Book I, Act V: Elementary (3/3), Chapter III

Edited by: Bieverdog AO3: GalavantingGoose

Book I, Imbalance

Act V: Elementary, Part III

Chapter III:

The soldier had turned the clinic into a briefing room. He had splayed on a bed, having brought with him some of the evidence found. Maps with notes detailing ambushes and escape routes, official documents, and even some authorized by himself were laid on the clinic's bed as both Zuko and Mai went over them in disbelief. It unsettled him more that Tegakari's artifact was missing, for there was no mention of it, nor was there reference to it in all of the evidence.

"This conspiracy runs deeper than we imagined, Fire Lord. This man was the link to all of them. He had been operating in the Fire Nation since the day you took office, gathering information, and preparing. He had access to all of our patrol routes, your schedules, everything. I wouldn't be surprised if he knew what you had for breakfast."

"How did he even get that information?"

"We are still trying to find out exactly who; but undoubtedly, we must be dealing with another traitor, I'm afraid."

"What about the contraption, or weapon, I mentioned before?"

"This is most of what we found. If we had seen that device I would have brought it to you. Nevertheless, he wasn't kidding about his 'patron.' I suggest you close all access points into and out of the capital until we find out exactly who. With anyone possessing this kind of information, it is just a matter of time before another mercenary shows up to continue his work. We have to flush the traitor out."

Mai crossed her arms, giving him a rare, worried gaze, uncharacteristic of her. "I don't know, Zuko; you would send the city into panic… How long can the city last without supplies?"

The soldier looked up in consideration. "If we ration the food, I'd say a week and a half; should be enough though."

Zuko snorted. "A week and a half?"

"Winter rations, sir. We had a bad harvest, or so I hear. Giving some of it to the Earth Kingdom didn't help either."

He shaked his head. "We cannot risk it. If we don't find out in time..."

"There might be another way… Why don't we ask the mercenary?"

Zuko was surprised at the mere suggestion. It irritated him more that Mak had discussed what the prisoner had said. "And let that murderer out? No, there has to be another way."

Mai held his shoulder. "You don't have to let him out; you just have to trick him into thinking you will."

"It's worth a try…"

Zuko turned around to peruse the evidence again. He closed his eyes and sighed. What else can we do? "If the traitor isn't found by tonight, close all access points to the city, set up a curfew, and prepare the rations."

The soldier left with his orders while Zuko prepared to leave again.

Mai touched his arm and eyed him seriously. "You must be careful, Zuko. When someone feels cornered, they become more dangerous."

"I will. You take care of yourself; if you can lock yourself in here, all the better. I'll send some guards to the clinic."

She huffed a laugh. "Don't worry, you know I don't need protection."

"I know, but I won't take any risks. Besides, you're hurt." With a goodbye kiss, he left again to the prison. He could already see in the assassin's face eagerness to see him again. The safety of the city now depended on the whim of a lowlife. How ironic. If only my friends were here.

It was damp in the cell; fitting, as far as Zuko was concerned. The assassin smiled smugly from behind the bars, drawing circles with his fingers across the dusty room. "Ah, Fire Lord, how thoughtful of you to visit me in my humble lodgings."

Zuko stared at him bitterly. "Had your fun?"

He flicked the dust, standing up. "Not quite, did you enjoy my present?"

"You know why I am here."

The man mockingly tapped his chin. "Let me guess… You missed me already?"

"You killed Tegakari didn't you?"

"Hmm… waste of a good resource if you ask me, but you don't care about him do you? After all you're after his little trinkets, aren't you? Thought so. You'll be disappointed to hear they are none of our concern anymore. Man's gotta earn his bread; no hard feelings."

"After all you've done, you know I cannot give you your freedom."

"I was wondering when you'd say that. It's not like you have a choice. If you came here, you must be desperate. Kinda bleeding your hand there, boy." The prisoner leaned against the bars, turning his back on Zuko.

"If I spare your life, would you tell me?"

"Was hoping you could do better than that. And I believe you're running out of time."

Zuko glared down at the man coldly. "With or without your help, I'll find out who it is."

"Oh, I'm sure you will; but then it will be too late." He held his chin mockingly. "Citywide lockdown… I'm seeing some problems." Let's see… Oh right, they assured you they have enough reserves to feed the city. I made quite a bargain on those, so your rations are–let me think… Oh yes, zero!

"So, you probably have a few days before Harbor City begins to starve, but I am sure they are so loyal to you that they'd rather die of starvation than to defy the orders of their Fire Lord–"

Zuko lunged, lifting the man by his shirt and staring into his eyes animalistically.

"Woah. Easy there, kid. Rookie move. I've seen the stuff of nightmares; you'll have to do much better than that. Now, as I was saying, It's a simple deal: a life for a life. Or would you rather trade my life for the life of perhaps half of the city? Have you ever seen a city starve, boy? First the riots, the butchering of animals, of people… You'll see this pretty city of yours turn into a burning waste in a bunch of days all for the life of one man."

"I've been at this for too long, kid. Make the smart move: save your people; be the hero. At the end of the day, they won't even care you let me go. I'll just be a little bit of ink on a piece of paper." He pointed at Zuko. "You get the glory." At himself. "I get to stroll off to some bar to become a no-name again." He smiled. "Deal?"

Zuko froze, considering, then turned and walked out. "Mak, see if he's being honest. I'll leave it up to you how to find out."

"That's what I thought. You'll feel better about it tomorrow; think of all the lives you'll save! See you soon, Fire Lord!"

***

"He wasn't lying, Your Majesty. He destroyed it all."

Zuko clenched his fists before flipping Ming's office desk.

"I wish there was another way…"

"How could he outsmart you all?! He managed to do it all under your noses, all this time!"

Mak lowered his head. "I have no excuses, Fire Lord. You are right–I failed. I shall resign my post."

Zuko faced Ming. "Ready a transport for the prisoner."

The warden complied without uttering a word as Zuko returned to face the prisoner once more, accompanied by guards this time. The man had already anticipated he'd come back, greeting him with a smile, this time Zuko was accompanied by his guards.

"I knew you'd be back; you do love wasting your time, don't you?"

"You'll get what you asked for. Now tell me."

"Not so fast; we'll do this my way. Bring me a map and a messenger hawk. We can start with that." One of Zuko's guards brought the man what he had requested along with a lamp.

The prisoner pointed at the shores on the map of the capital. "Would I trouble you much for a ride there? My friends must be terribly worried about me."

"Let's make this quick…"

"I intend to."

Zuko accompanied the prisoner with his personal guard, and they sailed toward the place he had marked. As the minutes slipped by, he wondered if that smirk had been permanently carved into the man's face. He could only feel shame that he was personally escorting his own would-be killer towards safety. He had no choice, but that didn't mean he wouldn't go after him, for, eventually, he would make him pay for what he had done.

Not long after losing sight of the Gates of Azulon, they could see a smaller ship with green and red sails in the distance. It was dwarfed in size by the Empire-class battleship, and It rocked with the waves, clearly anchored in place. The ship bore no insignia but was clearly of Fire Nation origin. They stopped, and the small ship sailed towards them at a constant pace, a faint smoke-trail billowing behind it. As the ships met side-by-side, the larger of the two had to lower its gangplank considerably.

The assassin's smile turned retchingly smug. "Well, this is my stop. I'm afraid we'll have to part ways, Fire Lord."

"You are not going anywhere until you tell me."

"Fine, take me near the bridge then, so we can be even." As they walked towards the bridge, Zuko felt the urge to renege and arrest them all, for he was confident they could easily overwhelm them. Then, surely, one of them would break and–

The man whispered into his ear, "No funny ideas, Fire Lord; remember your people. If you try anything, the sea will be our grave." He scrunched his face in mock confusion. "Why that look on your face? After all this, you still underestimate me? I've come so far, haven't I?"

"You wouldn't stand a chance against us." Zuko held the prisoner's arm tightly.

The prisoner took a more serious tone. "Are you sure about what you're doing, boy?" Zuko clenched his teeth and fist, he let go, saying nothing. The man walked down the gangplank and strolled onto the other deck, he tossed Zuko a small scroll, one used for the messenger hawks. As the two ships sailed apart, the man looked at him and smiled sickeningly one last time. "As promised. Good luck, Fire Lord. A pleasure doing business with you!" He bowed semi-formally. At least that was one admirable quality of his.

Admiral Jee stared coldly at the receding sails. "Should we chase them, sir?"

Zuko looked at the sky, his thoughts elsewhere. "Not today. Set sail for the capital."

At the capital, near the palace gates, Zuko clenched the scroll the assassin had given him as a group of soldiers assembled before him stiffly. One took a step forward and bowed. "All teams are in position. She won't escape us."

Zuko was forcefully gesticulating with his finger. "If this man wasn't lying, there should be evidence. Find it. Make sure to act on definitive proof before you do anything harsh."

The Capitol Police officers nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty. Anything else?"

"Yes, I'll accompany you myself."

The men grouped in position, surrounding a sprawling mansion near the center of the caldera. The streets had been preemptively closed. Despite the tension in the air around it, the place appeared calm, unaware of the storm that was about to hit it. The mansion could have been mistaken for a royal palace, with a large walled garden and its own courtyard, beautifully crafted statues, and gilt decorations. Some of the officers were distracted, in awe of the splendor of the place; but Zuko's grunts were enough to get them to focus. As they broke through the main door, they burst in upon a host of servants. Some stood frozen in place, confused. Others ran like their lives depended on it. Without delay, the guards riffled through the place.

They searched endlessly leaving no stone unturned, knocking over bookshelves, searching through every book, even letters in the trash. Meanwhile, Zuko was standing in the main hall while the chaos unfolded around him, waiting impatiently until one of the officers approached him with a paper in hand. By the look on his face, it was clear that they had found something. Now everything was clear: Jing had financed the operation with some of her jewelry, for the papers detailed the price and the place where they would be delivered to the mercenary. He was sure that this would be the tip of the iceberg; but at least they already had enough information to question her.

The sound of angry shouting caught his attention. It was Jing; she had been detained by two officers. When she saw Zuko, her eyes widened in bewilderment as she tried to shake off the guards. "Fire Lord, What is the meaning of this unscrupulous act?" He could not believe that even at this moment she acted unaware of the situation.

"Imperial Secretary, you are under arrest for high treason and conspiring against the Fire Nation."

"This is an unjustified assault! Despicable lies and false accusations, no doubt crafted to misguide His Majesty. I am your most loyal servant!"

"Is that so, Jing? Is it a coincidence that you have had close correspondence with my assassin? Get her out of my sight."

"No! Fire Lord, you must believe me! I have nothing to do with this! Nothing!"

Zuko closed himself up in his room, expressly telling the guards not to let anyone in. He didn't know whether to cry or break something. Now it wasn't only that his most important advisor had turned on him, but also his assassin was still at large. He didn't even want to think about the impression he had given to the Earth Kingdom's functionaries.

Was any of it worth it? Maybe he had averted his death once more; but in the end, would it all be for nothing? Maybe he really wasn't fit to rule his people; maybn he would cause more harm than good with his decisions. Or perhaps, it was that the Fire Nation had become so accustomed to war that it could no longer survive without one, estranged to peace, selfish and unaccepting of others. Either way, he could see no betterment in sight. Every time he saw a glimpse of hope, it broke down into nothing. He had always experienced failure, always picking himself up, coming back stronger, overcoming it.

This time, it felt different, for it wasn't as straightforward as before. His actions now determined the fate of many. Unknowingly making enemies when he thought he was doing right, he yearned for the times when things were much simpler, when he didn't have to worry as much. He glanced down at his unfinished letter. Thinking about his friends brought him respite. Trying to leave his grim thoughts aside, he sat back willing to finish the letter with an inked brush already in hand. Wonder what Aang's gonna say about this mess– The door opened, and he jerked his hand across the half-written letter.

He glared at the tense guard. "I ordered that I was to be left alone…"

"Fire Lord, dreadful news! The princess has escaped."