released. Someone up high is looking out for you.” He opens the briefcase, withdraws a white envelope sealed with wax and hands it to me. “I was also to deliver this to you and drop you off at a destination of your choosing.”

I open the envelope and pull out a piece of paper. There's an address and number scrawled on it and at the bottom it's signed '-A.' Well now I know who got me out. There's also a key resting at the bottom of the envelope. I stare at it for a long moment as I weigh my options before coming to a decision. “All right, let's go.” I say before giving him the address on that piece of paper.

Amal turns on the car's lights and the car shudders as he switches gears and pulls out into the street. A few minutes later and I'm standing on the sidewalk in front of an overly ornate building that rises into the darkness. Gargoyles carved from stone stare back down at me as I tilt my head back to look up at it. It's hard to say how exactly tall it is but it has to be at least over a hundred meters and probably closer to two hundred. There's a bulky man in a suit standing on the other side of one of the doors, his hands clasped in front of him as he intently watches me. I walk forward and hold the key up where he can see it. He nods and I head inside as he goes back to watching the street.

The ceiling of the lobby is covered in an ornate fresco featuring animals of all sorts. Some are in fierce poses while others are gamboling about. The floor is made of gray marble and I can see shops on the ground floor. A tailor directly to my right, a restaurant to my left as well as a salon on the far end of the building. Past the restaurant is what I'm looking for, the elevators. I hit the call button and step into the first door that opens. I look at the number I was given and hit the the button for the topmost floor. The elevator rises and rises and rises until eventually the doors open again.

At the end of the hallway is the room I'm looking for. I pause as I look between the number on the doorway and the key in my hand. After a minute of hesitation I slide it into the lock and turn the key. The door opens and I step inside.

Here goes nothing.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The first thing I notice is how large this place is. The entirety of my apartment, kitchen and bathroom included, could fit into the main room here. This isn't an apartment, it's a penthouse and one at the top of a very expensive looking building at that. A pair of glass windows run from floor to ceiling directly across from me but they're covered by heavy looking blinds. A pair of chocolate leather club chairs sit facing each other over a mahogany coffee table and there's a black leather sofa to one side of them. Opposite the sofa is a waist high bar with a myriad selection of bottles containing various beverages and mixers in glass shelves behind the counter. I close the door behind me then shut and lock it before speaking. “Hello?”

It doesn't take long for the room's owner to appear. She's changed since the last time we were together. The jacket and pants are gone and in their place is a chemise with spots of black peeking out between the violet flowers patterned all over it. It's got thin straps over her shoulders and it barely does anything to cover her legs as it stops mid-thigh and constantly threatens to flash glimpses of her underwear. “Hello, Korra. Glad you could make it. I wasn't sure if they'd be able to get you out or not. Care for a drink?”

“Sure. Got any beer?” I say while hanging my coat on a stand near the door before slipping out of my shoes and then my socks. Asami didn't ask, but she's barefoot right now so I figure I might as well do the same. It's been a while since I've gone without socks and the thick carpet feels soft against my soles.

Asami shakes her head as she heads behind the bar. “Beer? No, I don't have any beer I'm afraid.” She considers the selection before opening a shelf and pulling out a crystal decanter. “How about some rum?”

Rum. I usually don't drink spirits, just beer since it has less alcohol and there's a good reason for it. The only farms we had in the South Pole were seaweed farms. No fields of barley and wheat, or in this particular instance sugarcane, to distill from. As a result, alcohol is a rare commodity that my people weren't accustomed to. Long story short, I don't hold my liquor particularly well and she's offering me a harder drink than what I'm used to. “Sure, but I need to eat something first. My stomach is pretty empty right now.”

“Oh? I can certainly give you something to eat.” Asami smiles as she speaks then ducks beneath the counter to fetch a menu with multiple pages bound together and sets it on the bar. I take a seat on one of the stools and begin flipping through it.

“How do I order something? I'm guessing there's a phone somewhere.”

“Tell me what you want and I'll call the restaurant, Korra. Orders from me get priority in the queue over hotel guests. I pay extra each month for it, but it's well worth it.”

A minute later and she's placed an order of rice dumplings and a strawberry pie for me. She pours me some water then a glass of rum for herself before walking around to my side of the counter and sitting down on the stool next to me. I take a drink of water before looking at Asami. She's picked up her glass and is holding it below her nose as she savors the aroma. “So... why are you accompanying me during this investigation? Normally private eyes work alone.”

Asami stops sniffing her drink and takes a sip before setting the crystal glass back down. “My father is not a man who likes to gamble and it's very important to Future Industries that this investigation be a success. That's why I'm here, to help make sure that happens.”

“But why you? He could have asked my agency to send a second private eye but he didn't. Instead he sends the daughter that no one knew he had. It's... weird.”

Asami taps her finger against her glass before answering. “He sent me because I asked him to. No one knows who I am, but that's going to change soon. If I want to take charge at Future Industries then I need to start proving myself and this is my first chance at that.”

“If no one knows you're a Sato then they don't know where your money comes from. Don't people think it odd that you're able to afford a place like this?” My hand waves aimlessly in the air at the penthouse in general.

She shrugs and takes another sip. “My situation isn't as uncommon as you might think. A lot of rich people and their kids don't want people to know how much money they actually have. There’s a prince from the Earth Kingdom in one of the other apartments here. He’s not supposed to tell people who he is, but he’s a hopeless idiot when it comes to women.” Asami stands and begins walking towards the curtains. “Come here.”

Once I've followed her over to the curtain, Asami draws the edge back so that I can see out the window while keeping herself hidden from anyone who might be looking towards us. In the sky above me is a crescent moon and directly in front of me is a slice of downtown. A multitude of skyscrapers and high rises built by millionaires and billionaires trying to one up each other. Their game is one with no prize save inflating your own ego. However, being able to claim that you own the tallest building in the world is a contest that's lasted for decades. The sun may have dipped below the horizon, but the city is illuminated by the light of ten thousand windows and lightbulbs gleaming into the night. This is far from the first time I've seen downtown, but in the past I've always been looking up and now... now I'm looking down.

“Take a look at the building across from us. It went up a couple of years ago and it was full of tenants inside of two weeks. Every light you see is a doctor or a lawyer. Stockbrokers, accountants, bankers. Everyone who lives in this area has money so I don’t stand out.”

A knock comes from the door and we both turn towards it. It's a waiter pushing a cart with my food beneath a round silver lid on it. To my surprise, there's also a small collection of cookies and mints. Asami gives me a teasing smile as she gets some yuans from behind the bar and tips the man before he leaves. “I'm a sucker for sweets and they've learned it's an easy way to get tips so anything I order always has cookies or mints with it.”

I grab the bowl of dumplings and begin shoveling them into my mouth, not even bothering to go sit at the bar or coffee table. It's been a long and very strange day. All I've had to eat today was some hot dogs and hunger has a way of making one unconcerned with appearances. When my spoon begins clattering against the bowl I set it down and turn my attention to the strawberry pie. Once I polish that off it dawns on me that I've had an audience. Asami has been sitting on one of the stools, her elbows resting on the bar as she watches me eat, a faint smile on her face. “Are you done?”

“...yes.”

“Good. Because it's time for dessert.”

Asami stands up and slowly begins to saunter towards me. I glance at the cart and my brow knits in confusion. The pie is gone and so are all of the cookies and mints. “But there's no more dessert...”

“Yes there is. You.” Asami's standing closer to me than she has all day and her fingers are loosening the knot in my tie. It slips free from my neck and she drops it to the floor. “I've always wanted to find out what a woman from the South Pole tastes like.”

“O-okay let's hang on a minute.” I stammer as I take a step backwards. “I'm just… just a hired-”

Asami doesn't let me get away as she steps forward and cuts me off with a kiss. I can smell the mint and chocolate on her breath, taste it on her chocolate stained ruby lips. It also doesn’t hurt that she’s a really good kisser. “I saw the way you were looking at me this morning. You were staring at my legs and you liked what you saw. And you're here now. The lawyer's instructions were to drop you off wherever you wanted, but I sent you an invitation and you took it.”

She kisses me again and my lips part, almost of their own accord, hungry for more. Her tongue eagerly takes advantage of that opening as it slides against mine. Her hands are slipping down toward my bottom. Each takes a different cheek and those fingers dig right in.

The sensible thing to do here would be to say no, turn tail and get out of here. Sleeping with the bosses daughter is generally frowned upon. Thing is that Asami’s right. I knew what that key meant. I knew this was going to happen if I showed up here and I came anyways. There’s one thing that needs to be done before I throw myself into her arms however.

“Wait.”

I go to the bar and grab the decanter in a shaky hand and pour myself a drink. My hands are sweaty, but the dark liquid still finds its way down my throat, burning as it goes. I shudder and set the empty glass down. It wasn’t very much, but it’s enough to warm my bones and take the edge off. Normally undoing shirt buttons is an easy task but trembling fingers makes it harder, and slower, than I’d prefer. I knew there was a chance taking this job could screw me, but I didn't think it was literally going to happen.

Not that I mind.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Hot water pours from the faucet above onto my skin and the bathroom mirror is covered in fog. I've already cleaned myself twice but the luxury of not having to worry about the water's temperature is one I wanted to relish. I can't stay in here forever though and I reluctantly turn the water off. I grab a towel from the bar next to the shower so I can pat myself down. There's a terrycloth robe hanging off a hook on the bathroom door which I throw on and tie shut.

Asami showered before I did and she got dressed while I was showering. Her jacket is a dark gray with a red lining and she's wearing a dark red skirt and black boots. “Good morning.” She throws her arms around my waist and kisses me once on the lips then her mouth moves down to my neck and she bites it.

“Easy there.” I say while pushing myself away and rubbing at my neck. Hopefully that didn't leave a mark.

“You weren't complaining about that last night.” She points out with a devilish grin.

While true, there was a difference between last night and what she did just now. “No I didn't, but I like my hickeys where other people can't see them thank you very much.”

I start moving through the room, bending down to pick up my clothes from where they had ended up. I start to head back into the bathroom with my clothes but then I pause. What's the point in being bashful after what Asami and I did last night? Plus I wouldn't mind her looking at me a bit more before the day begins. My robe falls to the floor and I hear a whistle of appreciation before I start getting dressed. I smile to myself at the sound. When I'm done, aside from my tie, I turn towards Asami. “Any chance you can order some breakfast?”

“Already done. It's out there.” This time the cart is bearing toast, bacon, eggs plus a side of cookies and mints.

I grab one of the slices of toast and begin scraping butter onto its surface. “So I've been wondering. How'd you not get picked up by the cops? They grabbed everyone else in the gym.”

Asami shrugs as she grabs one of the cookies. “I never went inside. You told me to wait outside for a couple of minutes so I did. I was about to go in when I saw the cop cars coming so I turned around and walked away. I saw you being hauled off so I went and called my lawyer. Why'd that place get raided anyways? It's just a gym.”

I take a few bites of toast before answering. “Toza's instruction is legit but his books aren't. The Triple Threats use the place to launder money. I don't know how it happened but he ended up under their thumb and the Triple Threats don't let go once they've got you there.”

“I see... well did you find what you were looking for? You seemed kinda desperate yesterday, Korra.”

“Not exactly. I'm onto something but I don't know what it is. I know where we have to go but I'm not sure how we'll get there. My car is still at the gym and I can't go back there until the heat dies down. I'll have to call my boss so they can go get it.”

“So you need a car?” Asami asks as she stabs the eggs on her plate with a fork. “I have one here we can use. When do we leave?”

“After we finish eating but we're heading into the Dragon Flats so I gotta make sure you have something to protect yourself with. Do you own a gun or anything?”

Asami stands up and heads into her bedroom before coming back out with a black cloche hat in hand. It's got a wide brim and there's a flower attached to one side. “I hate wearing hats, but this has what you're asking about.” She pulls a steel hatpin out from the middle of the flower. It's nearly fifteen centimeters long. It's got a small bar on one end to grab onto and it tapers down to a fine point at the other end.

With hair like that I can see why she doesn't like hats. “I'd feel better if you had a gun, but that'll do. Let me finish eating and then we'll go.” I turn my attention to my plate as I begin skewering the crispy slices of bacon on it.

I live in one of the poorer areas of the city but it's not the worst. If you asked random people on the streets to name the worst neighborhood in Republic City they'd all have the same response. The Dragon Flats. It's the cheapest, dingiest and flattest area in the city. There's not a single building here over three stories tall and I have my doubts that any of them were built in the last twenty years. Decades of shoddy maintenance have left most buildings in a constant state of disrepair. It doesn't matter which way you turn your head here. You're going to see something that needs to be repaired or cleaned up. Abandoned buildings, windows that broke and were covered up with boards, cars rusting away in empty lots. In theory this place could be fixed but that would take money and anyone who spends their money here gets to see it disappear with nothing to show for it.

I point at a house down the street. “That's where I'm going, but pull over here.” I gesture at another house that's between us and the first one. Asami turns the wheel and we pull up to the sidewalk. I double check my gun to make sure it's loaded before opening my door. “Keep the car running in case we need to make a fast exit. If you see me leaving in a hurry then that's the signal.”

After I get out of the car I make a beeline towards the rear of these houses. There's windows in the front so I need to approach it from another direction. There's a car parked behind the house and the backyard is full of brown grass and spiky weeds. The backdoor to the house is locked but that's not a problem. There's a few rocks on the ground next to it and turning them over gives me the key I need to get in.

The backdoor squeaks as I pull it open and I draw my gun before stepping inside. The inside of the kitchen isn't much to look at. Just white walls and counters covered in dust but with areas that have recently been disturbed. I slowly place one foot in front of the other to make as little noise as possible as I progress across the room. Then I hear a voice and I freeze in place.

The noise is coming from a room between me and the street. My heart is beating faster but the voice doesn’t seem to be coming closer. I start moving again, slowly. The source of the sound becomes apparent when I reach the doorway to the kitchen.

“Chang's trying to close the distance and throw those hooks and uppercuts that have carried him this far but Shan's been doing a good job of keeping Chang at bay with his jabs and straight kicks. So far neither fighter has gained the upper hand but one of them is bound to slip as we get into the later rounds and there's the bell.”

It's coming from the radio. Shiro Shinobi, the famed color commentator whose play by play descriptions are broadcast over the airwaves to everyone who can't see the kickboxing matches in person.

I peek around the corner and see Mako and Bolin sitting on chairs in the room. In a way it's a shame. I was hoping to listen to this match too, but here I am. I raise my gun as I step into the room. “Get up! Hands on your head!”

Mako and Bolin nearly knock their chairs over as they lurch to their feet and do exactly what I told them to. Bolin looks startled but Mako just sighs and shakes his head as he looks at his brother. “You gave her the address to our safe-house?”

“What was I supposed to do?” Bolin protested. “Let Shin turn her into another one of his whores or let her go back to eating out of garbage cans? If she was staying here at least she'd be dry when it rained.”

“You always do this, Bolin. When are you going to toughen up? You're my brother and I love you but you can be such an idiot. Anything else you think you should tell me?”

“I was the one who told the cops about the money laundering.” Bolin sputters.

Mako's jaw drops, his hands start to come off his head. I clear my throat and he puts them back. If I wasn't there he'd probably be trying to strangle his younger brother right about now. “You did what!?”

“I'm sick of working for the Triple Threats! I'm sick of being a criminal! I thought if the cops raided the place then they'd have something to get Shin and we'd be free.”

“That's not how this works, Bolin! If it isn't Shin then it'd just be someone else pulling our strings. Not to mention what would happen to us if they ever found out what you did. You know what they do to rats!”

It's like they forgot I was in the room with a gun trained on them but now I have some leverage. I clear my throat again and they both look at me. “Here's the deal. You tell me about the Sato break-in and I don't tell the Triple Threats what Bolin did.”

Mako scowls but he's got no choice. Even if they went into hiding it's only a matter of time until Shin and his bosses find the brothers and then... well I've heard stories and I honestly wish I hadn't. “Fine. I don't know why you're digging into this but that's your problem. Shin asked me to come with him to a bar where he was meeting someone. Don’t know what was going on but I started talking to this guy. He was hammered before I got there and couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Kept bragging about this score he had made. Claimed he had broke into the Sato’s place and got away with a really fancy car. Can’t say if it’s true or not since he works for the Agni Kai's. Man runs a chop shop near the docks. Name's Yawno.”

I keep Mako and Bolin in front of me as I walk backwards through the room. The front door is at my back and it takes a few seconds to find the handle and get out. As the door swings shut I can hear hurried footsteps as they take off in the other direction. It’s a bittersweet moment. Even after everything that’s happened there’s no real malice on my part. The brothers were my first friends in this city and Mako was something more even if it was only for a night. In another life who can say what would have happened, but in this life we’ll most likely never see each other again.

Asami pulls up in front of the house and I get in. “Learn anything?”

“Yeah, I did.” I say while putting my gun away. Feels like I'm finally getting somewhere with this.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Republic City was founded half a century before I was born. In its earliest days it was just a small town on the ocean but that didn't last for very long. People came from every part of every nation to start anew and the city grew and grew. It may have started as a small town on the ocean but now it's a sprawling metropolis of steel and concrete. One thing hasn't changed however and that's the location of the city's lifeblood. The docks.

There's mountains to the north, mountains to the west, and mountains to the east. South of us is the sea and the bay Republic City is built on is our connection to the rest of the world. Everything that we need or want arrives from across the ocean. All our food, ivory and furs from both Poles, minerals from the Earth Kingdom, silks from the Fire Nation and everything in-between. If you buy something, doesn't matter what, then it came through the docks in some form or another.

But if there's money involved, then inevitably crime will follow and the docks have never been an exception. Ships arrive every day bearing all manners of goods but not all of them are legal. Drugs, stolen goods, weapons, animals... people. They all get sent here and the Triads are the ones picking them up. It's not a one way road though and the Triads export things too. Like cars.

Right now Asami's car is parked on the side of the street. At the far end of the block and on the opposite side of the road is a garage. It's got several bay doors, a few of which are open. I can see mechanics in coveralls moving about vehicles raised on hydraulic lifts.

“What do you think?” Asami's gnawing on her lip as we scope the place out.

“Well my source told me the guy who runs this place knows something about the break-in or maybe he's the one who did it. The fact that Yawno runs a garage is making me wonder. That garage of yours had a lot of expensive cars in it so maybe he was actually after those. The whole thing about airplanes might just be a coincidence.”

“Then why did he bring a camera?” Asami asks.

I shrug. “Maybe he was thinking about coming back for more later. I don't know but I can go ask him.” I double check my gun out of habit before putting it back into my pocket and opening my door. “Same thing as last time, keep the car running in case I come... running.”

Asami grabs my coat and pulls me back down onto my seat. “No. The whole point of me coming with you was because I wanted to prove myself. All I've done since then is sit around while you do your own thing. I'm coming with you this time.”

I should say that's not an option but I can see the determination in her eyes. Even if I say no, then she's probably just going to follow me. “Just keep that hatpin handy. We don't know what exactly we're going to find in there.”

She scowls, but not at me, as she dons the black cloche hat again. We get out of the car and begin heading down the street. The car shop has two parts to it. The garage where the cars get worked on by mechanics. Then there's the part we enter, a small storefront people pay their bills or buy things like bottles of oil and windshield wipers. I head up to the front counter and glance at the cashier. “We're here to see Yawno.”

He gives me a quizzical look. “Is something the matter? If you have a complaint with our service then I'm sure I can help you out.”

I shake my head. “No, no, nothing like that. Just tell us where we can find Yawno.”

“I'm sorry, but Yawno is busy at the moment. I'm the store manager so if there's something you need, just let me know.”

There's a certain finality to his tone that tells me that he thinks the matter is settled. For most customers that would have been the end of it. Maybe he's expecting me to get angry and start yelling like his really bad customers but I'm not one of his customers, good or bad. I lean forward and grab the front of his shirt, pulling him over the counter towards me. “I don't think you heard me. Yawno's bosses sent me and I need to speak to him. If you don't tell me where he is then Yawno's going to have to find himself a new store manager.”

He looks at my outfit then at the hand in my right coat pocket where my gun is and the blood rushes out of his face. “I-I'm sorry! I didn't know you were with them. I would have sent you right up if I had. It's right through there. First door on the right after you get up the stairs.” He points at a doorway behind him marked 'Employees only' with a shaky finger.

I let go of his shirt and head around the counter and through the door then up the stairs. Asami is right behind me. I push open the first door on the right and there's the man I've been looking for. Yawno's got a bushy beard with salt scattered throughout the pepper. In his youth, he would have just been ugly but age hasn't been kind to him and his gut tells me he eats too much. Yawno rubs his hands together as he leers at us. “What do we have here? Two lovely ladies? Well there's enough of me to go around for both of you.”

He starts to stand up and I feel something pressing against my back between my shoulder blades. There's a clicking sound then the muscles in that area spasm and a split second later every other muscle in my entire body seizes up at the same time and I start to fall forward. At least I would have if I hadn't been caught from behind. Asami lowers me to the ground and I stare up at her, suddenly helpless. There's a black device in her hand. It looks like a rectangular flashlight but there's a pair of metal points where the bulb should be.

Asami lingers above me for a second and in that short span of time I see something new. The woman I met yesterday, the woman I slept with last night, she's not there. The rich and bored sex kitten of an heiress is gone. There's no playfulness in her eyes, no smile on her lips. I recognize the look that's in her eyes now. Wrath.

She reaches into my right coat pocket and pulls out my gun. Asami stands up and moves to where I can't see her anymore.

“What the hell are you doing, doll? You should put the gun down before you hurt yourself.” Yawno’s not afraid of the gun in Asami’s hand but he should be.

Repeated cracks of thunder fill the room and something heavy hits the floor with a loud thud. Asami spits then comes back to stand over me. There's a gun in her hands but it's not mine. It's small and can't hold many bullets but it's still more than enough to kill a person. Like me. “What's... going... on?” I croak.

Asami crouches next to me. “Everyone thinks Hiroshi Sato's wife died in an accident but that's not true. When I was a girl my mother was showing me a new car that my father had recently bought at an auction. While we were in the garage a man broke in to steal it and shot her because she was in the way. I hid behind one of the other cars so he didn’t see me but I saw him. Ever since then my father and I have wanted revenge but we waited until I old enough to pull the trigger. We had a problem though. We needed someone to find the guy and someone to pin the blame on. After we heard about the incident at the Black Falcon-”

I groan and squeeze my eyes shut. Is there anyone in Republic City who doesn't know about that?

“-we decided you would work for both. The plan was for me to kill you as well when we found this piece of garbage but that would be such a waste. Our time together has been... interesting so I'm going to make you an offer. That plane my father showed you has two seats. You can stay in Republic City and hope Beifong doesn't find you or you can come with me to the Earth Kingdom.”

I've never believed eureka moments were real. That brief flash of insight where everything comes together and you see something in a way that you hadn't before. A eureka moment is striking me now. I've been played, completely and utterly. My fate had been sealed before I had even shook Hiroshi Sato's hand. I just hadn't known it until now.

There had been a break-in but it happened fourteen years ago. That’s why the library came up empty. I was looking through papers from the wrong decade, not that the right one would have given me anything either.

There's more to why they waited than what Asami told me. The two of them could have had Yawno tracked down a long time ago but he didn't. Instead they chose to play a game that lasted for fourteen years. Asami's been hiding her identity all this time for this moment and this moment alone. If no one knows Asami Sato exists then no one can finger her for this murder.

Asami was the one who shot Yawno but she did so with my gun and the police are going to find it in this room. I could go to the police and tell them that she did it but it'd be my word against hers. Who would the police side with? A down on her luck private eye that Lin Beifong hates or Asami Sato, the secret heiress to the industrial empire her father built. Finally there’s only one way out of this mess.

“I've always wanted to see Ba Sing Se.”

Asami puts her gun away and pulls me up to my feet. I've regained some control of my muscles but she still has to walk me down the stairs. The store manager is on the phone when we re-enter the storefront but he drops it and flees into the garage. As we move down the street my footsteps get faster and faster until I don’t need Asami to hold me up and we begin to run. By the time we get to her car sirens are wailing in the distance.

I don't know if we'll make it out of the city. I don’t know where I’ll wake up tomorrow. I don’t know what I’d do in the Earth Kingdom if we get there. I do know one thing though.

I'm not alone.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

There's four nations in our world. There used to be more, but over the centuries they've fallen victim to plague or famine, been assimilated or were conquered by other nations who in turn were conquered themselves. Now there's just four.

The Fire Nation lies in the west. A string of countless islands, large and small alike. The islands grow daily as a hundred volcanoes rising out of the sea unleash their contents, only for them to be replaced by more from deep within the world. Its people are like the creators of the islands they live upon. Tall and proud, but when you poke a hole in them...

The Air Nomads are just that. Wanderers seemingly driven by the wind without a care to wherever they end up. However, despite their name they do have homes to return to. Those temples and monasteries hidden amongst the mountain peaks of the world. It's just them up there along with the goats who dance on the crags and the eagles who hunt them.

To the east is the Earth Kingdom and its people are as varied as the land itself. Countless farmers tilling the rich soil and raising livestock from before the sun rises and through the day till it sets. The Foggy Swamp is the world's largest, and its occupants are a furtive people who melt away into the morasses on the rare occasions outsiders come through. Then there's the Desert of the Dead, an arid expanse of sand and hot gales that lives up to its name, but even that barren landscape is claimed by someone. The sand tribes cover themselves in cloth to escape the wrath of the sun and they know where every oasis in the desert is because that's the only way to survive the trek from one edge to the other.

In the far north and the far south you can find the Water Tribes, the last of the four nations. The poles are the coldest regions on earth. A land of howling blizzards, ice instead of dirt beneath your feet and frigid air that will sap the life from your body in mere moments if you aren't careful and it just might do it even if you are. But if you look away from the desolate landscape and peer below the surface, you'll find a richness of life that you wouldn't have expected.

The world is at peace now, but that wasn't always the case. During the reign of Fire Sozin the Fire Nation launched an attempt at conquering the other nations. The westernmost places of the Air Nomads were quickly overwhelmed and those that survived fled east, north and south hoping to get beyond the reach of the Fire Nation. Next ships flying Sozin's banner set sail to strike at the Water Tribes north and south. I can't speak for what happened in the north, but I imagine it was similar to what happened in the south. It didn't take long after seeing sails on the horizon for my people to find out how the Air Nomads were routed so easily. The Fire Nation soldiers were carrying what we now know to be the first guns. At the time our warriors didn't know what those were so they marched out to face the invaders on an open plain. It turns out that armor made of bone doesn't do much to stop musket balls and the first battle quickly turned into a rout. The ensuing battles likely would have been more of the same since the Fire Nation had more men, better weapons, better armor and their soldiers were better trained than ours, but they made one crucial mistake. They weren't prepared for the weather.

Two days after the Fire Nation landed in the south a blizzard swept in. When people think of blizzards they imagine snow falling, and that's what it's like in other places, but not in the south pole. There's actually very little actual snowfall in the region. Instead, the wind scoops up all that loose snow just lying around and sends it flying to other places. Like onto tents that weren't built to hold that much weight or maybe into pockets holding paper cartridges full of black powder. Thing about black powder is that it doesn't work when it's wet and those rifles became dead weight. After the storm the Water Tribe warriors realized what had happened and they pushed their advantage. Whether it was courage or desperation I can't say, but the Fire Nation chose to stand their ground as the second battle began. Their rifles might have stopped working, but there are plenty of other ways for soldiers to kill each other. Swords, daggers, clubs, spears, bow and arrow and more for both sides. The fighting began early in the morning and before long the freshly redeposited snow had drunk its fill of red until it couldn't drink anymore and the Fire Nation was retreating to their ships and back over the horizon from where they had come.

To my people it was a great victory, but in the grand scheme of things it was insignificant. The fact of the matter, and it's one the Southern Water Tribe doesn't like to admit, is that the Fire Nation's attack on the south pole was a minor raid and one they barely committed any resources towards. We live in the world's coldest region atop a giant block of ice so it couldn't have been for land. We don't have any of the metals that drive people mad with greed like gold or silver. The Water Tribe has furs and ivory, but those aren't worth invading for. I've thought about this every now and then over the years and the only explanation I've come up with is that it was just practice. A test run for their new weapons before they confronted their true enemy. The Earth Kingdom.

There may be four nations in the world, but it's really two and company. One in the west and one in the east vying to be the dominant empire. Wars between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom aren't uncommon, but they usually never lasted for more than a year or two at the most. At least that was the case until the Great War began. This time Fire Lord Sozin, and later his successors Azulon and Ozai, were determined to achieve victory. A hundred years of war and a hundred years of Earth Kingdom defeats followed. The Earth Kingdom had more people and more soldiers, but having guns gave the Fire Nation the upper hand. The Earth Kingdom was able to recover guns from the few battles they did manage to win and in time they developed firearms of their own, but they were always decades behind. Bit by bit, decade by decade the Earth Kingdom fell under the Fire Nation's sway until only Ba Sing Se stood alone against Fire Lord Ozai.

Over the long years and decades colonists from the Fire Nation migrated to the east as they settled themselves in the northwestern regions former Earth Kingdom territory. They set their roots down grew farms, founded villages and eventually cities as their new lives began. The war continued unabated and that's where things went wrong. Decades of war is decades of bright-eyed young men and women marching off into the distance with a gun in their hands. The ones who came back did so with vacant stares, scarred bodies and damaged minds. Others came back in boxes and some never made it back at all. After a century of waging war for rulers located across the sea the colonies decided enough was enough. They were patient and bided their time until Ozai chose to visit the front. No one's really quite sure what happened since none of the people responsible have come forward, but the Fire Lord disappeared in the night and his body was never found.

The Fire Nation is a monarchy so its throne passes to the heir apparent when its ruler passed under typical circumstances. Things didn't turn out that way in this case. Ozai had two children, of which the younger and crueler of the two declared herself the true Fire Lord. It didn't take long for all the generals to pick sides and a bloody civil war erupted.

With the Fire Nation occupied and the Earth Kingdom a shadow of its former self there wasn't anybody paying attention to those colonies. All those small towns and cities knew the only way for their newfound peace to last was if they worked together and so a new nation was born, the United Republic. It may have been founded by people from the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom, but they chose not to be bound by where they had come from. Instead they opened their doors to anyone who wanted to start a new life. That dream spread east and west, north and south, and as the population rose so did Republic City. It was a dream that persisted for decades and it was a dream I shared. I saved up my money and bought a ticket that would take me out of the frozen south to the city where I planned to make myself rich.

Unfortunately for me things didn't turn out that way. Life in the United Republic wasn't as glamorous as the tales I had heard. I'm not one to give up easily plus I couldn't have afforded a ticket back to the south pole even if I had wanted to leave. It wasn't easy, but I managed to make a life for myself. That's when things went wrong, when she showed up and suddenly the life I had built for myself was turned upside down. This morning I had a steady job and my own place. This morning I was in Republic City and this evening I'm sitting on the dirt on the edge of a grass field in the middle of nowhere. I'm not alone either. The person responsible for my current predicament is here as well, sitting on the other side of a small fire lighting up the night, with a slight grin on her face.

“What are you smirking at?” I snap at her.

Asami raises an eyebrow or at least I think she does. It's hard to tell since her black hair blends so well with the darkness surrounding us. “Oh, you're finally talking now, are you? I was wondering how long it would take for you to stop being mad at me.”

“Stop being mad? What the hell makes you think I'm not still mad at you!?” I yell as I rock up to my feet. “You think I'm going to let you off the hook after what you did? You killed a man and framed me for his murder!”

“Yes I did.” Asami agrees without any hesitation or, in my opinion, shame judging by the tone of her voice. “Have you thought to ask yourself why I would do that?”

“Because he killed your mother. You already told me that.” I say with an eye roll thrown in for good measure.

“No. Why would I frame you for the murder?” Asami asks, almost sounding like the strict school headmistress I had when was I young.

Why would she frame me? That's not what she's really asking. The question Asami is really asking is why I'm still alive. Why didn't she kill me. Asami told me that had been the original plan, but she changed her mind, stating that 'our time together had been interesting.' The obvious question that brings is up is what exactly interested her. I had her wait outside when we went to the gym and she stayed in the car while I confronted Mako and Bolin not to mention she straight up fell asleep at the library. The other possibility was...

“You framed me for murder because I slept with you? That doesn't make any sense!” The slight grin on Asami's face freezes for an instant then her smirk widens as she begins to laugh. If it weren't the events of this morning it'd be a pleasant sound, but at the moment all it does is irritate me. “What's so funny!?”

“Your answer. I ask why I framed you and you pick sex as your answer. I like the way you think, even if it's somewhat off the mark, detective.”

“Is that so?” I snap, my hands balling into fists. “Well, try this on for size. I think it's going to be a good long while before you get me anywhere near your bed again.”

Asami tilts her head to the side and the smile vanishes all of a sudden. I'm not sure why, but suddenly my throat feels dry as those green eyes stare at me. “Of course. It's far too soon for that since we just spent the night together. If we rushed back into bed then we'd be little more than rutting beasts. There wouldn't be any buildup or anticipation and our memories of the act are still fresh. We need to let them fade before the next time comes around so we'll have to take our time in remembering what we forgot.”

I'm glad it's night out so that Asami can't see the way my cheeks are flushing or at least I hope she can't. This conversation isn't going the way I was expecting or hoping so I need to take back control before it's completely out of my grasp. “Okay then, I give up. Why did you frame me?”

“Because it was the easiest way to make you come with me.”

“And why did you want me to come with you so badly?” I ask as I fold my arms across my chest.

“Because I think you have potential, Korra. Let me ask you something. Are you satisfied with being a detective? Scouring through old newspapers, following cheating spouses with a camera, being hated by criminals and cops. You could be more than what you are and if you let me, I'll help you reach it.”

I'm sorely tempted to say no and the look on her face if I did would be amazing, not doubt. Problem is that I'd be cutting my nose off to spite my face I made that choice. The only possessions I have right now is the suit I'm wearing, a gold plated lighter in one pocket and half a pack of cigarettes in another.“Sure, where are we going?”

“To a meeting.”

Great. Another mystery.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

If a person were to climb the tallest tree and stretch an arm upwards they would still fall well short of touching the sky. That blue expanse belonging to the avians who soar on drafts of hot air far beyond the reach of humanity until the last century. It wasn't until then that men, in their jealous pursuit of a dominion they had no claim on, constructed the first airship. Bulbous constructs of steel and gas allowing us to imitate the birds men have stared up at for countless years.

I've seen airships flying over Republic City, but I've never been on one. That's an experience reserved for the police or people rich enough to fritter away their money on such extravagances. But yesterday I got to experience something even more awe-inspiring than what I imagined riding an airship to be like. An airplane. Just the mere act of saying the word, one I hadn't heard until just a few days ago, makes me feel like I'm about to go on an adventure. That might be too grand of a word, but it's how I felt before taking off yesterday.

We were located in front of the garage where the airplane had been the first time I saw it. Hiroshi Sato was nowhere to be seen, but Asami was standing by the propeller and I was in the back seat. Asami grabbed one of the blades and forcibly pulled down on it. The engine coughed then roared as the blades began to spin. The craft began to vibrate as the pistons fired, a sensation I could feel through my feet on the floor and my hands that were tightly gripping the seat beneath me. Several seconds later and Asami had stepped between the wings and was pulling herself into the front seat. A few seconds after that and the plane was rolling forward and for the first time in my life I lost touch with the ground as the wheels came up and we began soaring up into that blue sky.

That was my first time flying in an airplane and that takeoff was both the most thrilling and terrifying experience of my life. The second time was just as intense, and I don't know if I'll get used to it. Even the flight itself is exhilarating. The only thing between me and a long fall is a few centimeters of metal and there's nothing to stop the wind rushing through my hair. Asami didn't tell me where we're going, but I can tell that we're headed east and then I see it.

Republic City is the youngest of the world's great cities, but the place we're headed for sits at the other end of that list. However no one really knows how old Ba Sing Se is. Archaeologists who spend their lives digging in search of the past can't answer that question, neither can historians who study the records from earlier generations. The oldest surviving documents on the subject all refer to Ba Sing Se as ancient and those come from thousands of years ago. Some argue that it was the very first city, but that's a claim that can't be proven. What is true is that Ba Sing Se has survived when so many of its competitors have crumbled into dust and I'm seeing the reason why. The Wall.

Legend has it that it took a thousand years to complete and it's protected, or cursed according to some, by the spirits of those who died while building it. I don't subscribe to such notions and my opinion on why the Wall is so formidable is simple. The thing is massive. It stands fifty meters tall and it's five meters thick. The Wall's mere existence was enough to shatter the dreams of a thousand would-be conquerors before they ever came into being. Those foolish to try anyways found themselves breaking against an impenetrable bulwark. And the worse part? Let's say you manage to get through the Wall, a feat no army's ever achieved. There an Inner Wall just as large the Outer Wall waiting for you.

The Walls of Ba Sing Se may have protected it for thousands of years, but Asami just tilts the nose of her airplane even higher and the Outer Wall passes beneath us just like that. Patches of green and brown farmland rush by and the Inner Wall is just as powerless to stop us as its brother was. I turn my head to the side and look down at Ba Sing Se itself.

When I was a girl who spent her days dreaming of places that weren't frozen there were two cities ensnared that my imagination. Republic City, a place where anyone could become a millionaire and Ba Sing Se, a place whose culture was as ancient as the walls that earned it a name meaning Impenetrable City. After making it to Republic City I realized that the first dream was only true for a handful of people. The rest of us were stuck in the gutters. Now that I'm in Ba Sing Se... well I'm already having doubts about the second.

The first thing I notice is the stench. Even up high there's an odor that turns my stomach. Its source is obvious. I've been to the worst neighborhoods in Republic City, but those are all better than what I'm seeing now. The houses, if you can call these tiny shacks of cheap concrete and decaying wood that, are crammed together like sardines in a tin. I hope, but doubt, they have good firefighters because one errant spark and you're going to have a massive bonfire on your hands. There's streets down there, but few that look big enough for a car and none of them are paved. The other thing I notice is that there's two gaps. One separating all these houses from the Inner Wall and another on the far opposite side between the houses and another, albeit much smaller, wall. Hard to say how tall is it, but it's at least several meters and it doesn't take me long to see what this other wall is for. On one side are the slums and on the other is the equivalent of Republic City's suburbs. The houses are all significantly nicer and there's a fair amount of green trees and other plant life scattered throughout it. Beyond this second section is yet another wall and past that is the smallest of the three sections, but obviously the wealthiest. The houses there all remind me of the Sato estate in grandeur and there's dozens of small canals separating all of the estates from each other. Best part for me is that there's not any hint of stink as we pass over this area. Then I see it, another wall.

I roll my eyes, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to see what's located at the heart of Ba Sing Se. There's a pair of large stone buildings flanking the only gate here and past that is a completely flat pavilion of paved stone at least a hundred meters wide. In the center of the pavilion is the palace itself. It sits atop a massive plinth made of red brick with a single staircase leading up to pillars supporting the a wooden eave painted gold. Additional eaves painted the same shade loom above it, each larger than the one directly beneath them. There's two other buildings in the area, but I don't get a chance to look at them. This morning, before starting the engine, Asami had insisted on double checking that my harness was securely fastened and that I wasn't wearing my hat. She hadn't done that the previous day so I was a little confused why she was bothering this time. Now I know.

As the airplane flies over the wall separating the palace grounds from the rest of the city Asami slows the craft down and promptly turns it upside down. I blink as the sky above my head is replaced by the ground and then the two start flipping places over and over as the craft continues to roll. She turns the airplane on its side so that its wings are pointed straight up and down as she brings the craft back around before leaving the grounds. Back and forth, each turn pushing me one way or the other against the harness as inertia kicks in. It doesn't take long for all the spinning and turns to make me start wishing that I was anywhere but trapped in the back seat of an airplane being flown by a maniac. The nose of the airplane starts climbing up higher and higher until it's pointed the opposite direction and it seems like I'm staring straight down at the ground for an eternity and then we're descending back towards the pavilion. Asami pulls back on the stick so that we're flying straight ahead once again, but we descend until the airplane's wheels are bouncing along the ground and rolling to a halt near the palace stairs.

It takes a few seconds to undo the harness buckle and grab my hat from beneath my seat. Being able to get out of the airplane is a relief, but a short lived one. As soon as my feet land on the plaza my legs sway beneath me and all those twists and turns catch up with me as I leave my breakfast on the ground right then and there. There's no time to lament its loss as Asami is already on the move and I follow along after hastily wiping my mouth on my shirt sleeve. I'm not sure how long we've been flying above the palace, but it's long enough for a small crowd to have gathered at the top of the stairs she's now climbing.

Several guards with rifles hanging from one shoulder meet us at the halfway point and one of them holds up a hand. “We'll need to search you before you go any further.” Asami holds her arms out to either side without protest and a moment later I do the same, after Asami throws me a quick sideways glance in my direction. The guards don't find anything on me, but they quickly retrieve a small pistol from one of Asami's pockets. After that the guards step to either side, leaving the middle clear. “You're free to go.” As we start walking again they fall in behind us leaving us nowhere to go but forwards.

When we begin to approach the top of the staircase one person quickly stands out from the rest. She's wearing a dark green tunic with white stripes along the edges over a yellow robe. A strange board like headpiece sits atop her head. Ends bearing a pale pink flower curve downwards on both sides of her head and tassels hang from each of them as well. Few people have ever seen her in person, but there's no doubt in mind as to who she is. The Earth Queen, Hou-Ting.

Before the Hundred Year War all of the eastern continent swore fealty to the banner that flew over Ba Sing Se. Hou-Ting's father, Kuei, was a weak ruler and the Earth Kingdom's greatest defeats came during his reign. By the time the war ended the only thing still left under his control was Ba Sing Se itself and that's what his daughter inherited when she took the throne. Embittered by the failures of her father, Hou-Ting had been determined to be stronger than him. The result of said determination is that whispers of her cruelty and ruthlessness have spread as far as the Southern Water Tribe.

Asami comes to a halt at the top of the stairs and in one smooth motion she drops to a knee while grabbing the back of my coat and pulling me down to kneel beside her on the stone. “It's an honor to meet you, your majesty.” She says while keeping her eyes downcast.

When you spend your life dealing with the worst humanity has to offer you start being able to tell when a person is... off. It's not something you can easily define, but it's there. You can look at a person and immediately know they're not quite right and you're not surprised when you find out they've snapped and done something horrible. At least, that's what the more experienced private eyes tell me. I've never believed them, until now. As I'm looking up at Hou-Ting, I finally understand what they meant. The hairs on my arm are standing on end and now even being in the plane with a maniac of a pilot would be preferable to kneeling in front of the Earth Queen.

The lines on Hou-Ting's squarish face deepen as she scowls at us for a moment before finally speaking. Her voice is harsh, unlovely and clearly accustomed to being obeyed. “So you are the ones causing such an uproar that my servants are abandoning their duties so they can gawk at your machine. Who are you and why are you here?”

“My name is Asami Sato and this is my assistant, Korra. I came here to seek an audience with you, your majesty.” Asami's head remains bowed as she speaks.

“Sato.” Hou-Ting frowns as she says the name. “There was a Sato trying to sell airships to our army a few years ago if I remember right. Are you related to him?”

“He is my father, your majesty.”

The queen is silent for a moment longer then she flicks one hand at one of her servants and he scurries down the stairs as the queen turns on the spot, her dress swirling around her. “Come with me.” She doesn't bother to look back, but there's no need since Asami rises to her feet and follows. After a moment's hesitation I join her. Can't say I want to be anywhere near the Earth Queen, but I have nowhere else to go.

After a minutes walk I find myself standing in the throne room. It's a large open space, probably designed to make people feel small in it if I had to guess. The ceiling is barely visible even with all the lamps hanging about. Two rows of marble columns running from floor up to a wooden buttress stand near the center of the room. Between them at the far end is a raised dais covered in bands of untarnished gold leaf as is the throne itself. Hou-Ting climbs up the stairs onto the dais and sits down on her throne before looking at us. “Very well, Asami Sato. Your little stunt has gotten you the audience you were after. Now, what do you want?”

“To propose a deal, your maje-”

“A deal? Don't waste my time by pretending to be a fool. If all you wanted was to make a deal then you could have just sent a messenger and not gone to all this trouble. What do you want?”

“Tell me, your majesty, how familiar are you with the Triads?”

“The Triads? You mean those miserable hoodlums that call themselves gangs? I've heard stories of them. They always make me laugh at how pathetic the police in Republic City must be if they can't get rid of them after trying for so many years. I suppose that's what you get when you let the Beifongs run things.”

I'm not a cop, but I'm not exactly a civilian either. The agency I worked at investigated crimes and helped take down the people responsible or at least ensured the police did. So I was on that side of the law, in spirit at least since sometimes we broke it to serve the greater good. Hearing her laugh at our efforts... well let's just say it stings, but opening my mouth here wouldn't be smart so I stay quiet even if I'm fuming.

“Quite right, your majesty. The police in Republic City haven't been able to get rid of them, but there are people willing to do it for them. They're motivated, but lack the training it would take and that's something your majesty is capable of providing.”

Training the Earth Queen can provide. I have an inkling of what that means and it doesn't sound good. I was hoping to not draw attention to myself while I was here, but I have to say something to Asami, consequences be damned. Before I get the chance I hear the sound of footsteps behind me and I turn to look.

It's the servant that Hou-Ting had sent to go look at Asami's airplane. He has a nervous look on his face as he rushes up to the throne and hastily bows to the queen. It seems like he's saying something, but it's too quiet for me to hear. Hou-Ting's face quickly sours then her face twists in disgust as she rocks up to her feet and points a bony finger at me. “You dare defile my palace with your sick? Seize her!”

It's at this point that I realize Asami and I aren't alone with the queen. I hadn't seen any sign of them, but maybe the four men appearing, seemingly from thin air, were there from the moment we entered the palace. I've never seen a picture of these men before, but I immediately know who they are just from their outfits. Conical hats with a metal spike on top, dark green robes and sleeves wide enough to hide knives or even pistols in them.

My hand instinctively drops to the pocket where I carry my pistol, but it's empty. My fists are an option, but I'm outnumbered four to one and punches and kicks would just make it worse for me in the end. I could try running for it, but it's a long way just to get to the door of the throne room let alone out of the palace to where the airplane is. Even then I don't know how to fly the contraption. There's one person here who does and she's my only hope to get out of this situation. Asami turns her head away when I make eye contact with her.

The Dai Li are closing in.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

I've had a realization. There's something that I've been taking for granted all my life. The ability to see my surroundings. I'm not saying that my eyes have stopped working, though they're half of the equation. The other half would be having a source of light. That's what I've been taking for granted. In the south we were used to the sun being gone for large parts of the year, but even then we had the moon and the stars shining overhead, as well as the green fire of the aurora writhing in the sky. If you looked up in Republic City you'd see a few stars, but the thousands of windows lighting up at night would drown them out and take their place. Throughout my entire life I've always had a source of light that would allow me to see my surroundings. Until now.

This cell they've stuck me in, there's no light of any kind in here. No sun, no moon, no stars or lightbulbs or even a kerosene lamp. Just black, a complete and utterly impenetrable blackness. Without my eyes I've had to rely on my other senses to examine this cell. My head bangs against the ceiling if I try to stand upright, my hands hit the walls when I straighten my elbows. A chill seeps into my flesh when part of me touches the stone walls. They took my all clothes, including my socks and shoes, leaving me with an itchy linen shift that does little other than covering me up. It doesn't matter what position I take. Standing, sitting or curling up in a ball and trying to sleep, part of me is going to be cold. There's a small hole in in one of the back corners and the reek from it is enough to tell me what it's for. At times I can hear water running to clear the waste away, but the relief that provides is only temporary. The only other sound I hear, aside from ones I make myself, is when they feed me. As near as I can tell there’s a slot in the bottom of the door that they push the food through but somehow it’s rigged to not let light in. Every meal has been the same so far. Bread that feels hard enough to break my teeth and some stale water. It’s not much, but it’s all I get.

I’ve always considered myself to be a tough person who can handle herself. I’ve spent enough time at the gun range with my pistol that I can reliably hit center mass, but I don’t need a gun to protect myself. Years of training and sparring in the gym give me the edge over people who don’t and I’m ahead of many who do. None of that makes a difference in this case. I can’t punch my way out of this cell and I doubt a gun would work on this door. I’m stuck and this cell isn’t just made to hold prisoners. It’s designed to make people suffer.

It’s working.

Honestly I’m not quite sure how long I’ve been in here since I don’t have a watch, not that I could see it if I did. If they feed me twice a day then it’s been the better part of a week. That’s plenty long enough for the cell to start doing its grisly work. I can’t see the walls, but I can feel them grinding away at me like I’m a peppercorn. I don’t know which will come first, but if I stay in this cell then there’s two possibilities. One is that the cold or the hunger gets to me and I die here. The other is that I snap and I’ll be gone even if I’m technically still alive. Hard to say which is worse, but maybe there’s a chance I could come back if it’s the latter. Not really a cheery thing to think about, but it’s difficult to think about anything else when you’re in a place like this.

The door opens.

I throw a hand over my eyes as light begins pouring in the now open doorway. When they dragged me down here and threw me in the cell, I saw oil lamps on the wall. They’re pretty dim, but even pretty dim is still too bright for me to tolerate at the moment. A hand roughly grabs my wrist and pulls me up to my feet. I squeeze my eyes shut and stumble my way out of the cell as I’m dragged along. My jailer hasn’t said a thing to me, but I don’t need him to. If I had to guess I’d say I’m on my way to a date with a noose or a firing squad, maybe an electric chair. I suppose I should be scared, but honestly? I feel relieved. If I’m going to die then I’d rather it’d be quick instead of slowly wasting away in that cell.

My eyes remain closed, but I can still tell that we’re going up and up. At first the stairs are made of stone, but it doesn’t take too long until I feel carpet beneath my feet. I hear the sound of a door opening and I’m roughly shoved through and the door shuts behind me. The light is still painful so I keep my eyes closed for the time being, but bit by bit I open them ever so slowly and that’s when I see it. Long black hair and a pair of green eyes looking back at me. “Asami?” I blurt out, confused. It’s not who I was expecting though I’m not complaining. She’s already a lovely woman, but the fact that she’s not the executioner makes her even easier on the eyes.

“Hello, Korra.” As my eyes continue adjusting the room comes into focus and I look around at my surroundings. Thick tapestries hang on the walls, there’s a fire crackling behind a steel grate and opulent looking furniture is scattered throughout the room. There’s three more doors aside from the one I just came through. Asami is sitting on a chair with a high back and she has a golden goblet with green gems mounted around the outside resting in her fingers. “Would you care for some wine? There are some exquisite vintages here in the palace. This one comes from the city of Garsai.”

I stare at Asami for a moment, my eyebrow beginning to twitch, before I stride forward and knock the goblet out of her hand, the red wine splashes onto the carpet.. “Do you have any idea where I’ve been the last few days!?”

Asami glances down at the mess I made before looking back up at me and she places her hands in her lap. “Yes. I’m well aware of where the Dai Li took you. The Earth Queen told me me all about it over dinner. She was quite… enthusiastic I must say. Fortunately for your sake, I was able to convince her to free you.”

This is the police station all over again. Asami got set me set loose because she had an ulterior motive for me then and I’m sure she does now. The only question is what it is this time. “... Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. However I’m sure you’re wondering how, and more importantly why, I had you freed.” Asami says as she stands from her chair. “We have a more pressing issue however. You need a bath. Badly.” Her nose wrinkles as she looks at me and points at a door. “In there.”

I freeze for a second before raising my arm and sniffing at its pit. I don’t smell anything, but I’m pretty sure she’s right. I haven’t had a shower since I left Republic City and I’ve spent the last few days in a dungeon. A bath sounds good right now, really, reallygood. My shift hits the ground before I’m even into the bathroom and I hop into the clawed tub without any hesitation. I don’t even care if Asami sees me in the nude. The desire to clean off all this filth makes it hard to care about being decent right now. I turn one of the spigots and water gushes out of it and onto my feet. It’s cold, but I don’t care about that either. Water, any water, is a luxury to me right now, regardless of its temperature. I hear a grinding sound and turn my head towards it. Asami’s moved the grate in front of the fireplace and she’s tossing the shift I was wearing into the flames. It takes a few seconds to ignite and then it’s quickly turning into ash as the fibers wither away.

Once I’ve finished washing myself, and luxuriating in the tub, I find a green towel hanging by the door. Water drips off my legs onto the tiled floor as I fetch it and dry myself off before wrapping it around my chest and hips. When I step out into the main room Asami’s back in the chair from earlier. “I don’t suppose you can get me something to eat can you? I could use a proper meal.”

Asami picks up a bell from the end-table next to her chair and she rings it once. Almost immediately a servant opens the door and is bowing her way inside. “Fetch us some food and tea would you? Something light that won’t upset Korra’s stomach.”

I wait until the servant is gone before asking the question that’s been weighing on my mind since the meeting with the queen. “What is going on here? You got your revenge on Yawno, but the way you were talking to the Earth Queen sounded like you had something else in mind.”

She taps her finger against the chair of her arm while considering me for a moment before answering. “Yawno was about getting my revenge, but he was just a tiny part of a much bigger problem.”

“The Triads.”

“Yes. They’re a plague on Republic City and it’s long past time that they were dealt with.” Asami says before getting up out of her chair. She heads over to a table bearing the bottle of wine she was drinking from earlier and pours some into a goblet identical to the one still on the floor.

“Then why not donate money to the police? They can hire more cops or buy better equipment. Why would you come here to Ba Sing Se if you’re trying to deal with the Triads?”

“Because the cops will never win. It’s not a question of numbers or equipment or even leadership. Lin Beifong is a fine police chief and the police are capable. The cops will never win because their hands are tied. They have rules and procedures, guidelines on ethical behavior, lines they won’t cross. The Triads don’t. They’re savages with no conscience who’ll do whatever it takes to get the upper hand. The best the police can do is slow them down and clean up the messes that the Triads leave behind.” Asami’s voice rises as she’s speaking and she turns towards me. “I came here because this is where the answer is. If you want to wipe out the Triads then you need the people who are capable of doing it.”

A chill runs down my spine as I realize what she’s saying and its implications. “You’re here for the Dai Li? The Earth Queen will never give them to even if you promise her a thousand airplanes.”

“I don’t need all of the Dai Li, just a handful.”

“A handful of Dai Li won’t be enough to take down the Triads. You’d need hundreds of people for that.”

“I already have the people I need. They just lack the proper training… and leadership.” Asami smiles as she takes a step closer and holds the goblet out to me. “What do you say?”

Now it’s starting to make sense. Some of it anyways. If there’s a police force capable of wiping out decades of organized crime it would be the Dai Li. Up until the last week I’ve only heard stories of their brutal efficiency that lets them dominate the world’s largest city from the shadows. I’ve always thought them exaggerations or tall tales, but now that I’ve seen the inside of their dungeon… I don’t doubt them anymore.

“You have people? What are you talking about, Asami?”

“The Triads have been around a very long time and they’ve no shortage of victims. People who’ve lost loved ones to violence or drugs, shop owners who refused to pay up and saw their homes and businesses burned down plus all of the others whose lives they’ve ruined in some way or another. I’m sure you know someone like that.”

I do, as a matter of fact. Mine. I had a job, friends, and Mako had almost become more than that. Then Shady Shin had shown up and the life I was building for myself got thrown in the trash. What’s worse is that Shin had made me an offer. If I had taken it then I’d still be working in the red light district, but not during the day. It’d have been at night and involve spreading my legs for anyone with the yuans to pay for it. Not the life I was dreaming of when I sailed into Republic City, but I’d take it over living on the streets again. I might even have grown to enjoy it. At least that’s what I’ve been telling myself.

It’s then the other part of what she said earlier sinks in. “Wait, leadership?” I ask. “What do you mean by that?

Asami lowers the goblet and she turns away before setting it back down on the table. “Do you remember what I told you after I shot Yawno? Why I chose not to kill you?”

“Yeah, you said our time together was interesting, whatever that means.” I reply while adjusting the towel since it’s starting to slide.

“Have you thought about why I called it interesting, other than the fact we slept together?” Asami asks, her eyes sparkling with mirth. My cheeks color and I slowly shake my head, the fact that I’m wearing nothing but a towel suddenly sinking in on me. “Well then, I’ll stop teasing you about it and just tell you.”

I snort and shake my head. “Oh, is this the part where you spin some yarn that’ll make me go along with whatever it is you’re planning? I think I’ll pass on whatever lie you want to tell this time.”

Asami freezes up and the amused look on her face slowly vanishes and she suddenly looks… hurt? “I can understand if you don’t trust me given how things have unfolded, but I have never lied to you, Korra. I don’t plan to either. As for your question, the answer is simple. I have people willing to help fight the Triads, but they need training, which I’ve taken care of, and someone to lead them.”

“Wait, you want me to be their leader? Why not you or your father? This whole thing is your plan.” I ask, more confused than ever.

“This whole plan is being financed off the books by Future Industries. If my father and I were publicly involved then that money goes away. It also wouldn’t make sense if we were the ones in charge. Now you, you’re a private investigator who worked for an agency that’s known to occasionally get their hands dirty. People also think you killed a member of the Triple Threats and skipped town. It’d be in character for you to be going after them.”

What Asami is saying makes sense, but I can see an obvious trap here. If I’m the leader of this vigilante group then I’d be the one who takes the fall if things go wrong. It’s possible the Satos could get in trouble for this, but I have the feeling they’ve already covered their tracks and can’t be connected to this.

“And if I say no? You sound pretty confident, but what’s to stop me from walking out that door right now and not coming back?”

“You could do that, Korra, but I wouldn’t recommend it. First, you’re only wearing a towel and second, I wouldn’t be able to protect you if you took off.”

I don’t need to ask who she’s protecting me from and Asami had mentioned earlier that she had convinced the queen to free me. I close my eyes and take a deep breath before noisily exhaling. “What does she want?”

Asami tilts her head towards one of the other doors and starts heading towards it. “That’s a good question, but I don’t feel like answering it multiple times. We’ll have some company on this little endeavor. The Dai Li found some people trying to smuggle themselves into the city aboard a ferry.” Asami pushes the door open and walks through into the other room. “During their interrogation they said they were from Republic City so the Dai Li handed them over to me.”

I hesitantly lean my head through to see who she’s talking about and my jaw, but thankfully not my towel, drops. There’s two harried looking men in the room. One is lying on a couch as he stares at the ceiling and the other is standing next to a tall and thin vertical window, red scarf around his neck and all.

Bolin and Mako.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

I don’t believe in fate. It’s not an idea I’ve ever cared very much for. The notion that our lives are decided in advance, that all of our actions are predetermined. Every choice we make, whether it’s what to wear that day, what you eat for breakfast or even when and where you die. It’s all decided in advance and you don’t get any say. You’re just along for the ride. I don’t believe it. I refuse to believe it. Our lives are our own, our minds are our own and the things we say, the things we do. Those are what matter. Yet on days like today, I find myself wondering if fate is real. Because if it is, I hate its ridiculously stupid sense of humor.

I’m halfway across the world in the royal palace of Ba Sing Se, wearing nothing but a towel, and somehow I’m crossing paths with two people I had thought I would never see again. My face turns red and I back away from the door. “Where are my clothes!?” I urgently whisper to Asami so that Mako and Bolin won’t hear my voice.

Asami gestures back towards the bathroom. “They’re hanging on the door in there.” As I scamper back in that direction I hear Asami speaking to the two brothers. “It’ll be a few more moments, my apologies for the delay.”

I shut the bathroom door behind me and find my clothes hanging from a hook just where Asami had said they’d be. As I start to dress myself the predicament we’re in hits me. Asami hates the Triads and wants to wipe them out. She’s already killed one of them and for all I know she’s taken out others. How would she react if she found out Mako and Bolin were members of the Triple Threats? I’m not sure that they still are anymore, but I honestly don’t know if that’d make a difference to Asami. She’s not armed right now so I’ve got that going for me. At least I hope she isn’t.

There’s only so long I can stay in here before Asami or someone else comes to knock on the door. I take a deep breath and set my hat on my head before looking at myself in the mirror. The reflection I see is a far cry from the woman who was brought into this room earlier, but I know she’s only one misstep from showing up again. I head back to the room where Mako and Bolin are waiting. “Let me apologize for the wait once again gentlemen,” Asami begins, but I don’t let her get any further into her introductions than that.

I slip by Asami, cut straight through the room as I quickly stride up to Bolin. He hasn’t even finished turning his head by the time I’m grabbing his hand and leaning in. “Hey, I’m Korra. Nice to meet you.” I follow up with a whisper too quiet for Asami to hear. “We’ve never met and you don’t know me.”

He looks at me at in confusion before I squeeze his hand, hard, to emphasize the point and he winces. “Uhm... hi. I’m Bolin.”

By the time I turn away from Bolin the second man in the room is approaching me. He holds out his hand and waits until I take it before speaking. “Korra, is it? It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Mako.”Mako always had sharper wits than his brother. I can tell from the look in his eyes he’s already figured out I’m pretending not to know them and he’s playing along, but he doesn’t know why I’m doing it in the first place.

A knock comes from the main door and Asami’s head turns towards it. “Excuse me for a moment.”

The servant from earlier is standing there, a silver platter bearing biscuits along with a copper kettle and porcelain cups in her hands. Asami opens the door wider and vaguely waves her arm towards the room I’m in. She sets the tray down on a table in the middle of the room before bowing and walking backwards to the exit, shutting the door in front of her.

As I look at the tray, I feel my stomach gurgle at the smell of fresh food. It’s still bread, but a far cry from the last kind I ate. I sit down at the table and grab one of the biscuits. “So, you said you were going to tell us what the queen wants?”

Bolin and Mako turn their heads towards me as one before their attention changes targets to Asami as she moves towards the table. She doesn’t respond to my question, instead lifting the kettle and filling three of the four cups with tea. Once done she picks two of the cups up and brings them to Mako and Bolin. Mako frowns at his tea before looking at Asami. “Wait, you haven’t told us who you are yet and why you know what the queen wants.”

“My name is Asami Sato and I know what the queen wants because she told me.” Asami says as she heads back towards the table. Mako and his brother exchange a quick glance with each other, but say nothing. “This morning, each of you was a prisoner of the Dai Li though for different reasons. Bolin and Mako here were caught trying to smuggle themselves into the city while Korra was arrested for throwing up in the plaza.”

Asami pushes the last cup towards me before briefly exiting the room. There’s a smirk on Mako’s face as he looks at me, but thankfully he doesn’t say anything. When Asami returns she’s holding the goblet of wine in one hand. “I’ve persuaded the queen to release all of you into my custody, but there’s a price tag attached. Five hundred gold pieces each for Mako and Bolin and a thousand gold pieces for Korra.”

I can’t recall the exact conversion rate between yuans and gold pieces since it tends to go up and down a lot, but it usually hovers around five to one. The price of my freedom is five thousand yuans. I could spend twenty years working as a private eye and still not save up enough money to pay that off and that’s assuming no interest. Five thousand for me and five thousand for the brothers. Asami’s still talking however. “The queen understands that's a hefty sum, and as such she’s recommended a place where we can make that much money. The city of Gaoling.”

During the Hundred Year War the Fire Nation came from the west and they cut a bloody swath that extended further and further east. Eventually they came to a halt at the edge of the Si Wong desert and their first goal had been accomplished. The Earth Kingdom had been split in two. As the Fire Nation moved north and south, the refugees did the same. Those above the split made their way north to Ba Sing Se, hoping to hide behind its walls. Those below the split fled south, hoping they would be safe in the mountains. Some made their way to Omashu, but soon the city closed its gates to save itself from the hungry masses. The rest found their way to the city of Gaoling.

When the armies of the Fire Nation came marching in, all those towns and cities and villages had a choice. Some chose to fight while others chose flight and joined the endless line of refugees hoping for safety. Gaoling didn’t do either. The town opened its gates and let the soldiers in without a single shot being fired. All the innkeepers and taverns hauled out every keg and barrel they had available and all the restaurants had their ovens running nonstop for days. When those soldiers left they did so on legs that could barely hold them up and with full bellies. That and chests full of gold and silver. Every year after that Gaoling paid tribute, but it kept them unspoiled for the entirety of the war. While the rest of the Earth Kingdom bled, Gaoling prospered. When the war ended and the Earth Kingdom began to rebuild, the people in the south turned to Gaoling. Lumber, stone, equipment, money. It all came from Gaoling or Gaoling had their fingers in it and the city grew until it stood as a rival to Ba Sing Se.

That’s where we’re headed and now I’ve found myself in another dilemma. Cars are faster than horses, more maneuverable than a train, but there is one drawback. You’re stuck in your seat. You can’t stand up, stretch your legs or move around very much. You just sit there and stare out the window like I’ve been doing. If that wasn’t bad enough, I’ve got another problem right now. The first person I slept with is behind the wheel and the last person is sitting in front of me. Right now they aren’t talking to each other, but the idea of them finding out the only thing they have in common isn’t one I particularly care for.

The car veers to the right as Mako takes the vehicle onto an off-ramp. A minute later and we’re stopped at a gas station. There’s only one pump and the building itself has seen better days. I don’t care what it looks like though. If it has a bathroom I can use then that’s what matters. That and something I can eat as we travel. I lean forward and tap Asami on the shoulder. “Hey, can I borrow some money? I’ll get us all some food.” Asami digs into her purse for a moment and she hands me some yuans.

When I come back out, sandwiches wrapped in paper and water in hand, my steps falter as I come to a halt. At first glance everything looks just fine, but it only takes me those few steps to realize something is wrong. Mako’s leaning against the side of the car with his arms folded across his chest and his brother is right beside him. Asami is a couple meters away, stretching her arms up into the air. I’ve seen Mako lean like that before and the look on his face is the same as when I visited him in the gym.

He stands up straight and opens the passenger door. “Come on, Korra. Let’s go.”

Asami turns towards Mako. “Already? Don’t you want to walk around a bit first? We’ve been on the road for a while.”

Mako just shrugs as he begins moving towards Asami, his hands at his side now. “That won’t be necessary. I’ve been thinking and I got an idea. The queen wants money, but somehow I don’t think she really cares where we get it, Sato. I’m sure your father has enough money lying around for us to pay the Earth Queen off. Especially when we let him know we got his daughter.”

I only worked at that gym with Mako for a few weeks, but I learned plenty about him during that time, including how he fights. He’s a tall man, almost two meters, but he’s lean and he’s got long arms. Pretty much everyone in his weight class is shorter and doesn’t have the same reach. It’s an advantage Mako’s learned to take advantage of with his jabs and leg kicks not to mention his ability to stay at a distance. It certainly gave me no end of trouble when we sparred and it contributed to his success as an amateur. Personally I’ve always thought Mako could have been a champion if he had gone pro, but he never got the chance. The Triads care about money more than anything and the possibility of Mako winning a belt was less profitable than having him laundering money and running his gym.

He reaches to grab Asami by the shoulder at the same time I’m dropping the sandwiches. Asami grabs his elbow and bicep while pivoting to face away from him and dropping to her knees. Mako’s back lands on the gravel with a thunderous slam that raises a small cloud of dust before I’ve taken three steps, Asami’s already moving though as I came to a halt. It’s hard to see what’s going on exactly, but she’s wrapping her arms around Mako’s neck and a few seconds later he goes limp.

My gaze slowly lifts towards the other brother, but Bolin looks even more stunned than I am. More importantly he’s not moving. Asami fishes the keys out of Mako’s pocket and she heads to the rear of the car before popping the trunk open. A few seconds later and she’s got a roll of tape out of it. A moment after that and Mako’s bound hand and foot. Afterwards she turns towards Bolin. “I didn’t hurt your brother though I could have if I wanted to.”

She reaches into the pocket of her coat, pulls out a pistol and points it at him. Bolin freezes and he puts his hands in the air. “You’re of more use to me alive than dead, but if either of you do anything stupid again then I’ll change my mind. Put him in the car.” Asami puts the pistol away and she turns her head to look at me and her voice changes from harsh to almost sounding sweet. “Would you mind grabbing the sandwiches, Korra? I could use something to eat.”

As I begin picking the food up, a fact that I can’t ignore any longer is bouncing around inside my head. She might be breathtakingly beautiful and rich as sin, but one thing is becoming more and more clear the longer I’m around her.

Asami Sato is the most dangerous person I’ve ever met.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Is she gone?”

My fingers keep the blinds open for a few seconds longer until I see Asami get in the car and the vehicles pulls out before heading down the street. “She is now.”

A sigh of relief comes in response as I turn around. It took us the better part of two days before making it to Gaoling in the afternoon. It didn’t take long for Asami to find an expensive looking hotel and book two hotel suites. One for me and Asami and the one right next to it for Bolin and Mako. For right now the brothers are waiting in the same suite as I am. I move away from the window and sit down in one of the suite’s armchairs. “So, I guess we have a lot to talk about don’t we?” Mako says after a moment.

“You used me as a distraction so you could get away from the cops.” I state, my fingers tightly gripping the arms of my chair.

“You broke into our safehouse and pointed a gun at us!” Mako yells back at me as he stands up while I do the same. I’m not about to let him get the jump on me like he did last time.

It’s at that moment that Bolin steps between us, waving his arms. “Hey, hey, both of you knock it off! You both got reasons to be angry at each other, but we have a bigger problem to worry about right now.”

I bite back another caustic remark and sit back down. Bolin’s right, but now that I’m thinking back it occurs to me that he’s the one Mako and I should be yelling at. The raid on the gym happened because Bolin talked to the police and he told me the address of their safehouse years ago. “Fine. I’ll forget about what happened in Republic City if you do the same. Why were you guys trying to sneak into Ba Sing Se? You’ve heard as many stories about the Dai Li as I have.”

“Well after what happened, we couldn’t stay in Republic City. When the Triads found out Bolin was a rat… well you know how that would go. Our father lived in Ba Sing Se before he moved to Republic City and we still have family there. It was a long shot, but we figured that’d be the best place to go. Took us a few days to make it to Ba Sing Se, but the Dai Li found us hiding on the ferry. What about you? Can’t be a coincidence that you ended up in the same room as us and Sato.”

Mako’s face twists with anger when he says the name Sato and his voice is filled with contempt. It’s not hard to figure out why, but I have bigger concerns than Mako’s wounded pride to deal with. I’m also not feeling particularly sympathetic since he brought it on himself by trying to kidnap her. “It wasn’t. They hired me to find someone who had broke into their estate and that ended up leading me to Yawno. Thing was they didn’t tell me they wanted to find him so Asami could kill him.”

“Yawno’s dead?” Mako asks, almost sounding amused at the thought. “Good riddance. So how did you get from there to Ba Sing Se?”

“Asami caught me by surprise with some kind of… electric shock device and she planted my gun on the scene so I had to leave Republic City and she was my only way out.”

“So we know how we all got here, but that doesn’t tell us what she’s after or what she wants out of us now.” Bolin points out.

“She’s after the Dai Li.” I flatly state. “She wants them to train this group of vigilantes she’s assembled so they can wipe out the Triads.” This part of the conversation isn’t one I was looking forward to. Mako and Bolin may be on the run, but I don’t know where their loyalties lie. The Triple Threats took them in while they were still little kids. They trained them how to pick pockets and scam people. Later they taught them how to read and to write so they could take bets and run numbers. Their parents may have died, but they found new ones in the Triple Threats and that kind of bond is hard to break. Actually that’s not entirely true. I don’t know where Mako’s loyalties lie, but wherever he goes Bolin is sure to follow.

Neither brother reacts at first aside from looking blankly at me. After a minute or so Mako stirs. “It’s not a bad plan. The Dai Li probably could wipe the Triads out if they were given the opportunity. A group of vigilantes trained by them I’m not so sure. That would be a bloody war no matter who won. I suppose if Sato’s group won then it might be safe for me and Bolin to go back to Republic City. I’ll worry about that later, though. We have bigger problems to worry about right now. We need to get enough money to pay off the Earth Queen. The question is how.”

How. I’ve had the entire ride from Ba Sing Se to Gaoling to think about that and I don’t have any answers. No one’s going to throw that kind of money at a private eye. Particularly a private eye that nobody in Gaoling has ever heard of. The only other things I’ve been able to come up with are illegal. There is one other option however. “Who says we do? What’s stopping us from just running for it?”

The Earth Queen may rule Ba Sing Se and the surrounding areas, but we’re on the other side of the continent. In a city that doesn’t recognize her authority no less. Staying here is possible, but the Earth Queen sent us here so this would be the first place she’d look if she decided to come after us. I’m not going to try and guess where Mako and Bolin might go, but there’s a possibility for me. I left the South Pole to avoid a life spent hunting whales in a canoe or mending clothes, but frankly those are sounding pretty good right about now.

Bolin rubs at his chin and Mako suddenly has a contemplative look on his face as he considers my suggestion. “Sato took the car with her so we'll have to boost one and get out of the city pronto. Bigger problem is having enough money for gas and food to get us out of here. Bolin, how do you feel about doing the shell game?”

Bolin frowns at that before sighing as he resigns himself to it. “Fine, one last time, but after this we’re going straight right, Mako?”

As I head for the door Mako gives his brother a slow nod. I push the door open and step out into the hallway. Time to get out of here. I can hear the brothers moving to follow me and I start heading towards the elevators. Once I go around the corner I see a man standing by one of the doors.

The hairs on the back of my neck begin to tingle as I look at him. He’s facing away from the elevators, towards the hallway. He’s standing far too straight and still. People waiting for something don’t keep still. They shuffle their feet, put their hands in their pockets, check their watches, look around them. They fidget and move and this guy isn’t moving. The only people who stand like that are people with military levels of discipline.

My footsteps grind to a halt and I don’t know where it’s coming from, but some instinct crying out prompts me to look over my shoulder. Two more men are standing by the other elevator door, postures equally stiff. When my gaze swings back to the man in front of me, I suddenly recall that I’ve seen his face before. He was one of the agents who threw me into the Earth Queen’s dungeon. None of them are wearing the uniform of the Dai Li, but they still radiate the same air as the ones who are.

My heart starts pounding in my chest as I take a step backwards then a second. I grab Mako and Bolin by the fronts of their shirts and I’m shoving them back into the hotel room. Shut the door, Turn the deadbolt, flip the latch and peer through the security hole. I stand there for a minute, watching, but none of the agents I saw come into view.

“What’s the big idea, Korra?” Mako demands.

“Those were Dai Li.”

“What?”

I turn and grab Mako by his shirt again with both hands as I begin to yell at him. “Those men out there were Dai Li! They followed us here! I’m not letting them take me back!”

Mako puts his hands on my wrists and gently pulls until I let go of his shirt. “Calm down, Korra. Losing your cool isn’t going to help anything. If we’re stuck here then so be it. We’ll figure something out or more likely she will. Sato doesn’t seem like the kind of woman who does anything unless she’s already got a plan.”

He’s right. Asami’s too clever to just leave things to chance. I’m not sure if she knows about the Dai Li though. Don’t know if it would make a difference however. She didn’t say where she was going and at this point it’s just a question of waiting for her to return.

At least there’s a Pai Sho board for us to pass the time, but I doubt the games will be friendly.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

I sigh as I pull the curtain back just a tad so I can see through the window. Outside I can see the half of the sun that still remains above the horizon and dusk has begun to settle over the city. Lights are beginning to come on, but they’re nowhere near as numerous as the last time I was staring out of a hotel window. I let the curtain fall back into place as I turn around.

Mako and Bolin left for their own room hours ago so it’s just been me and the radio. Right now it’s on a music station. Trumpets, saxophones, trombones, guitar, piano, bass, drums. Everything a classic big band needs to crank out some brassy tunes. The song on the radio isn’t one I’ve heard before, but it’s similar to the club bands in Republic City that I used to frequent. A part of me feels strange as I listen to the music. Those days weren’t that long ago,not even a month, but my time in Republic City is starting to feel like the distant past.

A clicking comes from the door and I spin around as it opens. It’s Asami, but she looks different from when I last saw her. Her hair looks glossier than normal and her lips are a bright red. The biggest change is what she’s wearing. The jacket and pants are gone and she’s wearing a sleeveless dress as black as her hair that hangs to her knees. Asami also has a garment bag slung over her shoulder and a paper bag with corded handles in the other. She steps into the room, shutting and locking the door behind her, before looking at me. “Hello, Korra. I hope you haven’t been too bored while I was gone.”

I glance at the radio and shrug before returning my gaze to Asami. “Just listening to some music. I take it you went shopping?”

“Yep. I needed to clear my head after a trip that long. I also ordered some food from the kitchen. Shouldn’t be too long before it gets here.” Asami sets the paper bag down and she moves towards me before holding the garment bag up. “This is for you.”

I hesitantly take the bag and pull on the zipper to open it. Inside is a baby blue dress covered in minuscule sequins. Just the subtle movements from me holding the garment bag in the air is enough to make them glitter as they catch the light. My throat is suddenly dry and I have to swallow before I can speak. “You… got this for me? How do you even know if it’ll fit?”

Asami reaches into the paper bag and when her hand comes out it has a bouquet of flowers with cream-white petals in it. She picks up a decorative vase from the table and fills it with water before placing the flowers in it and putting the vase back. Once done she looks at me with a slight grin. “I sized you up when we first met in Republic City. It should fit, but if not then I’ll have the tailor adjust it tomorrow.”

She continues to look at me expectantly while I stare at the dress, my thoughts a blur. After a minute I head into the bedroom and carefully lay the dress down on one of the mattresses. When I come out Asami has a disappointed look on her face, but she says nothing. I sit down at the table and gesture at the other chair. Once Asami takes a seat I lean forward and rest my hands on the table and the question I’ve been holding onto ever since the event comes spilling out. “Why did you stand by and let the Earth Queen throw me in her dungeon? You could have said something, but you didn’t. I looked at you for help, but you looked the other way as they dragged me off. You feed me all this crap about me having potential and wanting me to work for you, but you didn’t lift a finger to help me when I needed it.”

Asami brushes her finger against a flower petal before leaning back in her chair. “You’re right. I looked away and didn’t say anything, but only because doing nothing was the right play at the time. The Earth Queen is an ill-tempered and volatile woman on her best days. If I had tried to intervene on your behalf at that moment then I would have ended up in the cell next to yours. I had to work slowly to secure your release. It took a great deal of flattery, persuasion and eventually bribery before she was willing to set you free.”

I’m loathe to admit it, but her logic makes sense. The queen had me thrown in a dungeon because I had the audacity to throw up. It also matches up with owing the queen a ransom and why we’re here in this hotel and why we’re not alone which brings me to my next question. “Do you know the Dai Li are here? Two of them were guarding the elevators after you left.”

“Is that who they are? I thought they were just soldiers sent by the Earth Queen to keep an eye on us. I assumed she would do something of the sort. I am surprised she’s being so blatant about it, but I guess subtlety isn’t her trademark.” Asami dryly remarks.

I don’t know what’s worse. The fact we’re being watched so closely or the fact that Asami doesn’t seem bothered by it. If anything she’s amused, but for the life of me I can’t guess why.A knock comes from the door and Asami gets up out of her chair to go answer it. Two waiters with trays in their arms come in and they set them down on the table. Asami’s dish is clams covered in garlic and butter. Mine is a kale salad sprinkled with walnuts, feta cheese, some kind of root and peaches on the side. There’s also a bottle of wine that that’s as old as I am according to the label. I wait until the waiters are gone before asking my next question. “You told me that you wanted the Dai Li to train this group of yours how to fight the Triads. You learn their methods, their tactics, how they think. How long will it take to go from imitating the Dai Li to actually becoming just like the Dai Li? They’re a big part of why Ba Sing Se is so screwed up and you want to bring a copy of them to Republic City?.”

Asami reaches for the bottle and removes the cork before pouring the red liquid into the two thin crystal glasses brought by the waiters. She sets one of them in front of me before taking a sip from hers. “I’ll admit it’s not a perfect plan, but it takes monsters to fight monsters. However, the fact that you have concerns about this tells me that picking you to be their leader was the right choice since you’ll strive to keep them in check.”

I pick up my fork and start cramming pieces of kale into my mouth. It’s not bad, but it’d taste better with some bacon. Then again, everything does. Also takes some time to chew, but at least that gives me a reason not to respond to what she was saying for a bit. “I still haven’t said that I’ll do it and it might not matter anyways. I can’t conjure up a thousand gold pieces just like that so I’m hoping you got something up your sleeve.”

“A thousand for you and a thousand for the brothers. Tell me, what do you think of Mako and Bolin? Mako seems a bit feisty, doesn’t he?”

A bit feisty. That’s an overly mild way to describe him trying to kidnap Asami the other day. “I can’t really say though Mako does seems desperate. Who wouldn’t be desperate if they were in his shoes right now?” Technically that’s all true, but it still feels like I’m lying to her.

Asami places her elbows on the table and rests her chin on her hands as she leans forward. “Is that all? I figured you’d have more to say. You and Mako were lovers weren’t you?”

The fork slips out of my fingers and my back presses against the chair as I lean away from the table in shock. “I…I…I… what are you talking about? Mako and I aren’t lovers.”

“Not anymore, but you were at some point. I couldn’t help but notice the way the two of you look at each other. Only jilted lovers glare like that. I won’t ask what went wrong, but I must admit it’s quite the coincidence that you both ended up in Ba Sing Se at the same time.”

She’s just toying with me at this point. Asami was able to deduce that I had slept with Mako from just a few glances and now she’s relishing being able to tease me over it. Can’t say I am though. “Fine. I slept with Mako once, but that was a long time ago. I don’t want to talk about it either.” If I say anymore, like the last couple of times I saw him in Republic City, then she might put the pieces together and realize he was a member of the Triple Threats.

“As you wish. That makes him fair game then doesn’t it? I doubt he’d be amenable to me right now, but I’m sure I could change his mind given time.”

“No.” I growl it more than say it.

Asami tilts her head to the side and she smiles ever so slightly at me. “No? You don’t think I can?”

We both know the answer to that question. If Asami actually wanted Mako then she’d get him, but Mako’s not who she’s really after. By now the game is painfully obvious. Peaches and clams, flowers, wine, an expensive looking dress, the fact we’re in a hotel room again. Each of them on their own might be innocent, but all of them together is about as subtle as a roaring fire. Thing is that she hasn’t made a move. Instead she’s talking about seducing Mako. Could be that she’s trying to make me jealous, but that doesn’t seem like it even if it's working. Last time she took the initiative so now she’s seeing if I’ll do the same. Suppose I should be asking whether or not I want to except I’m not. That question has already been answered.

I grab my glass of wine and down it all before standing up and heading into the bedroom. If I cared about privacy or being modest then I’d shut the door. I don’t. When I was in the palace I was perfectly comfortable just wearing a towel around her. It wasn’t until I knew the brothers were in the next room that I started to care about modesty. What’s more is that I know she wants to watch.

Normally it doesn't take me very long to undress, but this time I've got a reason to drag it out. The longer I take the longer I get to feel her eyes on me and the warmer my body gets. I'm no dancer, but I can still sway my hips from side to side as I go. Eventually I'm down to my underwear and it's time to put on the dress. When I turn around Asami’s leaning against the doorframe, bottle of wine in hand. I tug on the fabric around my chest with one hand and the fabric covering my hips with the other. “Feels kinda loose to me, but I don’t wear dresses… ever really.”

“You don’t, do you?” Asami says as she steps closer to me before taking a swig from the bottle. “Someone who doesn’t know you would say you look stunning right now, but you weren’t made for wearing dresses. They don’t match the person you are.” She picks my hat up off the bed and places it back on my head. “That’s better.”

I take the bottle from her and tilt it upwards as I take a large gulp. Once I’m done I wipe my mouth on my arm and sit down on the bed. “Well if it doesn’t fit me you’ll have to take it off, won’t you?”

Asami murmurs in approval at that and she licks her lips before moving forward to join me on the bed. “If you insist.”

Once she finishes removing my dress I take another drink before setting the bottle aside. Asami got my measurements wrong so it’s time for her to learn them again. It also occurs to me that I’ve never learned hers. Looks like we’ve got a lot of studying ahead of us.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

When I come to I can feel something brushing against the side of my leg. I turn my head to look and see Asami lying on the bed next to me as she marches her fingertips upwards along my leg. Being woken up like this certainly beats an alarm clock any day. They slowly drift up higher and for a moment it seems like they're going to head inwards then Asami pulls her hand away and sits up. I'd probably be disappointed she stopped if it hadn't been for last night. I do get a nice view to make up for it when she stands up and heads for the closet. She pulls it open and a white dress shirt and dark gray skirt are hanging in the closet. Once she's retrieved them Asami turns towards me. “I ordered some breakfast while you were sleeping. Shouldn't be too long now if you feel like taking a shower and getting dressed. We have an errand to run this morning.”

“We do? Where are we going?” I ask while getting off of the bed and heading for the bathroom.

“Let's say... we're going to take a look at a few things.” Asami says as she also fetches an iron and the board that goes with it.

I hesitate at the bathroom door, but Asami doesn't say anything more as she plugs the iron into the wall. After a moment I shrug and head inside. If she wants to make a game out of this then that's her choice. I'm not particularly interested in playing and there's no point since I'll find out soon enough. Right now I'm more interested in taking a shower. When I get out of the shower Asami is waiting nearby with a towel in her hands. She tilts her head towards the doorway. “Breakfast is served.”

A plate of bacon, eggs and hashbrowns is waiting on the table for me. Nothing that I can see for Asami, but she was awake before I was so I guess she already ate. By the time I'm finished Asami's out of the shower. She's got makeup on, but it's rather muted. In particular her lips aren't nearly as bright as they were last night. I guess she wanted her lips to leave smudges then and now that isn't a concern. More telling is that the hot iron left her outfit without a single wrinkle anywhere to be seen. Furthermore her hair is pulled back and bound up into a ponytail. If I didn't know better I'd say Asami was just another example of a stereotypically boring businesswoman. Guess that's the point though.

“Shall we?” Asami says as she looks down at my empty plate.

I grab the napkin from my lap and wipe my mouth off before picking my hat up and putting it on. “Lead the way.”

Something I've noticed during my time in Republic City is that all the banks look the same for some reason. The outside of is made of white stone and it has pillars lining the front with a triangle mural on top of them. Inside the floors will be made of marble and the ceiling will be high overhead. The tellers are always locked in a cage of wood and glass partitions that let them interact with their customers from a secure position. I may be over a thousand kilometers away, but this bank in Gaoling is no different than the ones in Republic City.

“Gaoling Central Reserve.” I read out loud as we head up the steps. “What are we doing here?”

Asami just gives me a slight grin. “You'll find out later.” She puts a finger to her lips while pushing the door open. I roll my eyes, but she doesn't seem to notice. Asami pauses for a few seconds as she looks at the queues for the tellers before heading to the shortest one. When we get to the teller Asami reaches into her pocket and pulls out a white card which she slides to the teller, a thin and pretty woman with short curly blonde hair. “I'd like to speak to the branch manager please.”

The teller squints at the card for a few seconds before looking back up at Asami. “Just a minute please.” She steps away from the window and hurries over to a desk in the rear and picks up a phone. I can't hear what she's saying, but it looks like she's speaking quickly to whoever is on the other end of the line. After a minute she comes back to the window. “It'll just be a few moments. You can wait over there if you'd like.” The teller points towards some armchairs in the lobby.

We're not in the chairs for very long before the manager arrives. He's small for a man and there's a bald spot on the top of his head though he still has enough black hair remaining to preserve his dignity. “Good morning to the both of you. I hope you're enjoying this fine day in our city. My name is Zhang and I oversee the day to day operations here. How may I be of assistance?”

Asami stands up her chair and I follow suit as she grabs her briefcase. “I'm Asami and this is my assistant, Korra. We're here doing some scouting for Future Industries.”

“May I ask what you're looking for specifically?” Zhang asks.

Asami glances around the bank for a moment before returning her attention to the manager. “Republic City just passed a bill that would place a tax on any new industrial buildings. We were planning on building some new factories in Republic City, but the new taxes make acquiring the real estate and construction rather unappealing. We've started looking at other potential locations and Gaoling has always had a reputation of being friendly to businesses.”

It's a good thing Zhang is a bank manager and not a poker player. At least I hope he isn't because his eyes are lighting up and he's practically drooling while rubbing his hands together. “Well if you're in the market for real estate then I can draw up several possibilities if you'd care to step into my office.”

Asami quickly shakes her head. “Thank you, but no. Right now we're just taking a look at the banks in the city and seeing if we feel any are secure enough for our needs.”

If Zhang wasn't hooked before he certainly is now that his pride in his bank has been challenged. The man straightens up and indignantly gestures towards a doorway that has two guards standing by it. “This bank has the most secure vault in all of Gaoling. Would you care to see it?”

“If you insist.”

The guards aren't visibly carrying, but their blazers are cut longer than normal which tells me they have a pistol holstered on their hips. The door they're standing watch over has a heavy deadbolt which Zhang unlocks with a key from his pocket. Beyond that first door is a short hallway and at the end of it stands a massive circle of steel on hinges as big as my biceps.

“There she is. Unfortunately the vault is currently locked and cannot be opened, but I know all the details by heart. The vault walls are thirty centimeters thick and made of specially poured concrete which is further reinforced with steel rods. The door is made of the same concrete and is covered in steel for extra protection. Furthermore the door behind us is guarded twenty-four hours a day and we have the most cutting-edge alarm system installed here. If any doors or even a window gets opened after hours the alarm goes off and the police are immediately notified by a direct phone line connection to the police station. You won't find a more secure bank anywhere in Gaoling or dare I say Republic City.” Zhang sounds more than a little satisfied with himself as he finishes his spiel.

“But what if the power goes out?” Asami inquires with a pensive look on her face. “Will your alarm system still work?”

“Not to worry, my dear. Phone lines have their own power so we're always connected to the police. As for the alarm system we have a backup generator installed in the unlikely event the power ever goes out. Let me assure you that no matter what concerns you have, our security experts have already anticipated them.”

“Well, that was certainly a convincing pitch. However my boss’s instructions were that I have to check out several banks before deciding on one. If you'll excuse us.”

As we're leaving the bank I resist the urge to look over my shoulder at it. Instead I scan to my left and right until there's nobody near us. “So that's your plan?”

Asami gives me a crooked grin. “No. That's the target. Coming up with a plan is your responsibility.”

Great.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

When I was younger there were times that I got into trouble. Staying out too late, the occasional fight, drinking too much, getting handsy with boys and once experimenting with another girl and liking it. None of that bothers me. After all, what person can say they never did anything of the sort when they were a teenager?
I might have been... problematic as a teenager, but I never did anything that would earn me the label of criminal. I always stayed on the right side of the law. When I started working as a private eye I learned the line between legal and illegal, right and wrong, wasn't black and white. It was gray. Would you tell a lie if it was the difference between a rapist walking free or putting them behind bars? I would. I know that because I did it once and I've never regretted it for a second.
Today though, today is different. I'm about to do something illegal and I'm doing it for me. I could choose not to, except that choice would send me to the worst place in the world. There’s no way in hell I’m going back there so, here I am, in the first stage of robbing a bank.
A truck is trundling along on the road, the logo of a maintenance company painted on its doors. Asami steps on the gas pedal ever so gently and our car lurches forward, blocking the road. The truck screeches to a halt and the driver hits his horn. It doesn't matter as Mako and Bolin, both wearing hoods and carrying pistols, are running up to the truck. Mako yanks the door open and the brothers pull the man out of the vehicle and quickly drag him into the alleyway where they had been waiting. A few moments wear and Mako steps back out, now wearing the driver's uniform. It's not a perfect fit, but it's good enough. He hops into the truck and waits until Asami maneuvers her car into the alley before driving off.
Bolin pops the trunk open and he dumps the tied and gagged repairman in before closing it and getting into the car. The first part of the plan is simple. Steal the truck of a certain maintenance company and dress Mako up as one of their employees. When he gets to the bank is when things get a little dicey. A standby generator requires regular maintenance checks to make sure that it's in proper working condition. Our first problem is that we don't know what the schedule is, but we can't afford to to wait. The second problem is that none of the bank employees will recognize Mako and they'll want to confirm he's legitimate before letting him anywhere near their generator. That means they'll be making a phone call.
If you were to ask me about the science behind phones I wouldn't be able to explain it because I don't really understand it. Something about electricity and copper wires. Truth be told I had never even seen a phone until I came to Republic City and someone had to explain to me how to use them. You pick up the receiver and the person you first speak to isn't the person you're trying to call. It's the operator, a person whose job is to connect you to whomever you're trying to call via their switchboard. It's a good system that has one critical flaw. You have to trust the operator to make the right connections and not mislead you.
Asami pulls off the road next to a phone booth and waits for me to get out before taking off to drop our unwilling passenger off somewhere he won't be found until we're long gone. I step into the wooden booth, shut the door and wait. After several minutes the phone rings and I pick it up. “Gaoling Electric, how may I help you?”
It takes a few seconds until the man on the other end speaks up. “There's a Lee over here at Gaoling Central Reserve saying he needs to check on the generator you installed for us. I checked our logs and our generator isn't due for another service call for three months. Is there a reason you're sending out a tech this early?”
“Yes sir, a number of our other clients have reported finding coolant leaks in our block heater hoses so we're in the process of checking all the generators we are currently servicing. Hopefully nothing is amiss with your unit, but we need to check that the issues aren't widespread.”
“All right, we'll let Lee take a look, but we'd prefer being notified in advance of any changes to our maintenance schedule.” The man brusquely informs me before hanging up and after a few seconds I do the same.
Once Mako makes it to the generator he has a fairly simple task to perform, disabling the generator. Mako might not be a genuine repairman, but you don't need any training to cut some wires, just some scissors and a pair of rubber gloves to be safe. Once Mako is done with his task he'll dump the truck outside of the city in a secluded area and Bolin will pick him up. In the meantime I'll have the most unpleasant task. Waiting.
Waiting is difficult for me to handle. If I decide to do something then I'd rather get it over with as soon as possible. It's when I'm just sitting around that I begin to have problems. Doubts begin to creep into my head, I start second guessing my decision, questioning if it's the right choice. At least this time I'm not waiting by myself since Asami is doing the same thing. She doesn't seem as uneasy about the activity we have planned for tonight. Instead she's just sitting there reading a book as calm as you please. I grumble to myself and wander away to go close my eyes. Maybe resting my eyes for a few hours will help pass the time faster.
A hand on my shoulder jolts me awake and I blearily open my eyes to see Asami standing over me. The dress shirt and skirt are gone, replaced by that black and red outfit of hers. “It's time to go.” She states while holding a hand out. I grab it and she pulls me up to my feet.
Once we got outside I glance up at the sky to gauge the time. A crescent moon at its apex is visible amid a smattering of clouds. They don't look like they're going to start raining though which is good for Asami given the task she's about to do. I hop behind the wheel of the car and start driving through the streets. I leave the lights on most of the way to be on the safe side before switching them off as we approach our destination. Last time we were here we parked in front of the bank. This time we're headed behind down an alley behind the bank.
When I bring the car to a halt Asami gets out and heads for the trunk as I'm popping it open. She grabs a pair of large rubber gloves, bolt cutters, and a duffel bag. I keep my eyes fixed on the rear view mirror as she puts the boots on before taking the tools over to a chainwire cage that's held shut by a heavy padlock and a thick steel chain. Asami pulls the blades of the bolt cutter apart and squeezes them shut on the chain. After thirty seconds or so the links give way and she's pulling the chain and padlock off of the fencing. Asami picks up the bag and heads into the cage and a few minutes later she comes back out again. “Power should be out now.”
Should be is the key phrase there. I don't doubt Asami was able to disable the power back here, but there's still the generator. The other part of this plan depends on Mako being able to complete his mission. He's no fool yet the chance that he made a mistake remains. Moment of truth is what happens when the emergency exit opens up. Asami walks up to the door, puts her hand on the handle and turns it.
Silence fills the air and I let out a sigh of relief at the absence of any alarms going off. No mistakes there, but now we have to move fast. There's two armed guards inside who are waiting for the power to kick back on. It won't take long for one of them to realize something's wrong and this will get a whole lot harder if not impossible. I get out of the car and grab a small rock off the ground before hurrying over to join Asami before we head inside.
It's the same building that we visited this morning except it doesn't feel like it. All the tellers and customers are gone and with them the noise that they brought. The lobby is silent and feels even larger than it already is without the lights being on. The moon is doing what it can to alleviate the problem, but all it can do is dimly light a few skinny rectangles on the floor. There are two other sources of light, however. The guards have pulled out a pair of flashlights and beams of light are sweeping the room as the two men look around.
I crouch low and move up to the side of the teller cage before waiting by the corner, rock in hand. The guards are coming this direction and the rock is big enough to make a noise when I throw it. They'll turn to look and that's when I jump them. At least that's the plan I came up with. It's not great, but the only real alternative I could come up with was shooting them which I don't want to do. I start to pull my arm back, but Asami grabs my wrist to stop me. I turn to look back at her and irritably mouth a single word. 'What?'
She lets go of my wrist and shows me the palm of her other hand. There's four small black spheres in it. I raise an eyebrow and give her a questioning look. She just smiles back at me and shuffles forward until she can peek around the corner. Asami throws the spheres at the chests of the guards and they crack on impact, releasing a reddish mist into the air. The guards start to cover their mouths back away from the mist only it's already too late. The smaller of the two starts to sway then falls to the ground like a sack of potatoes. A few seconds later and his comrade joins him there. I start to stand and move towards the men so I can grab their keys, but Asami grabs the back of my jacket before I can. “Cover your mouth first. If you inhale the gas it'll knock you out too.”
Asami grabs the duffel bag and heads towards the door that leads to the vault while hiding her mouth behind a jacket lapel. I join her momentarily and flip through the ring until I find the key that I'm looking for and unlock the door. Asami heads straight to the vault's massive door and she sets the bag down and opens it. She pulls out some goggles, a metal canister, some kind of metal contraption that kinda looks like a weird spoon to me and a slender metal rod with a hose attached to one end. Asami attaches the free end of the hose to the canister and puts the goggles on before twisting a dial and clicking the spoon device by the end of the rod. A narrow blue flame several centimeters in length emerges from one end amid a hissing sound. Asami glances back at me for a moment. “You should look away for this. It could damage your eyes.”
I glance at the flame before turning around. Behind me the hissing sound grows louder and I can smell something acrid in the air. The smell grows stronger over the course of a few minutes and then I hear something clanging and the hissing sound disappears. When I glance back over my shoulder I see a section's been cut out of the door and Asami's spinning the wheel in the center. The door ponderously swings open and Asami grabs the duffel bag with her left hand while reaching into her right pocket and pulling out a flashlight of her own.
After I follow her into the vault my eyes start following the beam of Asami's flashlight as she aims it around. Hundreds of safety deposit boxes of a few different sizes line the walls, but those aren't what draw my attention. Numerous long tables with folding legs have been brought into the vault and lined up in several rows spanning the entire length of the vault. There's no bags of gold or piles of coins anywhere to be seen. Instead most of the tables are holding stacks of paper bills, each held together by a paper band whose ends are glued together. There's thousands on each of the tables save a couple. Those are holding what look to be rolls of coins in paper sheaths. I frown at the sight before walking lightly on my feet towards Asami. My hand slips into her left pocket and there's a small pistol in my hand when it comes out.
Asami turns to face me as I'm backing away from her, pistol held at the ready. She glances down at the gun and raises her hands into the air. “Well, it seems you've gotten the drop on me. So what now, Korra?”
I keep my finger off the trigger, but the gun remains pointed at her. “Now you answer my questions. I want to really know what's actually going on here. That torch there.” I point behind me towards the tool she used to cut her way into the vault. “Those... gas ball things you just happened to be have on you. Briefcases and spare outfits popping up out of thin air. You're too well prepared for all of this to be a coincidence.”
A smile flickers across Asami's face as I finish speaking. I'm pointing a gun at her, letting her know that I'm on to her and she's enjoying it, almost as if proud of the fact. “As you wish, Korra. I can answer your questions, but we're somewhat pressed for time so let's keep it to three, shall we?”
“Why are we actually here in Gaoling? A thousand gold pieces might be a lot to someone like me, but the Earth Queen rules Ba Sing Se. She has all the money she could ever want.”
“Very good. She doesn't care about the money. I didn't think it was necessary, but she felt a stick was needed to make sure you did what she wanted. The queen is many things. Petty, cruel, vindictive, bitter. However she is not a fool and she understands the difference between money and power. Why are we here you ask?”
Asami starts to move towards her duffel bag, each step measured and slow. “Gaoling recently made the decision to abandon the gold standard of Ba Sing Se.” She stops by the bag and crouches next to it before reaching inside ever so slowly. I tense up as she removes her hand. There's no gun in it though, there's something worse. A bundle of skinny red cylinders that can only be one thing. A bomb.
“I didn't come here to rob a bank. I came here to burn this place down. Imagine what would happen to Gaoling's economy if their central bank was destroyed as they're trying to switch currencies.”
That's not a question I can answer because I don't know what would happen in said scenario. Severe inflation? Runs on the banks? People and businesses losing trust in the government? Maybe all of those and more. The simple answer is that it would be a disaster for Gaoling... and a boon for Ba Sing Se.
“You know Mako and Bolin were members of the Triple Threats don't you?” I ask for my second question. “Mako tried to kidnap you and you haven't said or done anything about it. You've been pretending like it never happened.”
“Correct again, Korra. I've known all along. It's why the Dai Li gave them to me and why I've kept them around. If you're going to do something criminal then who better to have along than a pair of criminals and who better to take the fall?”
There's a lot to unpack there and this isn't the time. One question left.
“Why did you bring that airplane of yours to Ba Sing Se? We could have driven there, but we didn't. You took a first of its kind machine to the worst city in the world and I don't understand why.”
Asami takes her time in setting the bomb down on the table next to her. I shuffle a little closer to make sure she didn't activate it then step back to keep distance between us as she starts to talk. “You heard the news that the Fire Lord recently abdicated her throne, correct?” I nod and she goes on. “Azula may have won the war against her brother, but the Fire Nation was left in ruins. It's taken them a long time to recover their strength and now we have a new young Fire Lord on the throne. I've heard that he takes after his mother so it’s only a matter of time before the Fire Nation invades again. If Republic City is going to survive the next war then it's going to need allies. I took the plane to Ba Sing Se to show it off. There isn't a single leader in the world who doesn't like getting shiny new toys that they can blow things up with.”
As she speaks I can almost see the pieces of the puzzle coming together in my head. Gaoling and Ba Sing Se have been feuding ever since the end of the Hundred Year War. If one of them joins Republic City in an alliance then the other won't. Asami had to make a choice and she went for the city with the Dai Li so she could use them against the Triads. Killing two birds with one stone.
“So what's it going to be, Korra?” Asami asks, her voice almost a whisper. “Burn this place down? Turn me into Gaoling's police? Run away?”
“What, you don't already know? You've practically been reading my brain every step of the way up until now. No insights this time?”
I might be the one holding the gun, but truth be told I actually don't know what my next step is. I hadn't thought any further past trying to force some answers out of her. Now that I'm here...
A tiny smile creases Asami's face as she looks at me. “As a matter of fact, yes.” She takes a step closer and looks me up and down. “That lovely accent and delicious skin of yours tells me you're from the South Pole. We don't get many of those in Republic City so I wonder what brought you. It can't be the money. We're in a bank surrounded by it and you haven't given it a second look. The fame? You're too levelheaded to chase that pipe dream. You wore that dress with such disdain so it's not glamour. No, I think the truth is that you didn't care for life in the South so you went looking for something better. You wanted to live life to its fullest, to go on adventures, experience the thrill of the unknown. I can't promise the road won't be bumpy, but if you stay by my side then you'll get everything you were searching for.”
She's right. I hated the South. Howling winds that never shut up, cold air always threatening to leech the life from your bones, all those long months with no sun, fishing in frigid waters, hunting on featureless plains of ice and snow. The lights of Republic City were far away across the sea, but they still drew me to them like light draws the moth. Now I'm here, circling a light that's turned out to be a flame. If I really wanted then I could get away right now, but the truth is that I don't want to leave her. Only question remaining is if I can avoid getting incinerated.
I put the pistol into my pocket and glance at the bomb. “We're not burning this place down. I don't know how we get out of this though.”
Asami puts her hand on the explosive and I tense up reflexively. She gives me a slight grin and crouches next to the bag as she puts the bomb away. “The answer to that is simple. We just have to blame someone else. Don't worry, I don't mean Bolin and Mako. There's someone else in the city we can pin this on. Before we get to that, let's make a trade.”
When Asami stands up she's holding a pistol by the barrel, its handle pointing towards me. The steel is a dark dull gray and there's a diamond pattern etched into the gun's wooden grips. Just like the one I used to own. “You lost your gun because of me so it's only fitting that I replace it.” She holds her other hand out as well.
I hand the gun I filched from her pocket back while taking the other one. I point it away from Asami as I check the chamber only to find it's empty before ejecting the magazine. It's already full of bullets so I put it back in. The fact that she was carrying this around the entire time isn't lost on me. Asami could have gone for it earlier, but she chose not to. “Shall we?” I ask while tilting my head towards the door.
Asami lifts the bag as she leads the way back out into the bank, briefly stopping to retrieve the cutting torch. After we leave the bank I glance up towards the moon while caressing my new pistol's handle. The Dai Li are waiting for us. Thing is they're waiting for money and that's not what they'll get.
Revenge is going to taste sweet.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

When I was young I played pretend like any other kid did. I would slay the evil monster, climb the tower and rescue the princess so we could live happily ever after. I would lead an army of my people onto the battlefield to drive away the invaders from the west. There were others, but I can't remember what they were or anything else about them besides the two things they had in common. I was always the hero of the story and every story I came up with was just that, a story. Over the years I told those stories less and less until I wasn't telling them at all. Some of it was losing interest in those games, but mostly it came from an understanding gained as I learned to see the world as it really is.

Heroes don't exist. All those people you looked up to and admired while growing older are just that. People. They're not the idols you thought they were. They have the same flaws and imperfections as everyone else. In the end we're all cut out of the same cloth and we're all trying to make our way through this harsh world. When I got to Republic City I gained another understanding. The heroes from the stories I used to tell don't exist, but the monsters do and they're so much worse than I could have ever imagined.

When seen from a distance the bright lights of Republic City make it look like a paradise. Once you get past that you realize the reason they're so bright is so you can't see what lies within. Republic City might pride itself on being home to the best and brightest humanity has to offer, but it's also home to the opposite end of that spectrum. I didn't really know what I was getting into when I became a private eye, but it didn't take long for me to find out. Some of the things I've seen make me wish I could hold my liquor, but I can't so I have to deal with it as best I can without the numbness alcohol brings. It wasn't an easy task, but it helped that I only had to deal with the aftermath and not the perpetrators themselves. That was true until I arrived in Ba Sing Se and I got my first direct encounter with monsters. This time I wasn't showing up after the fact. This time I was the victim and I learned how it felt to be helpless and terrified, at the mercy of cruelty. Hou-Ting and the Dai Li could have done anything they wanted to me, but they were content to just lock me away. I suppose I could say I got lucky, but luck had nothing to do with getting me out of their clutches. It was her.

Ever since she framed me for murder I've been trying to understand what Asami Sato is. Wealthy, beautiful, ruthless, cunning, and manipulative all apply in equal measures. It wasn't until this back alleyway, after seeing her gun down three Dai Li agents, that something occurs to me. She can't be a hero since those aren't real, but maybe she's the thing that monsters fear. I don't know if that makes me feel better or not, but I'm glad that she's letting me be on her side.

That has put me right into the middle of several quandaries, however. I'm not going to shed any tears for those Dai Li agents Asami shot, but dead bodies aren't exactly something I want to explain to the cops. Asami just shrugs when I say as much and points in the direction of the car we arrived in. “Someone will have heard those gunshots. Let's go back to the hotel before the police arrive.”

As Asami drives I stare out the window at the city around me. This place is a far cry from what I've grown accustomed to back in Republic City. It's never quiet there and when the sun goes down all those bulbs lighting up windows and street corners keep it from actually getting dark. Gaoling, on the other hand, only has the occasional street lamp right now and it's so quiet that it actually feels peculiar. “So, what's the plan now?”

There aren't any other cars around, but Asami keeps her eyes fixed on the road nonetheless as she responds. “I don't have one at the moment. I need to think, but right now I'm too tired. For now we go back to the hotel and get some sleep.”

At least I'm not the only one who's tired. Calling the last couple of days hectic is putting it mildly and a full night's sleep sounds really good right now. The hotel is only a few minutes away if I have my bearings straight, but Asami takes a bit of a detour. She stops the car on a short bridge with a creek beneath it and gets out. Asami grabs the pistol out of her pocket and chucks it over the side into the water below before heading to the trunk and opening it. A few moments later and the bag holding all the tools she used to break into the bank vault have followed the gun into the water. Asami and I exchange a glance when she gets back into the car, but neither of us say anything. There's no reason to, we both understand what she just did and the silence lasts the rest of the ride back to the hotel. After I get through the hotel door I head straight to one of the beds and sit on it. I take off my hat, jacket and shoes before lying down and falling asleep straight away.

The next thing I hear is someone knocking on the hotel door. I groan and run a hand through my hair as I sit up. Plenty of light is shining through the window despite the drapes, but I still feel groggy as if I hadn't gotten enough sleep. “Go away, we don't want room service right now.” I mutter as I shuffle over towards the door. When I peer through the peephole there isn't a maid on the other, but there is a woman. She's got black hair bound into a ponytail and has a mole underneath her right eye. Her chin narrows to a point and she's wearing a dark green leather jacket and black pants. Most telling of all is the fact that she has a pistol holstered on her right hip. I glance towards the still sleeping Asami when there's a second, more insistent, knocking. I go over to my coat and grab the pistol that Asami gave me before returning to the door and opening it a few centimeters. “Can I help you?”

The woman turned her head towards her right and beckons to someone standing out of sight. A second later and the bank manager steps into view and he peers through the crack. “Yup, that's one of them.”

My hand tightens on my gun and I tense up, anticipating that bullets might be about to start flying. It can't be a coincidence this guy is showing up the morning right after we broke into his bank. The woman's hands stay away from her gun and she stays relaxed. “That'll be all then. Go back to the bank. I'll stop by later to see the damage.”

Her attention makes its way back to me. “Are you Korra or Asami?”

“...Korra.”

“My name is Kuvira and my employer would like to speak with you. How long do you think it'll take you to get ready?”

“Thanks anyway, but maybe another time.” I say while starting to close the door.

Kuvira sticks her hand out and pushes back against the door to keep it from shutting. “I'm afraid I'll have to insist.”

Her voice is still polite, but there's a definite edge to it now. By now it's clear this woman isn't a cop, but she's definitely not a civilian either. That holster of hers is broken in and there's a confidence to the way she carries herself that's more than just the swagger a gun can give a person. It's also clear that she's not going to take no for an answer. I'm still kinda sleepy, but now that I'm thinking about it dawns on me that maybe I should be saying yes. If Kuvira can order an important bank manager around then the person that she works for must be someone high up on the food chain. “Give us an hour. We need to shower and eat.”

Kuvira removes her hand from the door and steps back as I close it. When I turn around Asami's standing a couple of meters behind me, her arms folded across her chest. “So she wants to meet, does she? Saves me the trouble of figuring out a way to get in touch with her myself. You can go shower first. There's some shower shoes in the bathroom that you can use. I'll get us some food in the meantime.”

I frown to myself as I head to the shower. Can’t say I’m surprised that Asami already knows who the person summoning us is. It does sting that she’s not sharing that information, however. I thought by this point she’d be willing to confide in me, but maybe she’s gotten too used to keeping secrets or maybe she has another reason to not tell me. I have no idea what that might be and it doesn’t matter. I’ll find out who this mystery person is soon enough.

When I get out of the shower there's a large plate of bagels along with some ramekins of honey, butter and jam sitting on the table. “It's not much, but it'll do since we're short on time.” Asami says as she passes by me on her way towards the shower. Gourmet bagels with fresh butter and honey for breakfast is her idea of not much. Sure beats my idea of not much, namely nothing except a belt pulled tight and I definitely know which of the two I prefer.

After we're done showering, eating and dressing it's time to go. Kuvira's still out there, but she's standing a couple of meters away from our door instead of over by the elevators like the Dai Li had been. Seems Asami and me are the popular girls in town since this is the second time in as many days that someone's been keeping an eye on our hotel door. There's a jeep in the parking lot and Asami and I hop into the backseats while Kuvira gets behind the wheel. During the trip something occurs to me as I observe our driver. Kuvira's roughly my height and we have similar builds. Her gun even kinda looks like mine and she apparently works for a powerful woman. It's not entirely clear to me what Kuvira's role is yet, but it seems that her position is comparable to the one Asami's grooming me for. If I keep walking this path then this woman behind the wheel could be me. It's a thought I'll have to think about later though since we're here now.

In front of me is a pair of doors and above them it is a boar with wings carved out of green rock and painted white. Kuvira gets out of the jeep and opens one of the doors, waiting until Asami and me have entered before following us in. I can still recall my trip to the Sato estate in vivid detail. Their buildings were capped in bronze, there was a race track out back and that garage was full of cars, each one costing more than I could ever save up. At the time I thought the Satos were the richest people I would ever meet, but I see now that I was wrong. The Sato's are what some would call 'new money' and all those gaudy displays are Hiroshi trying to show off how much money he's made in the last thirty years. This place I'm walking into belongs to someone from a different category. Someone whose wealth was earned long ago. It's been passed down from generation to generation, each building on their predecessor's gains and passing their accumulations to the next. Old money.

I can see multiple buildings with roofs covered in dark tile at the far end of the estate, but my attention is quickly diverted to my surroundings. Paths of smooth bricks cut through immaculately cut green lawns speckled with dozens of trees and bushes with roses that have yet to blossom. Off to my right is a small open air pagoda atop a raised concrete floor. A woman with a book in her hands is sitting at a table in the middle of the pagoda. Kuvira walks by me as she heads straight towards it and a second later Asami and I follow her. Once we get closer the woman stands and turns towards us and my steps falter when I see her face.

There's a story every cop working the beat and Triad member in Republic City has heard. It's told to rookies in cop cars and across dinner tables at the Triad's favorite haunts. I heard it my first day as a private eye. The story varies depending on whose telling it, but they all have a couple of things in common. There's always at least two people, Lin Beifong, and the sister she tried to arrest. The other is that Lin comes away with a vicious scar on her cheek that she bears to this day. Nobody knows if it's true and no one wants to find out because that means going head to head with a Chief of Police who also happens to be the hardest person in the city. I've never believed the stories myself. Up until now, that is. The woman I'm looking at has the same gray hair and the same green eyes as Lin. She's the sister in all those stories.

Kuvira stops short of the patio and she points her palm towards me then Asami. “Allow me to introduce Korra and Asami of Republic City.” Afterwards she takes a few steps back and folds her hands behind her back as she spreads her feet wide. It's the stance of a soldier at ease, but her hand isn't far from the gun on her hip and Kuvira's gaze remains intently fixed on Asami and me.

“Thank you, Kuvira.” The older woman waves at the chairs opposite her across the table as she speaks to us. Her voice is softer and more pleasant than what I was expecting considering how angry Lin sounded during the time we met. “Please have a seat. I apologize for not sending you a proper invitation, but I felt it was best to speak to you as quickly as possible.”

“That's not a problem, Mrs. Beifong.” Asami replies, polite as I've ever heard her, as she steps up onto the pagoda and seats herself. “It's an honor to speak with such an esteemed citizen of Gaoling.”

“Now, now, that's much too formal. Suyin will do just fine.”

“As you wish.” Asami quickly replies as I join the other two women on the pagoda. “What can we do for you, Suyin?”

Suyin waits until I've sat down before doing so herself. “A good question and to be honest I'm not really sure. It's not every day someone shows up in Gaoling and starts throwing around the name Future Industries. Then last night someone breaks into our most important bank, but doesn't take anything. Later that same night a pair of suspected Dai Li agents are found dead in an alley along with a third person that hasn't been identified yet.” She fixes both of us with a baleful gaze and suddenly she sounds as harsh as her sister did. “Who are you really and what are you doing in my city?”

It's moments like these that I'm glad I don't have to come up with a good answer because I don't have one. Asami, on the other hand, does. “Your information is correct, but with one notable exception. My name isn't just Asami, it's Asami Sato and my father is Hiroshi Sato. If you're not sure whether to believe me then I can provide you his private phone numbers and you can call him yourself.”

The anger in Suyin's eyes slowly abates and she rubs at her chin while considering the statement. “You're Hiroshi Sato's daughter, you say? How very interesting. Let's say I believe you for the moment. What brings you to Gaoling after your visit to Ba Sing Se? I don't suppose you brought that flying machine of yours here did you?“

Asami doesn't react, at least not visibly, but Suyin sees the surprise on my face and she chuckles. “Yes, I know about that. A mysterious object in the sky above a city as large as Ba Sing Se doesn't go unnoticed and I have friends in Ba Sing Se who keep me informed of things like that. Now then, Asami, what brings you to Gaoling?”

“You've heard the news that Fire Lord Azula stepped down a couple of months ago, I trust? Well then I'm sure a leader as astute as you must be aware another war is coming and the Earth Kingdom isn't what it once was. Republic City, Gaoling, Ba Sing Se... none of us are strong enough to stand alone against the Fire Nation. Our only chance of survival is if we fight together.”

“Is it?” Suyin pointedly asks after a moment's silence. “Gaoling didn't resist during the Hundred-Year War and we fared better than the rest of the Earth Kingdom. We bought them off last time and we can do it again if needs be.”

“Are you sure about that?” I reply, resisting the urge to stand up and shout. Anger won't get me anywhere with a Beifong. She'll just get mad herself and that won't accomplish anything. “Azula spent years purging anyone who showed even a hint of less than absolute obedience to her and her son. The Fire Nation is more fanatical than ever and they won't leave you alone this time.”

Suyin gives me an inscrutable look, but doesn't say anything. A moment later she stands up and walks to the edge of the pagoda. She clasps her hands behind her back as she stares at the buildings on the other side of the estate. Finally she twists at the waist back towards us while pointing with one finger. “I was born in that building there and so was my mother and her mother as well. The Beifong's have lived in this estate for hundreds of years and in all that time we've learned a very valuable lesson. Nothing is more important than family.”

Suyin turns all the way around and looks me in the eye then does the same to Asami. “My mother is here, my husband is here and so are my children. However there is a member of family who's not here. If you want Gaoling to fight alongside Republic City then all you have to do is convince my sister that it's finally time for us to talk.”

Are people ever going to stop making me run errands for them? I don't even know why I'm bothering to ask myself that since I already know the answer.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

After the death of Fire Lord Ozai the colonies established by the Fire Nation on conquered Earth Kingdom territory found themselves in a dilemma. They had committed the ultimate act of treason and under ordinary circumstances that would have warranted a swift and bloody reprisal from Ozai's heir. It didn't come because the Fire Nation was tearing itself apart as the half loyal to Prince Zuko was preoccupied with trying to kill the half who had declared Princess Azula Fire Lord and vice versa. At the same time the Earth Kingdom was in the very beginning of picking up the pieces that had fallen during a century of war. As such the colonies found themselves very much on their own and without a monarch ruling over them the people were free to decide how they were governed themselves. That was how the United Republic came into being. It was the world's first democracy and its citizens got vote for who they wanted to lead them. I've voted in some of those elections myself. Some of the candidates I supported won and some of them lost. I'm not upset by that because that's how democracy works. The thing of it is that it's a lie. I've gotten a chance to look behind the curtain and now I understand that it's not a what, it's a who that decides the course of history. It's not Republic City and its elections that matter. It's not Gaoling or Ba Sing Se or the animosity between the Beifong family and Hou-Ting. It's not the Fire Lord's dreams of conquest. The fate of the world hinges on a pair of feuding sisters. That's what it all comes down to. Get Lin and Suyin Beifong to make up after thirty years or the Fire Nation will conquer everything. It's the most ridiculous and hilarious thing I've ever heard, but I can't laugh. Not that I want to because I'm pretty sure I'd start crying at the sheer insanity of it all if I did. Is this really how the world is run? There's nearly a hundred million people in this world and none of them matter. Their votes, their dreams, their desires, their fears, everything they say and do, it's all irrelevant. The outcome of the next war depends on the actions of two people. Asami and me. But maybe it's not that bad after all. If I hadn't met Asami then I would've continued going about my mundane life, ignorant of how inconsequential it was. I can't say I like what I've learned, but at least this way I have a chance to make a difference. There's just one slight problem, however. I know what I'm supposed to do, but I don't have any idea how. How am I supposed to get the most stubborn, and hardheaded person in Republic City to reconcile with her sister after thirty years of not speaking to each other? Fortunately for me it's a long drive to Republic City and I have plenty of time to try and come up with a solution. Asami doesn't head for the highway, however. Instead she takes a right turn and a few moments later we're back in front of the hotel. “What are we doing here?” “Well, we never checked out so we gotta do that.” Asami says with a crooked grin that makes my heart skip a beat. “But more importantly there's some loose ends we have to tie up before we head back to Republic City.” Mako and Bolin turn towards the door when Asami and I walk through it. “It's about damn time.” Mako gripes as I shut the door behind me. “Do you have it?” “Do we have it?” I ask, unsure of what he's referring to. “The money! Do you have it!?” Asami steps forward and lightly pushes at me with her fingertips, guiding me to the side and a step behind her. “No, we don't.” Mako's mouth silently forms an 'o' and for a few seconds he rather resembles a fish whose just been reeled in and then he throws his hands up in the air. “What!? Why the hell not? Did you already pay the Dai Li off or something?” “No.” Asami says again as she shakes her head. “We didn't take any money from the bank.” It takes a couple of seconds for that to register and then furrows start showing up in Mako's brow and he's clenching his fists at his side as he takes a step forward. I'm faster though and my gun is out of my pocket and in my hand as I aim it at him. “Ah, ah, ah, let's not do anything stupid here, Mako. How about you sit down?” Mako glowers at me, but he takes a seat at the table nonetheless. After he does so I sneak a glance at the other brother. Bolin doesn't look angry in the slightest. If anything, he looks like a whipped puppy the way his shoulders are slumped while he stares at the floor. I can't help but empathize with how he must be feeling. There was a time when the only conflict between us was when we sparred in the ring. Now here we are as I pull a gun on them yet again. It's not something I relish, but I'm not about to give Mako another chance to hurt Asami. “So what now? Are we supposed to just wait for the Dai Li to come kill us?” Mako's voice is tinged with scorn and he laughs bitterly as if resigning himself to something inevitable. “They're dead.” “What?” Bolin raises his gaze from the floor, suddenly looking hopeful at Asami's declaration. “So is it over then?” “Not quite. The Dai Li here might be no more, but it won't take more than a day or two for their superiors to realize something's wrong and send more in their place.” Asami saunters over to one of the armchairs in the room and sits down in it. “There's also the matter of our little adventure yesterday. The police are investigating right now and sooner or later they'll discover what happened to the generator if they haven't already. The people working at the bank saw your face, Mako, and they'll be able to describe you to a police sketch artist. After that, the only question is who finds you first.” I've heard this speech before. It's the one Asami gave me in Republic City even if the words have changed. You're stuck in a predicament that I've created and it's going to end badly for you, but... “That's what will happen if you stay in Gaoling, but there's another option for you. Korra and I have spoken to the leader of this town and she's given us a task that'll wipe our slates clean. How would you feel about taking a trip back to Republic City?” Mako's face blanches so badly that I think we might need to call him an ambulance. “Back... to Republic City? No way, absolutely not. Bolin and I can't go back there.” “Because you're afraid of what the Triple Threats would do if they saw you? I suppose I can't blame you for that. They don't take kindly to people who try to leave the gang.” Mako's face has been covered in a mix of suprise and anger since we walked in, but now there's a different emotion on his face. Fear. It's plain as day to everyone in the room, but Asami's going to draw the wrong conclusion from it. Mako's afraid of the Triple Threats for a different reason than she thinks. He's afraid of them because Bolin's a rat and rats have a way of ending up dead in grisly fashions meant to dissuade anyone else from becoming a rat themselves. That's more to it than that though. Mako's trapped. The Dai Li, the cops here in Gaoling, the Triple Threats, Asami herself. Any move he could make will take him closer to an enemy. “I'm not going to make you risk your lives for nothing though, Mako. You help us with this task and I'll see to it that you and your brother are relocated somewhere the Triads can never find you and you can start new lives.” Mako stares blankly at Asami and he doesn't respond. Not that he needs to say anything since a person who's drowning will grab onto anything that might keep them afloat. Two has become four.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Republic City. It was a place all four of us called home at one point and now it's a place that's decidedly dangerous for three of us. I'm wanted for murder while Bolin and Mako will get murdered if the Triple Threats or one of their associates sees them. It feels strange coming back here after everything that's happened. When I left this city I was sure that I would never come back and I think the brothers felt the same way. Yet here we are, in the city of towering steel and glass, once again.

As our car makes its way over the city limits I sink down in my seat and pull my hat over my face, acting as if I'm sleeping. I don't know how far my portrait has spread, but I'd rather not take the chance of being recognized even if it's a small one. The drive goes by without incident and before too long we're idling in front of a hotel. Asami pulls a key out of her pocket and turns towards the rear seats. "You can stay here while Korra and I take care of another matter. The room number's on the key. If you get hungry then you can order food from the kitchen."

Mako takes the key and the brothers get out of the car and head towards the building. One of the doormen starts moving to intercept them, but Asami rolls her window down and whistles. He looks towards the car then backs off and lets the brothers in once he sees Asami behind the wheel. She changes gears and heads back onto the road. After a couple of minutes it's clear to me where we're going and I'm half tempted to jump out of the car, but that would be a bad idea considering how fast Asami is taking all these curves in the road. This speed would be enough to make me uneasy, but Asami has an unusually worried expression on her face and I'm not sure why. Eventually she slows down and rolls up in front of the metal gate that blocks off the entrance to the Sato estate. Asami presses the button on the call-box. "It's me."

The gate silently rolls open and we head inside and Asami parks the car at the end of the driveway. Being back in Republic City was strange enough and this is the icing on the cake. This was the place where all of this started, where I met Asami and my life got flipped on its head. I guess I've come full circle, but there's still a long ways to go no matter what happens. The first step is following that dark-haired beauty up the stairs and into the building. Normally Asami's not one to dally, but she's dragging her steps as we walk through the hallways. Finally we come to a door and she knocks on it.

"Come in."

Her father is seated behind a heavy wooden desk as he examines some kind of schematic when Asami opens the door and we step inside. He smiles at his daughter then his eyes flicker towards me and he freezes, shock written all over his face. There's a brief moment where the two of us stare at each other and then he regains control of himself. "Hello, Korra. It's a pleasure to see you again. I hate to be a rude host, but would you mind stepping outside for a minute?"

"Not a problem."

I shut the door and then the yelling starts. The heavy door muffles almost all of it, but at one point I make out a few of Asami's words. "-be useful to us!"

Ever since I met Asami I've been trying to understand this woman and the games she plays. Now it all finally makes sense. The look on Hiroshi's face was the last piece of the puzzle. He was shocked because he didn't expect to see me. Because I'm not supposed to still be among the living. Right after Asami killed Yawno she said that that the plan was for her to kill me as well. Except she chose to spare me and that makes me the loose end that could ruin everything. That's why Asami has been trying to bring me into the fold, it's the only way to protect the plan and keep me alive. Now that I'm here it dawns on me that Asami's never been alone in this or even the one who's really in charge. That would be her father. Right now they're arguing over me and my life is on the line once again. I don't know if her father is as weak to her charm as I am, but if she can't persuade him then I won't be walking out of here.

Eventually Asami opens the door and she gives me a relieved looking smile. "Come have a seat, Korra."

There's a smile on her father's face as well, but it's decidedly strained and his collar looks like he's been tugging at it. He waits until Asami and I have sat down before speaking. "So, my daughter tells me you've started working for her now, Korra."

"Yes sir, I suppose that I have."

"Why?"

"I'm sorry?"

Hiroshi shifts his weight and he takes a moment to remove those glasses of his and wipe them with his handkerchief before responding to my confused question. "Why are you working for my daughter? Asami has informed me that you've been made aware of what our goals are and how we plan to achieve them. Normally I trust my daughters judgment, but I can't help but wonder why you would want to assist us despite knowing we planned to kill you at one time."

There's more than one way to answer that question, but I'm pretty sure Hiroshi doesn't want to hear his daughter is a siren and that I've been hooked by her spell since the first time I laid eyes on her. "Because I agree with what you're doing. The Triads need to be dealt with and I don't want to live in a world ruled by the Fire Nation."

"Tell me, Korra. Do you think a war with the Fire Nation is winnable?"

I grimace and shake my head. "If they invaded today I think they'd win. Even if we get Gaoling to fight with us that's two cities against the entire Fire Nation so we're outnumbered by a lot. Those airplanes of yours would help if you had more of them, but I don't think it'll be enough to make up the difference."

The two Sato's exchange a glance and Asami shrugs. "You already know what I think." Hiroshi studies his glasses a little too attentively before putting them back on. "Come with us, Korra. We have something to show you."

All three of us stand up and head out of the office. Hiroshi takes the lead and Asami falls in beside me as we start walking down the hallway. All of a sudden I feel a hand give my rear a firm squeeze and I jump a little then turn my head to raise an eyebrow at Asami. She just smiles innocently and leans closer to whisper into my ear. “Looks like you passed. Welcome to the game.”

We wind our way through the halls then through a door that opens out to the rear of the estate. There's a small building in front of us and Hiroshi heads straight for it. There's some tools and tables in here, but nothing that seems to have been used in a while. Hiroshi ignores all of it and heads for a flat section of the rear wall. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a key which he sticks into a crack and turns. Part of the wall slides to the side and a wave of cold air hits me in the face as it rushes outwards from a tunnel that stretches off into the distance. There's a jeep sitting there and we all get in.

It's hard to say just how long this tunnel is since I don't have anything to look at except for stone walls that have just enough room between them to let this car through. There's no light other than the ones on the front of Hiroshi's car and those only light up the passageway in front of us. They don't do much to illuminate the inside of the car, a fact Asami's taking advantage of since there's a hand resting on my thigh. Normally I'd be enjoying her touch, but her father's a short distance away and him finding out about this thing between Asami and me isn't something I want to deal with at the moment. Even so, I don't stop her. I just hope she'll move her hand before Hiroshi has a chance to notice.

After a few minutes I can see light in the distance and we emerge from the tunnel into a cavernous room. My head turns one way then the other as I look around after getting out of the jeep. There's multiple cars, in various states of assembly, all over the place as well as engine blocks held aloft by steel chains attached to hoists. A few workers are present, but the place is largely devoid of people. “Where are we, Asami?”

“This is my experimental factory. It's where all of Future Industries prototypes are built and stress tested before we send the finished design out to the other factories to be manufactured.” Hiroshi explains. “Come, it's over here.” He leads me and Asami towards a large object covered in a tarp which he pulls off.

At first glance it looks like a brick that's melted under the sun and is now a misshapen lump of olive green metal. The thing has rounded ends that are identical in shape, but one points up into the air while the other lies flat on the ground. The side that I can see consists of multiple sections of steel that have been riveted together. More telling than that is a stubby barrel mounted to a cylinder that appears capable of pointing towards either end of what I’m pretty sure is some kind of vehicle. Additionally there are two smaller barrels, one on the upraised end and one in the middle located next to the cylinder and the other side appears identical when I walk around to look. Lastly there’s a row of metal plates welded together running along the edges of the thing, almost like a bike chain albeit much, much larger.

This is the second time I’ve seen an invention of the Sato’s, but this thing has almost nothing in common with their airplane aside from who created both of them. At first glance the airplane seemed an ungainly machine, but being able to soar through the skies was both awe-inspiring and terrifying at the same time. This machine in front of me is just terrifying. I can see the potential applications of an airplane, but this machine only has one. Death.

“W-what do you call this thing, Mr. Sato?”

Hiroshi looks more than a little satisfied at the tremor in my voice. “We weren’t quite sure at first, but one of the engineering teams started calling it ‘the tank’ and it’s stuck.”

I look back at the tank and shiver involuntarily at the thought of a hundred or even a thousand of these things on the battlefield. Now I get what Hiroshi is really trying to show me. He knows the Fire Nation will have greater numbers, but he’s already taken steps towards nullifying that advantage. The tanks won’t be enough on their own, however. We need Gaoling and getting them involves a certain Police Chief. I guess it's my turn now.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The entire time while we were driving back to Republic City I had a single question on my mind. How am I supposed to get Lin Beifong to talk to her sister? How in the world do I get a perpetually angry and bitter hard-ass to break a thirty year long streak of not speaking to her family?

I don't have any siblings so my experience with this particular sort of family dispute is non-existent. The only idea I've been able to come up with is tying her up, throwing her in the trunk and driving her all the way to Gaoling. Kidnapping might a be viable option except for the minor detail that Lin is the Chief of Police. She's literally surrounded by hundreds of cops whenever she's at work and she probably sleeps with a shotgun under her pillow in case anyone gets the bright idea of breaking into her house. There is an opening though, Lin driving to and from the station. Thing is that I don't know what hours she works, where she lives or what route she takes. The only ways would be to ask someone who might know, aka a cop, or to hang around outside the station where Lin works until she leaves. There's a little issue with both of those options, namely that my gun being found at a murder scene makes me being near cops a bad idea.

I need to find out when Lin arrives in the morning and when she leaves in the evening and what direction she comes from and heads in. To do that I need someone whose presence won’t seem out of place and someone who’d be willing to keep an eye on the doors to the police’s headquarters. The answer to both can be found on every street corner, outside every grocers and other places where people go to part with their money. Newsies. Most are teenagers, but some are boys of ten and a few are even younger than that. They lug parcels bound in twine with them and cry out to passersby in order to sell the news of the day. It’s a rough gig, standing outside in the cold of morning and evening, but they’ll still do it in hopes of making a yuan or two a week if they sell their entire parcel. Not all of them do. I’d handle this myself, but it’s not safe. Asami won’t have a problem finding a scrawny lad in need of some extra hot meals who’ll do it for us. All she needs to do to convince them is wear a warm smile and cross their palms with a few yuans.

Asami's bribe doesn't bear fruit until the following day. I got the time, direction and the newsie even made note of what kind, and color, of vehicle Lin drives. Now all I have to do is tail her and look for an opening where I can force a meeting. I'm alone behind the wheel when Lin's black vehicle passes me on the street and I pull out after another couple of cars go by. Best to keep some distance between us. Lin takes a few turns, but I don't have any problem keeping her in sight for a few minutes and soon we've ended up on the highway. Right now it's starting to get congested because it's rush hour, but that doesn't stop Lin from speeding up and beginning to weave in and out of traffic. I frown at her reckless driving, but if I want to keep her in sight then I have to do the same thing. We blow by the other cars and then Lin moves to the shoulder, hits her brakes and turns around before heading the wrong way up an entrance ramp.

A half-spoken, half-growled curse exits my mouth as I mirror the chief's maneuver and start heading up the ramp as well. The drivers heading the right way are laying on their horns at the both of us, but there's no time for me to worry about them. Lin's obviously spotted me which is why her car's pulling onto the grass. She gets out, pistol in hand and hurriedly takes cover behind the front of the vehicle. I pull off the road and park my car before getting out myself and keep my hands in the air. “Don't shoot! I'm just here to talk!”

Lin sneaks a glance over the top of the hood and after a few seconds she stands up and comes out from behind the car. “...Korra? I thought you had enough sense in that thick skull of yours to skip town. Now you're following

me

? You really are an idiot, aren't you?”

Exchanging insults with Lin isn't going to accomplish anything other than distracting me from why I'm doing this. “Suyin-”

The scorn on Lin's face flies away and she gapes at me as if seeing a ghost before cutting me off. “How do you know that name!?”

“It's a long story and it doesn't matter. What does is that she wants to talk to you.”

The barrel of Lin's gun begins to waver as her hand shakes and then it goes still as the chief regains control of herself. “Does she? Too bad, because I don't give a damn what she wants.” Lin sneers. “If she really wanted to talk to me then she could come here herself. Instead she uses a halfwit lackey. Do you think she knows that she sent a wanted woman after me?”

“No, she doesn't, but I don't think she'd care anymore than you do. Who was it that got shot, huh? One of the Triple Threats? Let me tell you something. Yawno’s a good-for-nothing thieving and murdering bastard. You should be thanking whoever shot him since they did your job for you!”

"You puffed up snot-nosed-brat! You think because you're a PI that you can do a cop's job? You're just a thug with a gun who wouldn't last a day working the beat."

"Is that right? Well, let's bet on it then. Give me a case you haven't solved and three days. When I crack it then you go visit your sister."

"And if you don't?" Lin asks with a sneer on her face.

"Then I turn myself in."

This isn't a great plan. I don't need anyone to tell me that, but it's the best I can manage under the circumstances. She's too stubborn for conventional methods to work. I can't talk her into it and all of Asami's money wouldn't be enough to bribe this woman. If I try to kidnap Lin then she'd fight back and do her damndest to escape and/or kill me on the long trip to Gaoling. My best, and only, shot is to dangle something she's wanted for a long time. Me in prison.

"Deal. That gym where we picked you up, the Triple Threats were using it to launder their money. I don't know how, but I know you're the reason we weren't able to pick up the guy who ran it and he tipped off his boss. We've turned over every rock and pushed all of our sources, but we haven't been able to find Shady Shin anywhere. The only thing we know is that he's still in the city and waiting for the heat to die down."

As I head back to my car I can barely stop myself from smirking at the situation. Lin thinks she's given me an impossible task and is reveling in the thought of me going to prison. Thing is, I don't need to do any legwork on this. I already know someone who can tell me where the subject of my search is hiding. “You’re looking for... Shin?” Mako looks stunned and I can’t blame him. Of all the things I possibly could have asked for that would have been his last guess, or mine if I was in his shoes.

“That’s right. He’s gone underground since your gym got raided and I need to know where. Shin recruited both of you and he was your boss. He must have said something about having a hidey hole or a lovenest or something like that.”

Mako's eyes flick away from me and he visibly hesitates. Up until now I haven't been reading him correctly I realize. Bolin was the one who snitched to the police, not Mako. Mako is still loyal to the Triple Threats despite the fact they'd kill him for what his brother did. If I want to find Shady Shin then I have to find a way to convince him to commit the most grievous, to a gangster, sin there is. I have to get him to be a rat. My fingers twitch and my right hand brushes against the pocket where I keep my gun, a fact Mako notices. "Is this where you threaten to shoot me, Korra? If you keep pulling a gun on me and not pulling the trigger I'm gonna stop taking you seriously."

I believe him so that means it's time to play another card. "You remember what Asami said? If you help us then you get to start over. You tell me where Shin is and I'll make sure Asami keeps that promise. This isn't just your chance to save yourself, it's also your only chance to save Bolin."

An hour later and I'm in one of the suburbs. The houses here all look pretty much the same to me and so do their lawns. I am surprised though. You'd think all of the occupants out here would be a bunch of accountants or something equally as boring, but that's not the case. One of them happens to be a member of the largest and most vicious gang in Republic City. Maybe that's the point since no one would ever expect think to look for a made man out here.

The front door is locked and the deadbolt looks like I can't force it open. I head around the side of the building until I come across a window that can be opened. I give it a gentle nudge upwards and it slides a little before the lock stops it. I brace myself against the ground and shove upwards with both hands until the flimsy lock cracks and gives way. After the window opens I pause and listen for any kind of reaction, but there's only silence so I climb inside.

The search of my target is in the kitchen, a sheet of uncooked pastries in his hands. He comes to a halt in the middle of inserting them into the oven as he stares at me in shock. It's been two years since I've seen this man and suddenly old memories are returning and with them comes a realization. In recent days I've been thinking that my meeting with the Satos was where things went wrong, but that's not true. My first days in Republic City were rough and the nights were worse, but I persevered. I found work along with somewhere I could sleep with a roof over my head. I had made some friends and I think I might even have been starting to fall in love. Then Shady Shin walked in the door and I lost it all. That wasn't enough for him and he made me an offer that I had decided to accept. I had even taken the time to go see the room and bed where I'd be working. In the days and months and years since then I've tried to come to terms with the fact I was about to start making a living by lying down on my back. I was going to be a whore. I've tried to convince myself that I would have enjoyed the work. That's a lie. I may have been willing, but I would have detested every second of letting strangers gratify themselves with my every part of my body. My life didn't go wrong when I met the Satos. It went wrong when I met Shady Shin.

There's a gun in my hand.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Murder, slaughter, butcher, kill, execute, annihilate, decimate, obliterate, exterminate, eradicate, eliminate, destroy, wipe out, take care of, get rid of, deal with, whack, hit or any other slang a person might favor. It's a peculiar thing. Murder is considered the most terrible crime an individual can commit, an act that can't be undone. The fact that we have so many words for that act says something to me.

People think that killing is hard, but I've learned that isn't true The act of killing another person is so much easier than you'd think. All it took me was squeezing a lever a few times. Anyone can do that. The hard part is getting to the point where you're willing to cross that line. Where you can look at another human being and be willing to remove them from this world. It's also said that people can feel guilty and have a hard time coping with their choice. Maybe it's true, maybe it's fiction, but I do know that I don't feel bad in the slightest about what I've done. This world is a better place without Shady Shin among the living. It'll be even better off without his compatriots as well. There'll be time for that later. I have a more pressing issue to handle at the moment.

A pair of headlights pierce the darkness surrounding this empty factory parking lot. During the day this factory is full of heat and light, but now the forges are cold and there's no one around. The incoming car drives up besides mine and Lin gets out as I tug at my gloves. "The newsie gave me your message. So what do you want? Giving up already? It's only been one day, but maybe you are smart enough to realize you'd never find Shin."

I don't respond, just walk around to the back of my car and open the trunk. Lin walks up and looks into the trunk for a moment then she flicks her hand so it’s pointing at what’s inside. “What the hell is this? I told you to find Shady Shin, not kill him.”"He tried to jump me after I tracked him down so I didn't have any choice, but it doesn't matter. What would you have done if I had brought him to you? Arrest him? All the judges in Republic City are in the Triple Threats pocket. He'd just cut a deal, pay a fine and be back out on the streets within a week. It's better this way because now he can't hurt anyone again. Now then, I've kept my end of the bargain so it's time for you to take a trip to Gaoling."

Lin turns partly towards her car, before hesitating and rotating back towards me. For once she doesn't sound annoyed, if anything there's a grudging curiosity present. "Why do you want me to talk to my sister so badly? My family's none of your business yet you're risking prison over something that doesn't concern you."

"You're right, I don't care about you and your sister's squabble." I bluntly admit. "But the fact is that it's only a matter of time until the Fire Nation invades the Earth Kingdom again. Suyin agreed to an alliance between Republic City and Gaoling, but only if you spoke to her so I'm here to make it happen."

The next thing I know Lin's shutting her car door and driving off the way she come. I'm not worried that she won't keep up her end of the bargain. She might hate me and be full of rage, but Lin has a reputation of being true to her word. I'm feeling kinda torn right now. Part of me doesn't want to be anywhere nearby when Lin and Suyin finally start talking, but another part of me thinks it'd be an entertaining show as long I make sure to duck when things start flying. However there's a more important aspect to this than Beifong family drama. I've solved another of our problems.

Asami's talked about wanting me to lead this group of vigilantes against the Triads. The idea isn't without appeal, but it's not a good one. I don't have the expertise to train them how to hunt down criminals and I don't have any experience in leading groups of people. I know who does though. Lin Beifong. She could have arrested me on charges of murdering Yawno, but she didn't. There's a dead body in the trunk of my car that I admitted to creating and she did nothing. Getting the chief on our side helps me out too since she can make sure my case gets buried and forgotten. I'm also kinda curious about would what happen if Lin wasn't shackled by the limitations of the law and she was able to unleash her full wrath on the criminal underworld.

When Lin's headlights disappear from view I turn towards the trunk of my car. I grab hold of one end of the rug Shin is wrapped up in, drag it out and unceremoniously dump it onto the ground. That finishes this piece of business. Now it's time to take care of another.

Asami's all alone in her penthouse when I enter. She's wearing a white cotton robe and her hair looks shiny as if she recently washed it. I take off my hat and jacket and hang them on the rack then slip out of my shoes. As I walk forward my gaze sweeps the apartment before I sit down on the stool next to the one she's on. "I take it Bolin and Mako are gone?" She nods and I gaze at my reflection in the glass windows of the cupboard. I suppose I should feel sad or regretful knowing that, but honestly I said goodbye to my friends a long time ago. I just hadn't realized it until now.

Asami's hand settles onto my thigh and I turn my head to see she's biting her lip as she stares hungrily at me. "Care for a drink, Korra?"

"Maybe. I have a question for you."

"Shoot."

There's no reason to beat around the bush so I get right to the point. "I've slept with you twice since I've started doing your dirty work, but I don't understand what this is. Am I just a pawn to you or is there actually something more on your end?"

The eager expression on Asami's face vanishes and she pulls her hand back with a sad sigh. "So we're having this conversation now, are we? Well, the answer to your question is yes. I like you, Korra, really I do, but it's not that simple. You know the stakes of the game we're playing. A single misstep could cost us everything and there's no prize for second place. A person in my position can't appear to have weaknesses and wanting you at my side is mine."

There it is. Hidden deep behind all the heart-stopping smiles and sly schemes is a heart even if it's as black as red. Turns out Asami Sato is human, after all. That answers how she feels about me, so now I suppose I have to ask myself that same question. Do I love this woman?

No.

If I ask myself that again in a year then there's a chance that I'll have a different answer and that brings out an emotion that I've forgotten. It's what led me onto the ship that took me out of the South. It's what brought me to Republic City in the first place. Hope. Maybe that's all I really need to survive in this harsh world. That and someone to share it with even if taking this path means there's violence and death up ahead. I get up off my stool and make my way behind the bar to where the spirits are kept. "What's your fancy?"

I already know the answer to that question, but I still want to hear her say it."You."