One bullet missing, babe

by Oldleatherbracelets

Summary:

‘This Chief of Police must be a real piece of work if the organization is sending one of their best agents to safeguard against her’, you thought. It was an intriguing prospect, sabotaging such a clearly adept and able law enforcement figurehead. You’d literally be the bane of her existence, and that thought just tickled you.
Yes, yes, being a double agent seemed like a pretty nice gig. Working the system, the best of both worlds, etcetera... at least it would be if you weren't treated like a dog on a chain, or a weapon to be held by your world-wide organized crime mafia; the Kage-Gumi. Oh, well. You were used to that aspect of the job by now. What you weren't used to was falling in love with your mission target, and boy were you falling hard.

Chapter 1: Who the hell says "floozy"?

The man in front of you sat quietly in front of the airship window, dressed in a charcoal suit with a gray turtleneck that creeped towards his trimmed facial hair, elbows resting on his knees and body leaning forward as if he were leveling with you. His gaze was cold, only enhanced by his ice blue eyes, dark complexion, and age-turned white hair.  Next to him sat the file which held the details of your next mission, the one you were traveling to right now but had not yet been disclosed any information about. 

“Are we just going to stare at each other all day or are you going to share what’s going on behind those creepy eyes of yours?” Your flippant attitude showed brilliantly through your words, clearly putting on a show of how not intimidated you were of the man. 

Ignoring your insult, the older man checked his expensive watch before returning his unimpressed gaze back to you. “You need to work on your filter if you’re going to be successful in this.”

You scoffed, “Is the new target that sensitive? Do I need to protect their feelings?” Your lips formed a fake frown and you dragged your pointer finger down your face from your eye to mimic a tear falling.

The man’s expression darkened with annoyance. “That’s the kind of shit you shouldn’t say, (y/n).” 

You huffed, crossing your arms and legs at your knees, leaning back in your chair. With a gesture of your hand you spoke, “Well get on with it. What’s the mission?” 

“Republic City appointed a new Chief of Police a year or so ago. Following the kidnapping attempt of the Southern Water Tribe Chief’s daughter, the RCPD launched a global investigation of organized crime.”

You interrupted him, eyebrows scrunched together to point out the unnecessary detail in a smart-ass tone. “Wouldn’t the police have already been investigating organized crime?”

He held up a finger, annoyed by your impatience. “Let me finish. This led to the Chief getting dangerously close to exposing our organization. Your mission is to keep the Chief off our trail.”

‘This Chief of Police must be a real piece of work if the organization is sending one of their best agents to safeguard against her’, you thought. It was an intriguing prospect, sabotaging such a clearly adept and able law enforcement figurehead. You’d literally be the bane of her existence, and that thought just tickled you. 

“And how exactly am I supposed to do that?” 

“Alter and lose information, destroy evidence, redirect investigations, handle the occasional gang and enterprise communications, report exactly what they know to us, but most importantly, get close to the Chief.”

“Does the Chief have secrets we need?” Why exactly you needed the Chief to trust you is important in deciding how authentic this relationship needs to feel. Secrets can be spilled all sorts of ways, but emotional manipulation, that’s a whole other ballgame. 

“Yes, but she’s not dirty. It will be difficult to sway her. It will be easier to influence her if you get her to trust you.”

You hummed, thinking it over. “What’s the end goal here?”

“Assuming the RCPD does not catch wind of the Kage-Gumi, the position is permanent. We’ve been attempting to infiltrate the RCPD for some time, specifically in their intelligence division.” 

For a moment, you got hung up on the word permanent. For so long you’d almost been nomadic, drifting from assignment to assignment all over the world. Hell, you’d spent more time on this airship than anywhere else. The idea of settling down after all these years of work didn’t sound all that bad, especially in a place like Republic City. 

Nodding in understanding, you continued your line of questioning. “Will I still receive other targets?”

He nodded stiffly. “Occasionally, should the need  arise, we may still need you to take care of individuals within the city, but this is your main mission.” At his words, your face went sour but you nodded in understanding anyway. Assassinations were never your favorite jobs, but unfortunately they paid the best and well… you were good at them. “Your name is Esper Roseer. Born and raised in Ba Sing Se. You graduated from Liu University with a master’s degree in intelligence analysis before moving to Republic city for this job. You have seven years of experience under your belt from time serving in the United Forces and glowing recommendations from your mentor, Commander Shan Jenoku. So don’t—“ 

You cut him off with a roll of your eyes. “— don’t fuck this up. Yeah yeah, don’t get you balls in a twist—“ You gasped suddenly when the man lunged forward with the agility of a much younger person. Suddenly your lax positioning was used against you and you were pinned to the seat of the couch by his mottled hand on your neck. Your hands resisted the urge to claw at his grip, knowing that it would only result in it tightening. 

“Need I remind you who is in charge here, (y/n)?”  The white-haired man hissed out slowly, his hot, minty breath invading your face. 

You could only stiffly shake your head, eyes blown wide in surprise. Of course, you never really took missions as seriously as you probably should. But your handler, Konsta, normally demonstrated a high tolerance for your bullshit.

‘It seems this particular mission has the man on edge.’ You thought, allow millisecond to pass before you internally snorted. ‘My handler is literally manhandling me right now.’ 

“You think this is funny?!” Konsta’s grip tighter as his voice rose, a furry forming in his eyes. 

‘Shit, that snort was not internal.’ 

“N—no.” You struggled to get out, your hands now reaching up to grasp at his own fear taking over your ability to control the response to strangle. 

With a grunt, he released his meaty hand from your neck, but not before shoving you forcefully back into the chair. His palms came to rest on each of your shoulders and he leaned in close to you, eyes darkening as he boxed you in. You swallowed, attempting to not show your fear.

“Good. Now, do as you're told and make mommy proud, huh?” 

Your teeth clenched at his wording. That woman, the head of the Kage-Gumi, was hardly a mother-figure to you. Alas, you still got shit for being birthed from her to this day. 

“Yes Sir.”

 

———————————————

Your apartment wasn’t far , per say, from the Police Precinct. It certainly would have been closer had you not requested a nicer building than the one Konsta had originally set up for you. So, the walk and bus ride took over thirty minutes. You’d definitely need to buy something to get around the city soon. 

The building itself was magnificent, sturdy, and had a certain foreboding immobility that seemed to reflect the strictness of the police force within. In front of the marble precinct stood the statue of Chief Toph Beifong. You stood in front of the statue, hands on your hips and staring up at the piece of art. It almost seemed as if you were sizing the metalbender up, especially if an onlooker caught the smug smirk on your face. 

‘Chief Beifong, prepare to be infiltrated.’ 

Chuckling to yourself at your choice of words, you turned on your heel to march into the precinct with a newfound determination. Only, your quick change in direction resulted in your colliding with a sturdy, metal front. The shock of the impact caused you to lose your balance, your foot clipping something only to send you plummeting towards the concrete. With a resounding “oof!”, you caught yourself on the ground, no doubt getting little pieces of debris in you palms. Not a second later, you felt hot liquid trickling onto the back of your cream-colored button-up. It scalded you, and you hissed, scrambling away from the source of the dripping. Now on your ass, you braced yourself with your hands behind your back on the ground and looked up. The sun seemed to be directly behind the figure you ran into, blocking out their appearance with the backlight. You shielded your eyes from the sun, squinting to get a look at the person. She was clearly a metalbending officer if the armor and badge were any indication, mid-thirties, looking down at her now soiled uniform with disgust, arms out at her waist and hands spread wide as if to avoid getting the sticky, hot liquid on them more. Her expression, now registering to you as your eyes adjusted to the light, was that of a snarling dog. Even her clearly infuriated expression wasn’t enough to deter you from taking in the woman’s striking appearance. She had the most cat-like jade-green eyes you’d ever seen, prominent scars across her right cheek, and black hair that was speckled with gray at her temples, and a solid streak of silver at the crown of her head. 

“Don’t you know to watch where you’re going?!” The metal bender barked out. You could’ve sworn you heard her canines snap. You were sure, as soon as you heard her viciously commanding voice, that she had made many grown men piss themselves, assuming that the feeling of your hackles rising were any indication. Distracted by her features, you only continued to stare, mouth slightly parted like the words were caught in your throat. The metalbender clocked this immediately, your eyes glued to her face, and narrowed her own, which only made them appear more predatory. 

“What are you staring at?!” She snapped.

“N-nothing!” You panicked, “You’re just— not your scars, of course– but you’re so beautiful.” Fuck. You began to scramble to a standing position, brushing off your backside and palms as you did so. 

You saw the woman scoff and roll her eyes, arms now crossing over her chest with an unimpressed expression. “I’m beautiful with the exception of my scars?” 

Your eyes widened slightly, now catching how the syntax of your jumbled words came out. “No, I meant that I wasn’t staring at your scars. Well, I was, but not because they’re ugly. I actually really like them. If anything they– they make you more attractive” Double fuck. Wow, you really just called this woman hot. Besides the fact that she is clearly an officer of the law, her clear demand for respect suggested that she was at least ranked, which meant that she definitely had pull in the RCPD, and now you’d already developed an uncomfortable relationship with the woman. 

She seemed taken aback by your blunt honesty over your opinion of her alleged ‘hotness’, her thin eyebrows rising in surprise. “Do you realize who you are talking to?” Surprisingly, there was almost a touch of amusement in her voice, but it was greatly overshadowed by the fact that all you’d done in the last couple minutes was ruin her morning, embarrass yourself, and disrespect a superior officer. 

At her words, you realized for the hundredth time during this interaction that you had fucked up. “Umm… no?” You answered sheepishly, your hand now rubbing the back of your neck with a helpless smile. 

“I’m Lin Beifong, the Chief of Police.” Triple fucking fuck. “Who are you?”

You gulped, suddenly being reminded of your mission and that you’d already messed it up big time. “I’m Esper Roseer. I, umm, am starting work here today in the intelligence department.”

“This is just great. Just what we need around here is another pencil pushing floozy.” She seemed to settle further into her crossed arms, but a hand came up to pinch the bridge of her nose. You could’ve sworn you saw the muscles of her scars jump as she grimaced further.

At her words, you straightened up, an offended look coming across your face. “I am not a pencil pusher and I am certainly not a "floozy "." Who the hell even uses that word anymore. What is she, eighty?

“Really? Then I’m sure you, your master's degree, and your measly amount of field experience won’t mind walking the beat.” So, she now knows exactly who you are, being the new hire. Clearly she has looked extensively into your ‘background’ if she knew about your supposed master’s degree. 

“No.” You crossed your arms, your chin rising in defiance. “I wouldn’t mind.” 

She scoffs. “Please, you wouldn’t even survive the first round of training.” 

Okay, now that one struck your pride. You could kill the woman before you within a split second if you wanted and she has the audacity to suggest that you couldn’t handle a measly nonbender training course? Besides, you had a couple inches on the woman and certainly didn’t outwardly appear out of shape, so where the hell was she getting that idea?

“Are you always this insulting to your new hires or are you so self-conscious that receiving a compliment sends you over the edge?” You regretted your words as soon as they left your mouth, but didn’t let your faltering resolve show. Not even when her jade eyes narrowed to resemble those of a cat-deer. Spirits if you got fired already, Konsta might actually strangle you. 

“You have some nerve talking to your Chief that way! I’d suggest you shut your trap before you dig yourself into an even deeper hole!”

Her raised voice hardly did much to startle you, seeing as you actually did go through basic training with the United Forces years ago, and yes, your drill Sergeants were just as threatening. Only now, you’d been expertly trained as a survailent assassin. Certainly, if you were going to save your ass, the time was now. Forcing an expression of incredulity and shame onto your face, your palm slapped to your forehead and you laughed exasperatedly. “I genuinely can’t think of a single word that could make this first impression go any worse.” The words came out mostly talking to yourself but you could feel the Jade green eyes on you. 

“What are you laughing at now?!”

“The situation.” You chuckled now, presenting your palms to the metalbender in an attempt to ease her agitation. “I’m trying to acknowledge how poorly this has gone. I mean seriously? I haven’t even stepped foot in the building and I’ve already screwed things up six-ways to Sunday.” With a sigh, your expression softened. “I’m sorry. I’d greatly appreciate the opportunity to start over.”

The metalbender huffed, clearly trying to suss out if you were being genuine or not. With a stiff nod, she hardly acknowledged your apology. However, the fact you were still breathing led you to believe it was accepted. “Come with me.”

 

—————

 

The Chief led you to her office. The room, to say the least, was in impeccable condition. You could swear there wasn’t a spec of dust even floating in the air. The only symbolance of clutter were a coffee mug and a neatly stacked mountain of paperwork on her sturdy-looking desk. It was spacious too, which only enhanced the woman’s exuding importance. 

You frowned, watching as the metalbender’s assistant, Hui, trudged off with the police Chief's metal breastplate, undoubtedly to get it cleaned off to avoid rusting. 

She left only in her crisp white tank top, forcing your eyes to inadvertently latch onto the toned muscles and pale skin of the woman’s arms which, when crossed, framed her breasts. 

It made you have to swallow a small noise of hesitation before speaking. “I would have bought you a replacement.”

“I don’t need your handouts.”

“It’s polite to offer.” You could barely conceal the snap in your voice. What is with this woman? She’s so… defensive.

“Watch your tone,” She began warningly before glancing down at the paper on her desk, “ Captain .” You could see her lip curl in displeasure, as if she thought your new title was some sort of joke.

“Is there a problem with my rank, Chief ?”

She answers your question with a question of her own. “Aren’t you a little young to be Captain of the intelligence division?”

“Aren’t you a little young to be the Chief of Police?”

“Your lack of experience suggests that you have yet to earn your title. Furthermore, your evident lack of respect for authority leads me to doubt you’ll be able to.”

“Seven years of military service isn’t enough experience for you?”

“Lack of experience within the RCPD.” She clarifies. 

“With all due respect, Chief, if my appointment to this position bothers you so much, why am I here?”

“Our previous Captain of the Intelligence department and your former commanding officer both swear you're the only one for the job. I won’t be so easily convinced by words of praise. You’ll have to prove yourself first.” 

You briefly wondered how much money the Kage-Gumi had to pay the former Captain to both retire and suggest you as his successor. Or maybe the former Captain was blackmailed. You’d never know. 

“Do you doubt my abilities?”

“You’re a desk-jockey.”

“What gives you the impression that I don’t know how to defend myself?”

“The fact that every bit of experience you have was spent doing paperwork.”

“I was still a soldier!”

“Did you keep up with your training?”

You didn’t know how to answer that. Technically, the job you would have had before, according to your assignment briefing, wouldn’t have required you to do any physical combat, and therefore would require not training. It may look suspicious if you busted out the gates guns blazing. However, not utilizing your skills would result in the Chief whooping your ass. Furthermore, deep, deep down, you desperately wanted to impress the Chief and hopefully earn some respect from her. 

‘Surely it will be beneficial to the mission if I earn her respect, but showing off too much may make her suspicious.’ You need to play this carefully. Luckily, non benders in the United Forces were known for being outstandingly skilled in chi blocking and hand-to-hand combat. You’ll simply hold-back with any weapons.

“I’ve kept up with it. Nonbenders who don’t keep up with training get tossed around like rag-dolls in the forces.” 

“Are you comfortable with a firearm?”

“No.” You lied. “And I’d prefer not to carry one.”

“You’ll have to become comfortable with it. I’ll put you in contact with our ballistics specialist. She will train you on proper use and safety. As for hand-to-hand combat, you’ll have to spar each type of bender before going into the field. I can’t have a Captain in my force getting bested by rookies.” 

“The field? What exactly will you have me doing?” 

“Working with myself, the other officers, detectives and criminal informants to perform intelligence analysis on large-scale crime. That requires field work, not just staring at reports.”

Your lips pressed together in a thin line, attempting to appear uncomfortable.

It will be a lot easier to get away with things if you're not perceived as a threat.

“Here is the file on the Zaheer case.” 

She hands you a thick file, which upon bringing dropped into your arms, surprised you by its weight. You shift it in your arms to that it is held in one arm against your chest and use your free hand to flip through 

You look up when you’re met with black ink blocking out nearly half the word on the page. “This is the redacted version.”

“Yes.” She agreed without offering any explanation. You rolled your eyes. 

“I need to see the original.” You said it as if it were obvious.

The Chief smirked in a way that really grated your gears. And there was a satisfied glint in her eyes as she replied, “I’m the only person who has seen the original.”

You huffed in annoyance, cocking your hip to one side. “What about the officers who wrote this up?”

“They haven’t been given the fully compiled information.”

“Okay, well, I can’t do my job without the original file.” You move to hand it back to her. “You can’t withhold intelligence from your intelligence director.” 

“I can and I will. At least until you’ve proven yourself trustworthy.” 

“Okay, and how might I do that?”

She ignores your question. “Your desk is located directly outside my office. Go ahead and get settled, then meet me in two hours in the training for your combat evaluation. My assistant, Hui, will bring you a change of clothes.”

 

——————————————

 

Yes, you were trained how to fight. However, to call yourself a fighter was a bit of an overstatement. You were a killer. You used the element of surprise, distance, or timing to get the job done, only resorting to going head-on with someone should things get out of hand. 

That being said, you were also used to using weapons. Platinum-toe boots, platinum-knuckle gloves, twin daggers, and a pistol were almost always on your person if you were anticipating violence. Right now, the only thing you had to work with were some hand-wraps.

And oh boy, if you thought the Chief looked ripped in her little tank top, you definitely thought this officer did. He had biceps the size of your head!

“You want me to fight him?”

“Is that going to be a problem? Should I get one of the eighteen year old rookies instead?”

“You just spent thirty minutes harping on my lack of fighting experience, only to throw me in the ring with him. So either you want me dead or you were lying about your lack of confidence in me.”

“I want you to take this seriously. Your insolence has proven that you do anything but!”

She definitely wants me dead.

You clenched your jaw, biting back another snarky remark. You turned your back to the Chief and obediently continued wrapping your hands. With a huff, you grumbled under your breath, “I want you to take that stick out of your ass.”

“Excuse me?” The metalbender whipped her head back towards you, looking as pissed off as ever. 

What the hell?! How did she hear that?!

“Nothing!” You yelped, flinching away from the Chief, half expecting her to manhandle you the way Konsta did. She noticed your involuntary movement, eyebrows rising in intrigued concern. But the concern she felt for you must not have been enough to outweigh her anger towards you for the backtalk. 

“Get in the ring.” She snapped, no longer making any physical advances towards you.  She turned on her heel, stalking away towards the benches to observe you.

“So, are you the Chief’s muscle?” You asked, making your way over to your opponent. He was taller than you by a few inches and clearly well built. He had brown skin and a shaved head, reminding you unnervingly of a professional boxer. But as you approached him, you noticed he had kind eyes and a softer disposition.

“Oh, I guess in this situation, yes. I’m officer Reh. Firebender.” He gave you a genuine smile, sticking out his hand for you to shake. You took it, ensuring that your grip was firm, and smiled in return.

“Captain Rosser, but you can call me Esper.”

“”Esper.” He repeated. “Sounds like a fire nation name.”

“It is. From my mother’s side.” That wasn’t actually a lie. Your mother was a powerful firebender. A trait that was not passed onto you. 

“I didn’t bring you two in here to chit chat. Get moving!”

 

Chapter 2: Ball and chain

Apparently, your offense at the Chief’s doubt in your fighting skills had been completely warranted. It appears you did know how to defend yourself, at least against firebenders. Granted, you weren't using any weapons, simply chi blocking and then putting the tall man in a hold, but it was still effective. What was actually impressive was your ability to dodge Detective Reh’s attacks. 

‘She moves like an airbender.’ Lin thought as you changed directions at a moment's notice for the thousandth time. It was almost like the flames were shrinking away from you. Her sharp eyes remained on your form as you maneuvered your chin behind the man’s calf, forcing him to the ground with a thud. Lin could see the strain of your muscles as you held him, teeth gritting with effort at Reh’s brute strength. She raised an eyebrow when the man suddenly let out a yelp that seemed far too high pitched to have come out of him. 

“Stop pinching me!” He all but growled. The metalbender caught your shit-eating grin as you seemed to double down on the force of your pinch. 

“Then yield!” 

‘What the hell kind of fighting tactic was this?!’

The Chief watched as the firebender began to quiver, both from straining against your hold and the apparent pain you were causing the nerves of his neck. He let out a ragged breath, and she could've sworn smoke came out too, as he struggled against collapse with a groan. 

Sensing his weakness, you swiped at his supporting arm, causing the firebender to hit the mat with a thud. Standing up straight, you let out a triumphant laugh and turned to your Chief for praise… only, you didn’t get any.

“What the hell was that, Roseer?!” 

“Umm, Reh getting his ass kicked?”

“Do you fight all your enemies like they're your little siblings?”

“No, just big dumb ones like this guy.” You thumbed backwards to the firebender, who was currently staggering to his feet and rubbing the throbbing spot on his neck where you abused his skin. 

The Chief could feel anger bubbling in her chest. “I specifically ordered you to take this seriously!”

“I did! I fought your big scary firebender. What more do you want from me?”

You could practically see the vein pop out of the metalbender’s forehead. “A little respect for the RCPD and its protocol would be nice!”

“If I didn’t respect the RCPD or you, for that matter, then I certainly wouldn’t be here. Cut me some slack.”

“All I have done today is give you chance after chance to correct your behavior. If you don’t turn this around by tomorrow, you can kiss your job goodbye. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Chief.”

“Good, now head to ballistics. I want to see you shoot tomorrow.”
“But–” You began.

“--- One more word out of you and I’ll have you on a ship back to the United Forces faster than you can say tigerdillo.”

 

_______________________________

 

‘B-b-b-but Chief! I’m sc-scared of guns!’ You thought humorously, imagining yourself quivering with the gun in your hands, limp wristed. The image amused you, but unfortunately the meek character you just thought up in your mind wouldn’t align with ‘Esper Roseer’s’ military background. Sure, you took the defensive with Reh, got tossed around quite a bit, but mostly stuck to chi blocking and grappling. Nothing outwardly aggressive outside of pinching. And you definitely weren’t going to show off with any kind of weapon the Chief put in your hands, especially not a gun, given that your sharp-shooting abilities would certainly raise alarm bells for her.

You approached the ballistics office, located in the basement of the RCPD, and arrived at a front desk where a young officer, probably a cadet, greeted you. 

“I need to be issued my firearm.” You explained, folding your hands behind your back, assuming a militant stance.  

The cadet nodded. “Right. Identification?” He stood, turning to the files behind him ready to sift through them to find your paperwork. 

“Captain Esper Roseer.” You replied, once again feeling the unfamiliar name on your tongue, this time with your official title. 

‘Captain. Spirits, how the title just ate the Chief up. I bet that I was made Captain before she did. I’m only twenty six, afterall. 

The young officer perked up at your response, glancing behind his shoulder before returning to the metal cabinet. “Oh, you’re the new director of the intelligence office, right?”

You nodded, even though he couldn’t see you. “The one and only.”

“The whole precinct is talking about you. Says you’re the youngest one to ever be offered the job.” As he spoke, he plucked your file out of the cabinet, shut the drawer, and turned back to his desk. He slapped the file down on the workspace and readied himself to fill out the information.

You rubbed the back of your neck, thinking about how poorly every interaction you had with the iron-clad woman had been so far. “Yeah, well, we’ll see how long I keep it…”

“What do you mean?” He asked, eyes now focused on you again. You appreciated the twinkle he had in his eye. You could vaguely remember when you had that green shine about you back when you first joined the United Forces, only to be kicked out three years later at the ripe old age of twenty one for a drunk and disorderly charge. 

“I’m afraid I’m already in the Chief’s bad books.” You explained with a sigh, but kept your composure confident. 

“What’d you do?” He asked, leaning forward and lowering his voice as if he were talking to a friend and not his superior officer. 

You let out a small chuckle, rolling your eyes playfully. “I beat detective Reh with two fingers.” You smirked. “And supposedly disrespected the RCPD by not taking the training protocol seriously. 

“That’s not that bad—“

You continued on, stating your final offense so casually, as if it were a second-thought. “Oh, and I told the Chief her scars are attractive.”

Your cadets face went pale. “You did what?! How are you still standing?”

“I guess she didn’t mind the complement.” You winked at the flustering cadet. ‘She totally minded it.’

The cadet seemed to visibly shake himself, disbelieving. “W-what– you mean she flirted back?!” 

You shrugged casually, “A girl doesn’t kiss and tell.” 

The cadets' draw dropped and you sniggered at his expression. ‘ Jeeze, this place must be pretty dry with gossip if this shit has the kid’s jaw on the floor.’

Finally, you snapped him out of his shock. “So, kid, what do you need from me?”

He seemed to shake himself before remembering what he was actually being paid to do instead of gawk. “Oh, right. Just your badge number please.”

 

________________________________________

 

It wasn’t long after you picked up your new police issued handgun and serial numbered bullets that you found yourself back at your desk pouring over the Zaheer case file. 

You’d need to find a way to fill in the gaps in information if you were to make any headway with this case. Why the Chief felt the need to keep the information from you—when you’d given her no reason not to trust you— was beyond you. 

‘Talk about trust issues.’

Of course, the officers who filed the reports likely still remembered information about their contribution to the case. Of course, you had no clue as to who had worked on the case previous to the Chief hoarding the compiled file. So, what better way to make new friends than to manipulate information out of them?

“Hey Reh, what can you tell me about the Zaheer case?”

“Not much because I didn’t work on it. All I know is that they have the perps in isolated prisons, and they haven’t broken during interrogation so far.”

You clicked your tongue in understanding. “Who did work on the case?”

The firebender seemed to ponder the quester for a moment, thinking back to the weeks prior. “The Chief, AC Saikahn, Luí and Gang.”

You narrowed your eyes. “Lui and Gang? You mean the two detectives who were stuffing their faces with donuts this morning?”

He hummed. “The very same.”

Your eyes widened and your eyebrows shot up to your hairline. “How the hell did they get on such a high profile case and not you?”

He shrugged. “Seniority.”

You scoffed, folding your arms and rolling your eyes. Your voice dripped with annoyance, seemingly unsurprised by the detective's short reasoning.“The Chief does seem like the type to value seniority over aptitude.”

He cocked his head at your grumble, seemingly not understanding what lead you to make that concussion. “What do you mean?”

You sighed, glancing back towards the Chief’s office to make sure her door was still closed. Assistant Chief Saikahn, however, was casually strolling up to Reh’s desk, but you weren’t worried about him. You’d see the metalbender interact with a few of the other officers and could tell the man was nowhere near as wound-up tight as the Chief. “She’s been giving me shit for not having field experience, even though I’m perfectly capable of it.” You explained, nodding at Saikahn as he leaned against the detective’s desk to join in on the conversation. 

He smirked, eyeing you with an impressed look. “Yeah, I heard you kicked this hothead’s ass today, Cap!” He clapped a square palm on your shoulder, sending a knowing look to the firebender still seated at his desk, who flushed red at being called out. 

You smiled at the AC’s teasing. “Oh, cut him some slack. He put up a solid fight.”

The metalbender let out a small laugh, then crossed his arms, addressing you. “Yeah well regardless, I’d like to see how you’d fare against the rest of us.”

You were familiar with this sort of talk. It reminded you of the camaraderie you experienced in the Forces, which sent a wave of nostalgia over you. The feeling leads you to make a suggestion to your superior officer. “Well, why don’t we see how it goes after work today?”

“You’re on. Everyone, meet in the training room after shift change if you want to see a real throwdown!” Saikahn raised his voice, which caused the officers working in the bullpen to turn their attention to the metalbender. Some of them perked up at the idea, letting out small exclamations of agreement or apologies for being unable to attend. With that, the AC squeezed your shoulder once more before continuing on to whatever work he had to do, leaving you and the detective alone once more. 

Reh continued. “Anyways, back to Lui and Gang. They really just wrote up the reports. They didn’t do any real investigating. That all was conducted by the White Lotus. If you want real answers, I’d talk with one of them.”

You hummed in thought. “How would I go about getting in touch with them?”

He shrugged. “Don’t know. They stay on Air Temple Island. Maybe try getting an appointment with Councilman Tenzin. He was there the night of the kidnapping and helped bring the group into custody.”

You nodded, your eyebrows pulling together. You glanced down at your redacted files, flipping through the witness reports. “Councilman Tenzin wasn’t interviewed for a statement?”

“If it’s not in there, then no.”

“Why? A first hand account is vital to any investigation.”

“Probably because of the Chief’s history with him.”

“Ooh, do tell.” A mischievous grin creeped onto your face. 

“They had a nasty breakup a few years back. Rumor has it, Tenzin cheated on Beifong with a younger woman. Now they’re married.”

“And things are less than amicable between them?”

Reh barked out a laugh. “That’s an understatement. The Chief is downright hostile towards him. It’s a wonder he’s still breathing. You’re lucky. You didn’t have to deal with the Chief after the breakup.”

“You’re telling me she can get worse?”

“ Way worse.”

You shuddered at the thought. 

————————-

 

You managed to schedule an appointment for later that week with the late Avatar’s only airbending son. Until then, you’d have to rely on the memory of AC Saikahn, Lui and Gang. For the record, the two detectives could barely share a brain cell and Saikahn is about as stubborn as the earth he bends.

When you approached him about the case, he insisted that he’d only enlighten you if you beat him in the ring. 

‘What a brute. How does Beifong put up with all this testosterone? It’s making me want a drink for the first time in years.’

So here you were, spending your after-shift hours rough-housing with a bunch of officers.

In the spirit of fairness, and also a change of pace for everyone, the group of about 10 benders and nonbenders decided on this unofficial ‘fight club’ being hand-to-hand combat only. 

As such, you were absolutely crushing Saikahn’s ass. In fact, right now, you had him in a headlock. You squeezed your forearm tighter, hearing him struggle and kick his legs fruitlessly in an effort to get out of your grip. You waited patiently for him to tap out, but you had a sneaking suspicion he was going to pass out before he actually said ‘uncle’.

“Damn it, you stubborn ass. Tap out!” You growled out, watching as his face turned red. You could feel your muscles fatiguing and attempted to adjust your grip so that you leveraged your squeezing arm against your other. 

“N-never!” You could barely make out what he was saying because he was practically strangling himself.  You resisted the urge to roll your eyes. 

‘ I’d really prefer not to knock-out the Assistant Chief on the first day.’

You heard the other officers cheer at his performance, some of them encouraging him and some of them also insulting the metalbender. 

Just as you could see the AC’s eyes beginning to roll back into his head, you heard a familiar sharp bark coming from the entrance of the training room. 

“Roseer! Release him now!” 

As if under some sort of mind-control, you obeyed immediately, dropping the hold.

“What’s the meaning of this?!” The Chief questioned, crossing over into the training room, her eyes sweeping over the crowd that had formed before the matt. Every officer seemed to take an unconscious step back from the metalbender. 

One of the officers, a waterbending beat cop, you think, said up. Her voice was light, trying to ease the Chief’s worry that the group was up to any shenanigans. “We’re just getting some sparring in after our shifts.”

“Uh huh.” Beifong replied flatly, raising a skeptical brow before fixing her gaze on you.  

You tried to hide the displeasure you felt for the woman for party crashing, and instead allowed an easy smile to grace your lips. “You’re welcome to join.” 

“Yeah we’re grabbing drinks afterwards. You should come along, Chief.” Saikahn seconded, his hand ripping his neck where you held him not moments before. You would have to buy him a beer afterwards for having your back. 

“No thanks, I have better things to do than kick your ass.” 

You let out a low whistle. “Big talk for someone unwilling to follow through, Chief.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I’ve already proven myself to my men, and I certainly don’t have to prove myself to you . I expect you all to be on time tomorrow, uninjured and not hungover. And if I get a whiff of any betting going on here, you can kiss this little fight club goodbye. Got it?” 

 

————————————

You and the other officers took off to the bar about an hour after the Chief interrupted you all. Upon entering, you noticed a lurking figure in the dark corner of the bar seated on a stool, back facing away from the door. You recognized the trenchcoat from earlier today as well as the signature pinned-up hair. Splitting off from the group, you slinked over to the unsuspecting metalbender. When you finally made it to her, you grabbed the empty stool to her right and sat down, causing the woman to look up at you in surprise, but her gaze quickly shifted to one of distaste. She ignored your small greeting, instead looking past you briefly to latch eyes on the group of officers slowly making their way to a table on the other side of the bar. “I see you’ve already won over the hearts of my officers.” You could hear the bitterness in her voice, likely due to a failed concealstion from alcohol. 

You decided to ignore her brash tone, offering her a softened look. “They’ve won my heart too, Chief. Good men, all of them.” 

She didn’t reply to your honest compliment, simply continued staring down at her drink in her hands. It was then you noticed quite the cluster of empty glasses surrounding her. Furthermore, the Chief didn’t seem one bit drunk. A little buzzed, sure, but that amount of alcohol would’ve sent lesser men into a belligerence. “Rough day?”

“You could say that.” She let out a low laugh, taking a deep sip of her beverage after grumbling into her glass. “How come?” You asked quietly, already suspecting the answer. 

Still not looking at you, instead fixing her gaze to stare ahead at the liquor shelves behind the bar, she answered, not bothering to conceal her agitation at your unexpected presence. “Hired an irritating new Captain.”

You nodded, as if you didn’t know she was talking about you, and gestured for the bartender to pour another one for her.“That’s tough, Chief. What’s irritating about them?”

She seemed to notice you ordered another drink, but was also seemingly fed-up with your nonchalant attitude. She knocked back the amber liquid remaining in her glass with practiced ease. “Do you ever stop?” She growled, rounding on you. 

You shrugged, refusing to be threatened by her. “You know how little boys will pull on the hair of girls they like to get their attention?” You had half the mind to end your question with an answer, stating that was what you were doing to her, but decided to leave the question rhetorical. if nothing else, at least you didn’t insult the metalbender’s intelligence by connecting the dots for her. 

Stunning, strong, and intelligent. The trifecta of women you’d like to get to know a little better. 

She scoffs to herself. “My attention. Unbelievable.”  

She turns her fierce gaze back to you, jade orbs narrowing at you like cut mineral. “Apparently being the youngest Captain in RCPD history isn’t enough for you. Are you sure this isn’t just your infuriating personality?”

Now you shifted up in your seat, your eyebrows drawing together in defense. “Hey, you’re not exactly a walk in the park either.” You pointed a finger at her, which only seemed to anger her more. 

She slammed her glass down on the bar top, and rose abruptly to a standing position. “Then leave me alone!”

“Fine.” You held up your hands in surrender. “Enjoy drinking alone.” You slid the glass of amber liquid towards her, stood, and continued on your way back to the officers at the other side of the bar, who, by the looks of it, seemed to know better than to approach the Chief when she’d been drinking. 

———

 

The next night, you met with Konsta down at the docks. He had a decent sized houseboat, discreet and unmarked, which would be used as your meeting location henceforth. 

“You didn’t warn me that Chief Beifong would be such a pain in the ass.” You complained, leaning against the rail of the deck. 

He let out a sarcastic laugh. “Finally got a taste of your own medicine?” 

Suddenly interested in the maintenance of your fingernails, you examined them as you spoke. “Far chance. She’s the biggest stick in the mud I’ve ever met. I’m actually fun. I mean seriously, how do you expect me to get close to such a square?” 

“I’m sure you can think of something to weasel your way past her armor. Afterall, your ability to charm is half the reason you’re still breathing.”

“Thank you.”

“It wasn’t a compliment.” 

“You can be a real asshole, you know that?” You commented lightly, raising a challenging eyebrow at him. You continued, changing the subject. “I need information on the group who attempted to kidnap Chief Tonraq’s daughter.”

“I’m assuming this has something to do with an assignment the Chief has you on.”

“I need to bring forth new intelligence to gain her trust. I have a meeting set up with an additional witness tomorrow, but any more hidden information you could provide will help my efforts.” Hidden meaning illegal.

‘Hidden meaning, there’s no way in hell anyone but an organized crime sect would know about it.’

“I can give you some additional information about the criminals, even set it up as information brought to you by an informant investigation, but first you need to take care of something for your mother.”

The mention of your mother sent a shilling feeling towards your gut. So far away from home, it was easy to feel safe and comfortable. It was easy to forget all that was at risk. Konsta, as threatening as he was, never did scare you as much as he would’ve liked. 

“Which would be?”you asked, slightly hesitant to hear the answer. 

“There’s a small group of dissenters within the Agni Kai. I need you to teach a lesson to the leader, make sure they still know who runs the show. Make it seem like low-level gang violence.” As he spoke, he handed you a file, likely filled with photos to identify the hits with. 

“You realize making it look like gang violence is a lot harder than just killing them before they even know what hit them, right?” You argued, already feeling a headache overcoming you at all the work it would be. 

“Keep your complaints to yourself, (y/n). I don’t have the time or the patients for them.”

“I’m just saying that if you all let me use my bending it would be a lot cleaner of a kill.”

“There is a reason why you were only taught to control and conceal your bending. You already risk exposing all of us. The answer is no.” He turned on his heel to walk away, back into the cabin of the ship, but stopped abruptly, looking back over his shoulder at you. 

“And (y/n)?”

“Yes?” You answered numbly. 

“If I hear anything about your airbending from anyone, it’ll be your head. Remember who is counting on you back home. You wouldn’t want to anger your mother. She might lash out at your sweet little brother. So young.”

And just like that, you felt the weight of your ball and chain once more.

 

Chapter 3: Jackyll to my Hyde

——Last night, the dissenters’ clubhouse, Republic City—

You felt a numbing ache as you stepped over the body of the Agni Kai member, carefully avoiding the blood pooling out of his mouth. He was young, probably recently given actual responsibilities in the gang— responsibilities which lead him to rebel against his superiors. Unfortunately for him, the Kage Gumi relies on all the triads’ ability to function properly in order for the large scale crime to be carried out. That meant that the second he began to disrupt normal operations, the boy painted a target on his back. A target which you hit perfectly.
You paused, glancing back at the damage you had done. The clubhouse the dissenters had made home was in shambles, a couple limp bodies tossed about. You tore your gaze away from the destruction, to stare at your gloved, armored hands, and noticed the fresh blood coated on them.
‘Just another thing to do. Cleaning my gloves.’
A moment passed, and suddenly you felt an uncomfortable pang of an unfamiliar emotion wash through you. An emotion that made you want to crawl out of you skin and to the bottom of the Yue Bay where you belong. You’d later realize the alien feeling was remorse, shame, and a jeopardized self esteem all balled up in your gut.
‘What would the Chief say?’
——— Now, City Council, 09:37, Republic City——-

As you remembered your actions only hours ago, the weight of them now made your heart clench. Especially, now that you were in the presence of the airbending master, who preached nonviolence above all else. Even more unsettling to you was the idea that in some alternate universe, you were also an airbending master who lived by a similar code of ethics. And in that universe, Councilman Tenzin knew he was your uncle and he trained you to live that way. Instead, he was just a stranger, you were a murderer, and you couldn’t recall the last time you consciously produced a measly puff of air.

How pathetic of you.
How the hell did you end up like this?
Your mother. Konsta. The Kage Gumi.

And on top of all your internal discomfort, the councilman sensed your unease immediately. It made your hackles rise.
“I understand that speaking with me may be uncomfortable for you, being that the Chief may not be pleased with your decision to gather my statement.”
Drawn from your moral turmoil, you straightened up, trying to school your features into those of a professional. “Yes, well, we haven’t drawn up any new leads. Perhaps one of the details you remember could give us a fresh perspective.”
“I would hope so. What happened that night was nothing short of textbook terrorism. I will not allow my Uncle Sokka’s death to be in vain.”
You nodded solemnly. “I’m sorry for your loss. As someone who also can’t rely on bending, I truly looked up to your uncle.”
“Thank you. My brother Bumi felt the same way.”
At the mention of your father, you felt your mouth go dry. No, the Commander didn’t know you were his daughter. He didn’t even know you existed because he had knocked up your mother at the age of 20 and was immediately deployed by the United Forces. In fact, that had been the reason why you agreed to join the Forces in the first place, but you never worked up the courage to confront the commander before you were kicked out. That didn’t change the fact that you wanted to squirm in your seat at the thought of having something else in common with the man. Especially since your uncle had made the connection himself.
You swallowed thickly and tried your best to give the councilman a small smile before continuing.
“What can you remember from the night of the attack, Councilman Tenzin? Did anything unusual stand out?”
“No, aside from the impressive fighting skills of the attackers, there was truly nothing remarkable about how they dressed or spoke.”
“Did anyone ever come forward with suspicions about how the attackers arrived unnoticed?” You asked, remembering that the exact method of the group's arrival was unknown at the time of the previous witness statements.
“It was very early in the morning when they arrived at the village. There were only a handful of watchmen stationed during that time. They likely memorized the guard rotation and slipped past unnoticed. No one was even alerted that Korra was in danger until her polar bear-pup started howling.”
You nodded solemnly. Another unremarkable tactic. The simple fact of the matter was that the Southern Water tribe simply was not prepared to protect the young girl against a kidnapping attempt in the middle of the night. There wasn’t enough security, so the target was easy.
“In your opinion, why do you think the Chief’s daughter was targeted?’’
Tenzin, who had previously been stroking his short beard in thought, gestured uncaringly.
“Well, that's easy. They wanted to hold the Avatar for ransom.”
Your eyebrows shot up. “The Avatar?” You repeated, shocked at the implications of his words. “Korra is the Avatar?”
Suddenly, Tenzin’s expression shifted to match your own confused shock. “Yes. Didn’t Lin inform you of that? I mean, you are handling this case, right?”
Suddenly feeling that familiar pang of irritation towards the Chief, your expression darked and you crossed your arms with a huff. “Yes, I am on the case, but she’s been redacting my intelligence files for security reasons.”
Tenzin nodded, clearly understanding your frustration with the metalbending control-freak. “She doesn’t have a reputation of being very trusting. With good reason, unfortunately. The Avatar’s kidnapping and Uncle Sokka’s death are both crimes very close to home for all of us.”
“And by “us” you mean Aang’s friends and children?”
“Indeed.”
It was starting to make sense why the Chief was being so cagey about the information on this Zaheer case. It was a deeply personal matter, clearly with a lot at stake for them all. Although, you didn’t quite get the impression that Lin Beifong was very close with any of her childhood friends or family nowadays. Or anyone for that matter. Maybe that was even more reason to keep her cards close to her chest.
The airbending master seemed to recognize the gears turning behind your eyes, and he smiled softly at you. “I see you’re putting the puzzle pieces together concerning your Chief’s behavior. She’s not so complicated when you have all the details, I’ve found. It’s getting the pieces that’s the difficult part.”
It was unsettling, given that the true intentions behind your “aha-moment” were not so well-natured. That every piece of information you gained on her, while understanding the metalbender better, was not out of a place of curiosity and caring but out of a desire to manipulate her. And it was getting harder with every piece of the puzzle you gained, which was slowly shaping up to paint a picture of a damaged, soft woman. First, learning about her torrid break-up, then the loss of her Uncle, working in a male-dominated field, and now that she clearly still cared deeply about the safety of all the people she had managed to push away over the years. It was a strikingly sad story and one you were frighteningly familiar with. Your heart gave an unexpected heave and you suddenly were lost for words in front of the man. Before you knew it, your uncle by blood was offering a handkerchief that he produced from the pocket of his robes.
Confused, you didn’t take the article of soft fabric and instead sent the man a questioning look.
“You’re crying.” He stated simply, seemingly unsurprised by your show of emotion. He gestured again, offering it to you.
Crying? You haven’t cried in years. You’re not crying.
“What…? You reached up and touched your cheek. To your surprise, you felt some dampness on your cheek. Still not believing, you looked at your fingertips, which were now barely glistening.
Your eyebrows furrowed further. With a muttered thanks, you took the cloth and quickly wiped the two small streaks the teardrops had formed.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know why that happened. That has never happened before.” You explained hurriedly. ‘Thank Yue the Chief wasn’t here to see that.’
The councilman shook his head. “No worries. You must care deeply for Lin.”
You shook your head, letting out a small laugh and hoping that your cheeks weren’t flushing from both the tears and his suggestive comment. “I wouldn’t say that. We’ve only just met.”
The airbender hummed in thought. “Perhaps in understanding her loss, you are reminded of your own?”
A small smile, a genuine one, crossed your lips at the spiritual leader’s insightful words. “I think you might be hitting the nail on the head now.” No, you weren’t one who generally liked being psychoanalyzed, but there was something so calmingly familiar and refreshingly judgment free that you couldn’t help but appreciate feeling so easily understood. Especially, when you were not sure you understood the emotions that had been creeping up on you lately.
“I’m familiar with that particular nail, it seems. It doesn’t always get easier, but it often brings people closer together.” You wanted to squirm in your chair now. “I fear Lin has been avoiding that last part. I hate to see her alone in this.”
How were all the people in this city so emotionally raw? What happened to burying your feelings deep down? Even the stone-cold Chief of Police couldn’t seem to get that right.
Furthermore, didn’t this prick leave her?
“Who are you to feel bad that she is alone?” You tried to temper the bite in your voice, but you couldn’t. You had been alone for many years, but spirits forbid that you received any pity for it from the people who put you here.
A little shocked by your defensive reply, since the two of you had previously been getting along fairly well, he bristled. You noticed his robes rustle the tiniest bit due to some unconscious airbending, a habit you had long-since learned to break. But it only took a brief second for his expression to soften once more, which both confused and angered you. “I suppose you are right.” His voice had a tone of remorse that you were unfamiliar with. Perhaps that was because his remorse was genuine and the people previously in your life rarely were. “She is lucky to have someone in her corner to defend her.”
“I’m not defending her.” You snapped. Knowing the Chief, she would probably kill you if she thought you even tried to stick up for her. It would insult her pride to think she couldn’t take care of herself.
‘Much like it had yours.’ A tiny voice in the back of your head said, but you shooed it away angrily.
“No. You’re defending yourself. It’s okay. It’s natural to protect those you see yourself in.”
“Chief Beifong and I are nothing alike.” You stated simply, a tone of finality in your voice. “We should get on with the statement.” You finished, glancing down at your notepad and desperately wanting to change the subject.
The airbender gestured for you to go on. “Tell me what you remember when the attackers fled to Republic City.”

____________________________________________________

Arrogant. Intrusive. Vexatious.
This new Captain, Lin thought, could hardly be summed up in so few words. No, you need many more words, and none of them are positive.
That little stunt you pulled in the bar certainly proved her point.
‘Do you ever stop?’
Since the second your worlds collided, all you had done was grate Lin’s nerves. It was relentless. She was genuinely wondering if you’d ever give it a break.
You look at her, your body language relaxed. You might as well have been speaking with an old friend, not your Chief. And certainly not someone you’d only met mere hours beforehand.
“You know how little boys will pull on the hair of girls they like to get their attention?”
Audacious. There’s another descriptor. It was one thing to respect, even idolize the Chief of Police and a Beifong, but to admit to openly seeking her attention and affection? You certainly must’ve had the ego the size of a house.
And to admit it so cavalierly too… it was almost disarming.
Maybe that’s why she let you stay. You threw her off her game since the moment you slammed into her. Literally. Lin would be the first to admit that things had gotten monotonous, even dull the past few months. Wake up, go to work, drink, repeat. It had begun to feel like an endless cycle, perhaps pointless if not for the criminals she was working to put behind bars. But even then, the faces began to become indistinguishable from one another. Worse than that, and she would never admit this aloud, but she had never felt so terribly lonely before. Uncle Sokka’s death had been the tipping point for all that. She had felt like an outsider when Tenzin had broken up with her, disconnected… but mourning alone– that was a whole other story.
Yes, it was just Lin and her pragmatic, lonely life… until you showed up.
Lin had never seen such glowing letters of recommendation before. She would’ve thought them fraudulent if not for her previous Captain of Intellegence’s affirmation of your qualities. That was another reason she decided to keep you. You were described to be the sharpest and most promising intelligence officer in the Forces, physically capable despite being a nonbender, and good with others.
Nothing the letters said had technically proven to be wrong, at least so far. But they did leave so, so much out.
Like how you lack tact.
“Hey Chief!” Lin watched as you jogged up to her, a big smile on your face, probably due to the fact that you caught her in the line of the café stand outside the precinct so she couldn’t run away. You came to stop in front of her. As early in the morning as it was, you sure had a lot of energy. Your presence made her roll her eyes, already feeling annoyance creep up her spine.
“Captain Roseer.” She drawled lowly, a stark contrast to your chipper tone.
You smirked at her attitude, cocking your hip to one side and resting your hand on it, just like Su used to do. The parallel made the words that came out of your mouth next ten times worse. “I met your boyfriend yesterday.”
For a moment, Lin didn’t know exactly who you were referring to. It had been years since she and Tenzin dated. She thought for a moment that perhaps you had mistook someone else for being in a relationship with her— Saikahn perhaps. But judging by the teasing tone in your voice, it definitely was the airhead you were referring to. The Chief straightened and her expression darkened.
“Councilman Tenzin hasn’t been my boyfriend for a long time. What business did you have with him?”
You tilted your chin proudly, even though it was clear that you knew you crossed a boundary. “I got the witness statement for the kidnapping that you neglected to gather from him.”
Lin’s jaw clenched, her scars aching in protest. “We had plenty of statements to go off of without his testimony to what happened.”
You raised an eyebrow at her, pretending to be surprised. “That’s not completing your due diligence, Chief. I’d think you, of all people, would be more thorough. Besides, without speaking with him, I never would have discovered why you heavily redacted the Zaheer file.”
Of course, the real reason she hadn’t gathered Tenzin’s witness statement had been because Sokka had just died, and the last thing she needed was Tenzin’s unwanted and empty condolences.
“What did he tell you?” She blurted out almost immediately, feeling defensive, but she quickly put together the pieces. Of course the airhead let the cat out of the bag. Her expression faltered and her armored shoulders slouched defeatedly. In exasperation, she pinched the bridge of her nose, her head craning to look up at the sky. “You know that Korra is the Avatar.”
You hummed, tapping your chin animatedly before assuming a more serious, quieter tone of voice. Crossing your arms, you leaned forward into the metalbenders personal space so that no one else could hear. “That would be correct.”
She sighed defeatedly, thinking of what to say. In a show of respect for your cunning ability to weasel intelligence out of people, which was exactly what you were paid to do, she locked her jade eyes with yours. “I’ll give you the original file,” she took a step forward, a graveness in her voice that you’d never heard before. Her sharp eyes seemed to turn you to stone, they were so serious. “But you can’t tell anyone.”
Lin watched as you gulped, likely due to her intimidating presence, and you nodded quickly. “My lips are sealed.” You spoke clearly despite your evident hesitation. She wondered briefly if you had already told someone and that’s why you looked nervous briefly, but she decided not to entertain the idea.
Surely, you know better than to share intelligence like that.
“Next!” The barista called from the stand. It was then that Lin realized they had been holding up the line. She quickly ordered her oolong tea and egg custard tart while reaching to pull out her wallet. Suddenly, she felt a hand on hers, swiftly pausing her movement to retrieve the folded leatherwork.
“This one is on me, Chief.” You insisted with a charming smile. “I want to make up for when we first met.”
Before she could protest, you were handing the barista enough to cover her order and a generous tip.
——————
The Chief allowing you to see the unredacted file was a huge win in your eyes, even though it was begrudgingly handed over. Between it, Councilman Tenzin’s witness statement, and the information Konsta will find for you, you were sure you could crack the case soon. Of course, there was the issue that you now knew the truth about Avatar Korra. The Kage Gumi would obviously want to know this information, and perhaps target the Chief’s daughter much like Zaheer and his group did with the intention of extortion. However, your gut twisted uneasily at the prospect of putting the young girl in danger.
‘Maybe I can just keep that piece of information to myself.’ You thought.
‘But when the news breaks that she is, in fact, the avatar, Konsta will literally murder me for keeping that from the Kage Gumi.’
As much as you tried to outwardly seem unbothered by Konsta’s intimidation, you weren’t stupid. The threat of the Kage Gumi and their control over you was very real, especially because your mother is the leader. Something like this would certainly put you and, more importantly, your little brother at risk if it were found out you withheld critical information from them. The idea, however, of putting another innocent child at risk was even less appealing.
‘For now I’ll sit on the news.’ You decided. ‘It will give the young avatar some time to gain more security.’
You shifted in the seat of your desk, trying to get comfortable and failing. You thought about the Chief and how she had sworn you to secrecy. Technically, the Kage Gumi had your loyalty first. It was just that… well you never had the chance to stay in one place before, to see the good guys’ perspective. It was getting harder and harder to maintain the ignorant attitude that kept you operating as a cold-blooded killer all these years. Not to mention, the Chief was just so… attractive. Not just in the physical sense, but her sense of morality, leadership, authority was almost enchanting to you. You, who was so starved of goodness in your life that the second you met her, you craved being on her side.
So when she asked you to do things, like go on patrol even as a pencil-pushing Captain, you didn’t even bat an eye. It was amusing too, how she expected you to complain and when you didn’t, it almost seemed to aggravate her. You stood from your desk and quickly pulled on your leather bomber jacket. She had to remind you to grab your gun, which you had intentionally tried to leave on your desk. You knew she was only asking you to join you on patrol to see how well you did in the field with her own eyes. As the two of you walked towards the garage of the precinct, you broke the silence.
“Can I drive?” You asked, hoping for the chance to drive in a high-speed chase without the risk of getting pulled over.
She replied without even sparing you a glance. You half expected her to ask you to ride in the back, the way she was acting like she wanted nothing to do with you. “No. Now get in.”
Twenty minutes later, the streets began to look familiar. Your stomach sank as the Chief made a turn, rounding the corner to the dessenters hideout. Outside the rundown warehouse were approximately three other squad cars, the parameter blocked off by yellow tape. You frowned, eyeing the scene. Of course you knew that eventually someone would stumble across the remains of your dirty work, but you didn’t think it would be so soon. Furthermore, you figured that the first people to come across the warehouse would have been the Agni Kai, not the RCPD. After all, the dissenters were still gang members, so there was no reason to assume there would be police involvement.
“What is this place?” You asked the Chief, tearing your gaze away from the warehouse to find her brows furrowed and a frown on her lips as she eyed the scene in front of her.
“It was the location of our criminal informants.” She replied softly.
You swallowed thickly and suddenly heard your heart pounding in your ears. “Was?” You asked, the confusion in your voice genuine.
The Chief didn’t respond. The vehicle came to a halt and without missing a beat, she was out of the satomobile and marching quickly over to her officers. You followed a couple moments after, taking in the grim expression on the officer’s face. You didn’t catch the first part of the Chief’s questioning, but as soon as you came to stand behind the metalbender, you were able to piece together what she had been filled in on.
“They’re dead? All of them?” Her voice was harsh with frustration and grief. You could see her clenched fists, knuckles turning white, and wondered briefly what the force of one of those knuckles to your jaw would feel like.
One of her men nodded sadly. “Yes, Chief.”
“Damn it!” She hissed out. “They were going to give us information about the girls.” It seemed as though the Chief was almost as concerned about the lives of the girls in question as the loss of the ex-gang members.
“What girls?” Your voice snapped the metalbender’s attention away from her officer and back to you. She didn’t seem all that interested in catching you up, but did anyway.
“The Agni Kai have been trafficking underage girls for decades now. We finally had a member brave enough to offer information and now he’s dead.”
Fuck. Of course you killed the one gang-dissenter with a fucking heart. You wish you never knew what he was rebelling against. That would make this guilt you feel now evaporate.
The officer spoke up. “The Agni Kai’s must’ve found out he ratted.”
You felt a renewed sense of justice. Maybe you didn’t kill every single one of those dissenters. Maybe there was one left that could still help the Chief save those girls. “Well surely not all of this rogue group got killed. Maybe there’s a survivor out there that knows something.”
“Yeah, good luck tracking that one down.” She said sarcastically.
“Thanks.” You replied coolly. “I’ll start with the hospitals. And I’ll need someone else to go to the nearest shops that sell medical supplies to question if anyone in bad condition made some purchases in the last 12 hours.”
“And if they went to friends or family for help?” She pressed further, expecting you to be stumped by the question. But you weren’t. It just made you sad, because you knew that particular story all too well.
“I’m quite sure that anyone who survived lost all their family last night.” You replied grimly. Gangs such as these tended to become a sort of chosen family. If anyone survived, one thing that's certain is that they are alone.
At least, so you thought.

Chapter 4: Secrets and loose tongues

Second person, omnipotent— you

 

There was a shop-owner’s report from a police officer that stated a woman came in around three in the morning the previous night. She wanted to buy medical supplies, but the shop owner quickly realized she was too injured to deal with the injuries herself and drove her to the hospital himself. 

Another act of goodness to chalk up to your pro and con list. What a surprise.

She probably begged him not to tell the police. And he probably only broke when the RCPD came to his store asking questions. 

He’s a good man. Loyal, you hoped, but with trust in the city’s protectors. 

Interesting.

 

“May I meet with her?” You asked, walking quickly down the hospital hallway. Your strides kept up easily with the short healer, who had much to do.

“Unfortunately, the patient has requested not to receive visitors at the moment.” The dark-skinned woman replied while being handed a chart from another white-coat and continuing forward. 

You recognized that she was not going to stop moving, so you stopped her in her tracks by placing a strong hand on her bony shoulder. 

“This is police business.” You straightened up, looking directly into her eyes that were shielding perfectly from the glare of her glasses. Her head turned to eye your hand and you caught the moment. Out of respect, and catching that she’d stopped her focussed march forward, you removed your hand from her pristine coat. After a beat she took a step back, eyeing your whole form, her eyes landing on your tattoo peeking out from around your elbow. She couldn’t see it all the way or the two other tattoos you sported, but that didn’t matter. She had already made her slight judgment for you.

You sighed, reaching into your pocket to pull out your badge, much more like a license when being pulled over than a weapon. 

You flashed it to her, an exasperated expression forming on your face, awaiting her recognition. 

She nodded slightly and gestured to the right down a short hallway. “Go speak with the nurse.”

You nodded obediently, leaving the hurried woman to complete her care. Keeping your badge in your hand, you made your way down the hallway. As you rounded the corner, you found the nurses station. They were all busy, it seemed, but they had a bored expression on their faces as they charted on the papers in front of them. You coughed loudly and when that didn’t work you spoke loudly. 

“Excuse me, I’m looking for a patient.”

They looked up,  displeased by your interruption of their work. Not that you could blame them. They had a lot to worry about that didn’t involve your plans. 

“We can’t disclose patient information without a name and consent.” One of the older nurses replied, fixing her glasses on her face. 

“I don’t have a name, I’m with the police.” You showed the badge you held in her hand. All the nurses seemed to perk up a bit at the admission. That made you feel a little more confident at least. 

“I’m looking for a woman in her twenties. She would’ve came in last night from the emergency room for blunt trauma injuries or broken bones. She’s… requested privacy, but this is urgent.” 

 

You were guided down the hallway, only a couple doors down. The room looked like any other and it was requested that you remained outside while the nurse spoke to the suspect. 

You heard her muffled voice through the door, “There’s a woman here who wants to speak to you. She’s with the police. It’s okay if you want to deny her entry.”

There was a pause. “No it’s okay. Send her in.” 

She probably hopes I’m on her side. The side Lin is on. Good news for her, because I’ll do anything to help fix my mistake.

The nurse returned and waved you in. You asked for some privacy while you two talked. You prayed once again that she didn’t recognize your voice.

“Hello.” You greeted, hoping to sound trustful. “I’m Hesper Roseer with the RCPD. I’m here to ask you about what happened last night.” You scanned her face, looking for any sign of recognition. You didn’t find any. She remained calm, although a little unsure.

“Yes, the nurse told me. What do you want to know?”

She answered, and it was then that you got a chance to look at her. She seemed to be a nonbender, like you, you suppose. But people can always surprise you. You're the number one example of that. The point is that she didn’t have any cultural signs of bending except for bright green eyes. An earthbender perhaps, but still… you would have remembered fighting an earth bender in the Agni Kais, and she wasn’t ringing a bell. 

“I know about the information your group was going to tell the police.”

She seemed to hold her breath.

“Don't worry, I’m not here to arrest you. I just need to know where to find the girls.” You spoke gently.

“I don’t know exactly who they’re held by.” She admitted. “I do know where they might be kept. I’m sorry, I was just a part of the group to help. I never got answers about who was actually holding them. The only reason I might know is because there was talk before we decided to involve the police to get them free ourselves. My little sister got caught up in their group.” 

“I see. I’m sorry about your sister. But anything you can tell me now will help. I know you’ve been through a lot.” 

“They were coerced by a woman named Alla. But she’s not in charge… Muri is. And we were going to give you all the name of the building they operate out of. But… someone came…”

“Who?”

“I guess she works for the Agni Kai, but I’ve never seen her before. She used brass knuckles I think… and the other’s bending against them. That’s how I got my broken ribs.”

“”Do you remember what she looked like?”

“No… not really. It was dark. But I remember her being tall and fast. Her hair was up, so I don’t know which color.” 

“Did she have anything remarkable about her?”

“Just her mask. It was black with red lines and only covered her forehead, eyes and nose. The lines were forming a circular symbol I’ve never seen before.”

“Okay. That’s fine. We’ll look into her.” You didn’t take any notes on her description of you. “Can you tell me where your group thought the girls that were being sex trafficked are?”

“Downtown, in the old apartment building on South18 and and Lemon street. It’s near the strip of clubs… right outside one actually”

Just then the door opened abruptly, nearly slamming against the wall if not for the door-stopper there.

“Roseer!”

The woman your age seemed to jump at the entrance of the Chief.

You glanced at the woman, motioning to her to stay down and that it was okay. “Chief.” You replied calmly.

“You can’t just interrogate suspects without running it by me first!”

“I told you exactly what I was doing! Going to the hospitals to look for survivors.”

“The second that you found one you should have radioed me!”

“Will you calm down? You’re scaring her.”

“I’m not—“ she finally laid eyes on the patient in the bed, the one who had all the answers.

“Miss, I'm sorry.” She spoke to the woman who was shaking in her sheets. “I don’t mean to—“

“Maybe we should take this outside.” You interrupted the Chief, but she didn’t have time to be angry at you. She was far too concerned by looking like an inconsiderate prick. The Chief followed your direction of hand and headed straight out the door, feeling embarrassed. 

“Are you happy now?” You asked with a bite in your voice. “What is your obsession with keeping an arm's length away? I can handle things like this.”

“You should have told me you found a suspect.”

“She’s not a suspect. She is a witness. And it is within my ground to speak to any witness without permission from you, especially because I already told you I was going to look for survivors.”

She looked embarrassed for a moment, then assumed some dignity. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I just…”

“You just what?”

“I just want to make sure you don’t fuck things up.”

“Don’t fuck things up? Are you seriously that hellbent on keeping me on a short leash that you will refuse to let me do my job?”

 She was stunned speechless. 

You huffed, annoyed again with her behavior. “Listen, I’m not sure what I have done to turn you against me, but here.” You slapped the address down into her hand. “That’s the location of the girls. You’re welcome.” 

You stormed off, huffing and puffing. 

What the hell was her problem? You’ve hardly given her any trouble other than poking fun a few times. Sure, maybe you’re not as professional as she would like, but you still do a good job. She should come to see that in time. The other part of this was that you were actively trying to get close to her and maybe she picked up on it. Your ingenuinity, that is. But… still. You hadn’t said or done anything to make her distrust you. And yet, you couldn’t seem to get on her good side. Maybe she has a sixth sense for criminals. Maybe she knows your bad deep down. 

——————

Third person, omnipotent

 

“She’s good.” Lin admitted to her Assistant Chief. “She found the girls. We’re going to bust them tonight.” She couldn’t help but pace, picking up and examining the objects on her shelf without reason. She needed distraction. She needed to make herself believe that you coming into her life was normal. The way she felt about you, disrupting everything she built, wasn’t normal. What had you done against her?’ 

He huffed, settling into his chair once more, clearly worried about his Chief, but unable to ask her what was really on her mind. “That’s great news. Why do you have such a sour expression on your face?”

“She… I yelled at her again and she didn’t deserve it.”

“That’s shocking.” He replied sarcastically, but quickly moved on. “Listen, Chief. She’s done a good job so far. A little bratty, sure, but what’s worse. An ass-kisser or Roseer. It’s not like she doesn’t respect you, she just seems a little…”

“Like an asshole.”

“Independent.”

“Your saying she doesn’t work well with others?”

“No, she gets along with the team great. She just is a little hard-headed. That’s all. It’s probably why you don’t get along with her.”

“You’re calling me hard-headed?”

he let out a little laugh, not afraid of Lin except during combat after all those years. “Yes. And that’s probably why she gets under your skin so much. You two are the same.” 

“I wouldn’t go that far. She’s a—“

“—— A desk jockey. Right, right.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“I mean she has beaten nearly everyone in the fight club in hand-to-hand combat. She can take care of herself. Maybe you just need to get over the fact that she’s an attractive, intelligent, hardworking person. I’m sure she has her issues but she’s likable. And that alone is respectable, even aside from the fact that she made headway with both the Agni Kai and the Zaheer case. It is not her ambition that bothers you, it’s something else, and you need to get over it.”

“Are you suggesting I’m prejudiced towards younger women?”

“Maybe. I think what I’m trying to say more is that you need to be more open-minded. You caught yourself an excellent officer. Use her.” 

Saikahn left. Lin reached to open the drawer of her desk and her hand gripped the bottle

 ——————

Chief Beifong’s omnipotent POV

 

It was getting dark but well before any hour that prostitution would begin. The girls they were looking for would still be inside the old apartment. Lin didn’t know what to expect inside. Were they chained up? Were they intimidated or threatened to stay in place? Did they drug the girls all day so they couldn’t run away? The metalbender didn’t know. All she knew was that the RCPD was going to get them out one way or another. 

She shifted in her seat, gripping the steering wheel of the parked police cruiser tighter and shut her eyes tightly. She felt like a live wire, but the hour was taking a toll on her. She wanted to go ahead and get this over with, but she knew she needed to be on her toes and ready for action. Strong, immovable, resilient. That’s what Beifongs are, or were. She was frayed at the edges, nothing but muscles and bones and metal armor. Damn, she wanted to sleep. She wanted a drink. She wanted a damn break.  

“You okay, Chief?” 

Spirits, that voice. She never stops. Lin wanted to be annoyed with her new Captain, but she just sounded so… genuine. No matter how much bullshit she tossed the nonbender's way, she bounced right back. Her baseline was forgiving, hardworking, focused. It made Lin irritated, no longer because she found the Captain unworthy or unskilled, but because she was able to do what Lin couldn’t — move forward. Oh, to be able to move forward and succeed. It made Lin clench her teeth and the muscles around her scars jump. 

“I’m fine.”

“Do you want some water? It might help with the headache. Caffeine dehydrates the body, you know.” The Captain grasped the bottle and offered it to her. 

“No thanks, I have my own.” 

Lin hesitated inwardly. ‘ Seriously, why am I doing this?’ , she asked herself. ‘I’m  only going to make things harder for myself.’ She reasoned. ‘If I do this, and something happens, it will all be on me.’

Her bones ached and her muscles felt like they’d been fried. Maybe it was because she’d been up since five, or maybe it was her unending workload, but it was probably because she gave up on her paperwork this evening and took three shots before hopping in her cruiser hours ago. Now, she felt the effect of the alcohol wearing off. If she stopped, she might start to get twitchy, itchy, and her head spinning. 

‘It’s late. And nothing will happen. It will help with the headache and the nausea. Then, I’ll be done here, so it won’t matter.’

She reached down towards the holder of the door and felt the cool metal of her flask. It could hold anything she wanted, preferably water, but right now, it held baijiu. The cool aluminum touched her lips and she took a swig without even wincing. She needed some gum or a mint, something to keep the stench of the booze from floating towards Roseer. 

“Do you have gum? That might help with my jaw.” Lin asked, rubbing where the hinges of her jaw met her neck for emphasis. 

The nonbender seemed to light up at the question. “Yeah, I do!” She chirped, unfettered by Lin’s masking. The metalbender watched as her officer dug into her bag only to produce a small piece of chewing gum wrapping in wax paper. “Fair warning, it’s cinnamon flavored. I know some people don’t like it.”

“It’s fine. Thank you.” She replied stiffly, feeling uncomfortable with how kind the nonbender was being. Knowing that she’s doing wrong and getting treated kindly anyways made Lin’s skin crawl. 

Finally, finally, as she put the cinnamon gum in her mouth, she felt the alcohol seep down her intestines and pool into her belly. A warm, comforting feeling followed. A feeling that would probably make a normal person want to yack. 

A few minutes of silence passed. The Chief had already sworn off any music from the radio when the Captain reached for the dial earlier. Now, with her head fuzzy and light, it didn’t seem like such a bad idea while they were waiting. It’s not like they were waiting to hear commotion. She had closer officers stationed to keep a lookout around the corner where the actual building was. For now, all they had to do was wait. The silence was making her uncomfortable now, so she switched it on, causing the Captain to glance at her quickly in surprise, but soon look away contentedly. 

More minutes in with only the soft instrumental playing. It was jazzy and smooth, new age stuff. Lin could feel her body relaxing as she chewed her gum and the alcohol flowed into her bloodstream. 

“Do your scars hurt often?” The question made the Chief bristle. No one ever asked about her scars, let alone how she felt about them. She must’ve shown her surprise plain on her face, because the nonbender chuckled lightly at her reaction. That made Lin even more thrown off. 

She cleared her throat, trying to sound professional. Normally she would say no, but the open, kind face of her officer seemed to lull her into a sense of safety, especially with the baijiu in her system. 

“Yes. All the time, but especially when I’m stressed because I clench my teeth.”

“Met too.” The Captain replied. “I clench my teeth too, I mean. That’s why I keep gum on me.” 

Lin didn’t reply, so it seemed her new Captain saw that as an invitation to keep talking. “I don’t have scars though, so imagine it’s worse for you.” 

“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never met anyone with scars like mine.”

“What about your Uncle?’

She stared blankly, not following. The nonbender smiled. “Zuko? He has facial scars.”

“Oh, yeah. His don’t hurt like mine do. They’re just a painful reminder to him. But he was helpful when it happened, I suppose.” 

“Yeah, burns kill the nerve endings, so it’s not surprising that he doesn’t feel them anymore.” 

 “You seem to know a lot about physiology for someone who isn’t a healer.”

“I was trained in first aid when I was in the forces, but I also learned a lot when I went to University. They make you tak all sorts of classes that don’t seem to matter at the time, like physiology.”

Lin nodded. “I guess you’ll ace the first responder training then.”

“Maybe. I haven’t had to use it much.” The nonbender shrugged. At least she was admitting that she didn’t have much field experience, which finally allowed Lin to feel some empathy towards the younger woman. 

“Let’s hope you never have to.” The Chief replied with a small smile, feeling less and less on edge. That could’ve been the most amicable thing she’s said to Roseer since she met her. 

“Here's to hoping.” She lifted her water bottle, gesturing for Lin to raise a glass with her. She followed sweet without a second thought and took another easy swig from her flask. 

The Captain took her swig of water and wiped her mouth. As she was setting the bottle in the cupholder, she turned back to Lin, ready to speak. “You said Zuko helped when you got your scars?”

Lin nodded, trying not to make a face at the sting of the alcohol. “Yes.”

Another short answer from the metalbender. It prompted the Captain to continue her questioning. “How so?”

“We got them in a similar manner. He was able to relate, to share wisdom I guess. It didn’t help much at the time because I was so… angry.”

Lin could see the gears working behind her yellow-green eyes. The way she absorbed everything the Chief was saying, digesting it, making connections, and filing it away, it made the Chief feel a way she couldn't pin down, but the cold woman's response was so vague, so un-indulging that it seemed to stop the nonbender in her tracks. Lin watched as she waited patiently and even saw the moment her Captain realized that she wasn’t going to willingly offer any more information than that. 

An awkward moment passed, her Captain gave a short nod and turned to look forward out the windshield. Lin did the same, suddenly feeling self-conscious for being unable to keep the conversation going, all because she was so uncomfortable with the idea of rehashing the event. 

For some reason, though, she felt confident enough to keep going, as if she didn’t want to disappoint the new Captain with no further explanation. “Uncle Zuko got his scars from his father. When Zuko tried to do what was right, he was punished by the Fire Lord.” 

The nonbender looked solemn and serious at her confession, trying to understand what the metalbender was getting at. “Did you get your scars from your father?”

Lin barked out a laugh, making her Captain grin along with her. “Spirits no! I never knew my dad. I got them while trying to arrest my little sister.”

I can’t believe if offered that information up so willingly. I just met this woman and I’m telling her things I never speak about. It must be the booze. Oh well, I can’t bring myself to care.’

The nonbender mimics the Chief’s smile, only wider– more confident with it. It was genuine, bright, and not shy like the Chief's was (though she’s never admitted to being shy). “What?! Your little sister did that?”

The Chief nodded again, relaxing, although her armor clanked as she unfolded her arms. 

“Yeah.” Lin spoke, still with a tone of laughter in her voice, but her brow was furrowed like she thought the whole thing was comically perplexing. 

The nonbender’s smile formed into a smirk, and she looked away coyly. “She must be some hellcat to do that kind of damage on someone as tough as you.”

Another laugh from the girl. ‘ Girl? Is she a girl? No, she’s twenty something. I don’t know. I didn’t pay attention. Maybe I should’ve. Why should I have? Spirits that laugh sounded like magic.’

The matlbender composes her racing thoughts as the words flow out of the nonbender's mouth. “What was she doing to make you want to arrest her? Was she wearing your shirt without permission?”

‘It’s like the words are flowing out of me without any resistance at all.’ Lin thought. “Very funny.” She replied sarcastically, surprisingly not annoyed by the Captain’s teasing. “No, she was getting involved with the Tera Triad. I was trying to stop her before she got too roped in.”

“That makes sense– that you would want to protect her from that, I mean.”

The Chief shrugged. “She got off scot-free— got shipped out of the city and I haven’t seen her since. Look at all the good that did.” ‘Sarcasm. My go to. Very attractive.’

‘Wait. Attractive? Why do I care about that—?’

“Well your sister isn’t a gang member now, is she?”

“No.”

“Is she successful?”

“...yes” She hesitated, adjusting her arms, but then nodded her head stiffly, looking away.

“So it seems like you did your job in the end. Scars be forgotten, you stepped in and sacrificed yourself for her wellbeing. That's very noble Chief.”

“I.. never looked at it that way.”

“I’m not trying to tell you how to feel about your scars. I just know that when we’re hurt, it can be hard to see things in a positive light, especially when things don’t work out the way we planned.”

“Speaking from experience?”

“You could say that.”

Static on the radio cut through the vehicle, making the pair snap out of their conversation. 

“~We got movement on the west entrance. Permission to engage, Chief?~”

She held the radio up to her mouth, automatically going into work-mode. “~Permission granted. Back-up move in and surround the remaining entrances. Over.~”

_________________________________

Chief Beifong’s POV

We had the pimps there to ‘protect’ the girls, but apparently they missed one. 

The new Captain caught it (of course). The perp was trying to sneak out the back door to the alley while we loaded the rest of the criminals into the vehicles and the girls into ambulances. 

“Chief, one is making a break for it out the back!”

The Captain rushed past my metal clad form towards the East end of the building. My neck broke just in time to see a shadowy figure busting through the back door.

‘Fuck! FUCK! I’ve barely made it this far without anyone noticing. I’ve felt like I’m going to misstep and pass out for the last half hour, and now I have to pursue a criminal on foot. I can’t get a damn break. Spirits, let me catch my breath. I look stressed, I know I do. I never look drunk anymore— I never even feel drunk anymore. Fuck this.’ 

I take off running after her, despite my inward reluctance. I order the rest of the officers to head to the vehicles to cut off any possible escape routes. Right on the swift Captains tail, we see the criminal hang a right into an old factory nearby. 

“Take the high ground!” 

I do as the Captain says, trying to act as though I’m in control, but I’m not. Thankfully, my cables make the snap and I go soaring through the air, busting through the glass of the window on the fourth floor with pure muscle memory. My feet falter on the metal of the catwalk and I stumble forward. My vision is going spotty, but I blindly reach forward to brace myself against the railing. All of my weight against the bars causes a creaking snap and before I know it I’m going head first over the edge. My mind isn’t moving fast enough to catch myself a second time. My cables whirl out wildly, trying to latch onto anything to prevent me from hitting the earth. But it’s too late. I brace for impact.

The familiar feeling of a cyclone of air rushing around me is the next thing I feel.

What the? Is Tenzin here?

I feel the clank of my armor against the hard concrete much more gently than I was anticipating. I lay limply, facedown, my eyes squeezing shut from the head rush. The world is spinning around me and suddenly I feel like I’m about to vomit. I feel the bile bubbling up and suddenly the contents of my stomach erupt up my throat. With the little strength I have left, I inch away from it, coughing and trying to wipe my mouth with my hand. I try to get up, but I can’t. I’m tired, I feel so weak. I just lay on the concrete, breathing deeply. 

 

What the fuck just happened?

 

I am so fucked.

 

Where did Roseer go? 

Spirits, I told her way too much in the cruiser today. I’m not going to be able to look anyone in the eye, but especially her.

 

I hear sirens wailing past the building, but I can find the strength to go after them. I just lay there for what feels like an eternity. Eventually, I’ll get up, pretend like everything's fine  and come up with some blasé excuse as to why I couldn’t keep up with the chase. But, for now, I’ll just… lay here next to a pile of my own vomit.