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Chapter Text

Embers and fragments of burning debris fell as Mako jumped to his feet. His back throbbed from where he’d landed, but the sight that greeted him as he stared up at City Hall made him forget the pain. Thick, black smoke billowed from every window on the third floor. The frames and the glass they’d once housed lay shattered at his feet.

Mako blinked as dust and smoke blew into his eyes. More than falling, the explosion had blown him back, and he stood twelve feet further from the building than when the blast had sent the world into chaos. 

The ringing subsided, replaced with screams of workers and onlookers gaping at or running from the burning building. His stomach tightened as he raced towards the entrance, and he stared into every terrified, smoke-stained face he passed. No sign of the people he was supposed to be guarding.

‘Mako!’ someone shouted from behind. ‘Wait!’

‘No time!’ Mako yelled, turning on the spot as his partner staggered up the steps behind him. 

‘Get to the car and call the fire department!’

The cop nodded and was almost carried down the stairs by the stampeding civilians. 

Mako charged into the lobby. Pieces of art lay strewn beneath where they’d once hung or stood. All glassware, windows and vases had shattered. Screams echoed as security and police officers dodged between the fleeing victims to pick up those trampled by those who had got out quicker.

Still no sign of the person he’d wanted to see most. His jaw clenched. His assumption that nobody would want to target the president’s morning business meeting, made in annoyance as his alarm sounded before sunrise, loomed.

‘It’s not my call, Asami,’ he’d said not ten minutes ago. ‘Chief Beifong’s orders. The threat level’s up to amber after what happened at the Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center and your showroom. I don’t blame her.’

‘It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, Mako. But wouldn’t you be better finding out what happened instead of adding to my entourage?’

‘Like I said, not my call. Guess I’ll just have to make sure things run smoothly here.’

Suppressing the memory before it churned his stomach even more, Mako ran for the grand staircase leading up to the diplomats’ offices and boardrooms.

‘Detective!’

A clanking and a metallic rattle, and a metalbending police officer staggered towards him. He had a man in a suit slung over his shoulder.

‘Officer Song!’ Mako stepped off the stairs. ‘What happened?’

‘I dunno!’ said Song. ‘Everything was normal. Then BANG! As soon as it happened, I got my guys to clear the first floor and sent a team up to the second.’

‘Where’s the president? And the others?’

‘I ain’t seen them.’ Song’s face paled beneath the soot. ‘They might still be on the third!’

Mako’s insides squirmed. ‘Get them outside,’ he said. ‘I’ll check upstairs.’

‘You sure, detective?’ said Song. ‘It doesn’t look pretty up there!’

Mako stared back. Song nodded and headed for the entrance.

Mako leapt three steps at a time as people charged in the opposite direction. The burning smell intensified as he reached the landing and stared up towards the third floor. A carpet of smoke rolled along the ceiling, and flames licked out from the doorway. Wishing he had an airbender at his side, he crouched beside the wooden handrail and squat walked up the rest of the stairs. 

More and more smoke dropped over his head the higher he climbed. Breathing in a little wasn’t a problem for a firebender, but that didn’t make it any easier to see through.

Reaching the landing between the second and third floors, the smoke combined with the flames in a thick, acrid smog.

The crackling intensified. Then a POP! A CRACK of splintering wood — and a cough.

Mako punched upwards, and the encroaching fire retreated. It left a glow in the corridor. Without the smoke, he spotted two silhouettes. One lay motionless. The other slid over it, retched forward with another cough, then fell backwards.

‘Hey!’ Mako called out, sprinting to their side. He seized the figure lying crooked on the stairs and found his hand full of fur. 

The figure groaned. ‘Urgh. Not the thing…Not the thing.’

Mako felt heat on the side of his face. The encroaching fire illuminated Varrick’s blackened face, his hair and moustache, a mess.

‘Mako!’ shouted a voice so close to his ear it momentarily overpowered the fire. He flinched as he saw its owner.

Zhu Li’s face was almost as dirtied and haggard as Varrick’s, and her broken glasses hung on her left ear. Mako seized Varrick and, with Zhu Li on the other side, dragged him down the stairs to the second floor. Varrick groaned as he slid each step.

‘You two all right?’ Mako asked as the smoke thinned and the fire’s rage became a crackle.

‘Not bad,’ said Zhu Li, shaking her head and pushing her glasses back against her smoke-caked face.

‘Any injuries?’ Mako asked.

‘Nothing a quick massage and a bath won’t fix.’ Varrick thrust forward and coughed up a slimy, black substance.

‘Where’s Asami?’ Mako asked, staring into Zhu Li’s bloodshot eyes. ‘Was she with you?’

‘Yeah. But we got separated before I got Varrick out of my office. She went back for Wonyong.’

‘All right. Can you get Varrick out?’

Without answering, Zhu Li slid her arms under her husband’s. Varrick groaned as she dragged him further down the stairs.

Every wall in the third floor corridor burned as smoke sank towards the floor. Mako flinched as he chanced a look down the corridor. Though used to handling fire, it still felt like he was staring into a volcano. Even if the fire posed no threat to him, that wasn’t so for the industrialists Zhu Li and Asami had been meeting with.

With no waterbenders at his side, he fought the smoke catching in his throat. How could he extinguish a fire when his bending would only create more of it?

Scanning the corridor, he saw another light. The muffled yellow of the evening sky.

He knew what to do and wished he’d thought of it sooner. He took a gulp of air from just above the floor, rose to his feet, and entered the corridor. He raised his arms above his head and moved them in a rotating gesture. The flames flickered, then leapt from the walls and ceiling as they bent to his will. Rushing all around and above him, Mako felt like he was caught in an infernal wind tunnel. The charging flames blew out the window, showering him with glass.

With sweat pouring down his forehead, he finished his move, leaving him in a defensive stance to watch the last of the flames escape. He hadn’t extinguished or displaced every single flame. Burning debris still littered the floor, and smoke hung below the ceiling. The cooling sensation of sweat on his head and in his uniform came as a welcome relief. At least anyone still trapped was at less of a risk of burning alive. 

‘Asami?’ Mako called out, crouching below the smoke. ‘Asami!’

His voice echoed through the corridor to no reply. With his sense of relief vanishing, he advanced along the wall. The blackened timbers bulged as if from within, like the fire had bubbled inside them. Mako would have had a better look at the deformity had he not heard rubble shifting from further down the corridor. His ears strained for the sound to repeat. Instead, he heard a loud cough. Then another, and another as he squat ran towards Zhu Li’s office.

‘Hey!’ he called out.

Then came a woman’s voice. ‘Mako? Is that you?’ It was muffled but unmistakable.

‘Asami?’ Mako shouted as he checked the rooms along the corridor, and the voice called back louder each time. 

He reached the boardroom, where he knew from his morning briefing that the meeting had taken place.

‘Asami!’ Mako seized the door handle, where he had a nanosecond to register the heat before it intensified tenfold. He ripped his hand away as foul-smelling smoke rose from his glove. Guess I didn’t get all the fire, he thought as an orange glow flickered further down the corridor. He flinched as smoke stung in his eyes again, and clouds of it descended from the ceiling, with a thick plume escaping from a room a couple of doors down.

Something moved beneath it. A shadow. No. A silhouette — two silhouettes. Mako charged for them. One dragged the other into the corridor, broad and squat compared to its rescuer. They came into focus as he neared. Wonyong Keum lay with his mouth open and a deep cut on his forehead. Grabbing his left arm, Mako looked at the woman to his right. Her green eyes beamed through a gas mask, and its tubes led down to a bag and cylinder strapped to her torso.

‘Mako!’ Asami’s voice was muffled. The smoke had thickened as they pulled Wonyong back towards the stairs. It collected in the ceiling as they reached the door to the staircase. Mako cursed the flames he’d missed as they licked up the walls.

‘Is there anyone else in there?’ Mako asked, the crackle of the reignited fire getting louder as the heat clung to his face.

‘I dunno,’ Asami answered, shaking her head. ‘Some security staff. But I didn’t see any on the way out.’

A new voice called out before Asami could say any more. Mako looked around before realising it was coming from the stairs. A newly-arrived figure leapt through the doorway from the landing. He could only make out their outline as the figure turned, spotted Mako and Asami, and charged towards them.

‘You guys okay?’ the figure asked, dropping into a crouch as they reached the two. They wore a burgundy red coat and a firefighter’s helmet with large, curved brims that turned up at the sides and extended down their neck. A grey rag covered their face, leaving only their eyes on display, squinting in the fire’s glow

‘We’re fine,’ said Asami.

‘Is there anyone else in there?’ asked the firefighter. 

‘There were at least ten when I went in,’ said Asami, squatting back towards the burning corridor. 

‘And you’re sure they’re still inside?’ the firefighter pressed.

‘I dunno.’

‘All right.’ The firefighter pointed at Mako. ‘Blue Bird. You get him outside. The rest of my guys will be here any second.’

Mako blinked. Firefighters often used that nickname for police officers, then shook his head. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’

‘He’s a firebender,’ said Asami before the firefighter could object. ‘He’s more use up here than outside.’

The firefighter paused. 

‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Ma’am—’

‘I can show you where they might be,’ said Asami. She gestured at her mask. ‘This’ll give me another ten minutes.’

‘Well, I’m not leaving you guys,’ said the firefighter. ‘I’m in enough—’

POP!

Mako and Asami dived for the floor as a fireball rolled overhead. A hand seized his upper arm and dragged him towards the heat. Mako scrambled up and found himself back in the corridor. The fire had taken hold again and engulfed the walls beneath the thickening smoke.

‘What is that?’ Mako asked, pointing at Asami’s mask.

‘A little collaboration,’ she said, pointing over her shoulder. ‘Well, Keum provides materials. I do everything else. Got the idea after that business on Tokuga’s blimp. My dad still had blueprints from those he built for the Equalists.’

‘This what your meeting was about?’ asked Mako, gesturing at the contraption.

‘I was presenting Zhu Li our results. They’re already—’

CRACK! CREAK!

A rain of wood and masonry rained on Mako’s shoulder and down his left arm.

‘Hey!’ A voice yelled.

The firefighter from the corridor squat ran behind them and dived to his knees.

‘Show me where you last saw the others!’

Asami nodded down the corridor and made to lead the firefighter. A low growl rumbled overhead. Then a sound like a harsh intake of breath overpowered it.

‘Asami!’ Mako shouted. He leapt up and grabbed her arm, only for something to slam into his chest. He lost his grip and fell backwards.

BANG!

Dust, smoke and embers swallowed him as a howl-like wind filled his ears.

CRASH!

Another wave crashed over him, filling his nose and mouth with dust. He coughed and choked as debris cut at his face, and he raised his arms in a shield. He threw himself against a wall as the noise faded. 

Daylight illuminated the corridor as Mako opened his eyes — and his heart stopped. A burning pile of ceiling, wooden beams, and masonry lay blocking the corridor. The fire still burned beyond it, but what lay just feet in front of Mako made him leap forward without any thought for his own safety. The firefighter lay partially buried in the rubble. The explosion had dislodged his helmet, revealing a dust-caked cut on his forehead.

Mako reached Asami first. She lay motionless. Her left arm and leg, buried. The collapse had ripped away her mask. Flames licked at her face, where it caught her hair.

Mako dashed to her side and heaved at the rubble. Despite his strength, it barely moved. 

The fire crept further up Asami’s hair, catching the left side of her face. 

He tried to bend the fire away from Asami’s face — too late.

The firefighter cried out, and the hood slipped from over his nose. Mako bent the flames again. Even with the fire gone, smoke rose from her singed hair, and her skin started peeling away. Mako let out an animalistic cry. He looked around for anything that might help.

The firefighter squirmed. Something shifted on his belt.

Mako blinked to clear his stinging eyes. It looked like a bottle. It had a hole at the bottom, and water spilled out onto the floor. Mako leapt over the rubble and yanked the canteen off the firefighter’s belt. He raced back to Asami’s side and poured its remaining contents over her face.

She winced and groaned as in a nightmare.

With the immediate fire out, Mako grabbed the beam lying across Asami’s stomach.

‘C’mon!’ Mako shouted, forcing every modicum of strength into his arms and shoulder. 

At last, the beam shifted. Mako grabbed Asami and pulled her out. He coughed as smoke caught in his throat and staggered as he tried to lift Asami onto his shoulder.

Someone grabbed Mako’s arm before he could complete the manoeuvre. Then came a WHOOSH, a HISS, and voices he didn’t recognise.

Mako turned. Another firefighter stood over him. Unlike the first, this one wore a mask the same as Asami’s.

‘Li!’ shouted a third firefighter, dashing to their colleague’s side.

A fourth firefighter seized Asami. Then a fifth tried to pull her from Mako. 

He retaliated by doubling his grip on her.

‘Easy, man,’ said the second firefighter. ‘Let us get you both out of here.’

‘Lieu!’ called the firefighter trying to free their comrade. ‘Get that fire out!’ 

‘On it, Captain!’ 

The fourth firefighter stood beside the rubble, and with a pushing gesture, bent a torrent of water from somewhere beneath his feet and down the burning corridor.

Gently, Mako let Asami go, allowing the firefighter to carry her to the stairs, and the two beside Mako to pull him to his feet and follow.

With her soot-stained face wrapped in a bandage, Asami lay motionless as the healers loaded her stretcher into the ambulance. 

Mako watched as the doors closed, and with a wail of its siren the vehicle thundered into traffic. A wretched sense of guilt filled him. This wouldn’t have happened if he’d insisted they leave once they’d got Wonyong Keum out or if they’d done as the first firefighter had asked. The businessman now sat, hunched over, coughing on the steps of one of the twenty-something ambulances queuing along the sidewalk across the road from City Hall.

Wisps of smoke and steam drifted into the evening sky from the third floor’s black-vignetted windows and the remains of the sagging roof. Mako wandered among the firefighters and police officers milling around the building’s steps and back to his patrol car. He wiped his brow and slumped onto the footplate, turning his hand black with a smearing of sweat and soot.

With his mind still on Asami, he didn’t notice the approaching footsteps until a voice spoke with a slight slur. ‘You should get yourself checked out.’

Looking up from his dust-covered boots, Mako found two firefighters looking down on him. Their bunker gear was caked in soot and brick dust.

‘I already did,’ Mako croaked, then cleared his throat and spat out a muddy grey mess of saliva.

‘And that’s what you get,’ said the other firefighter.

‘Get for what?’ Mako asked, his voice a little clearer.

‘Going all freelance like that,’ said the first. He had a flat-tipped nose and green eyes. ‘You’re lucky you’re not the one that got hurt, blue birdie.’

‘Gimme a break,’ Mako snapped, gritting his teeth as he turned away.

‘Tell that to our brother,’ said the second with blue eyes and light brown skin.

‘Is he all right?’ Mako asked.

‘He’s hurt,’ said the green-eyed firefighter. ‘On his way to the hospital.’

‘I’m sorry,’ said Mako.

‘You didn’t care so much before you tried to play the hero,’ said the blue-eyed firefighter. ‘That pretty Sato girl’s all messed up too.’

‘Shut up.’

‘What?’

‘I said, shut up.’ 

Mako jumped to his feet and stared at the blue-eyed firefighter.

‘Hey. Cool it, blue boy. Just stating the obvious.’

‘Well, don’t.’

‘Someone’s got a hothead,’ said the green-eyed firefighter.

Mako clenched his fists as he stared at them. The firefighters blinked, and their faces turned to steel.

‘There you are!’ said a stern voice. At once, the firefighters straightened up, their ankles snapping together as they stood to the side.

While not recognising the voice, Mako sensed its strength and found himself standing as if on guard. Its owner approached the car. A woman in the same red tunic and grey bunker pants; and just as smoke-caked. She strode between Mako and the firefighters, her helmet under one arm, which had a white shield on the front. She had brown hair, tied back and streaked with grey. Her thinly pursed lips would put Chief Beifong to shame, and she stared like a disapproving mother at the firefighters. 

‘Thought you two were helping the lieutenant with the hoses?’ 

‘He said he didn’t need us, Captain,’ said the green-eyed firefighter.

The captain sighed and raised a cup to her lips. ‘Anyone would think he was running a daycare—urgh!’ Her face screwed up as she lowered the cup. ‘It’s cold. Bit of advice, you two, drink as much tea as you can before you get promoted.’ She tipped the cup to pour it away.

‘Wait,’ said Mako. ‘I could warm it for you?’

Grateful for getting him out of the argument, Mako produced a flame.

The captain raised an eyebrow. ‘How kind,’ she said, presenting the cup.

‘Firebender, huh?’ said the green-eyed firefighter.

Mako murmured his affirmation as he took the cup and ran his hand along the underside.

‘Is that an officially sanctioned use of firebending, kid?’

Mako snapped his hand away and shoved the cup back into the captain’s hands. Not extinguishing his own flames fast enough, they singed his coat as his hand snapped to his side.

Police Chief Lin Beifong stepped towards the quartet, her arms folded beneath her usual stern demeanour.

‘Chief!’ Mako blurted as he straightened up.

‘At ease, kid,’ said Beifong. Waving him off, she gave the captain a look that was difficult to read. ‘Urika.’

‘Lin,’ said the captain. ‘One moment, please.’ She turned back to the firefighters, still standing to attention. ‘Listen up, you two. Company Four needs help with salvage on the second floor. Their captain’s specifically requested two young and hunky guys. Know any?’

‘Yes, Captain,’ said the blue-eyed firefighter. He gave an abrupt nod and half marched, half ran back towards the City Hall.

‘On my way, Cap,’ added the green-eyed firefighter as he followed.

‘So, what’s the damage?’ asked Beifong.

The pair turned their backs to Mako and faced the building. ‘Third floor’s pretty totalled,’ said Urika, pointing out the shattered windows. ‘Some damage on the second. Otherwise, it’s mostly cosmetic.’

‘Casualties?’

‘Thirty-three injured, ten seriously. One of my guys got pretty busted up, too. Six dead. Mostly security guards from the third floor. Didn’t really stand a chance.’

Mako slumped back onto the car. Even if staying in there was dangerous, Asami had been right. The guilt dragged his shoulders down, and he let out a loud sigh.

‘Your guy all right?’ asked Beifong.

‘I’m sure he’ll be fine,’ said Urika, but without conviction. ‘Your little blue birdie did good.’ 

Mako looked up from his feet. Urika gave him a look of affirmation, and Beifong gave the smallest of smiles. ‘Thanks,’ he said, though it made him feel no better.

‘I assume that little fire dance we got was yours?’ added Urika.

‘That what?’ said Beifong, raising an eyebrow.

‘A burst of the stuff shot out of the window just as we got here. Too stylish to be an explosion.’

‘Oh, that,’ said Mako. ‘I just bent the fire out of the window when I got up top. Thought it would make searching easier.’

‘Well, it saved the rest of my guys a bit of work,’ said Urika.

‘Any ideas what caused the first explosion?’ asked Beifong.

‘Too early to say for certain.’ 

‘I’ll get on it, Chief,’ said Mako, giving a quick salute. 

Beifong stuck out her arm, catching him in the chest. ‘I need you down here, detective.’ 

‘What? Chief, I’m all good.’

‘Then you’ll have no problem securing the scene.’ She raised her eyebrows as if daring Mako to disagree again.

Mako sighed, ‘Yes, Chief.’

The last remnants of sun dipped over Republic City, casting shadows like prison bars as it shone through the scaffolding outside the police station. 

Mako caught the smell of drying paint as he strode down the corridor. The repairs needed in the months since the Earth Empire’s attack were extensive and seemed to never end. Chief Beifong took every opportunity to bemoan the contractors’ slow progress but stopped short of criticising Future Industries in front of Mako. 

Here and now, he found the smell welcome. It masked the stench of smoke still clinging to his uniform. A smell that, as a firebender, wouldn’t bother him on any other day. Whatever the chief wanted to see him for, Mako doubted it was to cast further slander on the decorators — that wouldn’t require the bulky, leather-bound dossier he carried under his arm.

Reaching Chief Beifong’s office, he exchanged pleasantries with the secretary and sat on one of the wooden chairs beside the door. He flicked through the dossier as he waited. The layout of these reports felt imprinted in his eyes from the amount of time he’d stared at them in the last two weeks. Images broke up the paperwork, but they weren’t anything to show off. One page featured the ruins of a newly-built car showroom; its inventory of Satomobiles, charred, blackened husks. One showed a small, smoke-damaged building beside the pro-bending stadium. Another showed a gaping hole in the side of the Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center. Although no one had died in either incident, it had further delayed the city’s rebuilding efforts.

‘If you’re done reminiscing,’ said an impatient voice, ‘I’d like to get home at a reasonable time tonight.’

Mako slammed the dossier shut and stood up straight as Chief Beifong beckoned him into her office.

Blinds blocked most of the setting sun, and only one of the ceiling lights was on.

‘They still haven’t fixed that?’ asked Mako, pointing at the dimmed one.

‘They’re having trouble sourcing the lightbulbs,’ said Chief Beifong. ‘But I didn’t bring you here to gripe about our decorators’ glacial pace. You bring the files?’

‘Yeah.’ Mako placed the dossier on Beifong’s desk. 

She opened it and skimmed through the reports. Reaching the end, she pulled more papers from a drawer in her desk and slid them and their attached photographs into the back pages. Catching glimpses of the pictures, Mako recognised the ruins of the City Hall, the third-floor corridor, and a boulder landed in his stomach as a photo of six body bags went in.

‘Five explosions in two weeks,’ Beifong stated, closing the file. 

‘No evidence of bombs. No one’s taking responsibility. No one’s admitting to lousy bending. One or two could be a coincidence, but not five.’

‘I agree,’ said Mako. He reached into the back of the dossier and, after three gropes, retrieved a folded piece of paper. He opened it, and a map of Republic City spread across the desk. Five scribbled red dots indicated the explosion’s locations, spread across downtown and the port.

‘I assume you’d have told me if you’d noticed a pattern,’ said Beifong, squinting at the map.

‘I hadn’t,’ said Mako. ‘Not until today.’

Beifong’s eyes widened as if offended Mako hadn’t told her the second it had occurred to him, but also willing him to divulge it.

‘The Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center.’ Mako indicated one of the dots. ‘That was damaged in Kuvira’s invasion.’

‘Where wasn’t?’ said Beifong, her eyes rolling up at the light fitting.

‘So, it was under renovation,’ Mako continued. ‘By Future Industries.’ He reached into the file and produced a contract. Future Industry’s name, logo, and that of the Southern Water Tribe marked the top. ‘As was the restaurant downtown, and that storage building by the pro-bending stadium. It’s where they stored building materials.’ He pulled out the relevant contracts as he mentioned and pointed at each dot. ‘A Satomobile showroom. No need to spell out that connection. And now,’ he paused as he pointed at the scrawled dot over City Hall. ‘Asami.’

A sombre silence fell, broken by the scrape of Beifong’s chair. 

‘Well, that’s something,’ she said. ‘But not much of a motive. That’s if this isn’t just down to a culture of corporate negli—’ she stopped.

Mako unclenched his fingers from around the map. 

‘Unless someone objects to them rebuilding the city?’ he suggested without much conviction.

‘I don’t blame them wanting Future Industry’s contracts,’ added Beifong. ‘But I don’t think Cabbage Corp would dare commit such blatant corporate sabotage. The PR backdraft if someone found out would nullify any financial gain.’

‘If only we had more evidence,’ said Mako, shaking his head. ‘Something concrete. Then we could start getting somewhere and find what’s causing this.’

‘Not who?’ Beifong asked.

‘I don’t want to say it’s arson till we have more proof,’ said Mako.

‘Good,’ said Beifong. ‘A less experienced detective would have wanted someone to blame.’ She paced to the window and stroked her chin. ‘Though it’s remiss of me to slander our city’s water pixies, especially after today, anything we could use is difficult to recover once they’ve trampled all over and soaked everything.’

Mako said nothing. Only one solution presented itself: an impractical, non-enforceable solution. ‘Could we talk to the dispatchers?’ he said. Immediately, he wanted to take the words back, but Beifong’s eyes fixed on him. ‘Have them send us before the fire department?’ He said. ‘Then we could secure the evidence before they soak it.’

Beifong leaned on the back of her chair. ‘I thought of that already,’ she said, her face slumping. ‘Typically, evidence around determining the cause of a fire is left until the clean-up stage, but if we go charging into fires and stepping on the water pixies’ toes, who’s gonna do our job? The healers? And say you’re off duty. Not all our officers are as good with fire.’

Mako shrugged the compliment off.

‘That said,’ Beifong began as she turned back to the window. 

The sun dipped beneath the horizon, turning the sky magenta, verging on violet as the evening turned to night, and Beifong’s silhouette stroked her chin. Mako waited, not daring to ask what the chief was thinking. The silence hung for a while before Beifong returned to her desk. 

‘It’s getting late, kid,’ she said. ‘Go home and get yourself some sleep. See me here first thing in the morning.’

Despite wanting to press further, Mako saluted and reached for the dossier. 

‘I’ll keep this,’ said Beifong, pulling it out of reach.

Mako knew better than to argue and left, catching sight of Beifong picking up the phone as he closed the office door.

She lay on a simple, wooden-framed bed beneath the window of the room. Wooden panelling lined the white-painted walls, lit a faded orange by the lamps.

‘She won’t say anything,’ said the healer, standing beside the bed as if ready to jump in front of Asami in case Mako got too close. ‘She’s been through a lot, and she needs her rest.’

Mako nodded. ‘I know. Just a minute. That’s all. I need to see her for myself.’ He could have pulled his badge out, but he had no police business being at the hospital this late, and he didn’t want her to wake up to a fight.

The healer considered him, then stood aside.

Mako approached Asami’s bed, half hoping the sound of his footsteps would awaken or make her stir. Anything to show she was alive. She lay fixed and rigid on the bed. Her mouth hung slightly open, her eyes shut tight. They’d cleaned the soot off her face, tied her hair back, and covered it. Strands of it stuck out, frayed and threaded on the pillow. Bandages covered the left side of her body, with extra padding over her face and ear. 

Though relieved he didn’t have to see what the fire had done to her again, Mako felt a lump in his throat as he stared at her. What if he’d moved quicker? He should have insisted she get out or take the other victims to safety, and let him and that firefighter deal with everything. What if he’d left when that firefighter arrived? Would neither of them be in this mess? He couldn’t even apologise. Not if she couldn’t hear him. Would she still hear out of the damaged ear once she woke up?

‘I’m sorry,’ said the healer, stepping between Mako and the bed. ‘But I must insist. She needs to rest.’

Mako nodded and slumped away.

‘You can come back during visiting hours,’ the healer added as if to make up for what she’d said.

Mako kept walking without acknowledging her.

Grey clouds hung over Republic City as Mako dragged himself into the locker room, put on a fresh uniform, and downed his morning tea in a single gulp. He rubbed his eyes, feeling like he’d fall asleep if he so much as blinked. He wished he’d done as Beifong suggested and gone straight home. The solitude would have been difficult to bear, but maybe only half as much as it had last night. Even when he had returned from the hospital, sleep didn’t come, and hours had passed as he lay awake thinking of every way he could have apologised to Asami. 

For all he’d chewed Bolin out for excessive talking, he could have done with someone to listen. Maybe one of his off-hand remarks might have taken his mind off things? But an official engagement in Zaofu meant his brother was beyond his reach right now. 

Mako’s heart sank. Someone else who’d want to know was also beyond his reach. What would she say when she returned from the Spirit World? Would she blame him for everything he already half thought he’d done? Even now, he still didn’t know how to read the Avatar in every instance. Mako decided Korra didn’t need to know until they both got back. Telling her over the phone would only spoil her trip.

‘You went to the hospital last night,’ Beifong stated, hands pressed on the desk as Mako sleepwalked into her office.

He stood to attention and fumbled his reply. ‘I…I had to. She…she’s still my friend.’

Beifong looked away. ‘I can’t blame you. You had your morning tea?’

‘Yeah…I. Yeah.’

‘Come back in ten minutes. Should have kicked in by then.’

Sheepishly, Mako left the office. Fearing sitting down would make him even more tired, he stood beside the chairs outside. 

After exactly ten minutes, in which he only felt slightly more awake, he knocked and re-entered.

‘I’ve told you before,’ said Beifong. ‘Anyone with me as a role model needs their head examined.’

‘Sorry, Chief. I’ll try and sleep better tonight.’

‘Yeah, you will. You’re in my good books, kid, so I’ll let this slide. Turn up like this next week and….’ 

Mako blinked. Was she smirking?

‘Let’s just say they won’t be so forgiving.’

‘Chief?’

‘I had to make a few calls last night, and I believe I’ve come to an arrangement that’ll cover everything you mentioned yesterday.’

Mako stared at her, imploring her to explain more.

‘You want to get to these fires before the firefighters. Like I said last night, we still have our jobs to do, but that doesn’t mean we can’t alter the parameters if needs must.’ She reached into her desk drawer and removed the dossier Mako had left. New words had been scribbled on the cover:

OPERATION UNDER FIRE.

Beifong opened the file and handed Mako a paper from within.

He noticed his profile photograph in the top left-hand corner. The document looked nearly identical to his own personnel file, with his name, date of birth, and bender status. 

Then he read his ‘Years of Service’: 0.

His ‘Enlistment Date’: Yesterday’s date.

And his rank: Probationary Firefighter.

He looked back at the top. The insignia wasn’t the police department’s, but a circle with a red flame being drowned by a blue wave, underlined by the words: F.D.R.C - Fire Department of Republic City.

Thinking his tired eyes were playing tricks on him, Mako blinked and re-read the file. Realising he hadn’t misread it, he looked back at Beifong. The look on her face stopped him from asking if she was joking.

‘But, Chief…I’m…’ he picked the first hurdle so she wouldn’t interrupt. ‘I’m a firebender. I can’t—’

‘You did well yesterday,’ said Beifong. ‘If I’m to believe reports from Officer Paoho, Officer Song, President Zhu Li, and my friend in the fire department. Besides, you’d be gathering evidence, not playing with the water.’

‘But won’t taking me off duty mean you’re an officer down? What if you need me somewhere else?’

‘If you’re here filling in paperwork or dealing with some numbskull pickpocket, you’ll be even less use on this. This is your case, kid, and this’ll give you a better chance of cracking it.’

Mako tried to find another excuse, but Beifong wasn’t finished. ‘I agree it’s not the most conventional idea. But I think it’s worth a shot if we wanna put a stop to these fires.’

Mako could see a million things going wrong. True, he’d done okay yesterday, but he doubted a load of firefighters would take too kindly to an outsider joining their ranks.

‘Right,’ he said, unconvinced and conceited. ‘But, I’ll have to go through the academy. That could take weeks.’

‘Correction,’ said Beifong. ‘Just the one.’ She reached into the dossier and pulled out the map marking the fires’ locations. ‘Afterwards, you’ll be at Station Seven,’ she said, pointing at a newly-drawn square at a corner on one of the city’s main avenues. ‘Since the spirit portal opened, it’s one of the most central in Republic City, and, you might notice,’ she indicated a line around several city blocks, ‘all but one of our suspicious fires fall on their turf.’

Mako blinked.

‘You’ll get a basics crash course,’ said Beifong, as if predicting Mako would question the plan. ‘Just so you don’t try to wear your helmet on your butt. I’ve cleared it with the city fire chief and the station’s captain. You’re adaptable, detective. And I wouldn’t have suggested it if I didn’t think it had legs.’

Though flattered, Mako wasn’t convinced. This plan broke every rule in the book, and him being fast-tracked wouldn’t make things smoother with the ‘water pixies’. Thinking of the two firefighters he’d almost got into an argument with at City Hall, he could expect an unpleasant investigation if that was the level of friendliness he could expect. 

Yet, as his thoughts jumped to every reason to refuse the assignment, they soon returned to the worst things he’d seen yesterday. Worse than the ruined building. Worse than the bodybags. The embers as they’d consumed her hair. The flames licking at her face. Her lying helpless beneath the rubble, and her broken body bandaged up at the hospital. How could he live with himself if he didn’t do everything in his power to help uncover why that had happened?

He looked up and saluted.

Chapter Text

After a week at the fire academy, in which Mako relived too many memories of police training he would have preferred to forget, he found himself at the corner of 17th and 33rd Street with a heavy bag slung over his shoulder. He wore a short-sleeved dark blue shirt and matching pants with a black name tag pinned to his chest:

PROBATIONER.

Harmony Tower loomed among downtown Republic City’s skyscrapers. Against them, every building on the block seemed even more damaged and dilapidated. 

It took Mako a moment to see past the scaffolding surrounding the third building along the street. He raised the file photo for comparison. Fire Station Seven was a three-storey, red-brick building. It had chunks of masonry missing from the facade and at least four windows boarded up. 

Mako’s kit bag bounced off his hip as he made for the building; the brickwork he now noticed was smeared by long-dried, dirty rainwater. A stone archway rose above the station’s large wooden doors, with a rolling shutter hanging from the ceiling above them. There was a small gap between the doors; temporary, Mako assumed as he squeezed through. 

His bag caught on the left door, and he’d barely any time to register the flake of the faded paintwork before his knee recoiled with a sharp, stabbing pain.

He gritted his teeth to stifle his cry. Then he noticed a bright silver bumper on the front of a vehicle, shining, immaculate, and almost out of place. Annoyed with himself for not seeing it sooner, Mako realised he’d bumped into the fire truck. 

‘Captain’s office is on the third floor,’ said a voice.

Mako jumped, and his hands flew behind his back as he looked for the voice’s owner.

‘Over here, Probie,’ the voice added with amusement.

Mako found the speaker to his left. A broad-shouldered man with a pronounced jawline. Combined with his tanned skin, he could have been a fifteen-year-younger version of Korra’s father, Tonraq. He folded his bulky arms, stretching his short-sleeved, light blue shirt, and emphasising the fire department’s crest on his left sleeve. Black lettering on the right of his chest read:

LIEUTENANT.

‘Stairs are that way,’ added the lieutenant with a nod to his left. ‘Shouldn’t be too hard to find.’

Mako nodded and followed the directions, doing his best to hide his limp. He glared at the fire truck. Though not an expert on them, he recognised the engine from his time on the street as a recently upgraded vehicle from Future Industries. Looking fresh off the production line, it had a long hood that led to an enclosed cab, and a red beacon light sat on its roof.

He found the stairs shoehorned behind a row of wooden lockers, each of the open ones contained a red tunic and a pair of grey pants. Ascending to the third floor, Mako found the corridor lined with varnished wood panels. Dust floated in the light cast from the two windows at either end. 

In that light at the end of the corridor, Mako found a door featuring a large privacy window and a golden label: CAPTAIN. 

He smoothed out his uniform’s collar, holstered his bag behind him, and knocked.

‘Yeah?’ came a voice from inside.

Taking that as an invitation, Mako opened the door and stepped into the office. He found the room lined with lockers built from the same varnished wood as in the corridor. Framed paintings hung from the beige walls above them. A large wooden desk was the main feature of the room, covered in piles of papers, leather-bound files, and a telephone on its left side.

‘Nice to see you again, detective,’ said a voice.

Mako looked towards the window. A woman leaned on the chair behind the desk. With her brown and grey-streaked hair down by her shoulders, it took Mako a second to recognise her, and when he did, his heart plummeted.

The captain smirked. She wore a short-sleeved, light blue shirt with the same adornments as the lieutenant, and black epaulettes with two silver lines on both her shoulders. 

‘Good morning, Captain…Ur….’

‘Name’s Captain Urika,’ she said, standing up from the chair and folding her arms. She didn’t seem as broad without her red coat, and she offered Mako a formal smile. ‘And I guess I should welcome you to station seven,’ Urika added, gesturing at the room as she turned to the window. ‘First impressions?’ Urika asked, an expectant spring in her voice.

‘It’s…,’ Mako paused. How could he spin his first impression of this cramped, rundown place that looked a nudge away from collapsing?

‘You think it’s a dump, but you daren’t say,’ said Urika, her smirk vanished as she folded her arms and turned to Mako.

‘Well, perhaps it could use a bit of…TLC?’ Mako said in a vain attempt to soften his opinion.

‘I know we’re not in the best shape,’ said Urika. ‘But when that Earth Kingdom despot lady attacked, she messed up the whole street. Future Industries is supposed to be helping us fix up this place, but our maintenance team keeps finding other stuff to do. But hey, we’re only keeping people safe every day, and our workload and responsibility’s doubled ever since they gave downtown and two of our stations up to the vines. Guess we’re not as important to Miss Sato as that penthouse for the Beifongs, or her summer home for another vacation with the Avatar.’

Mako bit his lip and swallowed his retort. Something told him he wouldn’t get a second chance at a first impression with this woman.

‘Of course, I wish her a speedy recovery,’ said Urika. ‘And she did send us that new Firemaster.’ There was a pause before Urika added, ‘The engine downstairs. You probably saw it when you came in.’

‘Oh, yeah,’ said Mako. ‘Nice truck,’ he added.

‘We were meant to have it last year,’ said Urika, looking more and more like Chief Beifong before her morning tea. ‘But we had to send the prototype one back.’

‘Something wrong with it?’

‘Something wrong? It didn’t fit through the doors. Some numbskull designer got the measurements wrong. I thought that company was supposed to have the best of the best. Hate to think what they class as mediocre.’

Mako felt himself tense again, and was glad Urika had turned back to the window.

‘But you’re not here to listen to me rant about our new corporate overlords,’ she said, turning back to her desk and picking up one of the leather-bound files. ‘I don’t know much about what makes a good police record, but according to Lin, this is exemplary.’ She slapped the bottom of the file. ‘That ain’t easy. Nor is getting one from me. That said, you did well at the City Hall fire, so I don’t see why you shouldn’t do as well once you’re settled in.’

That struck Mako as an odd remark. His investigation wouldn’t have much to do with the firefighters themselves aside from travelling to the fires. Before he could further ponder it, he jumped at the sound of a bell ringing.

‘Calm down,’ said Urika, shaking her head with a wave of her hand. She reached behind a pile of files on the desk and lifted up an alarm clock. 

She fiddled with the back, and the ringing stopped. ‘It’s six-fifty-five. Time to inspect the troops.’

‘Right,’ said Mako, straightening up. ‘I’ll get to work. Where’s my office?’

‘I’m sorry,’ said Urika with a hint of offence. ‘Your office?’

‘Yeah,’ said Mako, as if stating the obvious. ‘I’ll need a place to work if I’m gonna find the cause of these fires.’

‘You already have a place to do your work,’ said Urika as she stepped around the desk. ‘Yeah, Lin sent you here to find or catch whoever or whatever’s causing those fires, but I’m not gonna have you sat on your butt doing nothing in my station in between.’ 

She stopped inches from Mako. He daredn’t say anything, even with his edge in height. ‘So follow me, Probie,’ said Urika with a nod at the door. ‘It’s time to meet the rest of your team.’

Mako was convinced he must have misheard the captain until he’d followed her and the lieutenant down to the station’s second floor and the living area. It had the same varnished panelled walls as the rest of the station, with blinds hanging halfway down the long windows. Kitchen units lined one corner. A circular table sat in the room’s centre, and sofas and armchairs surrounded a table beside the windows, stained with rings of old teacups.

‘Good morning, seven!’ Urika announced.

Three people turned to stare at them.

‘First off, I just got off the phone with the hospital. Li’s still on the critical list, but he is awake.’

‘When’s he coming back?’ asked one of the firefighters, a dark-haired woman with neat hair and piercing eyes.

‘Still too early to know for sure,’ said Urika.

The firefighters nodded and exchanged consoling looks. 

‘In the meantime,’ said Adriel, ‘it won’t have escaped your attention that we have a new face among our ranks.’

‘This is Mako,’ said Urika, pacing in front of him and the lieutenant. ‘His first job is to investigate the recent fires. In the meantime, he is the newest addition to our company, and I expect you’ll all treat him accordingly.’

She and the lieutenant left the room. Mako turned to follow them when a combined scraping of chairs stopped him in his tracks.

‘Heading off without a hello?’ said a slightly slurred voice. The three moved in as if ready to inspect Mako. All of them wore short-sleeved shirts like the captain and lieutenant, but in a deep navy blue that matched his own.

His heart flipped.

‘Look who it is,’ said a firefighter with tanned skin and blue eyes. ‘It’s the coffee-warmer from City Hall.’

Mako felt his lips purse as the first of the firefighters he’d almost come to blows with at City Hall offered his hand. ‘Aniki,’ he said. It was a statement rather than a greeting, and the handshake matched.

‘Hey,’ said the lanky, flat-nosed firefighter with green eyes. ‘Name’s Nikor,’ he said. Mako noticed a dark green band around Nikor’s arm as he got a harder handshake than he expected.

Finally, the dark-haired woman, now with eyes almost as dark, stepped forward. ‘Lorren,’ she said. Only her lips seemed to move as if separate from the rest of her frozen, piercing face as she gave a business-like handshake. 

‘So,’ said Mako as the silence reached an uncomfortable length. ‘What do you all do?’

‘Engineer,’ stated Lorren.

‘We’re both entry,’ said Nikor, pointing at Aniki. 

‘And you,’ said Aniki, stepping towards Mako, ‘are on floor duty. Nikor?’

‘Sure thing.’ Nikor stepped out of Mako’s vision.

Mako looked to see where he’d gone, and almost got hit in the face by a wooden pole. He caught it, then nearly dropped it before regaining his grip.

‘This place has needed a sweep for a while,’ said Aniki, gesturing around the living area.

Mako blinked, then realised he wasn’t just holding a wooden pole, but a broomstick.

‘Oh, and when you’ve done that,’ added Aniki, ‘the sheets need changing in the bunk room, the engine house needs mopping, and the pole needs a polish.’

Every task hit Mako like a slap to the face, and he stood as the others left the room. He looked at the broom again. How long had it been since the place had been swept? He crouched and looked under the sofa, where he found a thick layer of dust, topped with a haphazardly sprinkled layer of crumbs. He threw the broom aside and half ran, half stomped out.

Raw with indignation, he found Urika downstairs in the watchroom, a room not much bigger than a single restroom tucked under the stairs in the engine house. Telephone and radio equipment sat on the desk with a map and a corkboard covering the back wall. 

‘Captain,’ Mako began.

Urika held a stack of papers and gave an inquisitive murmur.

‘Captain, with respect, I get that I’m new, but I’ve got my investigation to work on. I ain’t got time to be the “Probie”.’

‘Not my call, kid,’ said Urika, shaking her head as she replaced the papers on the desk. ‘Orders came straight from the chief. Your chief.’

Mako blinked. He was about to push for elaboration, but noticed Urika looking over his shoulder. Following her eye line, he found Lorren standing in the doorway, arms crossed and staring daggers at Mako.

‘This is kind of her room,’ said Urika, squeezing past Mako, then Lorren. ‘We’d best be going.’

Mako looked between the two women, then followed Urika with Lorren’s eyes trailing him with a glare worthy of Kuvira.

Urika reached the locker nearest the watchroom and pulled her tunic and helmet from inside. ‘Before you say anything else,’ she said, like a mother shooting down a child’s imminent protestation, ‘Lin said something about keeping up appearances to the outside world.’ Mako followed her around to the fire truck’s passenger side, where she placed her coat on the seat and her helmet on top of it. ‘Once you’re out in the field,’ she continued, ‘you can play detective all you want, so long as you don’t get in our way.’

‘Captain,’ Mako began, trying his best to keep his voice level. ‘If I’m sweeping the floor, I won’t have time to conduct my—,’

‘Something else Lin might have forgot to mention,’ said Urika with a fresh edge in her voice, ‘I don’t like whiners. No room for whiners in the F.D.R.C.. Are you a whiner, Probie?’

Mako would have given anything to further argue his case, but gritted his teeth as he swallowed it. He hadn’t the time to risk getting on the captain’s bad side if he wanted his investigation to run smoothly, if at all. Standing up straight and pushing his shoulders back, he answered, ‘No, Captain.’

‘Good. Now we have that settled,’ Urika turned to the lieutenant leaning against the bronze pole, ‘Lieutenant Adriel. When you’ve quite finished practising your flattering poses, show our probie around, and make sure he knows how to put on his bunker gear properly.’

Lieutenant Adriel nodded.

After the most uncomfortable fitting session of Mako’s life, even more than having his suit fitted for Varrick and Zhu Li’s wedding, he caught his breath as he stood in front of a full-length mirror staring at himself in a set of bunker gear he’d haphazardly thrown on. Mopping his brow, he looked more like someone at a fancy dress party than a respectable public servant. The gear smelled fresh out of the box, but the grey neck piece itched and hugged close to his skin, as did the fur at the top of his matching gauntlets. He fought the urge to scratch.

‘Not bad for a first attempt,’ said Adriel, stepping into the mirror’s view. ‘But you’re gonna have to be quicker than that when the gong goes off.’

‘The what?’

‘The loud clanging noise that makes us drop everything and charge downstairs like they’re giving away free egg custard tarts. You’ll know it when you hear it.’

Mako breathed out, and his belt pushed his stomach in.

‘Yeah, you’ve done that way too tight,’ said Adriel, and he reached to refasten it, making Mako feel less like he’d eaten too much unfried dough.

‘And this doesn’t go like that,’ Adriel continued, undoing and redoing the buttons on Mako’s tunic.

Mako watched, becoming increasingly aware of a pressing pain around his head. He slid his hand underneath the rim of his helmet, temporarily relieving the discomfort.

‘You also need one of these,’ said Adriel, reaching for a small brown canteen and clipping it to Mako’s belt. ‘Your contingency canteen. Don’t think you’ll need it, but it’s good you had it the other day,’ said Adriel. ‘Saved your friend from further burns.’

Mako winced at the compliment and felt his helmet dig into his forehead again.

‘That needs a quick adjustment,’ said Adriel. He slid his fingers round the back of Mako’s helmet, and with a couple of clicks, it slid a little down Mako’s head. ‘And one more thing,’ and Adriel lifted the helmet so it sat at a slight angle. ‘Much better.’

He was right. Mako’s gear fit better, looked neater, and at a stretch, professional.

‘Now you look less like a cop playing dress up,’ said Adriel.

With those words, Mako felt exactly that. He threw his helmet off and tore open his tunic.

‘And don’t forget to take that chip off your shoulder,’ added Adriel.

‘Can you blame me?’ Mako retorted, throwing up his arms. He slumped down to the floor and tugged at his boots. ‘Everyone’s got the memo for the guy in dead man’s boots: make my job harder than it has to be. I’ve barely been here an hour and you’re all out to get me.’

Mako realised what he’d said as a tense silence fell. Adriel seemed to take his time in considering his response. 

‘First off, there’s no dead man’s boots,’ he said at last. ‘So don’t think for a second that we have it out for you just because you’re in his shoes for now, detective. You won’t get anything worse than what they do at the cop shop.’

‘How could I forget?’ said Mako, taking off his left gauntlet as he remembered the first torturous month of his police career. 

‘And yeah, the police chief may have vouched for you,’ Adriel said as if it were trivial, ‘and our captain wouldn’t have you if she didn’t think you were up to the job. But listen, Mako, I’ve worked with these guys and girls for years. They’re great, and I wouldn’t have anyone else covering my back, but they’re not a group anyone can walk into and fit in just like that. This happens to every probie.’

‘Stop calling me that,’ said Mako.

Something flashed in Adriel’s eyes, and his lip thinned. He let the moment pass, then continued. ‘Maybe you’re right. Maybe I shouldn’t call you probie. Because you’re not like all the others.’

Mako gave a timid nod — at last, they were getting somewhere. 

‘I’ve seen probies pass the written exams and the physical tests,’ Adriel continued. Stepping back, he shoved his hands in his pockets and addressed the floor. ‘Some think they’re all that because they were their tribe’s champion in weaver's ball, ice dodging, AND the string game. Once they’re out of the academy, they pace and stride around the station waiting for that first big call; that one every probie dreams of where they can show they’re cut out for this job. Then they see their first body, or feel the unbearable heat as the fire rushes over their heads and can’t tell their instructor it’s too hot. And they crumble. Passing the city’s tests is just the first hurdle. Now, Mako,’ Adriel folded his arms and strode close again. ‘Since you didn’t even jump that, how do I know you won’t do the same?’

Mako blinked. ‘What? I…I’ve worked with the Avatar! Isn’t that enough?’

‘Yeah, we know,’ said Adriel, raising a hand as if to calm things. ‘The captain mentioned it last night. Which brings me to our next reservation — it’s not just probies who talk the talk but can’t walk the walk. Future Industries, Republic City University, The United Republic Army. Everyone’s got their opinions of how we should run things, and none of them have any experience to back up their ideas. DIRECT experience,’ he added as Mako felt his mouth dip open while preparing to re-emphasise his credentials. ‘You may have cut your teeth saving the world with your buddies, but now you’re with us, the people who had to clean up after your battles. There’s no other way to impress them than by getting a few fires under your belt. And, if you’re lucky, you won’t have to. Not if your arrest record holds water.’

‘It does,’ Mako said, staring Adriel in the eyes. ‘And you’re right. I could be out of here sooner with a closed case if I didn’t have so many obstacles in my way.’

‘Then we’re on the same side,’ said Adriel. ‘We all want you to find whoever or whatever is responsible for these fires. Every preventable or deliberate one takes us away from helping people.’

Adriel’s posture relaxed as he leaned against a locker. ‘Now, you should get your kit on the engine,’ he added, nodding towards the door. ‘Then that floor—’

He got no further. A bell CLANGED, followed by a continuous ringing.

‘Free egg custard tart time!’ Adriel shouted, charging past Mako and out of the room. 

Mako groped around for his gloves and helmet as he shoved his boots back on. He fumbled with his chin strap as he raced for the stairs. He’d put his gloves on the wrong hands, and as he reached the final set of stairs, he realised his tunic wasn’t buttoned up properly. It didn’t matter. He could fix it on the way to whatever this call was; still, he unbuttoned and re-buttoned those he could see. Stepping off the stairs, Mako primed himself to jump on the fire engine — and his legs flew out from under him. 

His heart somersaulted, and he flailed his arms as time slowed down. He fell in slow motion. His helmet flew backwards off his head, and a cold sensation shot up the back of his legs to the back of his head. He gasped and swallowed ice-cold water. Blinking as his eyes caught sight of the ceiling, he felt his body’s movements slow and water soak every inch of him below the chin. He looked down and found himself encased in a floating cube of water. He kicked and pulled his arms, but the cube held firm.

All sound muffled as he tried again to free himself. He felt the cold sweep across his body and tried to reverse-regulate his temperature. Then the water collapsed, and he fell. The dissipating wave slowed his descent, leaving him sitting soaked on the floor. The bell had stopped, and another sound filled the engine house — laughter.

Mako stood up and tried to shake himself dry, but the water clung to his gear and weighed him down. 

The laughter grew louder. Looking towards the doors at the end of the engine house, Mako felt his face tense, and his skin burn. Nikor stood at the front of the group, a puddle stretching out beneath his outstretched arms. Aniki stood beside him. Neither tried to contain their laughter. Lorren stood beside the engine, her arms folded and a trace of a smirk on her paper-thin lips. Adriel stood beside Urika, both trying to keep a stern facade that didn’t reach their faces. 

‘Ah man,’ said Nikor in mock surprise as he stood over Mako. ‘The floor’s all wet.’

‘So it is,’ added Aniki. ‘If only the probie had remembered to wash it like we told him.’

Water dripped from Mako’s gauntlet as he ripped it off and threw it at Nikor.

‘All right,’ said Urika, ushering away the smirking firefighters. ‘Someone get him a mop and bucket.’

Knowing better than to argue, Mako found a seat on the engine’s rear footplate, and his socks squelched as he emptied his boots.

‘And a towel,’ added Adriel.

Mako’s tunic and bunker pants had just about dried after a few hours in the drying room, but they still felt cold to the touch as he shoved them into his locker. His fingers ached as he reached for his case file. Flicking it to the first page after his personnel file, he tried to think of what he could enter that would be of interest. The ache in his fingers spread to his whole hand as he twiddled it, and he threw the books back onto the top shelf. 

Nothing worthwhile had happened today. He’d found no evidence that would point him towards who or what was causing the fires, mainly because there’d been none—not even a nuisance one in a car or dumpster. 

The aching spread to his arms and down his legs. Wiping his forehead, Mako caught the smell of at least five different cleaning agents: soap from washing the fire engine and floors, brass polish from shining the pole, boot polish from cleaning the storeroom, and disinfectant from the toilets. Eager to get home and shower, he made for the open engine house doors the second the next shift took over.

‘Probie!’ Urika called in a sing-song voice.

Mako stopped dead, his shoulders slumping as he looked toward the captain. She hadn’t changed out of her stationwear and stood with her arms folded in the doorway to the watchroom.

‘Yes, Captain?’ Mako said, doing his best so it didn’t sound like a yawn as he dreaded to hear what she wanted him to do now.

‘Call for you,’ said Urika, gesturing into the watchroom. She stood aside, revealing Lorren. Gripping the phone’s receiver, she stared at Mako as if the call had personally offended her. She let it drop into Mako’s hand and pushed past him as she left the room. 

‘Who is it?’ Mako called after her.

‘Someone’s got empty nest syndrome already,’ said Urika, sliding back from the doorway.

‘Hello?’ Mako said, raising the receiver and transmitter.

‘So, water pixie,’ said Chief Beifong. ‘How was your first day?’

It took Mako a second to register, and he proceeded to list his chores.

‘All right,’ Beifong snapped after the fourth. ‘I didn’t ask for a play-by-play. Nothing important happened?’

‘No,’ said Mako without attempting to hide his contempt.

‘Well, we’d have been kidding ourselves if we thought this would be over quickly,’ said Beifong. ‘Keep me posted if anything changes.’

‘Chief,’ Mako said, sensing Beifong was about to hang up. ‘Perhaps I’d solve this case faster if I had more time to think about things?’

‘What are you implying?’

‘I mean,’ Mako scoffed, and decided to chance it. ‘If I weren’t the “probie”, I might have time to consider the evidence and figure things out.’ 

There was a pause. Mako leaned closer to the transmitter as if it would convince Beifong to do what he wanted. Then she laughed.

‘Nice try, Probie. But no shortcuts. What your new captain says goes.’

‘But, Chief,’ Mako managed, ‘how is putting me through all this extra pain gonna help us get to the bottom of these fires?’

‘I’m doing this for you, kid,’ said Beifong in her usual demeanour. ‘What do you think those water pixies would do if their captain told them the police chief said they should play nice around the blue birdie who just got planted in their station? The one who’s just done a whistle-stop tour of the academy and seems to think he can do anything just ‘cos he was in the Avatar’s gang, AND who’s replacing a much-loved firefighter, one still bed-bound from trying to rescue him.’

Mako grabbed for a retort, but none came. ‘All right, Chief,’ he said in conceit, and was about to affirm Beifong was right when a siren wailed on her end of the line.

‘Gotta go, detective,’ she said in a rush. ‘Some demonstration near Harmony Park just turned ugly.’

‘I’ll be right there.’

‘I don’t think so. You gotta be ship-shape for your next shift.’

‘But—’

‘Go home,’ Beifong ordered. ‘Clean up and rest up, water pixie.’

A chair scraped, someone shouted, and Beifong hung up.

Far from obeying the chief’s orders, Mako diverted from his route home. 

Slowing as he approached Harmony Park, he found a parking space far enough away so the police wouldn’t spot him, but close enough to watch the scene unfold. No point in going straight in and incurring Chief Beifong’s lecture on insubordination if she could control things.

The demonstration looked to be over. Tattered banners and placards lay scattered across the path, and patrolling officers stepped on those in their way. Six police cars and five containment vans sat along the road beside the park. Arms flailed through the bars in the windows of two of the vans, and some of the occupants tried to stick their heads through. 

Among the regular officers and some from the metalbending and crowd control units, Mako noticed several standout figures not in police uniforms. They wore red robes, and all seemed eager to disperse. Some ran back into the park where the trees’ shadows swallowed them. Others fled along the sidewalk. One gestured and shouted at the officers. 

‘We are the spark! We are the spark!’

Several of their comrades repeated the phrase, but the cops were too busy wrestling protestors into the vans’ detainment containers to notice. The one who’d shouted turned and paced towards Mako’s car. 

Leaning back into the shadows, Mako watched the protester pass him. He must have been close to Mako in age, his black hair messy and sticking to his forehead. 

Looking closer, something clicked with Mako about the robes. They looked old, like something Fire Nation royalty and higher governmental figures might have worn years ago.

Mako sighed as the red-robed man vanished into the night. 

‘We are the spark!’ The chants continued, but weakened as the red-robed figures dispersed.

Mako made a mental note to ask Beifong for more details about these guys in the morning. 

Then the chief herself emerged, pounded on the side of one of the vans and gestured it to move.

Taking that as a sign that he should go, Mako started his car. 

Still, he didn’t go home. 

The hospital was closed to visitors when he arrived, and he didn’t have the mental stamina to argue with the steel-faced receptionist or the short but broad-shouldered security guard standing beside the desk.

He felt his entire spirit sink as he drove off the intersection, and the ramp sloped down over a gargantuan spirit vine. Asami could have woken up by now. With everyone else off doing their own thing, he was her only familiar face at the moment, at least one with the type of friendship they all shared. He couldn’t stand the thought of her being lonely in the hospital and undergoing who knew what treatment without so much as a word from any of Team Avatar.

He slept badly. Not waking up until an hour after he would have usually started his morning shift. 

Glancing at his fire department shift schedule, he confirmed his next shift didn’t start until seven that night. Even with a day to recover, he sighed through gritted teeth as he read the schedule — it clashed with most of the visiting hours he’d got from the receptionist. 

That made Mako’s mind up for him. He’d considered reaching out on the day of the fire, but decided against disrupting what had been described as ‘an essential trip’. He couldn’t put it off any longer, not now he knew he might not see Asami for a while.

Mako checked the time. He knew he’d get at least one earful, but reached for the telephone and dialled a number that, on any other morning, he’d do anything to avoid.

As the dialling tone looped for the eighth time, he felt a selfish hint of relief. That hint vanished with a clatter through the transceiver, followed by a high-pitched, whiny voice. 

‘Who is this?!’

‘Meelo?’ said Mako, doing his best to stay professional. ‘Hi, it’s Mako. Is your—?’

‘What time do you call this?’ Meelo shouted, his voice peaking through the phone. ‘Don’t you know some of us need our beauty sleep?’

Mako held the transceiver away from his ear as Meelo ranted. He was close to hanging up when a deeper voice spoke in the background.

‘Someone needs to separate their work from their downtime!’ Meelo shouted. 

There was a pause, and Mako dared to bring the phone back to his ear.

‘Hello?’ said the deeper voice, groggy and strained.

‘Master Tenzin,’ said Mako. ‘Sorry to call this early, but I need some advice.’

‘Of course,’ said Tenzin. ‘How can I help?’

‘How can I get a message to someone in the spirit world?’

Chapter Text

Mako had to politely encourage Tenzin to get to his point five times. Tangents about Spirit World and meditation history prolonged the conversation, inflating Mako’s call charges. Pema’s insistence that her husband come back to bed proved to be Mako’s saviour, at least temporarily. Tenzin insisted that Mako come to Air Temple Island to continue their conversation.

The mid-morning sun gleamed off the island’s towers and cliffs as Mako approached in the police boat he’d commandeered from the port. Slowing the boat as he approached the small stone jetty, he moved to the bow and threw a rope to the White Lotus sentry, beckoning him closer. The sentry caught it and tied the boat to the dock.

‘They’re in the plaza up top,’ said the sentry as Mako leapt from the boat.

The tower’s shadow cast over him as he hurried up the worn and chipped steps, and once he reached the top, he found two figures in red and orange robes waiting for him.

‘Welcome, Mako,’ said Tenzin, dipping his head into a small bow.

‘Thank you for taking the time,’ said Mako, returning it.

‘We haven’t seen you for a while,’ said Pema, mirroring her husband’s bow. A young voice made an inquisitive murmur, and a little boy peeped out from behind her.

Mako blinked, then waved at Rohan, who retreated behind his mother.

‘Please excuse him,’ said Pema. ‘He doesn’t want to be left alone for more than two seconds today.’

Rohan sniffed and clung to his mother’s hand.

Mako nodded. 

‘Sorry I had to cut our conversation short this morning,’ said Tenzin. He led them past the training area, and the wind whipped Mako’s cheek as a group of airbenders practised. ‘Obviously, we’re extremely concerned about the recent explosions in the City,’ said Tenzin. ‘I’m making sure the airbenders are ready should our help be needed.’

‘We heard what happened to Asami,’ said Pema, frowning. ‘How is she?’

‘I dunno,’ said Mako. ‘The healers aren’t saying much.’

A solemn silence fell. Mako broke it. ‘I’m doing all I can to find who or what’s responsible. So is the rest of the police department.’ He caught the chirp of birds singing as they passed under a tree. The island seemed a world apart from the bustle and knife-edge feel of Republic City, visible across the water.

‘The threat level’s been raised again. Has Chief Bei—the police sent any extra protection?’ Mako asked.

‘That isn’t necessary,’ Tenzin said as if not for the first time. ‘This island is not within Republic City’s jurisdiction.’

‘No?’ Mako asked. His face felt warm, like he felt he should have known that.

‘It’s an agreement that goes back to my father and Toph Beifong,’ said Tenzin. ‘The city’s police wouldn’t encroach on Air Temple Island without invitation or in case of immediate danger.’

‘Of course you’re always welcome here, Mako,’ Pema interjected. ‘And, we’re sorry we couldn’t answer your question over the phone.’

‘No, I shouldn’t have called so early,’ said Mako. ‘Just seemed pretty urgent at the time.’

‘Well, we’re listening now,’ said Pema.

Mako explained why he wanted to tell Korra what had happened to Asami.

Tenzin gave Mako a ponderous look as he finished, and a silence fell.

Mako second-guessed his argument. Woefully ill-informed on spiritual matters, he wondered if his request would defile some age-old truce between spirits and humans.

‘Mako,’ said Pema. ‘That’s so thoughtful of you. I’m sure Korra will appreciate you letting her know.’

‘Yes,’ Tenzin said at last. ‘Though it may distract from their training.’

‘What kind of training is she doing?’ Mako asked.

‘From what I recall, she wanted to nurture her connection with the spirits, and she let Jinora accompany her.’

‘After I convinced you,’ said Pema.

‘My concerns were and are still valid,’ Tenzin retorted. ‘After the last time she was taken there.’

‘You forget how much she’s grown as an airbender and a young woman. Trust me, darling, the benefits will be worth the risks.’ She turned to Mako. ‘I told him he should have gone too if he was so worried.’

‘Darling, please. Korra wouldn’t have allowed it.’

‘No. I guess not,’ said Pema. ‘I seem to remember her saying you’d only get in the way.’

‘So is there a way to get a message to them?’ Mako pressed.

Tenzin stroked his chin. ‘I suppose it may be possible,’ he said after a pause.

Mako stared at Tenzin, hoping he wouldn’t have to ask how it would be done.

Tenzin frowned. ‘Alas, the specifics are beyond me.’ 

He shook his head. ‘Despite my best efforts, I still struggle to connect with the spirits. It’s not a skill one can easily learn.’ 

‘No dear,’ said Pema. ‘I know you’ve tried.’ She smiled. ‘But lucky for Mako, we know someone with a natural connection.’

Tenzin grimaced, as if he didn’t want to speak to that someone.

‘Please,’ said Mako. ‘This is important.’

Tenzin sighed. ‘All right,’ he said, heading for the area where the airbenders were. He called out, ‘Bumi?’

Tenzin returned a short time later with Bumi at his side; the older brother had messed up hair and droopy eyes like he’d just got out of bed. He nodded and raised his eyebrows as he listened to Mako’s explanation.

‘Oh, so you wanna send a covert message into an otherworldly territory?’

‘Well, kind of.’

‘Say no more, detective,’ said Bumi as if musing on a complex operation. I got just the soldier for the job. Bum-Ju!’

He looked over his shoulder, and a small blue Dragonfly Bunny bounded out from behind a bush.

‘All right,’ he said, picking up Bum-Ju and holding him under his arm. ‘Fire away.’

Mako pulled the paper from his pocket. Part of his message had been smudged, but it was all still legible.

Bumi took the paper, studied it, and put Bum-Ju down. He started whispering, making faces and bombastic gestures at Bum-Ju. The rabbit tilted his head and looked at the paper. He gave a short squeak, then bounded up to Bumi and yanked the paper out of his hand.

‘Hey! Give that back!’ Mako shouted as he reached out to stop Bum-Ju. The little spirit jumped out of reach, and his wings became a blur as he took off.

‘Don’t worry,’ said Bumi, putting his arm out to stop Mako from grabbing Bum-Ju. ‘He knows what he’s doing. I think.’

Up above, Bum-Ju looked down at the quartet, gave a series of squeaks, then flew towards Republic City. No one spoke once the little spirit was out of sight.

‘So,’ Mako said to break the silence. ‘How long will it take him to find them?’

Bumi answered, ‘Maybe three to five working days?’

Mako didn’t share Bumi’s confidence as he said his goodbyes and made for the dock. If Korra was to be believed, the spirit world was a big place. Finding two humans might take weeks. Deciding he’d try the hospital again, he thought with hope that if Asami’s condition had improved it might render his letter obsolete. That wouldn’t matter if Korra never got it, though.

He heard a gust of wind howl in the distance. Next thing he knew, his hair and clothes blew into a flap as a gale whooshed up past him. Mako staggered as the wind died down. He looked around, and his eyes stung as another gust blew into his face.

Blinking as the wind subsided, a boy in an airbender wingsuit hid his arms behind him.

‘Hey Mako,’ said the boy, his green eyes betraying his innocent smile.

‘Kai,’ Mako said, trying to sound intimidating. ‘Do you want to get arrested for attacking a cop?’

‘Cops can’t touch me here,’ said Kai, as nonchalantly as he could. ‘Why do you think I like this place so much?’

Mako sighed. 

‘You okay, Mako?’ Kai said, sincerely. ‘I heard about Asami. Is she all right?’

‘I haven’t seen her since the fire,’ said Mako.

‘Really?’ said Kai, surprised yet judging.

‘I haven’t been sat on my butt,’ Mako retorted. ‘I’ve been trying to find out what caused it.’ He wanted to, but couldn’t tell Kai everything.

‘Well, it ain’t those guys in the red cloaks.’

‘Guys in red—,’ Mako stopped mid-sentence.

‘Those Ashes losers marching all over Harmony Park last night,’ Kai finished. He smiled and gestured in an airbending stance. ‘You should have seen their faces when I used that on them last night. They were looking all over for me. Thought the trees and the sewers were attacking them.’

‘Ashes?’

‘That was what they kept shouting,’ said Kai. ‘Azalulon…or Azuloon’s Ashes, something like that. And not shutting up about being a spark.’

‘How long did you watch them for?’

‘A couple of hours,’ said Kai.

‘What makes you so sure?’ Mako pressed.

‘They threw fire around, yeah,’ said Kai. ‘But they couldn’t burn their way out of a dry paper bag. Torch the City Hall? No way.’

‘Well, I’ll take that on board,’ said Mako. ‘But Kai, maybe it’s best you don’t use your airbending to aggravate guys who are already pretty hacked off.’

‘Come on, Mako,’ said Kai. ‘I’m bored of meditating and doing the same moves over and over again. And admit it; it was a pretty cool move.’

Mako tilted his head and folded his arms.

‘All right,’ said Kai in annoyed defeat. ‘I’ll only use it for boring things and avoid all creativity. Airbender promise.’ He raised his hands and crossed his fingers.

‘I didn’t say don’t be creative,’ said Mako, waving away the gesture. ‘Just try and be more constructive.’

Hoping to tell Asami he’d at least tried to contact Korra, Mako visited the hospital on his way back to police headquarters. 

‘She’s having treatment on her face,’ said the healer who turned him away, though with more sympathy than the one he’d faced last night.

‘It’ll take the rest of the afternoon, and she’ll need at least another couple of days to recover,’ she’d said when Mako asked how long that would take.

Though his frustration was on the verge of boiling over, Mako swallowed his ire. It wasn’t this particular healer’s fault. He released it once he’d got back in his car, and it simmered as he drove across town. Even with the circumstances out of his control, he couldn’t help blame himself for not seeing Asami. 

His firefighting crash course had been intense; sleeping at the academy and practising at every waking moment meant he’d had little time for nourishment or anything else, including sneaking off to the hospital. In any other situation he’d have played the age-old “I need to speak with her about the explosion” tile, but that wouldn’t have got him anywhere if the healers were telling the truth about Asami’s condition. He’d left that vague in his letter to Korra. Would that come back to haunt him later?

Making a stop at the police headquarters, he read the incident report from the previous night’s protest, the one Kai had so eagerly disrupted, but found little of note in the witness statements accompanied by mugshots of those arrested; most in them with their old Fire Nation robes crumpled around their necks. The protestors repeated variants of “we are the spark”, or insulted their interrogators and got a night in jail for their troubles.

Turning the page, he recognised a man in the mugshot with messy black hair stuck to their forehead. Mako had seen him on the night, trying to slip away from the cops. The man hadn’t given a name, but his statement contained something the others lacked. Before he’d repeated another variant of “we are the spark”, he’d added “We are Azulon’s Ashes. The fuse will be lit.”  It matched what Kai had said earlier. Not enough to link them to the fires, though. 

Unable to find anything of that nature, he scribbled the names in his notebook and tidied the files away.

Making sure he didn’t give the firefighters any reasons to haze him, he arrived at Station Seven an hour before his shift began. His efforts were in vain, however, and he found himself in trouble once they’d finished roll call. As he laid his bunker gear in a pile near the back of the fire engine, he found Lorren’s sharp-nosed face glaring down at him. 

‘Yours,’ she announced, then shoved something large and padded into Mako’s chest and strode away. 

Blinking, Mako found himself clutching a large, brown envelope. With this came a flicker of excitement — that was quick. The flicker died as he read the handwriting, distinctively Chief Beifong’s.

‘You might want to set up a redirect,’ Adriel said as he unscrewed a cap from the engine’s pump. ‘She doesn’t like getting personal stuff in the station’s mailbox.’

Swallowing his retort, Mako opened the envelope and pulled out a binding of about fifty sheets of paper.

‘Hey, bog-brain!’ someone shouted in spitting distance of Mako’s left ear, and he flinched as Aniki pushed past him. ‘These nozzles aren’t gonna clean themselves!’

Mako shoved the paper back into the envelope and was about to stand to attention when Nikor shoved past. ‘Say that to my face, fish-fingers!’

With his ear still ringing from getting caught in the exchanged insults, Mako made for the locker room on the station’s second floor. Planting himself on the bench in front of his locker, he re-read the report on the City Hall fire, double-checking he hadn’t missed anything. Only basic observations that anyone with a vague interest in detective fiction could write, through-the-motion witness testimonies, including his own, and an exhaustively detailed list of lost inventory, but no obvious cause.

Reading the heading Casualties, Mako shoved the report back into its envelope.

Just the initial findings, he thought in an attempt to comfort himself. No way Zhu Li would let the police leave anything loose in the full investigation. But how long would that take? He didn’t recognise the name of the detective on the front page: Detective Thaki. Were they thorough or sloppy? Open or obstructive? Honest or bent? He’d have to wait for subsequent reports for those answers.

If that evidence isn’t all ash, he thought, and shoved the report in the locker. 

‘Didn’t end how you wanted?’ said a voice from behind. Mako turned. Adriel leaned on the end locker on the opposite side, his arms folded. ‘That novel,’ he added in response to the confusion Mako must have looked back with.

‘No,’ said Mako. ‘Work stuff.’

‘That’s funny,’ said Adriel. ‘I’ve got some more of that for you. Out back in ten minutes. Grab your bunker gear and don’t be late.’ The lieutenant’s brows rose as if anticipating an objection, but Mako bit his tongue.

Scaffolding lined the walls in the station’s backyard, casting more shadows across the fractured asphalt, from which threadlike weeds sprouted. Mako stood in line in front of a two-storey, brick building with long-caked soot marks rising up its walls. Beside it sat a large, rusting water tank. 

Nikor and Aniki stood in a slumped posture as if they were sitting through a tedious lecture.

‘Sorry to yank you all away from your ice marbles,’ said Urika, standing in one of the few beams of light shining between the gaps in the buildings surrounding the station. ‘But it occurs to me we have an opportunity too good to pass up. Now is a good time to dispel any preconceptions that our new acquisition may have gained from his time in the blue birds that we spend seventy per cent of our time sleeping, twenty per cent sitting on our butts playing the string game, and only ten per cent fighting fires.’

Mako held in his sigh. He’d have to get used to this if this was how the captain planned to treat him. He took a deep breath and clenched the muscles in his limbs as he let the air fill his chest. He could handle some push-ups and some jogging. Even if he was the butt of all the jokes, he’d at least get some practice using their equipment.

‘Two,’ Urika continued. ‘We don’t often get to practice with live fire.’

It dawned on Mako what that meant. 

‘Captain,’ he said, careful not to raise his voice. ‘That—you’re gonna use me as—?’

All eyes in the yard turned to him. Nikor stared as if ready to get started. Aniki smirked, and Lorren stared at Mako like he was a mess that needed cleaning up.

This was going to be a long morning.

Crouched beneath the window in the training building, Mako simmered. There was hazing — he’d accepted that would happen, but the thought of them using him as target practice, and no doubt taking every pleasure in getting him soaking wet, made his blood boil. How could they treat this situation with such disregard? Had they forgotten their own colleague had been hurt?

‘Okay!’ Urika called from outside. ‘Here’s the size up: we’ve got fire on the first floor. Let’s get a hold of it before it spreads.’

As the firefighters whooped and hollered, Mako pursed his lips as he braced himself for the inevitable icy bombardment. 

Be they positive or negative, waterbenders seldom held back in heightened states of emotion if Korra was anything to go by.

‘Okay, Probie. Light ‘em up!’

Mako sighed, but did as he was told, igniting a flame in his right hand and punching into the air above his head.

‘Get to work!’

The sound of water rushed beneath the fire’s crackle. It carried on like the crashing of a wave. Imagining a torrent would cascade through the window, Mako fought the urge to peer over the sill. 

Don’t make yourself an easier target, he thought. Instead, he ignited another flame and weaved his arms around in a pattern, turning the flames into a swirling, dancing inferno. The heat was like a campfire, and looking up to admire his work, Mako saw the flame catch the timbers lining the walls and roof. Not a huge problem — they were in the best place on the block for a fire to start.

The light died, and a sharp, cold sensation enveloped Mako like he’d been hit in the face with North Pole ice. He let out a scream as two streams flooded the room, snuffing out his fire and drenching him to the skin.

Woops and laughter rang from outside as the torrent kept gushing through the window long after the flames had died.

‘Look sharp, you sizzle-squibs!’ shouted Adriel. ‘It’s spreading to the second floor!’

The jets died, and the residual water crashed into Mako’s face. He coughed as it swept into his nose and mouth. Catching his breath, he channelled his inner chi throughout his body. His skin dried in seconds, but his bunker gear stayed sodden, boiling him into a sweat.

His sense of injustice returned, and his thoughts turned to all the other ways he could be working on his case, or checking in on Asami. He couldn’t do either here. But there was something he could do. Those firefighters didn’t often get to practice with live fire, so he might as well give them a challenge.

‘The fire’s moving UP!’ shouted Adriel.

‘SECOND FLOOR!’ added Urika.

Mako dashed for the ladder on the building’s back wall. Flame jets shot out of his feet, singeing the rungs in his wake. He thrust his arms forward, and the resulting infernal wave engulfed the entire room as it swept towards the windows.

Fearing he may have overdone it, Mako crouched beneath the carpet of smoke forming in the ceiling.

Then, with a rush and a hiss, his bunker gear was soaked again. The jet threw him back into the wall, and he grabbed onto a loose panel to stop himself from falling down the ladder. Mako blinked as steam clouded his vision. Water gushed through the window, blackened and smouldering as two figures entered its frame.

Nikor and Aniki crouched on the windowsill, funnelling the water around the room. In sync, their gazes shifted to Mako, barely giving him a second to raise his arms over his face as the jet engulfed him.

‘Good job, boys,’ shouted Urika once the water’s rush subsided. ‘But flames have spread to the roof!’

Mako inhaled through gritted, chattering teeth as his arms drooped. He’d expected some hazing, but this was more intense than that in the police, where Beifong, of all people, had to insist they limit their abuse of rookies after too many quit in their first week.

Pulling himself halfway up the ladder to the roof, Mako decided it was time to give the firefighters that challenge he’d been pondering since the start of this exercise.

‘Ain’t no sign of fire,’ came Nikor’s voice as Mako reached the unevenly cut hatch to the roof.

‘Better damp it down just to be sure,’ said Aniki.

Mako ducked as a fresh wave of bitingly cold water washed over his head. His entire body tensed as it washed down a gap between his helmet’s neck protector and his coat’s collar.

He dried himself off as the last wave subsided and straightened up. Relishing the imminent payback, he leapt up the rungs and landed on the roof in a stance.

Nikor and Aniki stepped back in surprise as Mako pulled his arms back.

‘Look out!’ he shouted. ‘Backdraft!’

Thrusting his arms forward, he shot a fireball at both firefighters. 

Nikor stumbled backwards and almost fell. Aniki, however, was more prepared and raised a shielding wall of water.

Feeling that was long enough to realistically maintain the fireball, Mako let it die — and received a barrage of freezing water in the face. It knocked him over and engulfed him as he slammed, back-first, into the fire station’s brick wall.

‘Don’t worry,’ Mako said, pushing Adriel off his arm as he emerged from the building. ‘I’m fine.’ His back twinged, but he steeled himself not to show it. 

‘You sure?’ said Adriel. ‘Aniki says he got you good.’

Mako stared across the yard. Aniki and Nikor were engaged in a heated conversation. Their faces turned to stone as they noticed Mako.

‘Yeah,’ said Adriel. ‘He also said you’re a bozo ash brain, and Nikor wants to put ice in your underwear.’

Mako didn’t answer as he slumped through the shadows cast in the sky’s fading orange light and into a patch of lamplight beside the fire station. Water oozed from his socks and between his toes.

‘Not my fault the blue bird flamethrower can’t take a joke,’ said a voice across the yard.

Though he’d warmed the water as it sloshed around in his boot, Mako still had to lean against the wall as he pulled it off and emptied it.

‘Well,’ said a stern voice as a tall, broad shadow blocked the sun. ‘I guess that’ll teach you not to try and kill my firefighters.’

Mako’s bunker coat felt heavier than ever as he stared at Urika. Her face was etched with the same disappointment and barely contained fury as when he’d first disobeyed Chief Beifong. ‘What the flying frog were you doing, Probie?’

‘Permission to speak freely, Captain?’

‘If you must.’

‘What kind of training was that?’

‘Excuse me?’

‘I came out here to learn how to work with you guys. But I still don’t know how you guys work together, or how I’m gonna work with you.’

‘THAT’s what we were gonna do next,’ said Urika. She leaned in, her nose inches from Mako’s. ‘At least I learned something.’

Mako blinked. 

‘You can’t take the hazing,’ Urika added. ‘You’re not gonna fit in here.’

‘Hey! I—’ Mako stopped himself before he got into more trouble. ‘Captain, with…respect. I was a street thug before I was a cop. How do you think they treated me on my first day?’

Urika’s lip pursed, and she looked more like Chief Beifong than ever. 

Staring at her, Mako prepared himself for the disciplinary tirade soon to be ringing in his ears.

CLANG!

Mako jumped at the sound of the gong, and it was as if someone had flipped a switch on the firefighters.

Urika’s pent-up anger vanished as the alarm rang, and she turned towards the station. Lorren pulled her jacket on as she charged from the watchroom and leapt into the fire engine’s driver’s seat. 

Drying off the last of the water lingering in his bunker gear, Mako followed Aniki, who leapt onto the open-topped seats at the rear of the cab. Mako made for the one opposite when a hand grabbed his shoulder from behind.

‘That’s my seat, Probie!’ Adriel yelled, pushing him aside and taking the seat.

Mako blinked, and Adriel pointed towards the truck’s rear. Running to jump aboard, Mako almost crashed into Nikor. 

Urika slammed her door shut, and Adriel smacked the cab’s roof.

Realising he wasn’t holding onto anything, Mako grabbed the long metal bar along the truck’s rear as it lurched out of the engine house. 

Nikor, who’d been standing in the street to stop the traffic, jumped onto the footplate next to Mako. 

The engine roared, and Mako squinted as the siren, twice as loud as those on police cars, wailed into life, and they thundered along the street.

Chapter Text

The red light reflected in the windows lining the darkening streets as the fire engine thundered along. The siren wailed and yelped as cars and trucks swerved out of their way and sat momentarily dazed in their wake.

‘Corner!’ Adriel shouted. 

Mako tightened his grip on the bar just in time for his body to swing to the right. The horn blasted as the engine veered into the next street, and a pair of pedestrians on the crossing scrambled for the sidewalk.

‘She ever driven before?’ Mako yelled, imagining his obituary. 

Cause of death: flung off the back of a speeding fire truck as it braked to avoid a jaywalking cat.

‘About a thousand calls give or take,’ Nikor answered without turning his head and swaying with the engine’s movement.

Pulling himself back up, Mako tiptoed to see over the engine’s water tank. The silver metal container was lower than those on the older fire engines, which were now relegated to training newbies. It allowed him to see Adriel and Aniki smirking.

‘Where are we—?’ Mako began, then flinched as the red beacon atop the cab flashed in his eyes.

‘Warehouse in the port!’ Adriel shouted back. ‘Second alarm. That’s all we know!’ he added, as if anticipating what Mako was about to ask.

With no choice but to wait until they arrived for specifics, Mako turned his thoughts to a plan of action. Without the best of introductions, the firefighters couldn’t expect him to muck in with them. First task: find the seat of the fire. Then he’d have to find as many clues as to its cause before they were incinerated.

Mako’s heart sank as the engine veered onto Republic City’s waterfront, and he caught sight of the building. 

Flames leapt into the night sky, illuminating the thick columns of black smoke billowing out from under the roof. In a gap in the smoke, he saw the Future Industries sign; fire licking at its logo. Several police cars and two fire engines sat outside the blazing warehouse, where firefighters bent the nearby seawater into the open front doors. Steam rushed into the air as they pulled up. 

Mako leapt off the back of the engine, still staring at the rising smoke and punctuating flames.

Urika marched towards another firefighter with the same captain insignia on his helmet.

A falling movement from beside one of the fire engines caught Mako’s attention. As if using the truck as a shield from the burning building, a crowd of warehouse workers sat slumped on the opposite sidewalk, their clothes smoke-stained and singed. One slumped onto the floor as firefighters rushed to their side. He couldn’t see any healers, but amongst the firefighters and victims, he recognised figures in airbenders’ wingsuits.

Glass shattered, and a window frame fell from the second floor. The firefighters recoiled as the debris crashed onto the sidewalk.

‘I got another one!’ a voice shouted, muffled, from above.

Through the smoke, Mako made out another airbender’s wingsuit, its owner’s head obscured by a spinning, translucent ball. With a much taller figure on their back, they leapt from the window with a dark wall of smoke on their heels. The victim hastened their descent, and they bent their knees as they landed. 

The ball, Mako noticed, was interweaving channels of condensed air. 

The airbender dispersed his improvised breathing aid, revealing a mess of brown hair cut short at the sides. He lowered the body to the ground and did a double-take as he noticed the approaching firefighters. 

‘He’s breathing!’ It was Kai. ‘But he ate a lot of—Mako?’

‘Kai!’ Mako answered. ‘What happened here?’

‘Dunno.’ Kai brushed some debris off his shoulder. ‘We saw the smoke from Air Temple Island and Tenzin sent us to help.’

The victim, a middle-aged foreman, lay clutching his chest as he stooped over. Smoke stained beneath his nose and around his mouth. Kai returned to his side and felt his chest. He looked at Mako as if to ask for help, then realised something was off.

‘When did you join the water pixies?’

Mako ignored Kai and reached for the foreman. ‘Sir? What happened?’ 

’Something expl—,’ the foreman wheezed, then coughed again. ‘Exploded.’

‘What’s stored in there?’

‘Nothing expl—,’ another cough. ‘Nothing that cou—,’ he doubled forward and brought up black mucus. ‘Do that!’

‘Where did it start?’

‘I—,’ cough! ‘I think it was—,’ splutter! ‘In the break room—,’ cough!

‘Mako!’ Kai said, forcing himself between the two. ‘Give him a minute!’

‘We need a healer over here!’ another firefighter shouted, rushing to the foreman’s side. He bent some water from the canteen on his belt and onto the man’s chest. His teeth gritted, and his face lacked the confidence of anyone who knew what they were doing.

‘Get him out of the hot zone, kid,’ Urika ordered. She stood over the three, staring at Kai like he was a mark on her boot, and gestured towards the other airbenders on the opposite sidewalk.

Kai frowned as he left the foreman with the firefighter attempting to heal him and ran across the road.

‘This ain’t a social, Probie,’ said Urika, stepping in front of Mako as he watched them leave. ‘Get a move on!’ 

‘An explosion?’ said Adriel.

‘That’s what the foreman said,’ Mako answered.

‘All right,’ said Adriel, crouched in front of Aniki, Nikor, and Mako beside the warehouse’s half-open sliding door. The firefighters clutched a bulky, canvas fire hose.

‘Lorren!’ Adriel shouted towards the engine. ‘Call Dispatch. Get Future Industries on the line and find out what’s in here!’ He turned back. ‘Company Three are searching the offices. They’ll tell us if they find any inventory documents. We can’t wait for that if there are people inside, so just watch yourselves. Companies Twelve and Five are on our six. They’ll conduct the primary search. Your job is to knock the fire back and stop it spreading further into the warehouse.’

‘I’ll find its ignition point,’ said Mako.

Aniki craned over and pointed at Mako. ‘You’ll stay with me.’

‘What?’ said Mako. Were they seriously about to deny him the exact reason he was crouched beside the door, with the stench of the burning concoction of whatever was in the warehouse filling his nostrils?

‘If we find any victims on our way, you’ll get them out. Leaves us free to knock the beast down.’

‘I’m telling you,’ Mako retorted, ‘I’d be better—’

‘You said you wanted to learn how we work,’ snapped Aniki. ‘There’s no time like the present. So shut up and stay close, kid.’ Without waiting for a reply, Aniki fastened the mask over his face and, staying low, advanced through the doors. Nikor did the same and followed.

Mako looked at Adriel as if to appeal. Without a word, the lieutenant nodded towards the doors and the still pluming smoke.

Shadows cast through the warehouse, a maze of shelves stacked with crates and boxes of all sizes. Distant flames shone through the gaps like a vivid sunset descending over a cityscape. The smoke had risen enough so Mako could see a fair distance. He found Aniki and Nikor crawling to the left, each with a hand on the wall and the other on the hose.

‘What we thinking?’ said Nikor, the mask muffled his voice as he stared at the smoke-shrouded ceiling.

‘Looks most intense in the offices,’ said Aniki, gesturing at the orange glow’s brightest point. ‘We’ll hold a defensive position on the south side and stop it spreading further into the warehouse.’ 

‘Good call.’ 

Nikor nodded, and the two advanced in a crawling scramble, hauling the cumbersome hose line along the floor.

Mako followed the firefighters, squatted in a slightly raised stance. He felt the heat through his mask, no more intense than staring into the sun on a summer afternoon. 

‘Shouldn’t we knock it down where it’s burning worst?’ he asked, slowing as he caught up.

‘Didn’t you hear the lieutenant?’ said Aniki. ‘Company Three’s got that.’ His eyes widened as they met Mako’s. ‘And get down! You’re too high!’

Mako did as he was told. This was no place for an argument.

They continued advancing on the fire, staring into every off-shooting passage between the crate-stacked shelves. 

‘Fire department! Is anyone here?’ Aniki called. No answer. 

They repeated the process at another three passages. Mako stared after them each time. The smoke thickened, dropping lower and lower the further they advanced. Sweat soaked into his hood where his helmet pressed down and around his mask seal. He tried to regulate his inner body temperature, but he hadn’t had to do it under such a prolonged period of heat for some time.

Aniki shouted down a fourth passage. His reply wasn’t a voice, but a WHOOSH, a BANG, and a ROAR! 

A wave of flames engulfed the next row of shelves, and all three winced at the intensified heat.

‘Okay!’ said Aniki. ‘Guess we start here.’ 

Gripping the hose, Nikor moved in beside him. Each with a hand on the brass nozzle, they gestured over the pipe and towards the advancing fire. The hose almost heaved with them. Then, with a rushing HISS, a jet of water shot out towards the flames. Nikor gripped the hose as Aniki bent the water up and almost over the blaze. The flames receded, and a steaming mushroom cloud billowed towards them through the shelves. Nikor took one hand off the hose and gestured upwards. The steam bent up at an angle and channelled back towards the retreating flames.

Feeling like a spare part, Mako peered into the passage that Aniki had just checked. There, a flame flickered at the end of the shelves.

‘It’s spreading around this way!’ he shouted.

Aniki craned over, nodded, and pulled a portable radio from his belt. ‘I.C. from Company Seven,’ he said. ‘The fire’s spreading westward. Requesting another hose team.’

Mako stared back at the advancing flames. They illuminated a set of double doors with a sign hanging above it: Break Room.

Thinking of what the foreman said, Mako charged towards it. Rising to his full height, he felt the heat wash over his upper body, but without stopping, he barged through the double doors — and into an inferno. 

He recoiled from the ear-splitting ROAR of the fire-shrouded room, shielding himself behind the partially open door. Every chair, table, and wall-mounted cabinet within fueled the fire. Impossible to find any clues — at least in its current condition. If he could clear it, he had a chance of finding something. Anything, no matter how insignificant, was better than his current inventory of nothing. Pulling the doors open, Mako winced. Through the smoke, he glimpsed a pair of windows on the far side of the room. Standing at his full height, he raised his arms and repeated the same gesture he had at City Hall. The flames shivered, then flew towards him. He pulled them up into a sun-like sphere and prepared to expel it.

‘Hey!’ called a voice. ‘Probie! What the—?’

Mako glanced over his shoulder and gestured to his advancing colleagues to get back. He realised what he’d done an instant before it happened. All the fire he’d bent above his head burst out of its sphere, out of the break room and down the passage. 

Nikor and Aniki dropped to the floor as the turbocharged flames thundered towards them.

Realising his mistake, Mako heaved back the blaze, forcing it over his head and back into the break room. The windows shattered, and the fire funnelled out into the air.

Shaking and sweating, Mako lowered his arms as the blaze’s dying breath gasped around the room. He syphoned through the ashes to the window. Sticking his head out, he removed his mask. The breath he took tasted of ash and cinders, but compared to what he’d breathed in before he’d gone into the warehouse, it was like standing on a cliff outside the Southern Air Temple.

He took a second. Then a third before his dutiful instincts kicked in. Shaking off a layer of ash, he turned back to the room. First job: find the point of origin — normally the part of the room that was most burnt. Mako turned to scan the blackened ruins of the break room — and a pair of hands seized his shoulders. They hoisted him up, and pain shot up his back as they slammed him into the wall. He gasped in a mouthful of ash-laced dust as singed splinters rained on top of him. 

‘You STUPID ash-brain!’

The hands released him, and he found himself face to face with Aniki and Nikor. Their eyes furious behind their masks.

‘You got a death wish, that’s your problem. But leave us out of it!’ Aniki yelled, jabbing a finger at Mako’s face.

‘Dude, all right,’ Mako said, raising his hands. ‘I had it under contr—’

‘Under control?!’ Aniki shouted with multiple jabs. ‘Your little circus act almost cooked us alive!’

‘Hey, I’ve got a job to do too,’ said Mako, raising his voice. ‘Better that than sit with you like a spare part.’

‘Are you insane? I said stay with us! Did I or did I not say stay with us?’

‘You said stay with you,’ Mako conceded with a nod.

‘Yeah. But that wasn’t good enough for the little blue bird who let the Avatar get inside his head!’

‘And you said you wanted to see how we do things,’ added Nikor. ‘Now, because of your dumb little trick, the fire’s got even bigger.’

‘All right, I get your point,’ Mako said, raising his hands. ‘I’ll stay close from now on.’

‘Not today, kid.’

Mako, however, was ready this time. He threw Aniki off his collar as the firefighter tried to hoist him up.

What happened next, he wasn’t ready for. As Mako tried to push past the pair, arms locked around his own. He had a momentary glimpse of Aniki to his left and Nikor his right, before their grip tightened and his feet left the floor. Without time to counter it, Mako yelped as he flew backwards. His limbs grazed the window frame, and he landed hard in the dirt outside.

Despite the pain throbbing across his back, Mako steeled himself and glared up at the window where the firefighters stood in the frame.

‘Go help your windbag buddies,’ said Aniki with a violent gesture. He turned and stormed out of sight. ‘C’mon! We fighting this fire or what?’

Nikor looked down his nose at Mako, then followed.

It took six hours to contain the blaze. The rising sun stained the sky bright yellow as if in mockery of their effort, and glinted into Mako’s eye from a puddle in the road. He blinked and continued towards Engine Seven, the heavy, canvas hose sliding over his sodden shoulder.

Lorren stood beside the engine where the hose Mako was under-running connected to the pump — its job to maintain a constant water pressure for the firefighters to bend. She made a waving gesture over the hose, and the water running down it entered the coupling. As Mako reached her, she turned the coupling, detached the hose, and shoved it into Mako’s arms without a word.

He heaved the hose back onto the engine and stepped off just as an ambulance drove away. A pair of metalbending police officers stood behind it, both around Chief Beifong’s age. One stood tall and lanky with a disconcertingly long neck, the other was short and dumpy and hadn’t shaved for weeks. Mako recognised them, and hadn’t time to look away before the taller officer noticed him. 

‘Hey, look who it is!’

‘It’s the flip-flop, Mako,’ said the shorter one. ‘Good spot, Pitau.’

‘Hey, Gingko,’ said Mako, looking to do anything else but engage in conversation.

‘Didn’t want to believe the rumours,’ said Gingko. ‘He was full of spicy bean cakes in the academy.’ Folding his arms, his expression soured as he looked at Mako. ‘Really thought you’d turn out all right, kid.’

‘Eh,’ said Mako, picking up a hose line from beside the engine’s back wheel. ‘I’m doing fine.’

‘Can’t be that fine,’ said Pitau. ‘Not if you’ve upped and joined the water pixies.’

‘Yeah,’ added Gingko. ‘Rather sit on his butt listening to the radio and sleeping all night than having a real job.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ said Mako, the coupling landing with a clang as he dropped the hose. ‘How about we switch places?’ He threw his arms up as he advanced on the cops. ‘You clean this up, and I’ll stand around with my thumb up my butt.’

‘Watch your mouth, water pixie,’ said Pitau with a dangerous edge. ‘Or we’ll remember this when you come crawling back.’

‘Now you—’

‘These blue birds giving you trouble, Probie?’

Mako felt his face flush as he turned. Adriel stood, arms folded, beside the engine. ‘Thought you’d had enough for one day.’ 

‘Yeah, Probie,’ jeered Pitau. ‘Think your new boss wants you to shine his boots.’

‘Thank you, Pitau,’ said Adriel like a disapproving teacher. ‘But since I’m in charge of his duties, I think you’d better do something more useful than take up his time with insults.’ Aniki and Nikor stepped in behind Adriel; Nikor bending water into the shape of an axe blade. Lorren stepped into view. She leaned on the side of the engine, her lips a slit.

The cops looked at one another, then left without another word.

Mako stared at each of the firefighters, not quite believing what had just happened. Even with the chaos of the last few hours, they’d stand up for him? Maybe all that talk of brotherhood, so ubiquitous with the fire department he’d thought it must have been exaggerated, wasn’t so?

‘Don’t get comfy, kid,’ said Aniki as if reading Mako’s thoughts. ‘Just defending this.’ He jabbed at his helmet badge. ‘An asset to be proud of.’

‘All right,’ said Mako. Anger pressed in his throat and tried to burst through his rigid jaws. ‘What do you want me to do?’

The firefighters looked at him as if to question whether he was being serious.

‘Do you want me to pull my weight or not?’ Mako pressed. ‘You said you didn’t want me sitting on my butt doing nothing. How is trailing these two like a lost turtleduck any better? I saw an opportunity to use what I had to help, and I took it.’

‘And look how well that turned out,’ said Aniki, gesturing to the smouldering warehouse. 

He opened his mouth as if to start on another tirade, but Urika stopped it with a raise of her arm.

‘All right,’ Mako continued, deciding to use the pause while he could. ‘It didn’t go so well this time, but if you want me to pull my weight and prove my worth, use my strengths.’ Realising he’d let some of his anger seep through, he added in a more reserved voice, ‘Please.’

Urika lowered her arm and gave Mako an interrogating look.

‘Lieutenant,’ she said without averting her eyes. ‘Back to work.’

Adriel nodded. ‘Nikor,’ he said, glancing at the waterbent axe. ‘Get rid of that. I don’t want to fill out more psychoanalysis forms.’

‘On it, lieu.’

Before Nikor could do as instructed, Lorren pushed past her colleagues — her eyes fixed on the hose Mako had busied himself with moments ago.

‘You drop this?’ she ordered, jabbing a finger at it.

Mako avoided eye contact as Lorren grabbed the hose, marched up to him, and shoved it into his arms.

‘Little tip for next time, Probie,’ said Adriel, striding to Mako’s side. ‘Don’t drop the couplings,’ he added in a lower voice.

Mako hauled the hose onto the fire engine while Aniki watched down his nose.

‘So, Aniki,’ said Adriel, appearing at his side. ‘You were saying about damage?’

‘Sorry, lieu. Admin block’s totally fried. But we saved the warehouse, bar twenty per cent on the west side.’

Mako watched as all the firefighters dispersed except Urika. She lingered, staring at Mako. She looked displeased, but she lacked Beifong’s abhorrence and the disdain from the evening’s training.

‘Are you gonna put the rest of the hose away or what?’ she asked.

Mako nodded, then crouched and scooped up the next hose line, taking extra care not to scrape the coupling on the road.

He followed the hose back into the warehouse. Smoke hung in the air, and the burnt smell mixed with that of the stagnating water. Looking down at his feet so as not to trip over anything in the carpet of debris, Mako stepped in a puddle. The water shifted and flowed backwards. 

He looked around and found a firefighter standing at the end of the passage, bending the excess water back towards them.

What he could see of the warehouse’s contents was intact. That changed the closer he got to the canteen. The crates from there were caked in soot. Some had been singed, then incinerated.

Mako reached the coupling at the end of the hose and crouched to pick it up. Then he realised where he was. The double doors leading to the canteen towered above him. All but burnt to cinders, they hung loose off their hinges. 

Leaving the hose where it was, Mako edged through the gap in the ruined doors, fearing any contact would cause them to disintegrate. The fire had spared no surface or item within. The morning sunlight illuminated the skeletal remains of tables and chairs lying among the ash-layered floor. Much of it had fallen from the flaking ceiling, and the remaining tiles bore punctures from the firefighters’ hooking tools. 

Mako peered around. He feared the other firefighters wouldn’t allow him time to do a complete and thorough sweep of the place. None of them wanted to hang around when they could be back at the station, showering and getting ready for bed.

He noticed a gas cooker in the corner. Blackened, but intact. He looked for the electrical box. The window was broken, but that was because of him and his ruffled colleagues. No one had thrown a crude incendiary through it.

He followed the burn pattern on the wall, past the fragments of what was once a set of floor-mounted cabinets, and back to more remnants of wooden panelling, still clinging to the walls. 

Mako blinked, then looked back to what was left of the cabinets. The one closest to the panelling had been dislodged, and parts of it were missing. He leaned closer and looked at the floor beneath the burnt panelling. Rather than finding the rest of the panels where they should have been had they fallen during the fire, there was a scorched patch of floor. He looked across the room.

More charred panels lay strewn against the wall. He resisted the urge to pick it up and compare it with those on the other side, or risk the ire of another detective for contaminating the scene.

He remembered the foreman’s agonised words. There had been an explosion before the fire. Given the intensity of the damage in here and the rest of the administrative rooms, Mako felt he had a good idea as to where that explosion had originated.

His eyes strained as he stared at the fire-damaged wall. No electrical outlets; not even their melted remains. He looked around the room again. The trash can was under the window beside a small refrigerator — melted, and in situ.

Discounting the appliance as a cause, Mako looked back at the wall. Convinced the explosion had occurred in this corner, he looked back and forth along the panels, scrutinising every singed splinter and a bulge in the wood.

Mako looked again. That bulge wasn’t isolated. A sequence of them, like air pockets or penetrating damp, lined one of the panels. He squinted as he inspected the patterning, feeling as if he’d seen it somewhere before.

Was that accelerant? Mako followed the bulges. They increased in size further along, until the trail ended in a miniature crater surrounded by protruding splinters. Had something burst from within the wood? 

‘Probie?’ Lieutenant Adriel’s voice echoed from the warehouse. ‘Hurry up! I wanna get my breakfast at some point today!’

Chapter Text

Mako didn’t share his findings with his colleagues. They knew why he was there, but keeping the details on a need-to-know basis limited potential for leaks. Not that they seemed at all interested as they changed their stationwear for their regular clothes. Echoing what Adriel had said, they seemed more eager to go to bed or grab breakfast.

After less than four hours’ sleep and another failed attempt to see Asami, he slumped back to Station Seven for his next shift. No one initiated conversation with him, and he surmised they were still mad at him for firebending in the warehouse.

Lorren’s constant glare drove him from the watchroom as he waited for any possible information from Chief Beifong. He would have called the chief, but thought asking to use the phone would give Lorren an excuse to shove it in whatever orifice she chose. That, and he was kept busy with whatever chores nobody else wanted to do. Mopping the entire second floor, changing the bedsheets, polishing the pole, and washing the dishes. In the latter case, multiple times. Nikor and Aniki kept piling the clean bowls back with the dirty ones, and it took Mako fifteen minutes to realise he’d washed forty dishes and glasses for a meal that had only used twelve.

Against his better judgment, he would have welcomed a few emergency calls to break up the evening, but the only ones that came involved a fire in a dumpster behind a backstreet diner and a false alarm in a small, empty office building. Neither gave Mako much to do or clues that could help with his investigation. 

All throughout the evening and into the night, he caught Urika and Adriel stealing glances at him. The lieutenant gave a polite nod or a quick smile every time Mako noticed, while the captain looked away too quickly for Mako to gauge what she was thinking.

Everyone bunked down for the night once they returned from the bogus call. By then, Mako had finished his chores and joined them.

He lay there for what felt like hours listening to the sounds of his colleagues sleeping. Unable to sleep, he gave up and, tiptoing so as not to incur their wrath from waking them, slipped out.

First, he made for the watchroom, where he found nothing of note in the incident reports from the previous shift. Without new evidence, he headed for the locker room. Switching on the solitary light above his locker, he retrieved the file and flicked through what he’d already reviewed: the fires from before Asami had been injured, and his own notes on the warehouse fire, for which he was still waiting further information and photos from the police.

He reread the file twice as if doing so would summon new evidence into existence. 

With the notes themselves proving little help, he resorted to flicking through the images of the previous fires. Mako sighed as he came across one of a corridor — the one in which the explosion had hurt Asami and Li. Beneath the destruction from the fallen ceiling, every inch of the corridor and its contents was burnt and smoke-stained — all the furniture, flooring, and the panels lining the walls.

He did a double-take. A bizarre pattern lay etched along the wall; a sequence of bulges, like air pockets or dampness. 

‘Sleep-reading?’ said a voice.

Mako nearly dropped the file as he looked up.

Adriel leaned against the locker closest to the door; his hair was tidy, considering he’d been in bed. ‘You wouldn’t be the first probie who couldn’t sleep their first night,’ he said as he sat beside Mako.

‘Just reviewing my,’ he hesitated. ‘Training materials.’

‘Thinnest training manual I’ve ever seen,’ said Adriel. ‘And I didn’t know the police wrote them.’

Mako turned the file over and gave an inner sigh as he saw the police department’s crest.

‘I won’t ask for details,’ said Adriel, waving Mako off. ‘Just don’t stay up too late,’ he added as he left. ‘I don’t want to have to drag you up if the gong goes off.’

Adriel didn’t have to carry out his threat, and the next time Mako woke was to the sound of the others getting up the following morning. No one said a word to him until the end of the shift, when Urika’s shout echoed through the engine house, stopping the firefighters as they made for the open doors.

‘I just got off the phone with Lami.’

Mako blinked. All sense of relief from the shift ending evaporated as everyone turned to Urika, and a sense of apprehension descended.

‘Li’s wife,’ said Adriel.

A stone landed in Mako’s stomach, but Urika smiled. ‘Li’s back on his feet. They’re bringing him home this morning.’

Nikor whooped, Adriel laughed, and even Lorren managed a thin smile.

‘So when’s he coming back?’ said Aniki.

Urika sighed. ‘Well, about that. Because of his age, and after talking to the union, Chief Raalim and his wife, Li’s decided to take early retirement from active duty.’

Silence fell as everyone processed the bombshell.

‘So he’s benched?’

‘Not quite,’ said Urika. ‘They’ve offered to retrain him for a less demanding position. But, he said he’ll tell us everything at the hospital.’

Mako stood back as the firefighters raced up the forecourt at Republic City Hospital, whooping and cheering as the healers pushed a wheelchair down the exit ramp, giving Mako his first clear look at Li’s face. He had tanned, leather-like skin, amber eyes, a slanted nose, and a few grey hairs and sideburns around his eyes. He smiled as his colleagues crowded him and launched into a rabble of questions about how he was doing and how he surely couldn’t be serious about “giving it all up“.

Feeling he didn’t belong there, Mako lingered in the shadow of the tall bronze statue of Master Katara. He was still staring at the firefighters when movement caught his eye. A flash of red and orange swooped from window to window on the hospital’s fourth floor. Its wearer stopped and clung to one of the frames.

‘Kai!’ Mako called, running to the window beneath the airbender.

Kai let go of the frame and dropped, landing right in front of Mako.

‘Who were you spying on?’ Mako asked.

’No one,’ said Kai, then added in a more level voice, ‘I was looking for the guy I pulled out of the warehouse yesterday. They won’t tell me anything in there, but I want to know if he’s all right.’

‘You too, huh?’ Mako said, then told Kai that they hadn’t let him see Asami since she’d been admitted.

Kai blinked. ‘I saw her up there.’

‘What? When?’ Mako asked, his entire body tensing.

‘A few minutes ago. She’s in a room on the third floor.’

‘How did she look?’

‘I dunno,’ said Kai, his enthusiasm draining. ‘She was sleeping. Still had a bandage over half her face.’

Mako’s shoulders slumped. No point in trying to see her today.

Kai sighed. ‘I wish there was a way we could help them.’

‘You did all you could,’ said Mako, patting Kai’s shoulder. ‘Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gotten here in the first place.’

‘I know,’ said Kai, brushing the shoulder Mako had patted. ‘But they all ate a lot of smoke, and from what I saw up there, they’re having a hard time getting it all out from inside.’

Mako nodded.

‘If only I could…I dunno…get that stuff out before it gets in too deep?’ Kai went on.

‘Is that even possible?’ Mako asked.

‘I dunno,’ said Kai, frustration growing. ‘I’m no healer.’ He scowled as he looked towards the reception. ‘And I don’t think they’d wanna talk to me if I asked.’

He blinked, then smiled as he looked back at Mako. ‘So how come you quit the cops?’

Mako hesitated, and Kai noticed. ‘Come on. I answered your question. Now you answer mine.’

‘I got an offer that I couldn’t say no to,’ Mako said, avoiding looking at Kai. Not telling him the whole truth hurt, but Mako thought it better than sharing the actual reason with anyone who didn’t need to know.

‘I thought the fire department only took waterbenders?’

‘My turn,’ said Mako before Kai could ask anything else. ‘Any word from Korra and Jinora?’

Kai’s enthusiasm drained. ‘No.’

‘Hey, Probie!’ called Adriel before Mako could ask anything else. ‘Come say hello.’

Mako headed home as soon as the firefighters decided it was time to leave. He’d made polite conversation with Li, who knew why Mako was filling his boots, but his thoughts remained set on what was, so far, his only lead as to what had caused the fire.

He fished out his training manuals as soon as he was through his front door. Looking for anything that could help him identify it, he re-read them back to front twice, but found nothing helpful about the “bubbling burn pattern”. 

Returning to the fire academy’s library proved similarly fruitless, even after an entire morning and half the afternoon of perusing textbooks and questioning several librarians, none of whom had much patience.

They kicked him out once the setting sun shone a fiery orange through the windows. Slumping towards the doors in the academy’s lobby, he resigned himself to awaiting more evidence, or in other words, waiting for another fire to break out. How would he explain that plan to Chief Beifong or Urika?

A thought occurred to Mako as he approached the exit. Two payphones sat just inside the doors. It wasn’t an option he relished, and would feel like going back with his tail between his legs, but asking for help was preferable to waiting for somewhere else to burst into flames.

The phone rang twice before a desk sergeant answered. He told Mako that Chief Beifong had just left to ‘assist with an ongoing investigation’. 

He was about to ask for specifics when a sharp clattering sound made him pull the phone away from his ear. The noise cut out, and for a second, Mako thought the line had gone dead.

‘Hey? Kid?’ said a faint voice.

Mako raised the earpiece.

‘Kid!’

He winced at the chief’s yell, then returned her greeting. ‘They said you were heading out.’

‘Yeah,’ said Beifong. ‘So you better have a good reason for stopping me heading home.’

‘It’s about the warehouse fire,’ said Mako. Not wanting to admit he felt stuck, he added, ‘I found something you might want to see.’

A prolonged diversion through the morning rush hour to the port, and he found Beifong’s car parked outside the charred, cordoned-off remains of the warehouse.

Flashing his badge to the scene guarding officer, Mako paced through the same door he’d entered with the other firefighters days earlier. The storage space had been emptied, and the once labyrinthine warehouse echoed with his footsteps. He made straight for the remains of the canteen.

‘Took you longer to get here than I thought,’ Chief Beifong’s voice echoed as she stepped out from behind a row of shelves. She wore a metalbending police helmet that matched the rest of her uniform.

‘Sorry, Chief,’ said Mako. ‘I got sidetracked.’

‘But do us all a favour,’ said Beifong. ‘Try and act like you want to wear your new badge, or all my paperwork will have been for nothing.’

Mako looked away — even between departments, news travelled fast.

‘Come on,’ she added in a softer voice. ‘Let’s have a proper look around. Just put this on first.’ She picked another metalbender helmet and a torch off the floor and threw them to Mako.

Beifong shone her torch around as they entered the ruined canteen, illuminating the blackened room. The setting sun put the fire damage in sharper focus, and not much had changed since Mako was there last.

‘You find anything else before I got here?’ Mako asked, gazing around the blackened shell of the room.

Beifong replied with a negative murmur.

‘No one else has looked this place over since the fire?’ asked Mako.

‘We’ve had regular detectives here, and every suspicious fire since our firebug first struck,’ said Beifong. ‘But they’re not exactly experienced with this. Remind me to run a promotion drive, asap.’

‘Anyone from the fire department take a look?’ said Mako.

Beifong smirked at him.

‘I meant anyone else?’ Mako asked, grimmacing as they reached a broken window.

‘No,’ said Beifong. ‘I’m already in Fire Chief Raalim’s bad books. I gotta smooth things over before asking any more favours.’

‘How long until we lose this place?’ asked Mako, taking his eyes off the ceiling’s remains.

‘We’ve got it for two more days before we hand it to the insurers.’ She sighed. ‘This would be so much easier if I didn’t have to twist through a bunch of airbending gates every time I need anything from the water pixies.’

Mako nodded. ‘Then we ain’t got time to hang around,’ he said. Looking into the room’s south-west corner, he listed everything he’d personally discounted from causing the fire.

‘Checks out with me,’ said Beifong. ‘Gas supply’s intact. Electrics were inspected only last month and passed with an A plus.’

Mako smiled. ‘It’s not like Cabbage Corp runs this place,’ said Mako. ‘Asami always prioritised—prioritises her workers’ safety and health.’

‘Yeah,’ said Beifong, in a forlorn voice. ‘I tried to speak to her earlier too.’

Mako looked at the chief, almost giving himself whiplash. ‘She’s still not awake?’

‘She’s woken up since the City Hall fire,’ said Beifong. ‘But the healers were treating her when I dropped by the hospital and wouldn’t let me speak to her.’

‘Can’t you overrule them?’

‘One, I didn’t want to cause a scene. Two, I had other places to be. And three, I don’t want to disrupt Miss Sato’s treatment. She took quite a blast, and I don’t want her looking like Lord Zuko.’

With his insides deflating, Mako led Beifong to what was left of the cabinets.

‘Is this that something you wanted me to see?’ she asked.

Mako didn’t answer as his torchlight illuminated more charred panels.

‘Got anything to measure with?’ he asked.

Beifong left the room and returned within a minute with a fabric tape measure. They checked the panel on the floor and the one left on the wall — the same length, save for heat distortion.

‘I think I’ve got our point of origin,’ said Mako. ‘The workers said there was an explosion, right?’

‘According to several statements.’

Mako showed Beifong the trashcan under the window beside the melted refrigerator.

Discounting the appliance as a cause, Mako looked back at the wall. ‘The explosion occurred in this corner,’ he said. ‘And look.’ He’d found the sequence of bulges like air pockets lining the panels. ‘What do you think of this?’ he asked, beckoning Beifong over.

She squinted at the pattern. ‘Looks like damp.’ 

‘Yeah.’

‘Could indicate accelerant?’

Mako nodded, but kept his eyes on the bulges. They increased in size further along the wall. The trail ended in a miniature crater surrounded by protruding splinters like something had burst from within. 

‘What accelerant does that to wood?’ asked Mako. He sniffed up and down the wall, catching the burnt smell, and nothing like the scent of any flammable liquid.

Mako prodded the largest remaining bulge, and it crumbled into ash. After the two had stared at the pattern for a long time, Mako thought aloud. ‘Something that can make wood explode?’

‘I’ll ask around tomorrow,’ said Beifong. ‘And now you’re going home, where you’ll stay until tomorrow. No sneaking out to spy on any fanatics wearing red cloaks.’

‘They’re protesting again?’

‘No,’ she stated.

Mako pointed at his report, but Beifong spoke before he could. 

‘I’ll get it copied and posted back to you first thing in the morning. Now don’t make me put surveillance on you.’ 

He knew she was joking, but knew better than to argue.

The next three days before Mako’s next shift passed in slow motion. His attempts to see Asami again proved fruitless. He would have sworn the receptionists and healers had developed a shared dislike for him if not for Kai’s experience.

‘Before you ask, no. You can’t see her,’ the last one said with an eye roll to put Chief Beifong to shame.

Evidently, those three days weren’t enough for firefighters to forgive a mistake. Before the morning briefing had finished, Aniki had shoved the mop and bucket into Mako’s chest, and he’d spent the rest of the morning mopping the engine house with constant reminders that he’d “missed a spot”.

Twelve missed spots later, Adriel agreed that the floor was spotless. 

With a stabbing ache stretching from his fingertips to his shoulders, Mako lobbed the cleaning utensils back into the closet. 

He made to close the doors when he heard a sharp ‘Psst!’

Mako wheeled around. The engine house was empty, apart from Lorren, who still sat in the watchroom with her head in her paperwork.

‘PSSST!’ The noise came again, longer and with more insistence. 

Mako looked around. Failing to find whoever was making the noise, he sighed. He felt somewhat glad he hadn’t found anything. Whatever form of hazing he’d have otherwise endured could wait. 

Whoever was making the noise couldn’t. It came again. Even longer, with even more insistence, and emphasis at the end. ‘PSSSSSSSSSSS-T!’

This time, Mako spotted movement on the sidewalk — a shadow leaning in and out of the building. Mako followed it outside. 

He blinked. A broad-shouldered figure stood with its back against the wall. A balaclava covered their face, and sunglasses obscured their eyes. They wore a matching wide-brimmed hat and a large, black trench coat that covered a protruding belly.

‘Can I help you?’ said Mako, trying to imagine what this person, whoever they were, would say.

‘I don’t know,’ they said, their voice muffled and forcedly lowered. ‘Can you?’

‘What are you looking for, sir?’ Mako asked, unsure how to proceed.

The figure’s posture perked up, and the belly suddenly wriggled. They pulled off the glasses and balaclava, revealing a familiar, green-eyed, fresh face. ‘Never thought you’d call me “sir”, bro.’

‘Bolin?’ Mako said in a mix of relief, confusion, and irritation. 

‘How you doing, bro?’ said Bolin, barely suppressing his enthusiasm.

‘I’m…okay, I guess. What are you doing here? And…’ he looked his brother up and down. ‘What’s with the outfit?’

‘I’m incognito,’ said Bolin, as if it were a stupid question. ‘Chief Beifong told me you were on a “secret undercover operation”. So I went to our apartment, and I found some fire department paperwork that said you were here. I didn’t want to blow your cover. People still want “NukTuk” to sign stuff, you know. But I wanted to see how you were doing. I heard you’ve had a rough few days.’ 

‘Yeah,’ said Mako. ‘Rough.’

‘I heard about Asami. I went to the burns center to try to see her, but the main nurse was kinda mean and she wouldn’t let me. Said she needed more rest. But she’s been in there for a while. I mean, how much rest does she need? Does fire really tire non-benders out that much? I saw others around the place, though. Their burns looked nas—’

‘Bolin,’ Mako said, raising his hand. ‘Look, I appreciate the thought, but I’m not exactly undercover. They know who I am and why I’m here.’

‘Ohh,’ said Bolin. ‘So can I take this off?’ He added with pleading eyes.

‘I guess.’ 

‘Phew!’ Bolin ripped his coat open. A small, red and white fire ferret bolted out and wrapped itself around Bolin’s neck. ‘This hat is WAY too small!’ Bolin said, ripping it from his head, his messy black hair almost followed it as he cast it aside. ‘I’m sorry, Pabu,’ said Bolin, tickling the fire ferret under the chin.

‘Probie?’ came Adriel’s voice. He strode out of the station and blinked at Bolin and the growing pile of clothes at his feet.

‘Sorry, lieutenant,’ said Mako, straightening up. ‘Bolin — my brother was just stopping by. He’ll be gone in a moment.’

‘No, no,’ said Adriel, shaking his head. ‘Always happy to meet families. Bolin, want a tour of your brother’s new workplace?’

‘Ah yeah! That’d be awesome!’

‘Well, then follow me and we’ll start with the engine house.’ Adriel spoke to Bolin like a child on a field trip. That sentiment vanished when he returned his attention to Mako. ‘Anyway, Probie, the captain—’

‘Lieutenant!’

Adriel almost jumped, and fear flashed in his eyes. ‘Won’t be a minute, Captain.’

‘Yeah, you won’t be.’ Urika stepped past the fire engine and into the sunlight. She eyed Bolin as she approached him and Adriel. ‘Kindergarten visit?’

’Probie’s brother. I was just about to show him around.’ He smiled as he stroked Pabu’s ears.

Urika considered Bolin with a raised eyebrow. ‘So long as he doesn’t get in the way,’ she said. ‘As for you, Probie. Come with me.’

Mako followed Urika as she started up the stairs.

‘You think she recognised me?’ asked Bolin as they passed.

‘I don’t know,’ Mako hissed.

‘She totally recognised me.’

Mako would have walked straight into the office, but remembered to knock a millisecond before getting another earful.

He waited for Urika’s summons before entering, where he found her sitting at the varnished, wooden desk. She leaned on her elbows with her chin resting on the back of her hands.

‘Look, Captain,’ Mako began. ‘I didn’t know my brother was gonna stop by. I thought he was still in Zaofu.’

‘That’s the first thing we’ve got to fix,’ said Urika, leaning back on her chair.

‘Sorry?’

‘Your captain wants to talk, and you assume I’m gonna scold you because your brother showed up?’

‘Can you blame me?’ said Mako, trying to keep his voice level. ‘I haven’t exactly had the best start.’

‘That’s true. No getting away from that,’ said Urika, picking up a glass of water and taking a gulp. ‘But I’ve let the guys have their fun, and it’s time we get past the could have, would have, should have, and talk business.’

‘Business?’

‘What you said at the warehouse fire,’ said Urika, ‘about pulling your weight and using your strengths.’

‘Captain?’

‘I made it clear when you got here that I didn’t want you coasting until a clue showed up. Speaking of those, detective. Any leads? Suspects?’

‘I…well…,’ Mako began, racking his brains for anything he could use to justify his investigation.

‘There’s this group,’ he said, unable to think of anything else. ‘They were protesting in Harmony Park a few days ago, and they were dressed up in old Fire Nation robes. They call themselves Azulon’s Ashes.’

‘And have you anything linking them to the fires?’

‘Well, no,’ said Mako, steeling himself for the inevitable fury. ‘Nothing concrete.’

Urika’s face sank. 

‘So, you’ve put my crew in danger and doubled my paperwork, and you’ve got almost nothing to show for it.’

‘And there’s this burn pattern,’ said Mako. ‘I saw it at City Hall and the warehouse fire.’

He regretted it as soon as he’d said it. Sure, Urika would want to know if he had a hunch as to what was leading to her extra workload, but he could imagine the earful he’d get for divulging information to people who weren’t directly connected to solving the case.

Urika raised an eyebrow. ‘Every fire leaves a burn pattern, detective. What’s so special about this one?’

‘It’s…,’ Mako began, trying to put what he’d seen into words. ‘It kind of looks like bubbles. Like it froze mid-boil.’

‘Like it froze mid-boil?’ said Urika. ‘Don’t try to write a novel, kid. You got a photograph?’

‘Well, not of that one,’ said Mako. ‘Chief Beifong’s getting one developed.’

‘No need to wait for that,’ said Urika, standing up from her desk. ‘Let’s go have another look now.’

‘We can’t,’ said Mako. ‘The cops gave up control of the building yesterday. It’ll be with the insurers by now.’

‘That’s unfortunate,’ said Urika, slumping back to her desk. Yet, she had a look on her face as if she’d happily go and break down the door to the warehouse to get a look at the pattern. ‘Every deliberate fire takes away resources that we could use to better serve this city and its people. But that’s like telling you the sky’s blue.’

Mako wanted to tell her about the one from City Hall sitting in his locker, but felt he’d already let too much slip.

‘We’re getting sidetracked,’ said Urika. ‘I called you up here for a reason.’ She recomposed herself, then spoke in a business-like voice.

‘Let’s get something straight. I speak for everyone in this station when I say we want these fires stopped as much as you and Lin. But so I can facilitate that, you’ve still got to be my probie. And if that’s going to work, I clearly got to spend more time getting you into our headspace. When you’ve got leads to follow up or calls to make, perhaps I can make an exception. Until then, it looks like I got my work cut out to make you at least resemble a firefighter.’

‘Captain,’ Mako began. ‘I can’t switch elements. I’ll let Kor—the Avatar know you need her.’

‘Don’t be stupid, Probie.’ Urika rubbed her eyes and stood up. ‘It’s not your element, but how you use it.’ She folded her arms and stared out of the window onto the yard below. ‘What is fire to you?’

‘It…,’ Mako began, not sure what answer Urika wanted to hear. Was it a trick question? ‘It’s part of me. An extension of who I am.’ He paused, but Urika said nothing. ‘It gives me strength,’ Mako continued. ‘It’s something I can use to achieve the best outcome.’

‘Well, that’s it,’ said Urika, turning to face Mako. ‘You see fire as a tool. I can’t blame you for that. It’s instinctive. It dictates your chi, and it has ever since you ignited your first flame.’

A reprimand. A dressing down. A reminder that nobody wanted him there. Mako expected all that from the captain. Not wisdom about bending. 

‘Waterbenders make up ninety-nine per cent of Republic City’s firefighters. While we bend a different element, we have instincts, too.’

She stepped forward, and Mako stepped back.

‘Kid, I got a loud bark, but I don’t bite. Give me your hand.’

Mako did as instructed and tried not to recoil as Urika took hold of it. 

‘Light up for me,’ she said.

Against his better judgment, Mako summoned a modest flame.

Urika let go of him. She waved her hand, and the water left in her glass flew out and orbited her flexing fingers. She raised her hand over Mako’s, and the water encircled the flames. ‘Water can defeat fire,’ said Urika. ‘But not always. We learned that a hundred and seventy-seven years ago.’ She opened her fingers, and the water vaporised.

‘You all see it as a danger,’ said Mako, swiping his flame away.

‘Naturally,’ said Urika.

‘You think that’s why everyone’s so hostile?’ Mako asked.

‘That and you almost cooked them,’ said Urika. ‘Shame they had to feel your fire in a…less than ideal situation.’

She reached into the desk’s drawer and pulled out a leather-bound police record. 

‘When Lin told me about Operation Under Fire, I’ll admit, I had my doubts. Then she told me who I’d be getting.’

Urika put down her glass and opened the record. ‘When this landed on my desk, I thought I’d hit the jackpot,’ she said, flicking through the pages. ‘Your list of conquests, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one like it.’

‘Conquests?’

‘Your arrest record,’ said Urika. ‘And everything else: all your experience with the Avatar. The Equalists, Unalaq, The Red Lotus, The Earth Empire, etcetera, etcetera, and of course, your little stunt at City Hall. Li, stupid old freelancer that he is, it impressed him, too. Perhaps your little row with my guys after the fire should have been a warning for what I was getting myself into? But you’re still here for a reason. If I thought you couldn’t take the heat, you’d have been clearing out your locker two shifts ago. Maybe I was naive to think I could drop you in here and have everything go smoothly?’

‘All r—,’ Mako suppressed his outburst. ‘Yes, Captain.’

‘Lucky for you,’ said Urika, standing up. ‘I know how we can smooth things out, maybe even raise their opinions of you.’

She brushed past Mako and opened the office door. ‘We’ll go back to basics. You’ve played your part in the station, even if you were a bit of a whiner. Show them you can play that part at a fire, then maybe, given time, we can put that something about you to good use?’ She left the office and shouted down the corridor. ‘Hey, everyone! Tool up and out to the yard!’

Chapter Text

Still unsure what the captain meant, Mako followed her to the engine house, where she reprimanded him for not having his bunker gear completely on. Fastening his coat, he followed Urika and Adriel into the training building. 

Stepping over a hose, he crossed the threshold into the wide open space of the first-floor room. Soot-stained wooden beams framed the walls and ran along the ceiling. A rusted ladder sat on the far wall, leading up to a hatch. Adriel stood up from beside the window and grabbed a bottle off the sill.

‘Well, Probie,’ said Urika, striding into the room’s centre. ‘Would you be so kind and…,’ she pointed at the soot-stained beams and snapped her fingers.

‘Seriously?’ Mako said. ‘After last time?’

‘If you want to learn something, yeah.’

Not wanting another argument, Mako punched towards the beams, igniting them with a flash and a whoosh. Preceded by a blue flash, the flames raced along the beam. A hand grabbed Mako’s shoulder, and he found Urika pulling him down. Together, the three crouched, watching the accelerant carry the fire along the room’s entire width and the smoke roll up out of the window.

Sweat broke across Mako’s brow. His arms twitched as the blaze escalated, and he glanced between it and the two firefighters. Was this a trick?

We have instincts too. Urika had said. But how was he supposed to think like a waterbender? He couldn’t change his perception of fire from a tool to something to be feared on the spot.

Deciding that doing something, even if it’s wrong, was better than nothing. He took a squat-step forward and made to stand.

Urika’s arm flew out and blocked him. ‘I know how you’re thinking,’ she said without looking away from the fire. ‘How can I manipulate these flames and get them to work in my favour?’ She lowered her arm and continued without looking at Mako. ‘Just like every other firebender that goofed up and set their own house on fire, thought they could brush it under the rug before their family got home, then had to call us when it all went up in smoke.’

Mako slumped back into a crouch. 

‘Your methods ain’t without merit,’ said Urika. ‘If it was, all firebenders would have spontaneously combusted by now. It was your main mistake at the warehouse. It’s something we can work on, though, and if you want to be part of our team, you got to forget those instincts for a moment.’

Mako’s itching returned as he watched the fire spread. It reached the beams in the room’s corners. Deciding it might help if he stopped channelling his chi like a firebender, he felt sweat drench his neck protector, and drops ran down his back as intensifying crackles and pops filled his ears.

‘We don’t have the luxury of controlling the fire like you,’ said Urika, raising her voice. ‘But,’ she turned and looked straight at Mako. ‘We can do our best to control everything else.’

‘If you can’t control the fire…control its fuel?’ asked Mako.

‘Almost,’ said Adriel. ‘Not practical in most situations, unless you’re in an old Earth Nation village, where the building’s beyond saving and the firefighters had to demolish the neighbouring ones to stop it taking the whole street.’

‘I already gave him a history lesson, lieutenant,’ said Urika. ‘But what you got to do here and now is simple.’ She stared at Mako. ‘Think about the big picture. Where’s it spreading? What’s around me? What’ll happen if that flame spreads up that beam?’ She pointed to the beam to the right as flames licked up it. ‘What if it reaches the ceiling? What if it jumps floors?’ 

A sharp burst of static punctuated the roaring blaze.

‘Cap,’ Nikor’s voice spoke through the radio on Urika’s belt. ‘We got a vic on the second floor. We’re coming out.’

‘Good job,’ Urika replied. ‘And most important of all,’ she said to Mako, ‘where are my brothers and sisters?’

‘Cap,’ came Aniki’s voice. ‘We’re getting a lot of smoke up here.’

Mako looked behind him. The fire had consumed the beams lining the entire length of the ceiling. It licked at the ladder’s interior hatch.

Looking back at Urika, he grabbed the radio from her outstretched arm.

‘Nikor,’ he said into the radio, ‘the fire’s blocked your rear interior exit.’

‘Uh, thanks for the heads up, Probie,’ said Nikor as if Mako’s voice was the last he’d expected to hear. ‘We ain’t got an exterior exit. Can you push it back?’

Mako’s face burned as his eyes darted across the ceiling, obscured under the infernal carpet, and he fought against every ounce of instinct telling him to bend it away from the ladder. Despite his brain aching under all the mental and physical strain, he thought again of the captain’s last words. 

Where are my brothers and sisters?

Half spinning on the spot, Mako turned to where Urika and Adriel crouched. The lieutenant’s stance had a suppressed eagerness about it, and his eyes willed Mako to join the dots.

‘Uh…lieutenant?’

‘Follow me,’ said Adriel, nodding at and crawling towards the doorway. Mako followed, but didn’t reach the exit before Adriel returned with a hose under his arm. ‘Take it,’ he said. ‘I’ll do the rest.’

Mako gripped the hose as Adriel made a familiar gesture. Water burst from the nozzle, and the fire retreated across the ceiling, steam lingering in its wake.

The heat lingered after they’d extinguished the fire, and Mako crawled through the doorway before standing. His chi hadn’t fully re-channelled itself enough to cool him off. Sweat dripped off his forehead and soaked through the clothes under his bunker gear. The outside air hit him like a winter gale, each breath as if sent by a healer.

He leaned on the side of the outside water tank and felt an overwhelming urge to hurl himself into it.

The water sloshed beside him, and a bunker gear-wearing figure submerged their head. 

Adriel swayed side to side before he stood up straight with a bliss-filled gasp. He ran his hands through his soaking hair, and the water concentrated around his fingers.

Mako stared at it, transfixed by the motion.

Adriel’s hands gestured as if to cast the water aside, then stopped. The ball sagged, then reconstituted.

‘You want this?’ Adriel asked, offering Mako the still-swirling ball.

Mako spread his arms wide, closed his eyes, then gasped as the ice-cold water crashed into his face. He staggered back as drops trickled down his chest and back.

‘I-i-is it always that c-cold when you bend it?’ he said, his teeth shaking amid the whiplash in temperature.

‘Oh, I’m sorry, Mako,’ said Adriel, ‘I cool it on instinct. Brings the room temperature down.’

Even though it sounded genuine, Mako waved off the lieutenant’s apology.

He hadn’t saved the day or given a career-defining performance, but he’d just completed a drill without screwing up. Though a small step, it was still a step.

Voices in heated debate echoed from the training building, and Nikor and Aniki emerged carrying a training dummy between them.

‘Hey, I didn’t let the fire get behind us,’ said Aniki, his eyes resting on Mako. ‘Our second team really dropped the ball.’

‘All right,’ said Urika, emerging from the training building with her helmet under her arm. ‘It was a controlled scenario. It served a purpose, and we made progress.’ She wiped her brow, pushing aside strands of her greying brown hair and leaving streaks of her skin clear of sweat and soot.

‘Whooo! That was cool!’

Mako had almost forgotten Bolin was there and stepped back as his brother charged towards him with his arms spread. 

‘I mean, we’ve done some pretty epic stuff,’ said Bolin, stopping as he reached the firefighters, ‘but you guys are awesome!’ 

There was an awkward pause. 

‘Well, I can’t hang around forever. I’ve got places to be,’ he pointed at Mako, ‘and you’ve got probie stuff to do. I’ll see you tonight.’

Mako blinked as Bolin sauntered through the engine house and out of the open doors.

‘Your brother’s right,’ said Adriel. ‘Once you get showered and a clean uniform, the engine ain’t looking too shiny.’ 

The feeling of accomplishment from completing the drill flushed away as the firefighters traipsed back into the station, leaving Mako standing in the yard.

‘You didn’t seriously think that would completely let you off?’ said Urika.

Mako turned and found her standing beside him.

‘No,’ said Mako, his jaw tense. ‘Of course not.’

‘Come on, Probie,’ said Urika, shaking her head. ‘I can read you like an unwrapped scroll.’

Mako sighed and mopped his brow. His glove came away black and shining with sweat.

‘But like I said, you made progress in there,’ said Urika. She pointed into the engine house. ‘You’re talented, kid. And now they’ve seen there’s more to your fuse brain than a hero complex, and you can work as part of our team.’

‘That simple?’

Urika looked at Mako, and…was she smiling? But she shook her head. ‘Not quite, kid. You’ve made a start, but you’ll need a few more fires under your belt before they’ll put their lives in your hands. That’ll give you a chance to get your leads up.’ She strode towards the station. ‘Otherwise you’re just taking a very dangerous sabbatical.’

‘Doesn’t need a full clean,’ said Adriel as Mako unpacked his polish and rags. ‘Just a quick shining. While you’ve got the shine box out, you should do the pole too.’

That’s another hour down the drain, Mako thought, but just nodded at Adriel. He did not want to squander any goodwill gained from the drill. Applying his first layer of polish on the engine’s bumper-mounted siren, he caught the combined stench of soot and sweat and regretted forgoing his shower. Might as well wait until you’re done cleaning, he told himself in a moment of practical thinking he now regretted.

As the dirt from the siren soiled the rag, the rumble of an approaching engine heightened, idled, and stopped.

Looking over his shoulder at the open door, Mako prepared for an argument. A small van, seemingly held together by glue and thread, sat in front of the station, blocking the door.

‘Hey!’ Mako called, marching towards the illegally parked rattletrap. ‘You can’t—’

‘Hold it!’ Lorren’s voice cut him off. She too ran from the station, not towards the van, but towards Mako.

‘Sorry,’ said Mako, pushing down the variety of warnings he hadn’t given since his traffic unit training.

Instead of pushing past Mako and launching into a parking-related tirade, Lorren strode towards the driver’s window.

‘Thirty seconds, Ben,’ she said in an uncharacteristically soft voice. 

‘I’ll be gone in fifteen,’ said the driver, leaning his white, bearded head out of the window.

With growing irritation that he felt he was missing something, Mako prepared to confront Ben and Lorren.

‘Probie!’ Adriel called as if in warning. ‘Don’t get too close to those doors.’

Mako paused. He noted the doors on the back of the van, which hung by a thread like everything else on the vehicle.

CRASH!

They burst out.

Mako leapt back. The gust rushed through his hair, and the door almost grazed his nose as it flung open and slammed into the van’s side. It came to a rest hanging off its hinges. With his heart thumping, Mako scrambled around the back of the van in search of whatever had caused the explosion.

He blinked as he found, not the remnants of a bomb, blazing pallets, or drums of flammable liquid, but a pair of teenage boys. They stood in a fighting stance with their fists aimed at him. Six men sat on benches behind the boys, all in various states of shock or surprise. The shorter boy blinked as if only just noticing the doors had gone.

‘Whoops! Sorry, Ben,’ he said. ‘I think the doors might need fixing, again.’

‘Well, you know what to do,’ said Ben, leaning out of the cab.

The boy scrambled from the van, took up a new stance, and as he gyrated his arms, the thread rewound itself around the doors and tightened, latching them back onto the van.

‘Ben, that’s ninety,’ said Lorren.

‘All right.’ Ben reached into the van and shoved something into Lorren’s outstretched hand.

‘Did she just—?’ Mako began.

‘Just their little…agreement,’ said Adriel before Mako could query the specifics. 

Returning to the engine house, he dipped his moth-eaten rag back into the polish. 

As he rubbed the engine’s wheel rim, he noticed two shadows standing in the doorway. 

The two boys from the back of the van stood on the engine house threshold, staring up at the roller door hanging at an angle above the wooden ones. 

The taller boy had eagerness in his eyes, while the shorter one looked as if he didn’t know what he was looking at.

‘So,’ said Adriel, joining the boys and staring at the doors. ‘Think you can fix it?’

‘One door repair coming right up, Lieutenant!’ announced the taller boy.

Adriel nodded with an approving smile.

‘Door repair?’ asked Mako, leaving the polish by the engine.

‘Ever noticed we never shut the thing and have those wooden ones?’ said Adriel. ‘It ain’t worked for months.’

Mako looked again at the boys. Neither could have been older than fourteen. Each wore a brown one-piece coverall, both of which were adorned with stains and scorches. The taller boy wore a red vest atop his coverall. The shorter one wore a similar one in green.

‘You guys been at a fire?’ asked the taller boy as if firefighters never did such a thing.

‘Nah,’ said Adriel. ‘Just training, and someone’s last in the queue for the shower.’

‘Ah,’ said the taller boy, as if the news had put all his worries to bed. ‘Guess you’re the probie.’

Mako blinked and felt his lip purse; not sure he could keep his cool if a child hazed him. 

‘Sorry,’ said the boy, in his best good first impression voice as he offered Mako his hand. ‘Gaho. Muhging & Sons Maintenance Incorporated, at your service.’

He had quite a firm handshake for someone his age. ‘Come on, Fin, don’t go all shy.’

At his name, the smaller boy offered a timid greeting and a matching handshake.

They moved the engine out of the station once Mako had finished polishing it. Finally showered and wearing a clean uniform, he returned to the engine house. The boys had placed a stepladder under the door, and Gaho stood atop it, jabbing into the runner.

‘I think it’s warped,’ he announced. ‘Cheap metal. Must have happened in that heatwave a couple of months back. Who fitted this?’

‘Not one of yours,’ said Adriel.

‘I…,’ Fin began, then shrank away.

‘What was that, Fin?’ said Adriel, giving him a look like he’d press until Fin answered.

‘Well, I thought…Maybe I could try metalbending it?’

Mako, who’d been half listening to the conversation, now gave it his full attention.

‘Nah,’ said Gaho, shaking his head. ‘Last time you tried that we were pulling freezer door chunks out of Bill’s arm for a week.’

Fin slumped, and the light left his face.

‘You’re a metalbender?’ asked Mako. 

‘Well,’ Fin began, avoiding Mako’s eye. ‘I’m learning. Well, trying to learn.’

‘He spies on the cops when they’re training,’ said Gaho.

‘I do not!’ Fin shouted. ‘I’m reading all the books I can get from the library and practising on scrap metal.’

‘After the cops caught you spying on them,’ said Gaho.

‘Hey,’ said Adriel. ‘Don’t discourage him from learning.’

‘So why not let him try it on the door?’ asked Mako.

‘Just like I wouldn’t let someone who’s not a qualified spark fix the electrics, Probie,’ said Gaho.

Feeling further conversation would only make him more irate, Mako wished the brothers good luck and left to polish the pole.

He spent the rest of the call-less shift between the living space, where he cleaned up after the firefighters had finished their meals and drinks, and the locker room, where he reviewed the case files and waited for any news from the police. 

Checking in the watchroom proved fruitless. The mail for the day consisted of statistics on hydrant inspections, an internal memo regarding a display at an upcoming festival, and a flyer for a recently opened noodle bar.

Mako caught one of Lorren’s piercing get out of my office before I smash your head in with a block of ice stares, and hastily left.

The sunset turned the sky a blazing orange as the shift ended, and Mako returned to his locker to compile the case files before heading home. He studied a newspaper cutout, a photo of the warehouse emitting black smoke spread across the front page, and he thought of what the captain had said at the end of the morning’s training. 

‘You gotta get your leads up. Otherwise, you’re just taking a very dangerous sabbatical.’

Sitting at the kitchen table, Mako prodded his loco moco as Bolin jabbered on about the scenery and attractions of Zaofu.

‘We should all take a vacation there, bro. That sunrise over the mountain valley. It took my breath away!’

Mako looked up from his dish. ‘Sounds like you’ve already been on vacation.’

Bolin blinked. ‘I’ll have you know,’ he said, scandalised, ‘I was there on official Republic City business! Zhu Li specifically entrusted me with such an important mission as a testament to my diplomatic skills. Suyin Beifong and I had some very productive meetings, in fact!’

‘It’s all right, bro,’ said Mako. ‘I believe you. But make sure that’s what you tell Mayor Zhu Li, or she’ll think you were just sightseeing with your girlfriend.’

‘Yeah, okay,’ said Bolin, like the wind was gone from his sails. ‘Is Zhu Li all right?’

‘I thought you could tell me that,’ said Mako. ‘With her being your boss.’

 ‘Well, I only just got back to Republic City. And I wanted to see you first.’

‘You’re going to see me every day for however long you’re back here,’ said Mako. ‘Thought such an important,’ he made finger quotes, ‘political matter would take priority.’

‘All right. All right,’ said Bolin, throwing his hands up. ‘Just because you’re obsessed with work, doesn’t mean we all have to be.’

The brothers ate in silence for a while.

‘I’m sorry, bro,’ Mako said at last. ‘I’ve got a lot to think about. But I’m glad you’re back, and it sounds like you had a great time.’

‘Yeah,’ said Bolin, his posture softening. ‘We’ll be playing host soon too.’

Mako looked up from his food.

‘Well,’ Bolin leaned in, lowering his voice to just above a whisper. ‘This is kinda classified, so don’t go blabbing, but they’re all visiting the city in the next couple of weeks. Staying in that fancy hotel in the Platinum Tower. So, of course, as the city’s representative to Zaofu, I’ll have to join them.’

‘And let me guess,’ said Mako, swallowing a mouthful of cold vegetables. ‘Opal just happens to be joining them.’

‘Yeah, but she’s busy with her airbender training most of the time, so I don’t get much of a chance to see her anymore.’

Mako managed a couple more bites before Bolin leaned in again, this time with a sly knowingness in his eyes. ‘How about you? Any potential suitors at the firehouse?’

‘Oh no,’ said Mako, jabbing at Bolin. ‘No way. I am NOT mixing work and relationships.’

‘So, does that mean there is someone there?’

‘No!’

‘All right,’ said Bolin, raising a conceding shrug. ‘If you say so.’

Mako took another mouthful.

‘Is it the scary lady on the door?’

‘Bolin!’

Bolin recoiled, his hands up as if Mako were a Rhinobull with a red rag in his face.

Mako slumped back into his chair, his face burning with embarrassment. ‘Sorry.’

‘Bro, are you all right?’

‘In the last two weeks,’ Mako began, ‘one of our best friends ended up in the hospital, and I haven’t spoken to her since she got burned under my watch. I’ve got fires breaking out all over the city, nobody’s got any idea why, and I’ve got to pretend I’m a firefighter before I can get anywhere near solving it.’ He let out a gritted-tooth sigh and stared into the remains of his dinner. ‘I’m sorry. It’s just a lot to deal with all at once.’

He shook his head and dropped his fork in his bowl.

‘Okay,’ said Bolin after a pause. ‘Who are you and what have you done with my brother?’

Mako looked at Bolin, but didn’t have time to reply. ‘My brother was a guy who never gave up when the going got tough, could overcome odds when they stacked against him like towers, and always did his best with what he had. And if he could go from street criminal, to cop, to royal guard, he can go from firebender to firefighter, no problemo.’

Mako sat on the platitudes, then smiled. ‘Thanks, Bolin.’

‘Especially if you wanna stay on that scary captain’s good side,’ Bolin added.

Mako gave Bolin a side-eyed glance, and he flinched as if preparing for another reprimand. Instead, Mako returned to his loco moco and kept eating until he’d finished.

Time-wasting fires filled the morning of the following shift: two separate trash cans, a burning bed that forced a sleeping couple out onto the street in their pyjamas, and an attempt at cooking gone wrong. All their causes were obvious.

Mako slumped from the engine as they returned to the station. He’d barely removed his coat when he felt something slam into his chest. He found a hand shoving a file against him, and looked up to find Lorren, purse-lipped, and inches away from the bridge of his nose.

‘You still haven’t diverted your mail?’ Adriel asked as Lorren left without a word.

Mako felt it best to finish checking the equipment before he read whatever was in the displeasing file. He waited for everyone to disperse from the engine house before grabbing it off the fire engine’s footplate and rushing up to the locker room.

Opening the file, he found several photographs. Most were from the inside of the warehouse, and many featured the bubbling burn pattern.

Mako flicked through the report. Maybe Beifong had some information, or even a vague idea as to what had caused it? After reaching the final page and turning the photos over, he found nothing.

‘Detective,’ said Adriel from beside the door. ‘The captain wants to speak to you.’

Mako knew what Urika was going to ask for and scrambled for an excuse not to give it her. Nothing came as he bundled the folder into his locker and reluctantly slogged to the captain’s office.

‘Well?’ Urika said, sitting with her arms folded behind her desk. ‘Any breakthroughs?’

Mako didn't answer. Instead of formulating one, he mentally kicked himself for telling her about the burn pattern in the first place. If this summons was anything to go by, she’d expect this every time the police sent him anything.

‘Would you lose your firebending if you told anyone who’s not a cop?’ Urika pressed.

‘Not my bending. Just my badge,’ said Mako.

Urika blinked. ’Detective. Did you just make a joke?’

‘N…no,’ Mako back-pedalled. ‘Just answering your question.’

‘That a threat from Lin?’

‘No,’ Mako began. He’d have to choose his next words carefully. ‘But I can’t say too much about an ongoing investigation. Just in case—’

‘Detective,’ said Urika. ‘Like I said, we want the same thing. I know there’s secrecy and all that, and while you’re not obliged to disclose details on the case, wouldn’t it help? For all you know, while you’re racking your ash-caked brain on something, I could have seen it a million times.’

‘Yeah,’ Mako admitted. ‘I understand, but I can’t be sure….’ He trailed off. There was always a chance that the fire starter was right under his nose, but voicing those concerns wouldn’t help.

‘Probie,’ said Urika, sitting up straight. ‘You think I’d put my own firefighters at risk just to satisfy…whatever whacked out motivation you think I’d have for starting a fire?’ 

Mako flinched, and his face went hot. 

Urika sighed, her anger vented as she leaned back into her chair. ‘Trust is everything in this department, detective,’ she said as if trying to de-escalate a delicate situation. ‘And despite all the problems we’ve had, I trust you enough to keep taking you to fires.’

Mako knew how he was supposed to answer—how he had to.

‘So,’ Urika pressed. ‘Any breakthroughs? Has that weird burn pattern shown up again?’

After retrieving the folder, Mako opened it to the page with the photos and slid it across Urika’s desk.

Urika squinted and murmured as she inspected the photos. ‘I’m not entirely sure what I’m looking at,’ she said, turning one of the photos on its side, ‘but I see what you meant.’

‘Yeah,’ said Mako. He let Urika consider the photos for a while longer, then added, ‘You know about waterbending.’

‘Glad you’re paying attention.’

‘So, any thoughts?’

‘Maybe,’ said Urika, stroking her chin. ‘Water in wood. Sounds like something the Foggy Swamp Tribe might know about.’

‘Yeah?’

‘I don’t know too much about them,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘But someone here does.’

She stood up and made for the door.

‘Nikor!’ She shouted. ‘You got a sec?’

Someone shouted back.

‘Great!’ Urika replied. ‘He was born in that swamp,’ she added as she returned to the office.

‘He was?’

Urika raised an eyebrow as if someone had told her the sidewalk tasted sweet. ‘Don’t tell me you didn’t know. He has green eyes. He always wears a green armband. And that he doesn’t wear shoes in the station?’

‘He what?’

‘I thought you might have noticed,’ said Urika. ‘What did I say yesterday?’

‘The…thing about looking out for your brothers and sisters?’

‘Almost,’ said Urika with a slow nod. ‘That doesn’t just mean when we’re on a call.’

A minute later, Mako and Nikor sat opposite each other in the chairs in front of Urika’s desk. Now he knew Nikor didn’t wear shoes, Mako had to fight not to look at the guy’s bare feet.

‘So, Nikor,’ Mako began. ‘I hear you grew up in the swamp?’

‘Yeah,’ said Nikor, like he didn’t know where this conversation was going. ‘From when I was born until I turned eighteen.’

‘So can you—?’ Mako reached for the leather-bound dossier on the desk and found Urika’s hand pressed firmly on the cover. 

The captain looked at him with pursed lips and tilted her head as if Mako had just said something inappropriate.

‘Is something wrong?’ asked Nikor.

Mako looked between the file and Urika. She gave no indication of what she wanted, but she emanated an air of superiority, as if Mako hadn’t earned the right to open the file.

‘So,’ Mako began again, ‘you got family there?’

‘Yeah,’ said Nikor, with a newfound enthusiasm. ‘My ma and pa. Their ma and pa, and their ma and pa, and four generations of mas and pas before that.’

Nikor rambled about the family’s fishing business, Mako nodding along while stealing glances at Urika, whose hand remained firmly on the folder.

His thoughts darted in multiple directions. What else could he talk about that Nikor might be receptive to? He’d never been to the swamp himself, so he tried to remember what he’d learned about the place in his youth and Korra’s stories from her visits. The answer came like a punch to the gut. 

‘Did you ever meet Toph Beifong?’

Nikor’s eyes bulged. ‘That crazy old lady?’

Mako scoffed. ‘You said it. I met her once.’

‘Oh yeah?’

‘Yeah. Just in passing. Around about that time when,’ he paused as his stomach tensed, ‘when Prince Wu announced those elections in the Earth Kingdom.’

‘Oh, right.’

‘And I’m friends with the Avatar—’

‘We know, Probie,’ said Nikor as if expecting something self-indulgent.

‘Well,’ Mako continued, trying not to sound insulted. ‘She and my brother, you met him yesterday, he earthbent with her in that Earth Empire invasion a couple of years ago.’

‘And she didn’t eat them alive?’

‘C’mon, she’s not that scary. Well, Bolin might have felt her sharper side more than me. But he survived.’ 

‘Funny you should say that,’ Nikor said with a nod. ‘Back when we were kids, my buddies and I used to go skiff surfing through the forest. This one time, it was a little foggy. We got lost and strayed onto her turf. She came out, yelled a bunch of stuff. Next thing I know, this huge rock comes up and out of the water.’ He laid his right hand out, punched it up with his left, and arched it over. ‘I flipped through the air twenty-something times and slammed face-first into a tree.’ He punched his upright hand and let it slide down.

Mako winced.

‘That’s why I ain’t got no tip here,’ said Nikor, tapping the flat end of his nose.

Mako made a smile that he hoped wasn’t too awkward, then asked, ‘How come you ended up in Republic City?’

‘Well,’ Nikor said, a smile forming, ‘my head was turned.’

‘Who by?’

‘The most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen. She was….’ He stopped, and his smile vanished. ‘Hold on. Are you gonna ask to see my documents?’

‘What? No! No.’

‘Cos if you did, Cap has a copy.’

‘Indeed I do,’ said Urika, her hand still pressed on Mako’s folder.

‘No,’ Mako repeated. ‘Not my division. But you were saying about this woman?’

‘Kiso. She was on a research trip with the university. One of their transport drivers. But I’m telling you, she could have been a mover actress any day. They mixed with us locals, and we got talking. One thing led to another. We stayed in touch after she left, and one day, my pa just told me to go for it before she got tired of long-distance and some rich kid snapped her up. So here I am.’ 

He raised his hands and looked around the room as he finished.

‘So what drew you to firefighting?’ Mako asked. ‘Can’t be much need for that in the swamps.’

‘Nah,’ said Nikor. ‘If anything did catch on fire, we’d all help out. But when my first career choice went out the window, I had to adapt and use what skills I had.’

‘What happened?’ Mako asked. ‘If you don’t mind?’

Nikor’s shoulders slumped. ‘When we first got settled, I used to give tours of those spirit vines. Was all good when it was just me, my wife and my little girl, but the pay just wouldn’t stretch when my boy came along. Have you seen what the rent’s like in this city?’ 

‘Yeah, tell me about it,’ said Mako with a sideways nod.

‘Tough for you too?’ said Nikor with a raised eyebrow. ‘I thought you’d be set, being buddy buds with the Avatar and her girlfriend.’

‘Friendship isn’t a job. And we don’t all live together in one house like in a radio sitcom.’

Nikor chortled. ‘You write that, Mako. You’ll make a fortune. Lucky for me, time was on my side. Around about the time my boy came along, the fire department was recruiting, so here I am.’

‘I’m sorry,’ said Mako. ‘Must have been hard giving up something you liked.’

‘Oh, I still do it part-time,’ said Nikor, his tone lighter as if to make up for earlier. ‘On my rest days. And I still tend to the ones in my living room.’

‘The ones in your living room?’ Mako asked.

‘Remember when the vines came up after that spirit giant battle in the bay?’ Nikor added. ‘One sprang up right through my house. Yeah, I had to replace the roof and put down a new floor, but Probie, I thought it was my lucky day. Now I’ve got a piece of the swamp in my home here, too.’

Mako felt himself smile — and the binder slid towards him. He grabbed it with both hands to stop it falling off the desk. 

Urika crossed her arms and gave Mako a proud smile as she leaned back in her chair.

Opening the file, he flicked through until he found what he was looking for: a black and white photograph of the charred panels from the warehouse fire, and two close-ups of the bulges.

‘Nikor,’ he said. ‘Can you think back to your time in the swamp?’ He slid the photos out of the binder and placed them on the desk. ‘Have you ever seen anything like this?’

Nikor squinted at the photos as Mako explained about the warehouse and where he and Chief Beifong had found the pattern.

‘You’re saying the wood exploded from inside?’ said Nikor.

‘Not entirely,’ said Mako. ‘But we found no trace of explosives, no gas, accelerant, faulty electrics, or anything that could have caused the blast that the workers described.’

‘Well, I’ve seen a lot of stuff in the swamp,’ said Nikor. ‘But nothing that would make wood explode from the inside. I’m sorry, Mako.’

Gently, Mako dismissed the apology. ‘Don’t sweat it. It…was nice to hear about you.’

Nikor looked from Mako to Urika and gestured at the door. Urika nodded, and he left with a quick bow.

‘Did anyone visit the warehouse the day it went up?’ Urika asked. 

‘We talked with the receptionist and recovered the signing-in book,’ said Mako. ‘Gave us nothing.’

Urika looked as if she was about to speak again when the telephone rang.

‘Captain speaking,’ she said. She blinked. ‘Who for?’ She nodded. ‘Right, I’ll send him down.’ She hung up. ‘Something just came for you in the mail. Something with a Water Tribe seal.’

Chapter Text

Mako descended the stairs into the engine house, moths flying around in his stomach. 

‘You know the pole’s right there,’ said Adriel, pointing at the mat at the base.

Mako ignored him. 

After sending it off in such a jumbled way, he’d half given up on ever getting anything back. At the same time, he half didn’t want to open whatever waited for him in the watchroom. He didn’t have to enter to receive it — Lorren stood in its doorway, clutching the small, beige envelope. She thrust it into Mako’s hands before he could stop. Ill-prepared, he fumbled the letter and dropped it as Lorren returned to the watchroom without a word. 

The envelope was scrunched, and the first line of the police headquarters’ address was partially obscured under a fold. 

Before Mako could pick it up, a set of smaller fingers swiped it away.

‘What have we here?’ asked a youthful, joyous voice. 

Mako looked up to find Gaho clutching and eying the letter.

‘Hey!’ Mako swiped for it. 

Gaho jumped out of reach.

‘Now, who’s this from?’ Gaho said, relishing in Mako’s displeasure.

‘It’s nothing,’ said Mako. ‘Just give—’

‘Can’t be nothing if you want it so bad,’ said Gaho, hiding the letter behind his back and skipping away.

Mako lunged for Gaho, but the boy leapt atop the fire engine’s hood. Out of reach, he glanced at the envelope. The address was on the other side, and Mako felt his chest hammer and his stomach tense. 

‘Ooh,’ said Gaho. ‘A Water Tribe seal.’ He gave Mako a victorious smirk. ‘Got a girlfriend at the South Pole, Probie?’

‘No!’ Mako said, louder than he should have. ‘Now give it back. It’s nothing you’d find interesting.’

After a brief pause, Mako snatched for the envelope. Gaho was ready and flipped onto the cab’s roof.

‘Then why do you want it so bad?’ he said, waving it above his head. Mako jumped off the bumper and onto the hood. ‘Well, if it is nothing important,’ Gaho continued, then with a flick of his fingers, a flame appeared in his other hand, ‘you won’t mind.’

Mako’s teeth gritted, and he grabbed for the letter. Gaho moved the flame closer. Then Mako withdrew his hand. Even with his cover at risk, a bit of reverse psychology might work in his favour. 

‘Fine,’ he said, climbing off the engine. ‘Burn it. It’s probably junk mail anyway.’

‘Huh,’ said Gaho. ‘Why is there a police stamp on it?’ 

Mako froze.

‘Yeah, must be junk if they’ve sent it,’ said Gaho, and he tossed the envelope aside. 

Mako waited for it to land on the floor before picking it up. He flattened out the side with the police headquarters’ address, with a redirection stamp in the corner. Turning it over, he found a blue wax seal with the Water Tribe’s symbol. 

A shadow fell across him, and he found Lorren glaring down at him. She shoved a rag into Mako’s chest as he stood up.

‘Don’t climb on there again,’ she said through barely moving lips.

Mako tucked the letter into a pocket as he rubbed his footprint off the engine’s silver bumper.

‘Bro, that was mean,’ said a timid voice.

‘All right, spoilsport,’ said Gaho. ‘Just having a little fun. Better than watching you try and turn a can inside out all day.’

Fin stood beside the watchroom door in a poorly postured stance. He thrust his hand out, and his outstretched fingers tensed as they contorted towards a tin can on the floor.

Nothing happened.

Fin strained, his face contorted and redened as his fingers shook. 

The can shuddered, and with a CRUNCH, it compressed into a crumpled ball. Fin sighed, exhausted yet triumphant and slumped.

‘Well, it’s more than you did yesterday,’ said Gaho.

‘I’m sorry,’ Fin sighed, wiping the sweat off his brow. ‘It isn’t easy.’

‘Progress is progress,’ said Adriel, striding across the engine house and picking up the crushed can. ‘Not sure it’ll pass the metalbending police’s entry class, but stick with it, Fin.’ 

Fin frowned at Adriel. ‘I don’t want to be a cop.’

‘No, you don’t,’ said Gaho, patting Fin’s shoulder.

‘Not a fan of police?’ asked Mako as casually as he could.

Fin shook his head.

‘They never left us alone when we were kids,’ said Gaho, his voice full of resentment.

‘Come on, they’re not that bad,’ said Adriel. He smirked at Mako. ‘They do a great job directing traffic while we do the real work.’

Mako folded his arms.

Gaho didn’t smile. ‘They are that bad where we went to school.’

Mako tilted his head.

‘I know some people who they took away,’ said Gaho. ‘And when they came back they were…different.’

Mako thought he knew where that was, but Fin spoke before he could clarify.

‘Can earthbenders work here?’

‘Well, it hasn’t happened yet,’ said Adriel. ‘But that doesn’t mean it won’t ever.’ He beckoned Mako to his side. ‘Probie, got a sec?’

Unsure where this was going, Mako strode to Adriel’s side. The lieutenant gave him an expectant smile and snapped his fingers.

Mako hesitated. Revealing more about himself would risk reducing, if not altogether blowing, his cover.

Adriel’s eyebrows raised as if to say yes, do it.

Raising his hand, Mako produced a small but bright flame, allowing it to weave and dance in his palm.

Fin leapt back. ‘You’re a firebender?’

‘Well, yeah,’ said Mako as if Fin had told him his hair was black. Gently, he reached out to Fin. 

The boy recoiled, but his eyes stayed fixed on the tiny fire. He stepped closer, looking between Mako and his fire.

‘A firebending firefighter?’ Gaho said, also staring at the flames. His eyes mirrored his brother’s awe. ‘You serving time or something?’

‘What?’

‘Yeah. I heard in the Earth Kingdom, they used prisoners to fight fires in the mountains so they’d get let out sooner.’ 

‘Brother,’ said Fin. ‘He isn’t!’

‘Then why else would the cops send him that letter?’ He folded his arms. ‘Well, Probie?’

Mako didn’t have to reply. 

The alarm rang and echoed through the station. He extinguished his flames and grabbed his bunker gear, leaping onto the fire engine a millisecond after Nikor and Aniki. He threw his helmet on, stuffed the fabric neck guard into his ears, then grabbed the bar tight as the engine thundered into the street.

Mako’s improvised ear protection muffled the sirens and horn blasts, but made hearing any conversation between his colleagues even more impossible. He only realised where they were going once the engine veered around the corner and onto a street in need of rejuvenation. 

A highway overpass ran along the street. The roadway and its supports cast shadows on the three-storey high, decaying buildings. Smoke rose from beneath a building to their right and pooled under the overpass.

‘Watch out, Mako,’ said Nikor as they all disembarked. ‘Keep this up and you’ll be a black cloud.’

‘A what?’

‘Please, Nikor,’ said Aniki, unloading hoses. ‘Not this backwater trash again.’

‘What’s a black cloud?’ Mako asked as he opened a locker and retrieved a nozzle.

Aniki rolled his eyes. ‘According to some more superstitious and…,’ he glanced at Nikor, ‘uncivilised members of our department, probies are either a “black cloud” or a “white cloud”.’

‘You see, black clouds get all the calls,’ said Nikor, either oblivious to or ignoring Aniki’s snobbery. ‘White clouds don’t get none. So whatcha think?’

‘I couldn’t give a hoot,’ said Aniki, taking Mako’s nozzle and attaching it to the hose.

‘What about you, Lorren?’

Lorren flashed Nikor the same venomous stare and returned to priming the engine’s pump, which revved into life.

‘If you’re finished with your campfire stories, we have a job to do here!’ Urika said, striding over from a crowd of civilians, all as dishevelled and unkempt as the street itself. ‘No one can tell us if anyone’s inside, but the original call said there was an explosion in the basement. We’ll do a primary search, but watch yourselves.’

Nikor and Aniki pulled their hoods over their faces as if their conversation had never happened.

‘Probie,’ Adriel ordered. ‘Do a perimeter check, make sure it isn’t spreading to the other buildings. As soon as you’re done, pair up with me, and we’ll be the backup team. Next engine’s five minutes out, so let’s hope they won’t need us.’

Mako nodded and ran down the alley separating the building to the right. His eyes darted between the filthy windows lining the walls and the trash-strewn backstreet before him. More than not wanting to trip over anything, in both his previous lives, he’d met the sort of clientele these places could hide amongst those unfortunate enough to end up there.

With no sign of fire or smoke on that side, he stopped as he reached the corner, cautious of who he might run into once he rounded it.

His fears were unfounded. The alley behind the building was empty, though smoke seeped out from the back door. That door burst open, spewing a grey and black cloud into the air. Mako flinched, then heard something slump and fall to the ground.

A broad-shouldered figure in a smouldering, grey coat lay in a crumpled heap beneath the outpouring smoke.

‘Hey!’ Mako shouted, ducking as he approached the victim. ‘Can you—?’

The figure scrambled to their feet and away from Mako like prey fleeing its predator.

‘Hold on!’ Mako called after the victim. ‘Are you all right?’

They ignored him and ran down the alley towards the street at the far end.

Mako called after the victim, and even though they were too far to reach, he made to grab them. 

The victim’s head flicked around. In that instant, Mako made out a scruffy, black beard and buzz cut hair. He had a vein-like burn on his forehead, and his eyes darted between Mako and the building.

‘It’s all right!’ Mako shouted. ‘I’m with the—’

Pop! BANG!

Mako’s feet left the ground as his ears rang. Chunks of wood and gravel flew past him as he landed hard on his backside. His coat cushioned the impact, but dust stung in his eyes as he scrambled to his feet. Clouds, thick with ash and dust, enveloped him, and embers rained down on Mako as he reoriented himself and the dust cleared.

Flames licked around the doorframe’s shattered remains, and fractured pieces of masonry hung from the building. He blinked and looked down the alley; no sign of the man.

‘Probie?’ called a distant voice. ‘Probie!’ Hands seized his shoulders, and Adriel pulled him around. ‘Mako, are you all right?’

Mako nodded, pushing Adriel off. 

The lieutenant doubled back, then asked what had happened. Mako told him, his voice shaking, but stabilising the more he talked.

Adriel looked down the alley as if it would bring the escapee back. As the dust further cleared and with no sign of them, he asked Mako. ‘Can you still do your job?’

Mako nodded as more sirens approached.

They returned to the front of the building. Companies Fifteen and Nineteen arrived in unison, while Company Three’s engine sat across the street.

Adriel relayed Mako’s story to Urika. 

Something flashed in her eyes. ‘What caused it?’

When Mako couldn’t answer, the captain thought about it until Company Nineteen’s captain approached. 

‘Get us up to speed, Urika.’

Several things happened before she got the chance. A muffled cry, a retch, then Aniki shouted, ‘We’ve got one!’ 

He and Nikor heaved a man in a suit up the last step. Two firefighters from Company Three raced to their side as they placed the man on the sidewalk.

He coughed and lurched up. Mako couldn’t get a good look at him as a firefighter crouched in front of his face, and Urika raised her voice.

‘Nineteen! We’ve had an explosion in the alley on the south side. Get water on the fire, but keep your distance! Fifteen, get a rapid intervention team ready! Company Seven! We’ve had two people in the building; there could be more. Get inside, but watch yourselves and stick together. No freelancing!’

The firefighters leapt into action with each command. Nikor and Aniki returned to the basement, ducking beneath the smoke still billowing out. 

Mako made to follow when Urika shouted, ‘Probie!’

His pulsing adrenaline stalled.

‘Before you say anything, I’ve already committed two to a building where we’ve had at least two explosions, and those guys from nineteen are also in the hot zone.’

She needn’t explain further.

‘Now if you want to be helpful, get over there and help the lieutenant with the victims.’ She leaned closer. ‘See what you can gather.’

The police extended the cordon to the end of the street and began evacuating the adjoining buildings. With no estimated time on the ambulances, Mako followed Adriel behind engine three, which would shield them from any more blasts. 

Two of Company Three’s firefighters performed first aid on the man who’d scrambled out of the fire. 

One of the firefighters stepped aside, and Mako’s stomach flipped, then sank. A man with short, brown hair and a beard that looked drawn on sat up. He blinked as he and Mako made eye contact, squinted, then smirked.

‘Well, fancy seeing you here.’

‘Shady Shin?’ Mako said in his best neutral-sounding voice. ‘How…are you feeling?’

‘Like a million yuans,’ said Shady Shin, his eyes red as he suppressed another cough. ‘You playing dress up, Mako?’

‘You should let that out, Shady Shin,’ said Adriel, crouching at the Triad’s side in a tone mirroring Mako’s.

‘Well,’ said Shady Shin, his voice croaky, yet full of his usual sleaze. ‘Two of my protégés in the fire department? Maybe I should be their recruiter?’

Mako blinked. Adriel didn’t meet his eye as he opened a healing kit. Any questions could wait, and he let Adriel take the lead in asking all the health-related questions, patching up Shady Shin’s cuts and scrapes, and clearing some of the soot off his face.

‘Hey!’ Aniki shouted. ‘We got another two!’

Mako leapt to his feet as Adriel nodded towards the building. He barely registered the fireground’s sights and sounds as he jogged towards the re-emerging firefighters. Was this a triad hit gone wrong? Did all the firefighters have history with the Triple Threats? He thought again of the man who’d escaped in the explosion, which took a back seat as he set eyes on the man Nikor and Aniki held on his feet. His two bare feet, each with an extra toe.

‘Two-Toed—?’ Mako began, stopping before he fully said it.

‘Oh, hey, Mako,’ said Two—Toed Ping.

Despite all Urika’s extra precautions, the fire was out within fifteen minutes. With relief that he didn’t have to force conversation with the Triad lackeys or stick to his story of why he’d changed jobs, Mako grabbed a torch and made for the basement as soon as he got Urika’s permission.

Small, slit-like windows near the ceiling let in little light, even with their glass shattered. Most of the building was undamaged, save for a thick layer of soot.

The basement, however, was a different story. A miniature crater sat at the centre of the destruction: the far wall. Chairs lined with singed, red velvet lay strewn and broken around the room, and a Pai Sho table lay covered in splintered, burnt wood that had fallen from the ceiling. 

Mako stepped over a weapon lying among the blast damage as he approached what appeared to be the blaze’s epicentre. He squatted and squinted as he scanned the panels; some had been dislodged, while others were still attached to the walls—no sign of the familiar pattern. 

An annoyed twinge gripped his chest. If the captain had let him in sooner, he might have found something more substantial. At this rate, he might as well have just arrived.

‘Triad hideout,’ said a voice from behind.

Mako craned over and found Urika standing with her arms folded like she’d trained to mimic Chief Beifong. 

‘What makes you say that?’ Was she about to tell him his own past? A past he’d not mentioned for fear of being further ostracised.

‘I know one when I see one,’ Urika continued. ‘Take one look at the clientele. I’m sure you know what I’m saying.’

‘Yeah,’ Mako said, as casually as he could. ‘I did a few stings on their hideouts when I was starting out. How things change.’ He finished the sentence through gritted teeth as he grabbed a blackened panel of fallen ceiling.

‘I know what you’re thinking, Probie,’ said Urika. After a pause, she added, ‘For the record, I wanted to. But you’d just had a brush with death in the alleyway.’

Mako’s light rested on the point where the wall met the floor. That wasn’t something he’d expected to hear. 

‘Here’s the obvious point of origin,’ he said before the pause got too long. ‘The first explosion’s epicentre.’ He scanned the charred remains over and over as if the pattern would appear, to no avail. He looked at Urika, and, making sure he didn’t sound confrontational, added ‘Don’t you have a scene to command?’

‘They all know what they’re doing. And I thought you might want to take a look around the back yourself.’

‘Hold up,’ Mako began, but Urika spoke over him.

‘And yes, I’m sure you know what you’re doing. But,’ she hesitated. ‘This stuff is interesting. Not something I always have an excuse to concentrate on.’

Rather than see the uncomfortable sight of the captain smiling in such a way, Mako continued his fruitless search for the pattern. 

‘And I wanted to remind you,’ Urika added, ‘don’t forget the big picture.’

She pointed her torch through an adjacent doorway.

Mako followed her light. The door led into a hallway that continued further into the basement. He took tentative steps inside, over fire damage that extended halfway down. The burnt smell lingered, but the damage lessened to that of a thin layer of soot. 

He continued and reached a wooden staircase, untouched by the fire. Traces of daylight shone from the top as Mako placed a tentative foot on the bottom step. He reached the top and found himself in another hallway — the one leading to the rear exit where the second explosion had thrown him off his feet. Like those of the hallway he’d just stepped through, the walls were covered in soot, but the top of the stairs was undamaged.

Picking up his pace, Mako reached the blackened floor and walls where the firefighters had stopped the fire’s advance. Shining his torch into the ceiling, he found no trace that the fire had ever been there.

‘The fires are separate,’ said Urika, as she reached the top of the staircase.

Mako stepped into the damaged area around the door. Crouching in the shattered doorway, its charred frame lying in pieces on the ground around him, he inspected the wall. The explosion had blown a hole in it and into an adjacent boiler room. Peering through the gap, Mako saw the pipes and boiler on the room’s far side. They were rusted and dust-coated, but untouched by the fire.

Pulling back, Mako stared at the gap. ‘No obvious sign of a detonator,’ he said, sifting through the debris. ‘Or anything that might have shorted out, or that pattern,’ he added, scanning the walls.

Urika crouched beside him and traced the blast hole’s shape in the air. ‘Explosions typically spread their force over a wide area. This one looks directed, like someone shot the wall with a cannon.’

There was a pause.

‘What you thinking? Foul play? A trap set by a rival triad?’ Urika asked, getting to her feet and pacing. ‘Would make sense. Set off a primary explosion in the main room to take out most of the Triads, then have a secondary explosion at the back to take care of any stragglers? I expect you’ve dealt with Triads when things go — Mako?’

His moment of realisation must have shown on his face. As if watching a mover, the memory of the explosion in the alley replayed. He’d reached for the fleeing man just as he was blasted off his feet. Mako thought it through again and again. He couldn’t remember seeing the man throw a grenade or hold any detonator. He hadn’t worn a bag or reached for anything in his pockets. He’d just stared.

He recalled the man’s facial features from the seconds he’d had to register them. A scruffy black beard and buzz cut hair was all he could remember, apart from the burn on his forehead.

‘Mako? What is it?’ Urika asked, worry in her eyes as she looked between Mako and the point at which he stared.

‘Have the ambulances left?’ Mako asked.

‘I don’t think so. But you—’

He was gone before Urika finished.

The ambulances hadn’t gone, and Mako found Shady Shin sitting on the step on the back of one with Two-Toed Ping and the other Triad, who he didn’t recognise, in the second.

‘Hey, Mako,’ said Shady Shin. He stood up to wave, but grabbed at his ribs and slumped back down. ‘Thought I’d have to leave without saying goodbye,’ he added through gritted teeth.

‘How’s business, Shady?’ Mako asked, folding his arms.

‘Great. It’s going great.’

The crash of shattering glass rang from the building, and a firefighter stuck their head through the broken window.

‘Had a few setbacks, of course,’ Shady Shin added in a smoothing-over voice. ‘But who doesn’t these days?’

‘You swapped jobs too?’ said Mako. 

‘Uh, nope.’

‘So you’re still recruiting?’

‘I…oh.’

‘So you can tell me who I met in the alley, running out of your back door.’ 

‘That…depends, Mako,’ said Shady Shin, breaking eye contact and shrugging a single shoulder. ‘Is he all right?’

‘Who said it was a he?’

Shady Shin’s eyes widened as he realised his mistake. He blinked it away in an instant.

‘Well?’ Mako pressed.

‘Well, what?’

‘The guy I found escaping out the back,’ Mako said as if speaking to a young child. 

‘Ah, no one. Just some guy who wanted to talk to us about joining. But, Mako, as I’m sure you’ll appreciate, we won’t just let anyone in. Gotta keep our standards high.’

‘How many watches were these guys hoarding?’ Nikor shouted, drawing Mako’s attention to five large boxes at the top of the basement stairs. 

Nikor carried a sixth box, which he placed atop the one at the end. The sodden box sagged, then collapsed. Nikor reached for the one he’d just let go of, but couldn’t stop it from crashing into the street and spilling its contents. Nikor and another two firefighters scooped up handfuls of gleaming, silver watches. He grimaced at his handful, then chucked them, without much care, back into the crumpled box.

Shady Shin shrank into himself. 

‘And he didn’t have any special abilities you’d like to tell me about?’ Mako asked.

‘Nope.’

‘Nothing that triads might find useful? Nothing that might have caused all this?’

Shady Shin coughed, then forced out another. ‘Oh—cough—my chest is—cough—I’m not feeling too—cough—good.’

‘Please,’ said the healer, rushing to his side. ‘This man’s inhaled a lot of smoke. He needs to go to hospital.’

‘Well,’ said Shady Shin, smiling as he forced another pathetic cough, ‘see you around, Mako.’

The doors slammed shut, and both ambulances sped away.

Gaho and Fin were still at the station as Mako dismounted from the engine, his face caked in a long-dried layer of soot and sweat. 

‘Well?’ Gaho pressed, giving Adriel a wide-eyed stare. ‘Anything exciting?’

‘Gimme a moment to breathe,’ Adriel said, opening one of the engine’s equipment compartments and beginning his post-incident checks. ‘Mako, debrief our chiefs-in-training.’

Mako’s heart sank, and the layer of muck on his skin felt thicker, but he knew better than to argue.

Sitting on the stairs, Mako gave the boys an abridged account of the fire, leaving out most of what he’d put into his report. Perhaps it was this brevity that kept the two listening? Fin had a subdued awe on his face, while Gaho nodded at the end of every sentence as if memorising the story for a school assignment.

‘The triads blew up their own hideout?’ Fin said.

‘Yeah. Well, they’re not the brightest fireflies,’ Mako said with a shrug.

He left before the boys could ask anything else. Despite the sweat and soot still clinging to his face, Mako headed for the lockers rather than the showers. 

Ever since he’d sat on the stairs, he’d felt the folded paper in his pocket pressing into his thigh. He felt like an idiot for not stashing it somewhere safe whilst at the fire, lest it contain important information — he knew how Korra might handle misunderstandings.

He passed Urika at the top of the stairs.

‘Probie!’

He stopped, dreading what she’d say, even if she didn’t sound angry or as if she was about to tell him off. ‘Come see me once you’re cleaned up.’

Unsure what the captain wanted, Mako retrieved the crumpled envelope as he reached his locker. She’d phrased it more like an invitation than an order, but he doubted she just wanted to spend quality time with him. After checking that no one else was around, he unfolded the envelope and pulled out the letter.

Mako,

Thank you for writing and letting me know what happened. 

Korra’s handwriting was messy, with ink blots and smears around some of the words, with others scribbled out and rewritten.

I expect you’re busy trying to find what or who caused that fire, so I’ll keep this short.

Jinora and I are returning from the Spirit World as I write. We’ll be back in Republic City by the time you read this. We were coming back sooner than planned anyway, but I’m sure you’ll understand that I can’t let anything keep me from being with Asami right now. I’m going to spend as much time with her as I can, but you and I need to talk face-to-face. I can’t say too much here, but Jinora and I found things on our travels. I’m not sure what they mean, but I just have a bad feeling.

Tell Bolin I said hi. I’ll see you both soon.

Korra.

Chapter Text

What did Korra have a “bad feeling about”? Was she having similar trouble seeing Asami in the hospital? He doubted she’d let a tight-lipped receptionist get in her way.

He felt himself smile as he showered. He could ask for specifics when they all saw each other again. That would happen soon. His smile widened.

His thoughts returned to Asami. How many days had passed since he’d last seen her lying in the hospital? Guilt washed over him as he switched the shower off. She was awake. Had Bolin tried to visit her again? Would Korra have gone straight to the hospital the second she returned? He told himself they both would. It was better than imagining her there all alone.

Scrambling into a new uniform before his hair had dried, it dripped onto the collar as he found the door to the captain’s office open. 

Adriel stood by the desk, with Urika herself leaning on a filing cabinet. ‘You didn’t have to rush,’ she said, as if it was obvious, and shook her head. ‘Go dry your hair.’

Vexed that he’d rushed his shower, Mako did as he was told, then returned to the office.

‘At ease, Mako,’ Urika said with a wave. ‘That last call was…interesting.’

‘Yeah,’ said Mako. ‘I guess you could call it that.’

‘So what are your thoughts?’ Urika asked, taking her elbow off the cabinet and hiding her hands behind her back. ‘Those triads give you any clues?’

Mako shook his head and flashed his eyes at Adriel as if the lieutenant were interrogating his thoughts.

‘It’s all right, Mako,’ said Urika. ‘You wouldn’t be the first.’

Mako blinked as an invisible hand gripped around the pit of his stomach.

‘Chief Beifong told me before you got here,’ said Urika. ‘Thought I’d better know.’

‘Yeah,’ Mako said. He hoped he didn’t sound offended, but didn’t want to seem nonchalant. ‘It’s not something I like to brag about. It helped me look out for myself, but you see how people look when you say you worked for them.’

‘Not how I see it,’ said Urika. ‘Your past isn’t unique to you. It’s actually common among those who start at the bottom of the ladder.’

Someone clearing their throat caught Mako’s attention. Adriel folded his arms and rolled his neck as their eyes met. 

An instant understanding clicked.

‘I only did a year,’ said Adriel, breaking eye contact. ‘Then I came under a more positive influence.’ He nodded at Urika, who gave him a proud, maternal smile.

‘Happens too much,’ he continued. ‘Some people just fall into it. Some manage to turn things around. But not all are that bright.’

‘I guess not,' said Mako. 'But you wouldn’t want Shady Shin backing you up.’

Adriel gave a devilish smirk. ‘Not that he could even if he wanted to.’

Mako winced. He hadn’t thought about the night at the Equalists’ rally for years, but what they did to those Triads, Chief Beifong, and Korra, and almost did to Tenzin’s family and Bolin still sat like a boulder in his stomach.

Urika, however, gave a smile that exposed her teeth. She blinked, and it vanished. ‘That said, even without the Triads’ co-operation, I know what I saw at the back of that building.’ She pointed at the chair to the left of her desk and flicked her finger down.

Mako looked between Urika and the chair, and when she didn’t smile or raise her eyebrows like she was being sarcastic, he sat down.

Urika raised her hand and uncoiled a finger. ‘No evidence of timed explosives.’ She uncoiled another. ‘No grenade shrapnel. Completely separate from the primary ignition source, and signs of a concentrated burst of energy.’ She stared into Mako’s eyes. ‘I know you’re thinking the same, detective.’

Mako’s thought of the glimpse he’d got of the man’s face in the seconds before the explosion blew him off his feet, and what he’d assumed in that moment was a burn on his forehead. 

‘So,’ Urika added, ‘I need something from you. I don’t know if your guys have some record of those…people living in Republic City. Lin’s never mentioned it.’ She sat in her chair and leaned across the desk. ‘But, Mako, if we’ve got a bender that dangerous in a built-up area, well…you saw what can happen to one basement. I don’t think it’s too much to ask to keep us informed, considering we’d be in the firing line if we rock up at another fire and one of those psychos is involved.’

‘No,’ said Mako. ‘It isn’t.’ His back gave a sympathetic twinge. ‘But I can’t see Chief Beifong giving out citizens’ information like that. That could lead to—’

‘Mako,’ Urika interrupted, rising from her seat. ‘I understand. But if she wants any potential pyromaniac-al psychopaths locked up and for no one to get hurt, as someone on the frontline, I’d be far better equipped if I knew what I’m dealing with. So, it’s not exactly an order, but think about it from my perspective. Okay?’

Mako tilted his head into a conceding bow. ‘Okay.’

Urika leaned back, her lips pursed as she folded her arms. 

There was a knock at the door. Adriel answered it to a boisterous, booming chortle. Mako and Urika stood simultaneously as a beefy man in a burgundy suit strode past Adriel and into the office.

‘Good afternoon, Captain Urika!’ he announced. ‘You been swimming in healing water again?’

‘Muhging,’ said Urika, looking halfway between genuine and forced happiness. ‘What brings you here?’

‘Ah, I got one of those oh so elusive gaps in my schedule,’ said Muhging, striding about the office, ‘and thought I’d stop and see my favourite firefighters. The boys doing my name good?’

‘Yeah,’ said Adriel. ‘And better.’

‘Fantastic! I knew they wouldn’t…,’ he trailed off as he noticed Mako. ‘O..oh dear,’ he said in a singsong voice. ‘Did I drop by in the middle of a telling off?’

‘Not at all,’ said Urika. ‘I was just…stressing to our probie the importance of knowing one’s strengths.’

Mako’s insides clenched at the nickname, and he fought to keep himself from wincing as Muhging leaned in as if to inspect him.

‘Not your usual type, is he?’

‘He’s a recent transfer,’ said Adriel.

‘I see.’ His eyes met Mako’s, and his curiosity changed to formal politeness. ‘Sorry, where are my manners. What’s your name, son?’

‘Mako. Sir.’

‘Please, I’m not your boss. It’s just Muhging.’

He took Mako’s hand and gave two hard squeezes. 

‘Forgive my presumption,’ said Muhging, relinquishing his grip, ‘but you wouldn’t happen to be the firebender I’ve heard so much about?’

Mako didn’t know how to reply.

‘Sorry, but my youngest went on and on about a firebender when he got home. Father! Father! You won’t believe what they’ve got at the firehouse!’

‘Sounds like someone’s getting popular,’ said Urika. ‘I’d better warn Lorren. Don’t want her surprised when all your fanmail clogs up the mailbox.’

‘Oh-ho,’ said Adriel. ‘I would not like to be around her when that happens.’

The banter continued for longer than Mako would have liked until Muhging left the office, and Urika dismissed everyone.

Mako gathered his thoughts as he headed down the hall. Though he understood the captain’s reasons for asking that of him, he knew how Chief Beifong would take someone giving her an order. For all their friendliness, Urika was still a subordinate to Beifong. That alone was sure to introduce him to Beifong’s sharper tongue. He thought of the wider ramifications as he reached the top of the stairs, the confidentiality and human rights of his suspect. Even combustionbenders, as dangerous and an ire of Urika as they were, were still humans.

Resigned to his predicament, he descended the stairs. Refusing Urika would land him in trouble, and Beifong could only say no, even if through harsher words.

‘So,’ said Adriel, who Mako had almost forgotten was still at his side. ‘What did the Avatar have to say?’

‘What?’

‘Come on, Mako. I saw that Water Tribe seal. Who else would it be from?’

‘I…I told her about Asami,’ said Mako with a shrug as he stepped off the bottom step. ‘Felt she should know.’

‘How much did you tell her?’ Adriel asked.

Mako considered his answer, but hadn’t a chance to do so before an excited voice piped up, ‘There he is, father!’

Fin stood with Gaho and Muhging by the engine house doors, pointing and smiling at Mako.

‘Ah, yes,’ said Muhging, rubbing Fin’s hair. ‘We’ve met.’ He strode towards Mako. ‘Please excuse my boy,’ he added. ‘Seeing someone who isn’t a waterbender as a firefighter has set him off.’

‘Yeah,’ said Mako. ‘I see that.’

‘Well, someone has to take charge of that stuff, even in the Fire Nation. Aniki! Nikor!’

Muhging opened his arms as the firefighters entered from the rear yard, greeting him with a similar boisterousness.

‘So, Muhging,’ said Nikor. ‘When we getting that rooftop swimming pool?’

‘You know,’ Muhging did an exaggerated gesture of someone overthinking. ‘I think I might have missed that off this contract, Nikor. I’ll look into it for next time.’

‘Drink, sir?’ asked Aniki.

‘Oh, you know me,’ said Muhging, making for the stairs. ‘Join us, Mako,’ he added.

‘Oh, I should be getting back to—,’

‘No, no. A probationer needs his refreshment too.’ He grinned at Urika. ‘Can’t work them too hard.’

‘No, Muhging,’ Urika said with what looked like a Lion Turtle’s weight of restraint.

Once in the kitchen, Mako made straight for the tea set.

‘Take a seat, Mako,’ said Muhging, pulling out a chair and planting himself down in it.

Mako left the tea set where it was, earning him a dagger-eyed glare from Aniki, and sat in the chair across from Muhging.

‘So, you transferred from the Fire Nation?’ Muhging began, his fingers interlocking as he leaned on the newspaper that sat on the table beside a crumb-dotted plate..

‘Yeah,’ said Mako. ‘From Ember Island.’ It was the first place he thought of.

‘Interesting. I didn’t know they had firefighters on Ember Island.’

‘Yeah, well, you know, even in the Fire Nation where people can…you know…control their fire, it doesn’t mean things don’t…well…get out of control. Sometimes. They thought they should look after themselves again. I mean, without having to summon the army all the time. It’s not a job anyone can do. Gotta know what you’re doing.’

Muhging eyed him with interest, and in the silence, Mako thought he might have blown his cover.

‘Of course,’ said Muhging. ‘Bending might be something you’re born with, but it’s all about those little refinements, learned or taught. Those make all the difference. Much like my line of work.’

Mako gave a slow, deliberate nod as Muhging described how his bricklaying methods were different from those of other contractors. The man’s extroversion and booming voice reminded him of those arduous days of babysitting Prince Wu. On the bright side, it excused Mako from probie duties, but how long a ramble would he have to endure in exchange?

‘I was growing up just down the street when they opened this place,’ Muhging went on, ‘so I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for it. You could imagine my horror when it was damaged in the Earth Empire’s attack. And then my joy when Future Industries contracted my company to help fix it up.’

‘Future Industries?’

‘Oh, sorry. I forget not everyone’s as familiar with the city’s construction and maintenance business. After that attack, and all that spirit portal heebie-jeebies, my company was among those Future Industries bought in to help rebuild the damaged parts of the city and build new homes for those displaced. Far too much for one company to do on its own. Unless you want to entrust those bozos at Cabbage Corp, amateurs didn’t know a forty-five B from a forty-five F, and don’t get me started on that joke of a CEO, Lau Gan-Lan. I did one contract for him. Never again.’

‘Right,’ said Mako. Wanting to sound engaged, he added. ‘Guess to be that cheap, they must have cut corners.’

‘That’s an understatement!’ Muhging boomed. ‘Now, that Miss Sato. She had her wits about her. Always knew what was happening on the ground. Treated her workers and contractors with respect, and never turned down a reasonable concession.’ 

Muhging shook his head and stared down at the table. After a sombre pause, he said, ‘I saw her two days before the fire at City Hall, you know. I was dropping by to check on some work we were doing there. She was there laughing with Mayor Zhu Li. I…I hope she gets better soon.’

Mako nodded. 

A sudden uneasiness came over him as Muhging’s elbows rested on the table and his eyes wandered back onto him. He’d sat through and conducted enough interrogations to know how they felt. Every incident that had dragged him and his friends into the public eye and from which he could be recognised ran through his head. The firefighters all knew who he was. Would this guy be similarly informed? Cuing in his temporary colleagues was necessary for the operation’s smooth running; keeping the informed circle as small as possible was essential in preventing loose lips from compromising it.

The uncertainty faded the longer Mako sat across from Muhging, but it still nagged at the back of his mind. He wanted to ask and get it out of the way as Muhging kept rambling about his sons’ various idiosyncrasies, but would doing so blow his cover?

Mako waited for a natural break in the businessman’s ramble, then asked, ‘You ever watch pro-bending?’

‘No,’ said Muhging, his nose scrunching as if smelling something unpleasant. ‘Not my thing at all. I was always more into reading than sports.’

Mako shrugged and sipped his now lukewarm tea.

‘If you ask me,’ said Muhging. ‘That garbage does nothing to help us firebenders.’ 

‘Huh?’ Mako said, straightening up.

Muhging smirked, and with a flick of his fingers, a flame appeared in the palm of his hand. ‘You wouldn’t be the first to be surprised.’

‘Sorry,’ said Mako. ‘I shouldn’t be. I…I get bending isn’t always inherited.’

‘But the boys’ was,’ said Muhging, waving the flame away. ‘Gaho got his from me, of course. But Fin’s is from their mother’s side.’ A sombre twinkle shone in his eye. ‘Remarkable woman.’ 

It told Mako all he needed to know.

‘But what you were saying about pro-bending,’ said Muhging. ‘Those firebenders are wasting their gift for senseless entertainment. Firebending kids need positive role models. People who embody the strength they’ll need for life. Not just guys who throw their bending about to push others around. Trust me, when I was first starting my business, trying to broach deals with outlets in the more rural parts of the Earth Kingdom was…eye-opening.’

Mako nodded.

‘Can’t say I blame them entirely,’ Muhging continued. ‘Especially when the worst of our kind just won’t go away.’

‘Like those Ashes guys?’ Mako asked.

‘Those deluded revolutionaries?’ said Muhging. ‘Wasting their time and the police’s with their stupid little rallies, thinking the Fire Nation will revert to its old ways. There are far more dangerous types hanging around. Cops should watch out if those…cinders get ideas above their station and try to recruit them.’

‘Yeah?’ said Mako. ‘Anyone we should worry about?’

‘You’d be amazed what you hear just keeping your ear to the ground, Mako. Now, these are just rumours overheard from canteen chit chat, but while I haven’t verified all the gossip, I’d hate for my favourite station’s newest addition to get hurt. Especially when he has so much to offer.’

‘I’m sorry?’ Mako said. 

Muhging leaned across the table, and Mako caught a whiff of some strong, chemical-laced cologne. ‘I know we’ve only just met, boy. But the way my son talks about you makes me think of all the others you could inspire if you can make this work.’ He flicked the fire department badge on Mako’s chest. His eyes then darted to the wall-mounted clock. ‘Ah. Business isn’t going to do itself. I’d better get the boys back to headquarters. After I inspect their work, of course. Don’t want them to let the side down!’

Muhging gave Mako something between a nod and a bow, then strode out of the kitchen.

Mako stood up and squirmed as he drank the last of his cold tea.

‘Good improv,’ said a voice, and Adriel strode into the kitchen.

‘Hey,’ Mako exclaimed, almost dropping his cup. ‘Where did...? Were you—?’ 

‘Just round the corner,’ said Adriel. ‘In case our guest asked something about your “past”,’ he made finger quotes, ‘that you couldn’t answer.’

‘I...thanks,’ Mako said, putting his cup beside the sink.

‘I used to listen,’ said Adriel. ‘To the pro-bending,’ he added as Mako eyed him. ‘Every night those first couple of years in Republic City.’

‘Oh yeah?’

‘Always cheered for the Harbor Town Hog Monkeys,’ said Adriel. ‘I love an underdog.’

With his ego mildly bruised, Mako rinsed his cup.

‘Seriously, though, Fire Ferret, mentioning that wasn’t a bad idea,’ said Adriel. ‘But you’d be surprised how sports fans forget if you don’t leave in some major scandal or with all the glory.’

‘It wasn’t that long ago,’ Mako said, casually. ‘I had to check if he remembered.’ 

‘Do you remember all the players on all the other teams?’ said Adriel. ‘Plus, everyone was too busy dealing with all that business with the Equalists to care too much.’

‘Don’t say anything to the others,’ said Mako. ‘Please. I don’t need more obstacles or special treatment.’

Adriel made a zipping gesture across his lips.

‘Well, since you mention that, I think the hoses could use a clean.’

Mako swallowed his objection. ‘Yes, lieu.’

The hoses lay parallel in the yard as the afternoon sun shone over the fire station’s roof. A boy’s voice shouting goodbye made Mako look up as he tossed a fresh bucket of soapy water over the hoses he’d just scrubbed clean. 

Fin and Gaho waved, the former beaming as they followed their father out of the station.

Picking up his broom, Mako plunged it into a second bucket and began scrubbing the next muck-caked hose. As he did, Fin’s smile lingered in his mind’s eye, and Muhging’s words replayed in his head.

“The way my son talks about you, makes me think of all the others you could inspire if you can make this work.”

Of course, the businessman didn’t know why Mako was here. Once he’d uncovered what or who was behind these explosions, he expected Chief Beifong wouldn’t waste time putting him straight on the next case. Yet, even as he reached the end of the next hose in the line, his thoughts wandered to his adolescent and teenage self. All those days between his parents dying and joining the Triads. The terrible living conditions he and Bolin had endured. Everything he’d done in service of criminals, and all the murmurs of other illegal activities from his fellow crooks before he’d met Toza. How he’d escaped that heinous life of crime and joined the Fire Ferrets. Would he have chosen a different path sooner if he’d felt more were open? How many other kids were in a similar situation? He doubted a firebender doing a job traditionally done by waterbenders alone would be the catalyst for a change big enough to help every impoverished kid in Republic City. But should that stop him from trying to help those who he might?

The notion replayed on loop as he scrubbed the next hose along. Fin’s joyous smile lingered, along with more of Muhging’s words.

“My youngest went on and on about a firebender when he got home. Father! Father! You won’t believe what they’ve got at the firehouse!”

Urika’s words followed. “Sounds like someone’s getting popular.” Then came her actual voice. ‘Probie?’

Mako turned almost in a spin and stood with his broom as if it were a rifle. He relaxed as Urika waved him off.

‘Not that I’m objecting to clean hoses,’ she said, eying Mako’s handy-work, ‘but don’t you have a rather important phone call to make?’

Mako nodded. He made to put his broom down when Urika took it from him. ‘Use the phone in the general office. First door on the right, top of the stairs on the second floor.’ She craned towards the door to the engine house. ‘Lorren? Finish these off!’

Mako faced Lorren’s purse-lipped stare as he half jogged past the fire engine. 

In contrast to Urika’s office, the general office was barely larger than a closet, and the door hit the minuscule desk as Mako opened it. Dark wooden cabinets lined the far wall, each topped with piles of file binders and loose papers. Tucked away in the corner beside these cabinets sat a small, scratched table, atop which a telephone lay on its side.

Mako tiptoed through the inches of space between the furniture and planted himself in the chair, which he turned to the small table before picking up the phone and dialling. His insides tensed with each ring until Beifong answered. 

‘I ain’t got long, kid,’ she said once the pleasantries were out of the way. ‘Work doesn’t stop just because you’re not around.’

‘Okay,’ said Mako. ‘I think I might have a lead.’

‘I need more than “thinks” and “mights”, kid. What you got?’

Mako described the basement explosion and the two points of origin. 

Beifong laughed as Mako explained that a Triad hideout had gone up. 

He allowed himself the smallest chuckle, then continued detailing the fire’s aftermath and the lack of any obvious indicator of whatever had caused either explosion.

‘Any sign of that bubble pattern?’ Beifong asked, as if expecting it to trigger some eureka moment.

‘No, Chief.’

Beifong replied with an inquisitive, yet disappointed murmur, then added, ‘Please tell me you have something.’

‘I do,’ said Mako. ‘The explosion kind of…well, it looked, and felt, like someone shot a cannon at the wall.’

There was a pause. 

Mako tried to think of what else he could add, but Beifong beat him in breaking the silence. ‘Are you saying what I think you’re saying?’

‘Chief. Do you know if any of them live in Republic City?’

‘I don’t,’ said Beifong. ‘Yeah, this place is supposed to be a safe haven for all, but we do keep a record of benders who may pose a threat to the public. I mean, you know how combustionbenders came about. Doubt anyone would be of sound mind after all their brutal training. But I’ve not seen it personally. I’ll have to speak to the records department.’

‘Okay,’ said Mako, feeling relieved. ‘Let me know what you find. Captain Urika’ll wanna—’

‘Wait,’ Beifong interrupted. ‘She put you up to this?’

‘Well,’ Mako began. ‘I mean, I meant to call you myself, but she—’

‘So she’s your boss now, is she?’ said Beifong. ‘I shouldn’t have expected anything less. The old schmooze-er.’ 

‘Chief. This is important,’ said Mako, realising too late how impatient he’d sounded.

‘Kid,’ said Beifong, as if defusing a brewing argument. ‘I get where you’re coming from. But we limit sharing information this sensitive with officers directly associated with suspects or others connected to a case. There’s no way I can just hand out confidential information to anyone with a badge. And civilians? Forget it.’

‘But the fire depar—.’

‘Ain’t cops, kid. Perhaps if we had some kind of official agreement in place, this wouldn’t be such an issue, but we don’t. Now leave this part of the investigation to us, and you concentrate on playing your part.’

Mako wanted to argue further, but Beifong spoke before he could. ‘I’m sorry, detective. I get what you’re thinking. But I can’t.’

Mako slumped. ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘I get it, Chief.’ 

With the words barely out of his mouth, a thought occurred to him. ‘But think about it like this. You’d be doing me a huge favour. If you did, I promise I’d only tell the firefighters if I absolutely have to, like if this guy goes rogue.’ He paused, remembering what Beifong had said earlier. ‘And didn’t you say you were on the fire chief’s bad side?’ 

‘What of it?’

‘Well, if he gets word that you’ve gone beyond your duty to help solve a problem that’s giving him as much grief as you, it might get you back in his good books?’

Mako waited, his chest tightening every second that passed without Beifong answering.

‘I hear traffic’s bad on the highways around the time your shift finishes,’ she eventually said in a conversational tone. ‘If you’re passing headquarters on your way home, and you wanna beat the line at the records office first thing in the morning, I might have some information that you’re welcome to.’

The rest of the shift passed without further incident, and the sky turned a volcanic orange as Mako jumped straight in his car. 

Reaching a crossroads, a sense of guilt sank into his stomach as he noted a sign pointing straight ahead for the hospital. Fighting that instinct, he instead switched on his right turning signal and headed downtown.

Scaffolding surrounded the half of the original, grandiose section of the police headquarters that still stood. The half that hadn’t survived the Earth Kingdom’s invasion was now a construction site, from which grew the framework of a modern extension.

Mako rounded the headquarters’ older section, parked in one of the spaces reserved for police vehicles behind the unfinished section, and slipped in through the staff entrance. 

Rather than heading for Beifong’s office, he went to the records department on the second floor. He let himself feel smug as he entered. The varnished, wooden desk sat deserted, with shelf after shelf of binders and books behind it. 

Beifong leaned on the desk as if she’d been waiting for a while, clutching a thin paper folder.

‘Chief,’ Mako said with a nod as he caught his breath.

‘Detective,’ said Beifong, standing up from the desk as she handed him the folder. ‘Get it back here by 5 pm tomorrow.’

‘Yes, Chief,’ Mako said, then turned for the exit, adding, ‘I’ll look into it right away.’

‘It’s late, kid,’ said Beifong in the vocal equivalent of an eye roll. ‘Put this in your desk upstairs for tomorrow, then go home and rest up. And if you want my advice, work on how you’re gonna patch things up with your captain.’

‘Patch things up?’

‘Your captain’s not gonna be too happy you couldn’t tell her everything that’s in there. I trust you not to tell her behind my back, but I’ll find out soon enough if you do.’ 

‘No, Chief,’ Mako said, shaking his head. 

‘Now I want to get home,’ said Beifong as she made for the door. ‘So take that file upstairs and put it in your desk before I change my mind.’

Chapter Text

Not for the first time, Mako went against Beifong’s advice. Heading up the stairs, he tiptoed into the empty detectives’ office and planted himself at the desk he’d normally do anything to stay away from. Here and now, it was a welcome, familiar sight. A reminder of a time when he did a job for which he’d had more than a week’s training.

Promising himself he wouldn’t stay too long, he switched on the small lamp on the desk and opened the file.

He made to flick through the pages of combustion, or otherwise dangerous benders that lived in the melting pot of a city.

He glanced at the first record in the paper before turning to the next one. Except, there wasn’t a next one. 

Mako lifted the folder, leaned under the desk, and looked towards the door to check he hadn’t dropped anything. He looked back at the single record encased within the brown paper folder, stared at it for another minute, and his confusion became relief. He only had the following day off before the first of two night shifts the following evening, and the fewer suspects meant fewer leads to follow up before he had to show up again at Station Seven — and plan how he’d apologise to Captain Urika, he thought, his elbows slumping onto the desk. 

He’d leave that chore until after he’d got some sleep. 

Pulling the record out of the folder, he found a man’s face. A scruffy, black beard underlined his features, and the shadow of buzz cut hair peppered the top of his head, adding further prominence to the distinctive vein-like mark between his eyes. 

Mako stared at the photo until his eyes stung. Though he’d only caught a millisecond’s glimpse at the man who’d escaped in the alleyway, the longer he stared at the photo, the more convinced he became that this was the same person. But was that true recognition, or were they just blending into one and becoming what he wanted to see?

Mako blinked, then noted the emblem clipped to the record’s top right corner. A grey octagon with the Earth Kingdom’s symbol within.

Turning his attention to the writing beneath the photo and emblem, he read the details:

Name: ‘Doja’

Age: 52

Alias: ‘The Beacon of Zaofu’

Skimming over the physical details, Mako found the section headed Offences:

The list was self convicting:

Arson (x5)

Assault via bending (x7: Adults - x5. Minors - x2)

Criminal damage via bending (x5)

Violence against authority (x4)

Mako re-read the list, feeling like he’d struck gold. Further down, he noted the sentencing section: 

Time served for all convictions: 10 years.

He scribbled the address on a notepad, snatched the mugshot, closed the file, put it in his drawer, and locked it.

The next morning didn’t go as planned. Trying not to wake Bolin, Mako grabbed a scruffy hooded coat and brown scarf and drove to the small police station in Green Meadows. After an argument with the jobsworth officer in charge of the parking lot, he’d persuaded the station’s captain to let him park there. 

Striding through the dilapidated residential streets, he found the address scribbled in his notepad in a row of tenements lining a side street — a place no one should set foot in without a squad of metalbending cops. Rusted fire escapes encased the streets’ dirty, decrepit facades, with more than half their windows boarded up. The industrial district’s colossal factories towered over the buildings, and the rising sun shone off their pipework and smokestacks.

None of the doorbells worked, and nobody answered his knocks on the exterior door. 

And so, Mako sat on a bench across the street from the tenement. The light didn’t reach the street, leaving Mako in the cold shadows from the dwellings behind him; their facades covered by a wall of scaffolding, and the meshed sheeting fluttered in the breeze. 

Mako thought longingly of his car sitting in the police station car park, but this would draw less unwanted attention than someone parked in an unfamiliar vehicle.

His eyes stung as he stared at the apartments’ entrance, waiting for anyone to emerge. 

Minutes became hours, but no one stirred. No light switched on through the few dirt-caked windows that weren’t boarded up, and none of the sorry-looking civilians traipsing through the street took any notice of the building.

Careful not to give away what he was doing, Mako glanced up and down the street. Like the target of what had become his stakeout, no one paid him much attention. He glanced at his watch — he’d been sitting there for an hour and a half. 

Two hours. Then two and a half hours. Why was he still there? Was this Doja guy even home? Would another explosion ring through Republic City’s ambience, followed by the chorus of sirens? 

As he was preparing to give up, Mako stopped himself from leaping to his feet. The door to the tenements had opened, and a figure exited onto the top step. Getting up as slowly as he could without spooking anyone, Mako’s eyes remained fixed on the figure as they turned to close the door.

‘Excuse me?’ Mako said, reaching the bottom step, confident he could stop the man if he made a run for it, but also giving himself enough room to escape should they have a third eye.

The figure turned. Mako’s stomach flipped as he stared at a man with a scruffy, black beard and buzz cut hair. A bandana was tied between his faint hairline and his eyes. 

‘Doja?’ Mako asked as casually as he could.

‘Yes?’ His voice was aged and croaky, as if his throat was dry.

‘Do you have a minute?’

‘What for?’

‘Just a chat,’ said Mako, reaching into his pocket. 

Doja’s eyes flicked between Mako’s hand and face, and he took a step back.

‘No,’ Mako warned. Pulling out his badge, he lowered his voice. ‘It ain’t worth blowing up this street and everyone in it. Let’s do this quietly.’

Doja looked Mako up and down, and his stance softened. He sighed. ‘All right. Come inside.’

The apartment was close to what Mako had imagined based on the exterior: a single room with a wash basin and toilet in a corner. Cracks lined the plaster on the unpainted walls, and a single light hung from the flaking ceiling.

‘I checked in last week like I’m meant to,’ said Doja as he slumped into the dirty kitchenette opposite the toilet. ‘Not due again for a fortnight.’

 Half the cabinets lacked doors, with one hanging above a cooker that looked like it hadn’t been cleaned for as long as Mako had been alive.

‘I’m not here to check you’re sticking to your probation,’ Mako said.

Doja pulled a chair out from under the table. It creaked as he sat down.

Mako eyed the chair opposite. Splintered, and the varnish long-since peeled off. He feared it might shatter if he sat on it.

He looked down on Doja, then gently pulled out the chair and sat down without putting any weight on its back.

‘At 2 pm yesterday, there was an explosion at Twenty One Oh Two, Lower Platinum Street.’

Doja’s response was non-committal.   

‘And,’ Mako went on, stopping himself from saying this was him. ‘A witness says they saw a combustionbender fleeing the scene down a nearby alley.’

Doja interlocked his fingers on the table and looked at Mako as if he wanted more. 

He could have asked why Doja was there, but that would have given away that he was the only combustionbender in the city. Did Doja know that? Mako decided not to put down all his Pai Sho tiles. Leaning forward, but making sure no part of him touched the table, he asked, ‘Do you know anything about that explosion?’

Doja sighed. ‘Oh.’ He slumped and shook his head. ‘I was hoping I could put that behind me without any drama.’

Mako blinked, surprised by the apparent honesty. No need to tell Doja that he knew he was the city’s lone combustionbender.

‘So,’ Mako said. ‘You were there. Why?’

‘Money ain’t plentiful right now,’ said Doja. Gesturing at the room, he added, ‘In case you didn’t notice.’ His tone dipped with his head.

‘Did you know who you were going there to see?’

‘Not until I stepped into the basement,’ said Doja, still staring at the table. ‘Someone told me I could earn some extra yuans and help me get back on my feet.’

‘And the triads didn’t offer you enough?’ Mako asked. ‘That why you blew the place up?’

‘Are you kidding?’ said Doja, looking away. ‘I just served ten years. Do you think I’d wanna work with a bunch of dumb kids playing gangs? No thanks. I already work with far more dangerous characters.’

‘Someone else got to you first?’ Mako pressed. ‘Creeping Crystals? Agni Kais? Red Monsoon? Azulon’s Ashes?’

‘Those wannabes?’ Doja said, as if it were an insult. ‘Why would I waste my time with any of them?’ 

Doja leaned in. He smelled as bad as the apartment, and Mako fought the urge to gip and recoil as the tattered man whispered, ‘the badgermoles.’

‘Badgermoles?’

‘Yeah. If you wanna speak to them, you can find them here.’

Doja reached into his pocket and handed Mako a card.

Looking at it. A pair of giant badgermoles stared back at him. Beneath them were the words: Come and say ‘Hi!’ at Republic City Zoo!

Mako felt his lip curl and his face heat up as Doja let out a smug chuckle. ‘Not many places will take…well, someone like me.’ 

‘What do you—?’

‘Cleaning out the cages,’ said Doja. ‘It ain’t fancy, but it’s peaceful and it pays. A few years and some frugal habits, and I’ll be out of this dump.’

‘Forget years,’ said Mako, rising to his feet. He pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

‘Oh no,’ Doja said in a voice full of weary lament.

‘You’ve just admitted to blowing up a building,’ said Mako. ‘Did you really think you’d get off with that?’

Priming himself for a struggle, Mako found Doja presenting his hands. 

Still, Mako prepared for a struggle as he put the cuffs on Doja. ‘Stay here,’ he said as he finished. ‘I’ll get my car.’

‘Detective,’ Doja said as Mako made for the door. ‘Please, can’t you take me out the back?’

Though he had no reason to comply with Doja’s request, Mako parked in the narrow, trash-strewn alley behind the tenements and snuck Doja into the backseat.

Hitting the rush hour traffic, it was a long, silent hour before Mako handed Doja over to the custody officers.

They saw each other again within the hour, across the vault-like interrogation room, and its single light illuminating the black, metal table between them.

As Mako prepared the folder of evidence, he noticed a constant, looping movement on the table. Something twinged in his chest. Then he noticed it was Doja’s thumbs rubbing over his interlocked fingers. 

Doja stared at the motion, paying Mako no attention.

‘So,’ Mako began. ‘You admit to blowing up the triad’s basement.’

‘Glad you were paying attention to what matters,’ said Doja, looking up at Mako as if he were an annoying child.

‘Well,’ Mako continued, setting his forearms on the table. ‘Why?’

‘Someone put a flyer up on my apartment’s noticeboard a couple of weeks back,’ said Doja. ‘Said they were an odd-jobs company looking for specialised benders. Well, as much as I love chilling with those badgermoles, if I want to live where the hot water doesn’t shut off after half a minute, I’m gonna need some extra cash.’

‘And that ad didn’t strike you as odd?’

‘Your life might be all cushy with your city-funded salary, kid,’ said Doja, looking away. ‘But those of us on the bottom ain’t got the luxury to be choosy.’

Mako let his head tilt into a small, conceited bow. ‘All right. So what did they say when you got there?’

‘Wasn’t long before they blew their cover,’ said Doja. ‘I could tell they were no good the second I entered that basement. They told me they really wanted me to join their ranks. Idiots. Thought I’d be swayed by the glamour. Should have kept it a secret longer. I said I wanted no part of it and that I was leaving. One of the younger guys thought he’d show the older ones how tough he was and took a swing at me.’ 

Doja chortled and raised each arm individually, emphasising his faded, but still sizeable biceps. ‘Well, points for eagerness. More of them joined in, and then,’ the smile faded, ‘instinct took over.’ He spread his fingers in a burst and breathed out.

‘You’re saying it was an accident?’ Mako pressed.

‘I knew you wouldn’t believe me if I just said that.’

‘You just mentioned instinct,’ Mako said. ‘What instinct?’ He pointed at Doja’s tattered bandana. ‘Does that thing encourage you to blow stuff up?’

‘Just when I feel like I’m in trouble.’

In a moment of weakness, Mako blinked and sat up straight.

‘Don’t worry,’ said Doja, shaking his head. ‘I’m not gonna blow this place up again. Not since you’re still redecorating.’

Mako pulled the photographs from the folder: the smoke-stained exteriors and the gutted insides of The Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center, the restaurant downtown, the storage building by the pro-bending stadium, the Satomobile showroom, Republic City Hall, and the portside warehouse.

‘Do you recognise any of these places?’

Doja stared at each photograph. ‘Work takes up most of my time,’ he said afterwards. ‘I don’t really get out much.’

‘Even after doing ten years?’

‘Have you been asleep since we got here? You saw what can happen if my temper gets frayed. Why should innocent people get hurt because of me?’ Pain flashed in his eyes.

Amongst his impatience at Doja not giving him anything solid enough on which he could build a case, Mako felt the smallest hint of pity.

‘As I was saying,’ said Mako, moving the pictures back into the centre of the table. ‘Do you know what these places had in common?’

‘Please tell me.’

‘They were all under renovation when these fires broke out.’

‘If I were them, I’d get new contractors.’

Mako could almost sense Chief Beifong’s arms folding tighter behind the mirror.

‘Speaking of contractors,’ said Mako, ‘would you know who the current one is?’

‘I’m guessing Future Industries?’

‘Yeah.’

‘First thing I noticed when I got here. Their logo’s everywhere.’ He scowled as he spoke.

‘Do you have a problem with that?’ Mako asked.

‘Not a fan of monopolies,’ Doja said with a shrug. ‘But I guess they’re helping the city, and if they want to make my stinkhole of a street less of a dump, that’s fine by me.’

Still not enough for a charge to stick. Reaching back into the folder, Mako pulled out the incident reports. ‘Says in your record they used to call you The Beacon of Zaofu.’

Doja sighed, and his face fell.

‘Not a fan?’

‘Not a name I chose,’ said Doja. 

‘I’ve read the incident file accounting what led to your arrest,’ said Mako. It didn’t contain much beyond the charges, and that you hurt a lot of people.’

A silence hung as Doja stared at the floor between his feet. Finally, he looked into Mako’s eyes and spoke. ‘What if I don’t want to tell you?’ 

‘Then it might hurt your case if you’re asked later,’ said Mako.

Doja’s gaze fell to the table.

‘After the Metal Clan saved me from that separatist camp, they locked me up. That matriarch woman, Suyin, must have taken pity on me, because next thing I know, they’re putting me to work in the city’s construction department,’ said Doja. 

‘They wanted the monorail extended. Our managers gave them an overly eager finishing date. Things fell behind schedule, like always, but they didn’t want to let the Beifongs know, so they had us working crunch to finish on time.’ He looked off to the table’s side as he spoke, as if reading off a shopping list. ‘Long days, night shifts, six days a week.’ 

His eyes met Mako’s. ‘We were all tired. Some guys even skipped lunch breaks. It wasn’t safe. Some of us got together, went to the project manager and tried to put him in the picture.’ A dark look fell across his face. ‘Might as well have talked to a wall. He told us to get back to work, or he’d fire us and send me back to prison.’

As Doja talked, Mako heard a tapping sound echo around the room. 

Doja looked back at the table, oblivious to the new noise as he continued his story. ‘Couple of days later, my buddy passed out driving one of the trucks, nearly crashed into a support structure.’

The tapping’s frequency increased as Doja talked. ‘Could have brought the whole track down.’

‘How did that make you feel?’ Mako asked as Doja paused for a breath.

‘How do you think?’ said Doja, as if he’d stand up and shout if he wasn’t in handcuffs.

‘So what happened next?’ 

Doja’s features tensed. ‘You’re thinking I went and blew the manager to bits.’

‘There’s no count of murder or manslaughter on your record,’ said Mako.

The tapping had stopped, but Doja’s hands locked together again.

‘We can take a break if you—’

‘I’m fine, detective,’ said Doja through a stiffened jaw. ‘I told the manager he should have listened, but I got the same old script. I got angry, and next thing I know…,’ Doja hung his head. ‘Boom.’

The room fell silent. After a while, Mako asked, ‘Was that your intent?’ 

‘No,’ said Doja, his jaw still tensed. In a calmer voice, he continued. ‘It was everything all at once. All that deprivation and anger. It just took over me. With the site office destroyed, I knew the security forces would come for me, so I ran.’

‘Where did you run to?’

‘Wherever there was a path.’

Mako pointed to his own forehead. ‘And this wasn’t —?’

‘I couldn’t,’ Doja hissed, closing his eyes. ‘I tried to keep my head down, but I had to look up to see where I was going. I saw a flash of the houses, tried to look away, but it was too late.’ His hands went white, emphasising their boniness. ‘I watched them explode, and kept running.’

Mako waited. He had more questions, but Doja spoke before he could. 

‘I read the news a few days later. Four security officers were hurt, and it said I destroyed three houses. One of those had two kids sleeping right above where…where the…explosion went off.’ He pointed at his bandana. ‘Their injuries. Well, they were…terrible. Their pictures were all over the papers for weeks. Everyone was asking how anyone could do such a thing to such beautiful children. No one who does that deserves any sympathy. Beifongs didn’t want to incriminate themselves, so they didn’t tell my side of the story and threw me back in prison.’

Doja’s eyes rose from the table as he drew back into his seat. ‘So there you go, detective. That’s why I’m called The Beacon of Zaofu.’

‘I see,’ said Mako. As a human, he felt sympathy for Doja. He still had a job to do, though, and couldn’t risk letting his heartstrings be tugged into clouding his judgment. ‘Did they try to help you inside?’

‘Just kept me away from the others and made sure there was no way I could blow my way out.’

‘And now?’

‘I go to the hospital every fortnight.’

Knowing who else was there, Mako’s stomach clenched, but he hadn’t time to ask for more before Doja spoke again. 

‘I have appointments.’ His finger hovered between his eyes. ‘Some specialised healers are trying to find a way to neutralise it.’ He made a sound halfway between a scoff and a laugh. ‘They gotta take me out to the old asylum every time I try a new treatment. If anyone asks, they say it’s an angry spirit or a thunderstorm.’

‘Have they tried chi blocking?’ Mako asked.

Doja’s lip pursed as he shook his head. ‘They’ve tried everything. I nearly killed the chi blockers the first time they tried it. I keep telling them,’ he said, bitterness washing across his face. ‘There is a way to get rid of it, but nobody wants to go through all the effort.’

‘Yeah?’

Doja leaned in as if he knew others were listening and didn’t want them to overhear. ‘The Avatar.’ 

Mako thought he knew what method Doja was referring to. ‘Ain’t that a little drastic?’ 

‘I don’t need it. I didn’t want it. It’s never done anyone any good. Just take it away and let me live as a non-bender.’ A sourness entered his eyes as he went on. ‘But I guess she’s too busy travelling the world, schmoozing with royalty, and vacationing to care about someone like me.’

Mako suppressed his retort and tried to think objectively again. He picked up the incident report on the first explosion. ‘Monday the eighth,’ he began. ‘Two twenty-five P.M.. Where were you?’

‘Working,’ Doja answered. ‘Don’t believe me? Ask the zoo.’

He gave the same answer for all the other fires, apart from the one in the portside warehouse. ‘Hospital.’

Mako felt agitated as he filed the reports away. Nothing pointed towards Doja being anything more than he was at first glance. Yet, what Muhging had said about dangerous firebenders still nagged at him. Reminding himself not to get swept up in workplace hearsay, he chose the last unexplored line of inquiry. ‘Has a group called Azulon’s Ashes ever tried to contact you?’

‘Never spoken to them,’ Doja answered, a sharp impatience now in his voice.

‘So they don’t know you exist?’ Mako pressed. 

‘I imagine not.’ 

‘Don’t you think they might have some use for you? Some work? Not many people can do what you can. None of their promises were tempting?’ 

‘Guess your memory’s not as good as I thought,’ said Doja. ‘I said they’re wasting their time.’

With no further questions of his own, Mako handed Doja back to the custody officers. After returning what he’d taken from the records department, he let out a massive yawn and headed for Chief Beifong’s office.

Her expression was hard to read as she sat with her arms folded. 

‘So,’ she began. ‘You ignored my advice. Again.’

‘Yeah,’ said Mako, looking at his feet. He rubbed his eyes. ‘Chief, I want this over fast. Stop the explosions, and we can all take a breath.’

‘Don’t wait until then before you do,’ said Beifong. ‘You looked in a mirror lately?’

‘No.’

Beifong pointed at the one above a filing cabinet. A ragged version of Mako stared back at him. His skin had paled. Hints of stubble peppered his jawline. The whites of his sunken eyes had turned pink, and shadows lingered beneath them.

‘You heard what Doja went through,’ said Beifong. ‘Don’t force yourself into that same corner, or before you know it, I’ll be pulling you out of a car wreck hanging off Silk Road Bridge.’

Mako blinked as if it would return his image to normal, and took a seat. ‘What did you think of him?’ Glancing at the name tag on the desk, he added, ‘Anything happen when you introduced yourself?’

‘Nothing,’ Beifong answered. ‘I didn’t announce my family name. Seriously, kid, you think I’d broadcast that after what happened to the guy in Zaofu?’ She switched from indignant to pensive. ‘Still not sure if I fooled him. He looked at me like I’d metalbent his apartment into a tiny cube.’ 

Her face fell into a look of morose contempt. ‘I’ll have to speak to Su when she visits. She can run her city how she likes, but if it threatens my city and my officers, we have a problem.’ With a blink, she was back in business mode. ‘But I won’t keep you waiting any longer. I don’t think a case against Doja’s gonna hold up.’

‘Not even for the basement explosion?’

‘I’m with you, kid,’ said Beifong. ‘But his stories all check out. I called the zoo and the hospital. Both confirm he was there at the times of the other explosions.’

‘But he still—’

‘Nobody got seriously hurt and nobody died,’ said Beifong. ‘He claims it was an accident, and it sounds like he was provoked. On top of that, no one’s come forward with any rebutting evidence.’

‘The triads aren’t pressing charges?’

‘Did you expect them to?’

‘Well,’ Mako began. ‘No.’

‘We’ve got nothing to link him to the other explosions.’ Beifong pulled a sheet of paper from one of the files to her left — a photo of the pattern from the warehouse fire. ‘When I showed him this, he said he had no idea what it was.’ 

‘But then why did he admit to being at the triad’s hideout? We didn’t see his face, and how would he know he’s the only combustionbender in town?’

‘Maybe he’s got a guilty conscience?’ Beifong said. ‘Or if he has nothing to hide and lied anyway, wouldn’t make him look that great to us, would it?’ 

‘What about what he said about Future Industries?’ Mako asked.

‘People are allowed to dislike companies and organisations, kid,’ said Beifong, putting the photo back in its folder. ‘This ain’t Ba Sing Se.’ 

She opened another folder. ‘We have given him a warning,’ she said. ‘If he does it again, we’ll arrest him. We’ve increased the frequency of his hospital appointments and upped restrictions on his community monitoring order. He’ll have to report to his local police station every other day from now on. I’ve spoken to the hospital about placing him in a secure ward, but as much as I yelled at them, they say it’ll take time to action anything.’

Mako wanted to argue further.

‘I’m sorry, detective,’ Beifong said as if she was disappointed too. ‘I don’t think he’s our firebug.’

Mako felt his shoulders drop as he slumped into his chair. He couldn’t fault Beifong’s logic, but feeling like he’d been onto something only for it to be disproven left him feeling he’d wasted time. 

He’d half wanted it to be Doja, but at the same time, he couldn’t deny feeling empathy for the combustionbender. He cursed the triads for still ruining the lives of the most vulnerable.

‘Anyway,’ said Beifong. ‘Don’t you have to be somewhere?’

Mako looked at the office’s wall-mounted clock. ‘It’s a night shift, Chief. They don’t start until six.’

‘You’ve forgotten something else,’ said Beifong as a knowing smirk formed. ‘That something you called me about yesterday? The thing that set all this in motion?’

‘Oh, yeah,’ Mako said, his heart sinking into his already heavy stomach as he thought of Urika.

‘For your own sake, kid,’ said Beifong, ‘take one bit of my advice. Say sorry before she gets on shift.’

‘What difference does that make?’ Mako asked. ‘She’s gonna be mad at me either way.’

‘Yeah,’ said Beifong, with a sideways nod. ‘But get her mad off the clock, and she’ll just be mad at you as a woman. Do it on the clock, and she’ll be mad at you as your captain. Trust me, if that happens, your next five shifts’ll make you wish you were still babysitting Prince Wu.’

Mako pulled Urika aside as she arrived at Station Seven. Leaving the police headquarters, he’d dashed home to change clothes and pack his night bag and arrived at the station two hours early.

The firefighters already there had mocked what they thought was poor timekeeping for turning up so early, but Mako took it on the chin. The extra time had given him time to smarten himself up before cornering Urika on her way to her office and giving her the bad news.

Her lip curled as Mako explained, in as matter-of-fact a way as he could, why Chief Beifong forbade him from sharing anything.

Tensing as he prepared for the oncoming tirade, Mako said, ‘We have questioned a suspect.’ No specifics, but enough to assure Urika he had been working, ‘but we didn’t find anything conclusive.’

Urika’s teeth showed as she breathed. 

‘Right. So,’ she was holding back. ‘I, a frontline first responder with a high chance of running into this pyro, don’t deserve to know anything?’

‘I’m sorry, Captain,’ said Mako, not meeting her eyes. ‘I promise, I’ll make it up to you.’

‘Oh really?’ Urika said, unconvinced.

‘Yeah. I don’t know how, but I will.’

Urika paused, her eyebrows raising as if an idea was brewing. ‘Okay. You owe me a drink.’

‘Sure, I,’ Mako paused. ‘What?’

‘You,’ Urika said, pointing between Mako and herself, ‘owe me,’ she gestured, tipping a cup into her mouth, ‘a drink. In fact, make that the entire station—every cup of tea for this next shift. And,’ she added, ‘when we go to Narook’s for breakfast tomorrow. And just so you know, I don’t believe it’s ever too early to start drinking.’

Mako felt his face contort. 

‘Just think of it as another part of being our probie. You’re not past that stage yet,’ said Urika.

‘Aren’t you mad?’

‘Furious,’ said Urika, and a hint of it flashed in her eyes. ‘I’ve got enough red tape around my neck without this. But,’ she moved close, ‘I’ve got a team who could do without this stress. Most of them don’t even know what I asked of you, and if I take my frustrations out on you on shift for something you technically did in your time off, I’d look unprofessional. Take this, kid. Unless you want to do five timed fitness tests and then do as many mops of the station?’

‘No, Captain.’

‘Good,’ she picked up her night bag and strode down the hall. ‘Also,’ she added, stopping before the door to her office. ‘Tell Lin to join us tomorrow morning. She’s not getting off easy for this.’

Urika announced Mako’s official punishment at the briefing. His face burned as the other firefighters jeered. Of course, Aniki used the opportunity to announce he’d like a nice hot drink, with the others only too happy to agree.

‘I take it your chief didn’t play ball?’ asked Adriel, leaning on the counter as Mako dispensed leaves into each cup. He shook his head, then glanced towards the others sat mid-banter in the living space. Adriel folded his arms, and his shirt strained. ‘Can’t say I’m surprised.’

‘She had her reasons,’ said Mako, sighing as he dropped too many leaves into the last cup. ‘She wasn’t making things harder on purpose.’

‘I’m sure she did,’ said Adriel. 

Mako ignored him and took the tea to the table. Before anyone had taken a sip, it was back in the kitchen.

‘Doesn’t look right at all,’ said Aniki, but wouldn’t specify why.

As Mako set the tray back down on the counter, his eyes wandered to a painting framed above it. The picture looked down on an old town street lined with wooden buildings. A blaze raged in the building to the right — not as interesting as what was happening in front of it. A brawl raged between men in different coloured jackets. Red, blue, and brown, interspersed with police in gunmetal grey uniforms.

Looking closer, Mako noticed vehicles behind the brawling crowd. Red, cart-like wheels sat below shining, silver boilers and funnels. He looked back at the multicoloured brawlers. Most of them wore familiar long-brimmed helmets, while those who’d had theirs knocked off had them strewn at their feet. Water bent into various attacking and defensive forms, none directed at the burning building.

‘You like that?’ said Adriel, nodding at the picture. ‘Some things never change.’

‘What am I looking at?’ Mako asked.

‘Our humble beginnings,’ Adriel said, gesturing around the kitchen. ‘Your guys had the first metalbender to get themselves off the ground. Us? Well, we came out because nobody else would do it. No one had the capital or reach to cover the whole city, so fire companies sprang up across different districts.’

‘So, each of these was from a different department?’ Mako asked, pointing between two firefighters in red and blue. 

‘Yeah,’ said Adriel. ‘Although calling them “departments” is generous.’

‘Who did what to start this?’ Mako asked. The firefighters in the picture brawled with everyone not wearing the same coloured coat. Some grappled in headlocks, 

‘Green Meadows Fire Company got cocky,’ Aniki said. He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. ‘Started crossing the avenue into Yue Bay Fire Brigade’s turf.’ He stood up and pointed at the picture. ‘The ones in blue.’

‘You make them sound like triads,’ said Mako.

‘Not a million miles off,’ said Aniki. ‘They might still be have had a finger or toe in that pie. But they got driven out because of scenes like this.’

‘The brigades kept to their own turf to start,’ said Adriel. ‘But just like a triad truce, it didn’t last. They used to race each other to fires. If one company arrived before the other had got a hose on it, well,’ he gestured at the picture. 

‘Cops hated it,’ said Aniki. ‘They’d try and break us up, but they’d always get dragged in.’

‘I don’t remember this,’ Mako began. ‘When did—?’

‘Decades ago,’ said Adriel. ‘Long before either of us was born.’

‘Li remembered,’ said another voice. Lorren stood at the door. Though she had her hands behind her back, it was the most relaxed Mako had ever seen her.

‘Li?’

‘Used to tell me stories when I was in your boots.’

‘Seriously?’

Lorren’s lip curled.

‘Don’t believe her?’ said Aniki. ‘Look for yourself.’ He pointed at a red-coated firefighter.

Mako squinted. The man had the same amber eyes as Li, but with a head full of brown hair and a contrastingly straight nose.

‘He always said that was him,’ said Adriel. ‘Which I’ve no reason to doubt,’ he added at Lorren’s raised eyebrow.

Mako’s confusion must have shown.

‘He was just a probie back then,’ said Aniki. ‘It happened on this fire. One of the cops who was there was Chief Toph Beifong. She caught him with one of her officers in a headlock, and she threw a rock at them. Hit him in the face. A few nights in hospital later, and he’s Slanty-Nosed Li.’

‘How long did he work with you all?’

‘As long as we’ve been here,’ said Aniki, pointing between him and Adriel.

‘Since I joined the department,’ said Lorren.

Mako looked between them. They all held Li in high regard, and he half expected them to gang up and escort him out of the station for filling his boots. Yet he felt a warmth and high spiritedness from the three. Not wanting to relax, he cast his eyes back to the picture and multicoloured firefighters brawling across the street. ‘Guess things don’t change too much.’

‘No,’ said Adriel. ‘It’ll stay long after we’ve gone, so don’t break your back in trying to change it.’

Mako would have rebuffed Adriel. There wasn’t a reason why he couldn’t try to improve relations, even if on such a small scale. 

He never got the chance. With an ear-splitting CLANG, the gong sounded. 

The firefighters charged from the kitchen before the bell could start ringing, leaving Mako to trail them. 

He ran past the pole and charged down the stairs, arriving in the engine house as Lorren jumped into the truck’s driver’s seat. 

Adriel emerged from the watchroom as the firefighters threw on their boots and leggings.

‘Lieu?’ Urika prompted, pulling on her coat. ‘Tell me what we got!’

Adriel stared at the scrap of paper in his hands and announced, ‘Fire and explosion. Reports of people trapped.’ 

There was a shakiness in his voice that prompted Mako to look up from grabbing his helmet. Adriel’s face had drained of warmth, and an unfamiliar look beset his eyes as their gazes met.

‘Lieu?’ Urika prompted. ‘Where is it?’

Adriel blinked and, without breaking eye contact with Mako, answered in a tremulous voice. ‘The police’s headquarters.’

Chapter Text

Mako felt numb as smoke rose over the rooftops and the fire engine syphoned through the traffic as if in slow motion. He couldn’t tell if the glow was from the fire or the dusk-lit sky. The engine’s horn blasted in frustrated succession, but the cars and trucks blocking their way had nowhere to go. The footplate tilted as Lorren mounted the sidewalk, circumventing the jammed vehicles before the road opened up into the square.

The police station came into view, and Mako’s blood ran cold. Flames licked up from the top-floor windows, their tips lost in the thick, black smoke rolling onto the roof and enwrapping the domes. The canvas over the scaffolding had caught fire, and large strips of it broke away, raining embers on the square. Police cars swarmed around the building as officers stumbled out, coughing and clutching their chests as their metalbending colleagues leapt from windows. Many carried officers under their arms and some returned for more.

Mako leapt off the engine as it pulled up at the edge of the police’s partially constructed barricade. Urika and Adriel made for a group of senior police officers, fire captains, and lieutenants gathered around Toph’s statue. Sirens wailed in the distance, but as Mako’s eyes darted across the unfolding scene, he saw little support: just two other fire engines aside from their own and three ambulances. 

‘Dispatch just upped this to a third alarm,’ said Lorren, jumping from the cab and staring at the burning building. ‘But they’ve hit that traffic.’ 

Was that concern in her voice? 

Glass shattered, and smoke belched from another window on the top floor. Unable to watch the fire consume more of the building, Mako made for the gathered police and fire commanders. They consulted a pile of books sitting on the bonnet of a police car.

‘We’ve cleared the cells,’ said an officer with a custody badge on his smoke-stained shirt.

‘Where’s it worse?’ asked Urika.

‘It’s barely touched the lower floors,’ said a metalbending officer, who Mako took a second to recognise as Deputy Chief Saikhan, his hair singed and his face covered in soot. ‘Most of the fire’s on the twelfth and thirteenth floors, but parts of the eleventh and tenth are burning too.’

‘What’s up there?’ Urika pressed.

‘Mostly administrative offices,’ said Saikhan.

‘Any flammable materials?’

‘Place was being renovated. They’d just started painting it.’

‘Done a headcount?’ Mako couldn’t help but interject.

‘Sure we have,’ said Saikhan, either not realising or caring who Mako was. ‘Most of our officers are accounted for, but at last count we were missing ten.’

‘Chief Beifong?’ asked Urika.

‘Where do you think?’ Saikhan blurted and pointed at the building.

‘All right,’ said Urika, her I’m trying to think of a plan eyes blinking as she paced. ‘I’ll take command until a battalion chief shows up. That paint could go up if we let the flames get too close, so we’ll take it one corridor and room at a time.’

She stopped and gestured at Saikhan. ‘Metalbenders, we might need your officers to get people out through the windows. Stick to the outside of the building. Stay away from the fire.’

Overlapping sirens rang through the air, drowning out all other noise as shadows fell over the scene. The smoke immediately reacted as airships descended towards the building.

‘Get them out of here!’ Urika shouted, pointing up at the aircraft. ‘Their downdrafts’ll make the fire worse!’ She turned to the captain on her right. ‘Company Three, you’re on exterior attack. Get as many lines on the fire as you can and keep me posted on its spread.’ The captain nodded and ran off. 

‘Nineteen,’ Urika said to the captain to her left. ‘Interior attack on the tenth and eleventh floors. You know what you’re doing, but watch yourselves.’

Nineteen’s captain nodded, then left.

‘Kid?’

Mako blinked and found Urika and Adriel staring at him as if he obstructed them.

‘Focus, kid,’ said Urika. ‘I’m sure she’s fine. Might get to see her if you’re lucky.’

Mako nodded, and with his stomach feeling heavy yet fragile, trailed the two back to Engine Seven. 

‘Everybody, listen up!’ Urika shouted. ‘You’re up on the twelfth and thirteenth floors. We’ve got ten officers unaccounted for. Find them and get a hold on the fire. We’ll—’

‘Cap!’ Mako said before he could stop himself. She looked at him as if he’d just stepped on her toe. Mako faltered for a second. ‘Let me lead you guys up there.’

All eyes fell on Mako.

‘I…I know it ain’t by the book, but no one knows the inside of this place better than I do. I’ve slept here. Tell me who’s missing and I might know where they are.’

Urika considered Mako as the airships departed and the smoke rose after them. Aniki stared at her as if she might tell him to run in in just his underwear. Adriel looked at Mako like a teacher considering a student who’d just asked an unconventional yet valid question.

‘Okay, Company Seven,’ said Urika, turning back to the firefighters. ‘Lieu will lead the search team.’ 

Mako was about to object, but Urika continued. ‘But the probie will decide the route.’

With the hoses connected and their breathing masks on, the search parties made for the burning building. The wail of approaching sirens filled the square even as the fire’s blazing roar grew in intensity.

‘About time,’ said Urika, glancing over her shoulder as a convoy of six fire engines arrived in the square. ‘I’ll brief them and we’ll set up a forward command—’

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Mako looked up. Glass, embers, and chunks of smoking masonry fell from the eighth-floor windows. Everyone scattered as the debris crashed to the ground.

‘Okay,’ said Urika, as the dust settled. ‘No forward command post. We’ll tackle it from the outside.’

‘Water pixies!’ Saikhan shouted from behind. He raced towards the firefighters and waved a piece of paper above his head. He shoved it to Urika as he stopped and caught his breath. 

‘Just what we needed,’ she said as she read it. ‘Thank you.’ 

She thrust the scrap at Mako.

Scanning it, he read ten names, each with a rank and department scribbled beside it. He recognised all the names, even if he didn’t know them all personally. The paper had been torn at an angle, almost cutting off the last scribble: Chief Lin Beifong.

Smoke and masonry dust filled the air as Mako crouched in the eighth-floor corridor. The explosions had blown the building’s interior walls into flaming pieces, and a sizeable fire had already established itself. Company Seven began their advance on the blaze, but it wasn’t long before newly arrived firefighters relieved them, and they continued up towards the ninth floor.

Mako’s stomach felt heavier than the two cumbersome, charged hose lines. While not every memory of this place was pleasant, it felt as if somewhere that once gave security and familiarity had been violated.

He trampled a piece of paper with a scribbled warning of wet paint as they reached the tenth floor. The sharp, acrid stench of smoke drowned out the paint he’d complained about so often, and its black clouds darkened the usually daylit stairwell as they advanced towards the twelfth floor. Company Nineteen’s firefighters, who’d been trailing them, entered the eleventh-floor corridor. Their captain gave Adriel a thumbs-up before they vanished into the smoke.

‘Aniki, Nikor, take the left,’ Adriel ordered once they reached the twelfth floor. ‘Mako and I will take the right.’

‘Just some admin offices down that way,’ Mako added. ‘Three of the guys on my list work down there.’

‘Got it,’ said Aniki, checking that the left-hand door was safe before shoulder-barging it open. He and Nikor crouched as smoke billowed from the top of the door and rolled across the ceiling. The firefighters squatted and advanced into the corridor towards the orange glow, partially obscured by a dark grey haze.

‘Anyone down here?’ Adriel asked, checking the door on the stairwell’s right.

Mako pulled the paper from his pocket. ‘No one’s listed.’

‘Best take a look just in case,’ said Adriel, setting down the line. He checked the door, then barged through it.

Mako darted between the offices in the twelfth floor’s right corridor. Spared from the Earth Kingdom’s invasion, the old decor remained, save for a fresh coat of paint. Smoke collected and hung in the rooms’ ceilings. His chest tightened as he searched room after empty room. Though glad to find no one injured or worse, Beifong’s continued absence added weight to his stomach each time. 

With the right corridor clear, Mako and Adriel put their masks on, grabbed another hose, and headed for the rooms on the left. 

Black smoke rolled out through the door, but white tendrils mixed within. It lingered close to the ceiling, and the orange glow subsided as they crawled to the end of the smouldering hallway. Aniki and Nikor advanced on the cornered remains of the blaze. With short, sharp gestures at the dying fire, they doused it with short bursts of water.

‘Nobody here, either,’ Nikor shouted over the fire’s resentful hiss.

‘We’ve got a handle on it!’ Aniki shouted, gesturing another burst towards the last flames licking the wooden beams in the ceiling. ‘Not much more to—’

BANG!

The explosion threw the quartet off their feet. Mako landed on his front. His helmet fell off, and he covered his head as burning splinters and shards of masonry rushed in a flaming gust overhead. Debris crashed to the floor around him as more explosions followed in rapid succession.

Mako’s ears rang, but through the dust, he watched Adriel jump off his side and to his feet as the dust settled. 

‘Everyone okay?’

‘I’m good,’ said Nikor, leaning on the fractured wall as he propped himself up.

‘Ah, great,’ said Aniki, his voice strained and hoarse. 

Finding and replacing his helmet, Mako stood and looked to where they’d been seconds earlier. Flames licked around a pile of shattered wood and masonry lying in place of the exit. 

‘Lieu,’ said Nikor as if it pained him. ‘We’ve lost pressure!’

The slosh of water faded beneath the growing crackling, and the end of the severed hoses belched their final dregs onto the floor.

‘All right,’ said Adriel, looking between his men and the rubble blocking their exit.

Mako followed the lieutenant’s eyes. They couldn’t stay here long. The reignited fire was already consuming the corridor’s remaining combustibles. Thinking on his feet, Mako took up a defensive stance. He’d push the fire away from them and back into the stairwell. The offices on the other side would burn, but those were empty.

‘No way, Probie!’

Mako looked over his shoulder just in time for Aniki to grab and shove him aside. Recomposing himself, he swallowed his protest.

‘We know what we’re doing,’ said Nikor.

All three firefighters stood in a staggered formation around Adriel. Their arms rose, and a bubbling, sloshing sound followed. The water shivered, then flowed into the air where it formed a swirling, suspended ball. Adriel thrust his arms. The ball turned into a wave, and with a torrent-like rush, crashed down onto the burning debris. The fire instantly vanished beneath a burst of steam. The firefighters shielded their eyes as it rushed over them. 

Mako felt a brief flash of close, wet heat, redirected his chi until the hissing subsided, and lowered his arms. 

The fire was out, and Aniki and Nikor dug through the rubble.

‘It wasn’t a bad idea, Mako,’ said Adriel. ‘But if you’d pushed the fire back into the stairwell we’d have lost our main escape route. So would anyone still upstairs.’

‘I could get them out,’ Mako protested.

‘You’ve already got enough to do,’ said Adriel. He pulled his mask off and jabbed at the rubble. ‘Now save your air and get that cleared.’

Mako didn’t argue and scooped up an armful of wood and masonry.

‘I.C. from Company Seven,’ Adriel said into his portable radio. ‘We’re on twelve. A collapse just blocked our exit. We need help to shift the rubble.’

His reply came in the form of a hoarse, strained voice, underpinned by what was either static or intense crackling. ‘Don’t worry,’ it said. ‘I got you.’

The piece of ceiling Mako had been holding slipped out of his hand. 

Another explosion rumbled overhead, shaking the entire corridor. The ceiling fractured. Mako dropped the rock and followed the firefighters as they retreated to the room’s edges. 

Another CRASH, and in a shower of burning and fractured masonry, the ceiling dropped into the corridor. 

Mako shielded his face as the specks of debris peppered his bunker gear. He lowered his arms too early and got a mouth and eye full of dust. He blinked it away fast enough to see a figure stooped atop the rubble, carrying a body under each arm. He stood as the dust cleared, and the figure half jumped, half fell off the debris and set the bodies at her feet. 

Beifong cleared her throat. ‘How did I know you’d show up?’ Soot caked her uniform, leaving it almost entirely black. It smeared her face, and her hair was similarly dishevelled. Still, she gave Mako her signature, grudgingly appreciative smile.

‘Chief!’ Mako blurted. ‘Are you all right?’

‘I’ve been better. It’s an inferno up there. Explosions are going off everywhere.’

Black smoke filled the hole in the ceiling. Waves of flames licked through it, and Mako felt their heat as he pulled the two unconscious desk officers away.

‘Same happened to us,’ said Nikor as he checked the officers for signs of life.

‘Yeah,’ added Aniki. ‘We’d knocked the fire down, then boom.’

‘Why are you still up here, Chief?’ Adriel asked. ‘You’re put—’

‘And leave my officers trapped until you water pixies got off your butts?’ Beifong answered, taking an aggressive step towards the firefighters. ‘You gotta be—AHH!’ She doubled over, her face contorting as she grabbed the left side of her chest.

‘Chief!’ Mako rushed to her side.

‘I’m good,’ she hissed through gritted teeth. ‘I can walk. And my job ain’t finished yet.’

‘Chief Beifong,’ said Adriel. ‘You’re not looking good. Get your—’

Mako caught Beifong’s eyes flaring as she nursed her rib. Standing between her and Adriel, he gave the lieutenant a look that he hoped would convince him not to push his luck.

Adriel understood. ‘How many are left up there?’

‘Including these two?’ Beifong gestured at the two unconscious officers. ‘Six.’ 

‘You sure about that?’ Aniki asked.

Beifong shot him a peeved look, then closed her eyes. With a metallic clunk, the underside of her boot slid away, and she stamped her foot. A vibration pulsed up through Mako’s feet to the tips of his hair. Nikor and Aniki shuddered, and Adriel winced as the seismic sense’s ripples passed through them. It lasted an instant, then Beifong cried out and raised her foot again. ‘There are four more,’ she said through gritted teeth as her eyes opened. She stamped her foot and punched at the debris blocking the door. It flew to the sides and plastered against the walls and ceiling.

‘What was that?’ asked Aniki, rubbing his arm.

‘Seismic sense,’ said Beifong. ‘I didn’t hear much, and the fire interfered, but I know what I did hear.’

‘Where are they?’ asked Adriel.

Beifong nodded at the stairs leading up to the thirteenth floor. Smoke hung over those at the top, muddying the flickering, orange glow. The firefighters crouched on the bottom step and sized up the task ahead. 

Mako had barely dragged the two unconscious officers into the stairwell when the walls shook and the sound of rubble shifting groaned overhead.

‘I wouldn’t chance it up there if I were you,’ said Beifong. She coughed. ‘Literally everything’s on fire.’

‘You said there were four still up there,’ said Adriel.

‘That fire’s not a problem, Chief,’ said Mako. ‘I can clear it.’

‘And I also have a way to save them without you guys eating any more smoke,’ said Beifong. She stamped her foot, and the seismic ripple swept over everyone again. ‘Over there,’ she announced, pointing into the corridor to the right. 

She half ran, half hobbled into one of the offices and reached for the ceiling. ‘Stand back!’ She clenched her fist and wrenched down.

The ceiling fractured, and the room shook as it descended like a falling airship ramp. 

Burning furniture tumbled down, followed by two limp figures in blackened police uniforms. 

Beifong left the room as Nikor and Aniki rushed in, pulling the officers away from the flames. 

Another rumble shook the corridor, and smoke rolled out from a partially open door. Within, Mako found Beifong crouched between the smoke-damaged desk and cabinets, tending to two more officers lying at the base of the freshly pulled-down ceiling. One was a young woman, conscious and coughing, the other, an older man, lying unconscious. 

‘Would you mind?’ Beifong said. 

Mako pulled the man to his feet and back into the corridor. 

Beifong lingered at the door. ‘We were so close to being finished,’ she said, as if the fire was an inconvenience.

Everyone reconvened in the corridor near the stairs. The smoke had thickened, and wisps of it lingered in the air. 

Adriel heaved the first two officers inside and closed the door. 

‘I.C. from Company Seven,’ he said into his radio. ‘We’ve got six victims on the twelfth floor. Requesting backup for extraction.’

‘We’re still focusing on the explosions, Seven,’ a voice replied. ‘We’ve had another four. You’ll have to get them out yourselves.’

‘It’ll take ages to get them down the stairs,’ said Aniki. 

‘Guess we’ll have to make the best of it,’ said Adriel, picking up the officer closest to him. 

He’d edged the door open a fraction when BANG! 

He slammed the door shut as the building shook. 

BANG! BANG!

Nikor lost his footing and almost dropped his officer. The rumbling settled, and a frantic voice through Adriel’s radio broke any silence that might have followed. 

‘I.C. from Company Nineteen! Mayday! Mayday! We just had three explosions on Eleven. The stairs are gone. I got three firefighters down! I repeat: the stairs are gone! Firefighters down!’

Mako’s heart sank, and he hoped that just meant the firefighters had been incapacitated. He looked at Chief Beifong. A mutual understanding seemed to pass between them. She reached for her radio, but didn’t get a chance to speak before another voice barked through it.

‘I.C. to all units. We’ve had a mayday. Evacuate the building immediately! I repeat, all units evacuate!’ 

Beifong waited for the transmission to end before replying. ‘Deputy Chief Saikhan, this is Chief Beifong. Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I need three metalbenders on twelve. Yes, NOW!’

Mako charged into one of the building’s front-facing rooms. He threw a desk aside, then wrenched the window open. 

A metal hook impaled in the brickwork with a CRACK, followed by the whirl of a retracting cable.

Rather than looking for the incoming metalbender, he returned to the corridor and took an unconscious officer from Beifong. The metalbending officer reached through the window, taking the victim under his arm and a second that Nikor handed him. 

The process repeated until only the young woman officer who hadn’t been knocked out remained.

‘Come on, Chief,’ said Mako. ‘You’re—’

‘Wait,’ said Beifong. Her eyes widened and followed the ceiling. 

A dull creaking sound groaned from the floor above. It lingered near the ceiling-hanging light, then edged towards the corridor. Heat followed the sound, and Mako pushed past the other firefighters to follow it. Beifong’s arm shot out and stopped him. 

‘Chief?’

She spoke like anyone who didn’t obey would die. ‘Everyone get out.’ 

Adriel seized the young woman officer and shoved her into a newly arrived metalbending officer’s arms as Nikor and Aniki backed towards the window.

‘Come on!’ Beifong shouted, ‘Move it!’ She slammed the office door closed and backed towards the window as if expecting a psychopath might try to break it down.

The creaking sound deepened, turning into something like an intake of breath, inhaling and exhaling as it descended into the corridor. It reached its peak. Heat rushed through the room, and with an ear-splitting BANG, the door bulged inwards.

Without thinking, Mako threw Beifong aside as a fireball launched the door across the room. 

Flames jumped to the ceiling and thundered in with a storm’s force.

In the millisecond before the fireball engulfed him, Mako thrust his hands towards it. His feet dug into the floor as the blaze’s roar filled his ears. The flames froze like water hitting glass, but the blast’s force persisted. Mako’s arms shook, his legs ached from the strain, and it took every bit of determination for him not to falter. 

The fire danced, flickered, and finally dispersed. Smoke rose, and Mako staggered out of his stance, his limbs throbbing.

The explosion had blown out the door and its frame, leaving much of the wall, the corridor, and the room opposite destroyed. 

Mako’s heartbeat steadied as the metalbending officer set him down on the ground. The conflagration had intensified, and the entire thirteenth floor was now ablaze, the fire department’s jets woefully inadequate against it, and smaller fires separate from the main one burned on the lower floors, wetted only by the jets’ runoff. 

‘I’m fine,’ Beifong’s protest returned Mako’s attention to the scene on the ground. She clutched her ribs as the metalbending officer and Urika escorted her towards a waiting ambulance. ‘Leave me alone and just put the—,’ she coughed and spat out black mucus. 

‘This is a fire, Lin,’ said Urika, like a disciplining mother, ‘and I say you’re going to the hospital.’ 

Beifong stared at Urika, and her lip curled. 

‘I don’t make the rules,’ Urika said with a shrug.

‘Someone get a healer over here, now!’ A voice cried from the main entrance. 

Mako followed it. A group of metalbending officers and firefighters staggered from the entrance. Caked in dust and soot, they looked only marginally better than the three firefighters propped on their shoulders. Blood smeared the first one’s face, the other screamed and clutched his arm, limp beneath his shredded coat’s sleeve.

The third hung limp in the arms of two metalbending officers, their coat singed and covered in dust. They lay the firefighter’s crumpled body on the ground. The healers arrived and had to force the firefighters back.

Mako watched as they tried to revive the unconscious firefighter. He caught glimpses between the healers moving around him. The man was young, around Bolin’s age. His colleagues watched in shock and despair as the healer’s attempts yielded no results.

‘Get back!’ shouted another voice.

A gust rushed overhead, and Kai landed beside the emergency workers. They hesitated until the airbender waved them aside and crouched over the dying firefighter.

Mako met Kai’s eye. Instead of flashing his usual cheeky smile, he looked at the encroaching cops as if daring them to take another step. He moved his arms in a circular motion, then reached for the firefighter’s blackened lips. His chest shifted as if something was trying to burst out and up his throat. 

Kai pinched and pulled up from the firefighter’s mouth. It opened in a short breath. The firefighter’s eyes popped wide open. He retched and clapped a hand to his throat. Kai eased his arm away, and the firefighter stared in horror. A tiny, swirling funnel of air passed up and out of his mouth. Black strands mixed with the spiral, turning it a dirty grey.

Kai gasped, and the miniature whirlwind dispersed as his hands fell to the ground.

The firefighter gasped in a breath as if he’d been holding it. The surrounding firefighters, cops, and healers watched entranced, then rushed to their colleague’s side as he slumped over in laboured breaths.

Mako ran to Kai’s side. The young airbender slumped on all fours and sweat dripped from his forehead.

‘You all right?’ Mako asked, putting his arm around Kai.

Kai looked up and gave Mako his characteristic smirk. ‘New tech…nique,’ he said through a heavy breath. ‘I finally…got it right.’

‘New technique?’

‘Like you said….Be more…constructive.’

Mako blinked, then allowed himself a moment of pride.

‘That was awesome,’ said Mako. ‘How long did—?’

A hand rested on Mako’s shoulder, and he found Adriel at his side. 

‘Come on, Mako,’ he said. ‘We’ve still got work to do.’

Mako nodded, patted Kai on the shoulder and left him with the healers. 

As he followed Urika’s subsequent orders, his eyes wandered back to the police station and all the separate fires. He’d have to check once the adrenaline subsided, but he knew, though he didn’t want to believe, he was looking at a deliberate fire.

The explosions paused afterwards, allowing the fire department to push back against the blaze. Even so, the battle continued long into the night. It was four in the morning by the time they returned to Station Seven, and another forty-five minutes before the engine and equipment were cleaned and Mako lay on his bed in the dormitory.

His thoughts swirling before his tiredness caught up with him, and he drifted off.

He woke to Adriel’s voice. ‘Come on, Probie. Breakfast’s ready.’

Glancing at the clock, Mako rubbed his eyes and suppressed a yawn. 

With a mere two and a half hours’ sleep, he forced down a few mouthfuls of breakfast before packing his bag and slumping down to the engine house. 

His colleagues hovered there. Adriel sat on the side of the fire engine, and Nikor leaned against the wall drinking his tea.

By chance, Mako noticed the quick turning of a head. Aniki sat rigid beneath the tunics hanging on the wall, his gaze fixed on the mat at the bottom of the pole.

Mako would have asked if he was all right if Urika hadn’t emerged from the watchroom with her night bag on her shoulder. Everyone stood up as Lorren followed. Even her normally neat hair was messy, and grey bags shadowed her drooping eyes.

‘They’re alive,’ Urika announced in a muted voice. ‘But they ain’t out of the woods yet. They’re gonna keep all three of them in intensive care for a few weeks.’

‘What about Boruq? What are his chances?’ asked Nikor.

‘They’re not saying.’

Mako considered it, then asked. ‘Which one was Boruq?’

‘The guy from Nineteen who almost died last night,’ said Aniki. ‘His name’s Boruq. He was our probie when I was at Company Three.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘It’s all right,’ said Aniki, shaking his head. ‘I wasn’t there for long after he joined.’

‘And the fire?’ asked Adriel.

‘Out,’ said Urika. ‘Since about half an hour ago. Some units are still on scene. They’ll be there for a while.’

‘Great,’ said Mako. ‘I’ll get down there—,’ a yawn broke his sentence in two. ‘Need to start my…investigation.’

‘You sure that’s a good call, Probie?’ asked Adriel.

‘Yeah, man,’ said Nikor. ‘You look like you need a week in a healing bath.’

‘I ain’t got time for one of those,’ said Mako, blinking through shrivelling eyes as he spoke. ‘I gotta get in there as soon as the fire department’ll let me.’

‘Please tell me you’ll take the bus,’ said Urika, folding her arms.

Mako shook his head as it grew heavier. ‘If I find anything useful, I can’t take that on the bus.’

‘Well,’ said Urika, ‘I don’t want to find your car wrapped around one of the overpass struts because you took a nap at the wheel.’

‘I have worked night shifts,’ said Mako, like a child being scolded. 

‘That may be so,’ said Urika. ‘But at least let me go with you and make sure you don’t.’ 

‘Wouldn’t you rather go home to your healing bath and bed?’

‘Nah,’ said Urika. ‘You’d be amazed what the right strength of tea can do.’

Mako wanted to say no, but with all the firefighters’ eyes on him, doing so would have him on cleaning duties for another month. He half sighed, half yawned, and said, ‘All right. My car’s out the back.’

‘Look at her,’ Nikor said as Urika followed Mako out of the back door. ‘Captain private-eye.’

Mako’s sleepiness subsided as he drove through Republic City’s streets in the aftermath of rush hour. Perhaps it was the pressure of driving with the captain in his car, but he felt more alert and aware of what he was doing than when Adriel had shaken him awake.

Smoke and steam rose from the police station’s blackened remains. The partly-renovated wing looked worse for wear than the rest of the building, resembling prongs of burnt, skeletal bamboo. Police cars parked around the square like a defensive wall, and three fire engines remained beside Toph’s statue. 

Flashing his badge to the scene guard, Mako stepped into the building’s lobby.

‘Hey!’ said the guard, sticking his arm out. ‘Your uniform doesn’t match.’

With a blink, Mako stared down, finding the fire department’s badge upside down on his chest. Sighing, he remembered that he’d changed straight from his sleepwear into this new station uniform, and in his sleep-deprived state and haste to get away, had neglected to change back into his normal clothes.

Again, he showed his police badge to the scene guard, who took great pleasure in mock-inspecting it before giving it back and allowing Mako into the lobby. 

While bearing little damage, soot, ashes, and the boot marks of many firefighters sullied the floor. The smell lingered; its acrid taste caught in Mako’s throat.

He’d barely reached the reception desk when the scene guard called out again. Irritated, he turned back, expecting he’d dropped or forgotten something. He didn’t expect to see Urika craning past the guard.

‘Ma’am. The fire department is no longer responsible for this scene. As of ten minutes ago, Republic City Police Department assumed full—’

‘I’m fully aware of the handover, kid,’ said Urika in the same patronising voice she’d used when giving Mako a chore. ‘But I guess they forgot to mention. I was one of the incident commanders on this fire, so your detective requested my input as part of his investigation. Chief Beifong would have made sure it got through, but whoever’s filling her boots clearly didn’t get the memo.’ 

The guard gave Mako a questioning look. 

Despite what she’d said when he couldn’t tell her about Doja, he still didn’t entirely trust that Urika wouldn’t use any disagreement to make his life harder at the firehouse. 

‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘She’s with me.’

‘I said wait in the car,’ Mako hissed as they reached the stairs; its carpet trampled into a sodden, blackened rag.

‘And I said no way,’ said Urika, folding her arms.

‘If you want to tail me everywhere, you should request a ride-along.’

There was a pause, then Urika said, ‘Is that an order or an invitation?’

‘I’m—I’m just not guaranteed to find a breakthrough that’ll pin this on anyone,’ Mako answered in a hurry.

‘Is that a lack of confidence?’

‘No,’ said Mako. 

The light from the entrance faded as they reached the second floor. 

‘I just don’t want you to get your hopes up.’

Darkness further obscured their route as they climbed, forcing Mako to light his torch as they reached the sixth floor. Every other step, he stole a side-eyed glance at Urika, ensuring she didn’t wander down one of the off-shooting corridors to play private-eye.

Reaching the eighth floor, he clambered over a pile of rubble blocking the entrance to the corridor where the explosions had trapped him hours earlier. He took care not to snag his uniform on the splintered door fragments sticking up between the masonry, noticing the blast’s epicentre before setting foot back on the floor.

He looked back at Urika as she surveyed the landing. Even if Mako did find a breakthrough clue, he didn’t rate his chances of keeping it from his wannabe assistant before he could inform Beifong. 

A boulder landed in the pit of his stomach as he thought of the chief. Not out of concern that she wouldn’t pull through, but for the earful he’d get once she found out he’d let his temporary boss even further into the investigation.

‘Was this corridor being decorated?’ Urika asked, climbing over the rubble. 

‘No,’ said Mako. ‘They finished this floor months ago.’

Walking the length of the corridor twice over, he noticed the blast marks. 

They sat in the centre. The fire damage protruded from rather than led to them. 

‘Ceiling’s intact,’ Mako said. Finding nothing to indicate the fire had spread into the corridor from anywhere else, he crouched beside the blast marks on the wall.

‘No sign of exploded paint cans,’ said Urika, her eyes sweeping the floor. ‘So, another fire with multiple seats.’ 

Crouching beside Mako, she pointed at what Mako had suspected he’d see. 

‘And where have we seen that before?’ 

She was right. Bulge-like pockets peppered the blast marks, increasing in size closer to the epicentres, all of which were surrounded by protruding splinters.

They found the pattern on all the other floors where explosions had occurred, except the thirteenth floor, where debris completely blocked the stairwell. Persuading one of the metalbending officers still on-scene to take them up, they entered through one of the holes in what was left of the ceiling. 

Despite the floor’s skeletal remains, Mako searched the shell of every room, including the skeletal remains of Chief Beifong’s office. He found nothing to indicate an obvious cause, but the pattern alone meant he hadn’t wasted his time.

‘You don’t have to get your hands dirty if you don’t want to,’ said Mako as they descended the main staircase. ‘I’d keep you informed if I found anything important.’

‘Do you think I would have busted your chops so much if I didn’t want to be here?’ said Urika.

Mako stopped as they reached the fifth-floor landing.

‘It’s interesting,’ said Urika, folding her arms and shrugging. ‘And it’s been a while since I last did this.’

‘Were you a cop once?’

‘How dare you?’ she said, jokingly. ‘Once firefighters make lieutenant, we all have to complete a short course on what can cause a fire. It involves looking at old photos, reading up on different accelerants and fuel types, and inspecting fire scenes where possible. It was interesting.’

‘Would you ever consider joining me?’

‘For a ride-along?’

‘For more than a ride-along,’ said Mako.

Urika blinked.

‘I meant about joining the police,’ Mako added hastily. ‘If you find this interesting, you might like it.’

‘Again, how dare you?’

Reaching the lobby, Mako’s thoughts returned to Chief Beifong. Of course, he should let her rest, but even confined to a hospital bed, that would be the last thing on her mind.

His thoughts were interrupted by a low, static crackle as he passed the reception desk. Then came a garbled mess of what sounded like mumbled speech. Following these sounds, Mako found a transceiver, still transmitting one of the police’s radio channels. 

A phone sat beside it. Mako lifted the earpiece and heard the tone.

After speaking to the operator and two hospital receptionists, he heard a croaky voice, its owner none too pleased.

‘Hey, Chief. It’s me. Look, I know it’s early, but we—I’ve just had a look around headquarters. Thought you’d want to hear what I found.’

‘Spare me the details, kid,’ said Beifong, her voice regaining its command. ‘I was just gonna call you. I need you down at the hospital, right now!’

Chapter Text

Expecting to find the place reduced to a pile of rubble, or at least alight given Chief Beifong’s urgent insistence, it was to Mako’s relief that the hospital stood intact. 

Given his previous luck in seeing patients outside of visiting hours, he prepared for another verbal tussle with the grey-haired receptionist with glasses. It came as a pleasant surprise when she stood and waved him through. ‘Second floor. Room Twenty Four. It’s in the corner, furthest from the—hey!’

As he had at the police headquarters, Mako had to insist that Urika was with him to appease the receptionist.

‘I knew I should have dropped you home,’ he said as they climbed to the hospital’s second floor. 

‘She did say come right away,’ said Urika. ‘And you don’t want to get on her bad side.’

Mako knocked as he reached Room Twenty Four.

‘Yes?’

Without answering, Mako pushed his way into the room. Urika bumped into his back as he stopped on the threshold. He thought he’d got the wrong room and ended up in an office. Files and records lay on the bedside tables. Chief Beifong sat against the headboard beneath a desk raised over her lap, itself strewn with paperwork and scattered pens.

‘Are you going to stand there all day or say something?’ Beifong asked.

‘Morning, Chief?’

‘Didn’t ask you to bring company,’ said Beifong as she noticed Urika following Mako to the chairs between the windows.

‘Yeah,’ said Urika with a wide smirk. ‘But I asked nicely.’ She reached into her coat. ‘And I wanted to bring you this.’

Mako’s heart flipped as Urika pulled out a bottle of Earth Kingdom wine. Beifong blinked, then flashed an appreciative smile. She swiped the wine before Urika could put it on the table and hid it under her pillow. 

‘Thank you. I’ll need that to get through all of this.’ She gestured at the mountains of paperwork.

Mako flipped through the pile closest to him. ‘Thought you’d want to—’

‘Rest up and heal?’ said Beifong. ‘Police department doesn’t run itself, kid. The healers ain’t too worried. This time tomorrow I’ll be outta here. Then I gotta sort out some temporary premises, again.’ 

Her lip curled as she finished the sentence. ‘We’ll split administrative operations between the second and fourth precincts.’ She syphoned through the papers on her impromptu desk. ‘They’ve got plenty of vacant office space. We’ll move custody to the third and base patrol officers in the seventh. They’ll need quick access to the rest of the city, and it’s next to one of the highways, so it’s perfect.’

‘Least you won’t get bored,’ said Urika, smiling as she shrugged.

‘Are you kidding?’ said Beifong.

‘Yeah,’ added Mako. ‘But I’m guessing you didn’t call me here so you could vent about all your admin.’

‘Sharp as ever.’

Despite knowing everything Beifong would want to hear, and a lot of what she’d rather not, Mako held off. Urika still stared at them.

‘Could…,’ Mako said, feeling like Urika was an overly curious parent hovering around a teenager on a first date. ‘Could you get us some tea?’ 

‘Excuse me, Probie?’

‘Ohh dear,’ said Beifong, shaking her head.

Rising from her chair, Urika turned on her. ‘And why are you acting so smug?’

Beifong blinked.

‘I didn’t come because my job’s not been exciting enough,’ said Urika. ‘And my probie isn’t gonna tell me what I want—no, need to know. I get you’ve got confidentiality and all that garbage, Lin. But you’ve got to stop keeping me in the dark. I don’t care if your evidence isn’t watertight, or if you’re still exploring leads. If there’s some firebending nut job running around my patch, putting my firefighters and all the civilians under our watch at risk, you bet I want to know about it. And as my supposed commrade, and especially considering how you’ve involved me already, I think I’m owed more than your sealed lips.’

Mako’s stomach tensed as Urika returned to her seat. 

Beifong’s lip curled the way it did when she was about to unleash a verbal bludgeoning. Her face softened.

‘All right. I guess circumstances have changed,’ she said in a business-like voice. ‘And considering most of the fires have occurred in your patch, and after…what happened yesterday, it might be in everyone’s best interests to…exchange certain information regarding this case.’ She nodded at the door, then looked at Mako. ‘Watch the door, kid.’

Mako did so and kept watch as Beifong spilt the entire case to Urika. He raised a hand as patients and nurses passed, and Beifong glowered at the interruptions. 

Once they were finished, Mako shared what he and Urika had found in the police headquarters’ ashes.

‘Well,’ said Beifong, sipping her tea once Mako had finished, ‘under normal circumstances, that wouldn’t narrow down the suspects.’

‘Where was Doja?’ Mako asked; the first person who came to mind.

‘Probably on his way home. We let him go not ten minutes after you left.’

‘And he didn’t—’

‘I made sure he went straight from the cells to the cab stand.’

‘Could he have snuck back into the station?’ asked Urika, her features had tightened during the conversation.

‘Not possible,’ said Beifong. ‘Every entrance is either guarded, only accessible to metalbenders, or requires a special key. We only give it to those who’ve passed probation.’

‘He could have stolen one from a patrol officer,’ said Urika.

‘He wouldn’t have got far enough into the station as where the explosions went off,’ said Beifong. ‘Anyone without a uniform or a badge would get stopped.’

‘Unless he stole a cop’s uniform,’ Urika said, leaning between the two.

‘Did your guys find a cop tied up in his underwear?’ asked Beifong.

‘No.’ Urika’s said, as if the preposterousness of her suggestion had dawned on her.

‘Got a more serious suggestion, detective?’

Mako tried to conjure an alternative that would place Doja in the building when it exploded. Finding none, he shook his head.

Beifong shifted a pile of papers from her desk to the bedside drawers. ‘I for one, do. Take a look at this.’

She retrieved a scrap of aged paper and shoved it towards Mako and Urika.

A message, scrawled in smudged, black ink, read: 

FROM AZULON’S ASHES RISES A PHOENIX.

‘Azulon’s Ashes?’ said Urika, squinting as if trying to remember where she’d heard the name before.

‘Those Fire Nation supremacists,’ said Mako.

‘They said anything about the other fires?’ asked Urika.

‘Not yet,’ said Beifong. ‘Strictly speaking, this isn’t a full confession. It’s barely an acknowledgement. But they don’t keep their thoughts a secret, and the timing’s a mighty big coincidence.’

‘The rally in Harmony Park got kinda violent,’ said Mako. 

‘So you didn’t go home like I asked,’ said Beifong as if Mako had lied about completing some paperwork.

Mako tensed, but Beifong continued in a level voice. ‘I’m not surprised. Any nut-job with a cause they believe in strongly enough can be dangerous.’

‘So what happened at these protests?’ asked Urika.

‘Mostly a lot of shouting,’ said Mako. ‘Fists and flames started flying once we showed up.’

‘What does the Fire Nation think of them?’ said Urika.

‘Nothing good,’ said Beifong. ‘But they have more support outside the royal family than we’d like.’ She sifted through her papers. ‘But while we can’t control their spread outside the city, we can try and slow it here.’ She presented a letter. ‘I’ve half prepared a motion for President Zhu Li. Anyone caught distributing Azulon’s Ashes’ propaganda, attending a meeting or protest in their support, should be arrested and questioned.’

‘I’d question Doja again, too,’ Mako added.

‘Like we will with everyone in the vicinity in the hour before the explosion,’ said Beifong, giving a pacifying nod.

‘Why the caveat?’ Mako asked. 

‘Kid,’ said Beifong, drained and irritated. ‘You mentioned Azulon’s Ashes when you questioned him, and he said he didn’t want anything to do with—’

‘I know,’ said Mako. ‘But it’s a huge coincidence that we questioned him yesterday, and ten minutes later the station blows up.’

‘Explain your thinking, kid,’ said Beifong. ‘Why, when we have a potential link to a known extremist group, do you want to pursue a flimsy lead? Especially one that denies any link to them.’ 

‘Doesn’t mean it’s not worth following up. Like you said, that message isn’t a confession. The Ashes might just want some free publicity.’

‘All the more reason to push it and dispel those doubts,’ said Beifong. Avoiding eye contact, she added, ‘Perhaps I should change your assignment. Infiltrating their ranks could be a better use of your time than playing around with the water pixies.’

‘Oh no you don’t,’ said Urika, pointing at Beifong.

She blinked and almost winced. 

‘You’re not leaving me understaffed,’ Urika added.

Beifong looked between the two as if in search of some invisible connection between them. ‘He’s not on your staff, Urika,’ she said as if suppressing a tirade. ‘Even if he is drinking your tea and taking up one of your lockers.’

‘Did you listen to anything he just said?’

‘Urika, relax,’ said Beifong. ‘I was thinking aloud. You forget the strings I pulled to get him on your team in the first place. If I doubted he was in the right place, I’d have reassigned him ages ago.’ 

She turned to Mako. ‘You’ve made a good impression if nothing else, kid. Just don’t forget why I put you there. Find me evidence. Now, if you think our guy’s worth pursuing, I’ll get some officers to follow it up.’

‘Your chief’s right,’ said Urika, as she and Mako rounded the corner towards the stairs. ‘You’ve adapted to a job you’re not naturally suited for.’

‘Thanks,’ said Mako, his face warm. ‘But we both know this won’t be permanent. Once this case is solved, Beifong’ll put me straight onto the next case.’

‘And,’ Urika hesitated, ‘I’m sorry I put you on the spot back there.’

‘What?’

‘Of course I want to know what’s going on, especially if it means I can protect my crew and Republic City’s citizens. But I understand your position. I guess I almost forgot you’re a detective first of all.’ They stopped. ‘Like you said, this is just temporary.’ She touched the fire department crest on Mako’s chest.

There was a pause once she lowered her hand. Not knowing how to reply, Mako noticed a sign above an adjoining corridor: BURNS UNIT. 

‘One second.’ Leaving Urika, Mako strode up it to the door he’d stared through the night of the City Hall fire.

Though he’d felt terrible on all those occasions, he felt worse at what he saw now. The bed sat empty—no possessions or well-wishing gifts on the bedside tables, or any indication it had ever been occupied.

‘She’s been moved,’ said the grey-haired receptionist.

‘Where to?’

‘I dunno.’

‘Well, could you find out for me?’ Mako asked, as if stating the obvious.

‘I’m kind of busy,’ said the receptionist, shifting a pile of papers.

‘Is that how you talk to all your visitors?’

Mako found Urika standing with her arms crossed and giving the receptionist the same look as after he’d screwed up on his first exercise.

‘Oh,’ the receptionist blurted, almost jumping out of her chair. ‘Lieutenant Urika! I…I didn’t expect to see you here. What can I do for you?’

‘You heard what he asked,’ said Urika.

‘Sure…Just give me a moment.’

‘Thank you. And it’s captain now.’

The receptionist reached into a drawer and, after groping around, retrieved a blue, leather-bound book. ‘Here we are,’ she said, pointing to a page with newfound enthusiasm. ‘Asami Sato, released yesterday afternoon. Transferred to Air Temple Island.’

‘Old friend of yours?’ Mako asked as they left the hospital.

‘From one of my first calls at Company Seven. I got her and her husband out of a...tight situation,’ said Urika.

‘Yeah?’

‘It involved a bedhead and something you use a lot,’ said Urika. She smirked as she stuck her wrists together. ‘You should have seen his face when I bent the ice disc.’

As much as Mako wanted to visit Air Temple Island, his drooping eyelids and a brain feeling like it was working at half-speed got the better of him. Arriving home just after noon, he tossed his uniform shirt onto a chair in the living room and threw himself onto his bed. 

Sleep, however, didn’t come. Though his suspicions about Doja still nagged at him, he understood Beifong’s reservations. 

A strange feeling came over him. An uncomfortable sense of gratefulness. He still found Urika a difficult woman to read, but even if Chief Beifong wasn’t seriously considering taking him out of Station Seven, she had stood up for him. She hadn’t said anything soppy or sentimental, or called him her friend, or family. She’d said taking him away from Station Seven would leave her short-staffed. In the time he’d known her, she didn’t seem one to trim up how she felt under the guise of politeness.

Feeling torn, Mako wondered. Maybe he should have gone to Air Temple Island? Perhaps a little Avatar-ly wisdom would help?

He dismissed the idea. Like Korra had said in her letter, she needed to be with Asami and make sure she got better. Poking his nose into their business and dumping his problems on them would be selfish. He couldn’t keep it from them forever, though. Especially not Korra, and when she did find out, she’d find a way to make it even more of her business. 

His forehead ached as he thought of all these spinning plates. He sighed, which turned into a yawn, and he turned over to face the blank wall.

He must have drifted off, because the next time he looked at the clock, he had barely two hours until his night shift started.

His spiralling thoughts returned as he drove through the pre-rush hour traffic. Switching on the radio, his mood lifted as he caught the tail end of a pro-bending post-match analysis show. The evening news came on. Hearing the problems besetting the rest of the world served as an almost welcome distraction. That was until the newsreader began the day’s fourth story. 

‘The Fire Nation supremacist group, Azulon’s Ashes, have released a statement claiming responsibility for the explosion at Republic City Police Headquarters last night. Police say that while they are not taking the statement lightly, they are still investigating the cause of the explosion, but stopped short of elaborating on any specific action they might take against the group.’

The newsreader began recounting Azulon’s Ashes’ origins, but the screech of Mako’s brakes meant he didn’t hear it. A stampede of people ran into the road, tripping over the sidewalk and one another. Cars skidded and swerved, almost colliding as horns honked.

WHOOSH! 

Mako wheeled around. In a plaza to his right, jets of fire pulsed in all directions as the last civilians fled. In their wake, marched a crowd of figures in red robes so long they obscured their hands. They looked like monks, but their stance and gait were anything but peaceful. They punched out, expelling more fireballs.

‘In a joint statement released within the last hour,’ the newsreader continued, ‘Fire Lord Izumi and her father, Lord Zuko, condemned the group, calling them “a grotesque appropriation of a dark period in Fire Nation history”.’

Drivers left their cars. Some stood and stared at the aggressors. Others fled with the last pedestrians. 

Leaving his car, Mako watched the red-robed figures as they torched the trees and trash cans in their way. They laughed, jeered, and shouted as they advanced. Every fire-laden punch and kick seemed to have all the benders’ weight behind them; expelled in flails and sloppy thrashes rather than a well-rehearsed and disciplined attack.

In a chorus of wails, yelps, and hi-lo tones, police cars and vans thundered into the square, cutting the Ashes’ advance short. Half the red-robed figures scattered. Those remaining split, and some jumped into a van. As they sped away, the figures still in the plaza charged at the police officers. Flames shot through the air as they launched a frenzy of punches and kicks. The first cops retreated behind their vehicles as their colleagues backed them up. 

Mako fought the urge to intervene. Even if Beifong wanted him to stay put, if he ever crossed paths with the Ashes again, he’d best protect his identity. 

A shadow fell over the square, and the red-robed firebenders became skittish. As the sun vanished, their flames weakened and dimmed. They fled as metalbending officers dropped from the newly arrived police airship. Shields shot up from the sidewalk between the patrol officers and the Ashes too defiant to retreat. The metalbending cops shot out their cables, wrapping them around the slower Ashes. Some flew towards the officers, others lost their robes, leaving them with only their faces and nether-regions covered. 

Satisfied that the situation was under control, Mako got back in his car.

Arriving at Station Seven, he found the engine house empty. He called out to no answer. His stomach gave an uncomfortable clench, and his eyes darted as he circled around the fire engine. Finding no ice on the floor, he made for the stairs, also free from anything to trigger a hilarious pratfall at his expense. 

Reaching the top, he found the corridor similarly deserted.

‘Okay?’ Mako called. ‘Where is everyone?’

His answer came with a clink of china, beckoning him into the kitchen.

He wasn’t quite prepared for the sight which greeted him there. Urika, Adriel, Nikor, and Lorren sat around the table, all looking at Mako as he stood in the doorway.

‘You coming in or you gonna stand there all day?’ asked Adriel, gesturing at one of the spare chairs.

Feeling he’d just walked in on something he shouldn’t have, Mako took the seat indicated. He would have asked what was going on, but another, much louder clink right under his nose made him recoil.

He found a cup and saucer on the table, with the dark tea steaming inside.

‘Wh—?’

‘Thought you’d like a drink before we start the shift,’ said a voice.

Mako looked up to see Aniki. The firefighter’s eyes, normally tight and steely, now bore some warmth as he took the remaining seat.

‘All right,’ said Mako, not sure whether or not to touch the tea. ‘What’s all this?’

‘As you’re all aware,’ Urika said, ‘we’ve been largely kept in the dark as to what’s been causing the recent explosions that brought us our latest addition. But after discussions with Chief Beifong,’ she flashed Mako a side-eyed smile, ‘we feel it’s in your best interests to inform you what’s been uncovered so far.’

‘Some nut-job wants to blow up firefighters?’ asked Adriel.

‘A travelling circus’ popper flies got loose?’ said Aniki.

‘The city doesn’t think we’re up to scratch,’ said Nikor. ‘So they’re making things blow up in our face so we look bad, then they’ll can contract our jobs to Cabbage Corp or Future Industries?’

Everyone stared. ‘Hey, they did it with the garbage collectors, and the park rangers.’

‘I would have told them what’s actually going on,’ said Urika. ‘But they’d best hear it from the Ostrich Horse’s mouth. And we could do without any more crazy speculation.’ She raised an eyebrow at Nikor.

Mako thought through each point of evidence, trying to summarise them into digestible chunks, ones that wouldn’t compromise his investigation. He collated the facts, subtracted what they didn’t need to know, and began to talk. He mentioned the blast marks, the bubbles he’d found in the wood, and while he didn’t name Doja or allude to anything that could compromise his identity, or that he was a combustionbender, he did mention he had potential suspects.

‘What about those Ashes guys they just mentioned on the radio?’ asked Aniki.

‘I…,’ Mako began. ‘I ain’t got much on them. But it’s possible they’re linked.’

‘From what I’ve heard,’ said Aniki, ‘they don’t sound too dangerous. I bet we could take them. So could anyone with a child’s grasp of bending.’

Mako waited for the firefighters’ murmurs of agreement to subside before he told them he’d seen one of their protests, and after a nod from Urika, he mentioned Beifong’s note.

‘Whoa,’ said Nikor. ‘How do you go from throwing fireballs in the park to blowing up the police station?’

‘How many are there?’ asked Adriel.

‘I dunno,’ said Mako. ‘Yet, at least. I can’t say this is gonna happen, but Chief Beifong might want me to focus more on them so we can get a better handle on it.’

‘Does that mean you’re leaving us?’ asked Nikor.

‘Can’t fault that logic,’ said Aniki in a downbeat voice. ‘You’ve got a lead. Makes sense to have Mako focus on that rather than waiting for them to start another fire.’

Adriel looked down at his half-drank tea. Nikor stirred his.

‘Keep the waterworks dry,’ said Urika. ‘Mako’s staying with us until I hear otherwise. But before then, we should take advantage of the time we’re privileged to spend with him.’

Expecting to be handled another mop and bucket, Urika’s next words surprised Mako. ‘That backdraft re-direction. The one that saved all your butts in the police station. With a bit of refinement and practice it could be a useful tactic.’

Adriel shrugged and gave Mako a playful smile.

‘But what use is training around that if I might not be here much longer?’ Mako asked.

‘Just because you might be moving on,’ said Urika, ‘doesn’t mean we won’t ever have another firebender here.’

Nikor and Aniki exchanged confounded looks, and Lorren’s eyes almost popped out of her head.

‘Well,’ said Urika, ignoring the reaction. ‘Drink up. I want us suited up in the yard in five minutes.’

Smoke rose through the gaps between the burnt, rusted metal sheets boarding up the training building’s windows. Nikor and Aniki crouched beside Adriel in a stance as if anticipating an attack. The plan was that the imminent jet of fire wouldn’t reach the firefighters. 

‘Nine forty-five,’ said Lorren without looking up from her watch.

Mako fastened his mask, put his helmet on, and positioned himself in front of the three firefighters. Though assured he could do what was expected of him, he felt a twinge in the pit of his stomach. Not the nerves that would reduce him to a blubbering mess, but those from before his first few pro-bending matches. He had fewer eyes on him, but if you made a bad move in a match you could often make up for it later.

‘Ten seconds until I open the door,’ Urika announced.

Suppressing those thoughts, Mako leaned further into his stance and nodded.

‘Five!’ Urika continued, picking up a cable tied to the smoking door’s handle. ‘Four! Three! Two! One!’ She pulled the cable. ‘Door open!’

With a clunk, the door opened. Urika recoiled as it slammed against the wall. The smoke, a mix of black, noxious yellow, and wisps of white, plumed up and out, each colour following the other like a raging river forced through the gap.

Expecting them to come flying out in an instant, Mako blinked at the lack of flames.

‘Hold it,’ said Adriel, as if expecting Mako to lower his guard.

He’d have preferred if the blast had been immediate, but he held firm as the smoke billowed into the evening sky, every heartbeat a slam.

‘One minute,’ said Adriel.

Mako felt it before he saw it. A rush of heat travelled through him from front to back. He gasped, and everything happened at once. 

A mushroom cloud shot towards them. The gases burst into flame as they filled Mako’s vision. In the instant of his initial warning, he thrust his arms out. The incoming inferno froze in mid-air. Smoke licked to the side, igniting as it did. Sweat poured down his forehead. His arms shook and cramped. Then an almost euphoric energy cascaded through his arms and into his chest. The blast’s power was his, and he pushed back. 

As if the scene were rewound, the fire retreated into the training building, blazing along the walls and rolling up onto the ceiling. Its energy dispersed before it could rebound. 

Mako lowered his trembling arms and finally breathed.

‘Whoop!’

A hand slapped Mako’s shoulder as he turned to view his colleagues. It was Nikor, who’d pulled off his mask. 

Mako’s mask almost peeled off his face as the adrenaline sank from his body.

‘I’ll be honest,’ said Adriel, as he tore off his mask. ‘It was better the first time you did it.’ 

Mako blinked, and the lieutenant added. ‘I liked that sense we could have all been fried if it went wrong. It was missing this time.’ He smiled through the nitpick.

‘Yeah. A little toasty,’ said Aniki, adding, ‘I got sweat all down my back.’ His comments drew all eyes to him. 

‘Always a critic,’ said Mako.

‘He has a point,’ said Urika, brushing part of her coat smeared with soot — finger marks already present and the rest of her sleeve baring no such smoke-damage. 

Steam drifted out of the training building, and Lorren crouched beneath it as she hauled a still-charged hose line through the door. 

Mako wasn’t sure what he could do to improve the technique — unless she wanted him to add lightning? Not impossible, but unnecessary.

‘But I think the probie’s done his fair share today,’ Urika added. ‘So maybe you guys could conjure up a solution to your sweaty little problem?’ 

She added. ‘Nicely done, Mako.’

The solution to the “sweaty little problem” manifested as Mako gulped water from his flask. 

Adriel gestured in a semi-circle above his head while Aniki and Nikor practised waterbending gestures. 

Mako had figured out their plan before Adriel called him over. ‘We’ll try it in miniature first,’ he said. ‘So, Mako, would you?’

A puddle rose off the ground as Nikor and Aniki bent the brownish water into a dome around Adriel’s outstretched hand. He gestured with his spare hand. The water slowed, and steam rose as it partially froze. 

Mako jabbed at the swirling miniature dome, and a flame shot out. It hit the dome, momentarily spread along the sides, then disappeared in wisps of steam.

‘So, any waterbending bumble flies in there won’t burn,’ said Aniki. ‘But what about us?’

‘It works in miniature,’ said Adriel. ‘And with Mako’s little backdraft repellent, that dome should work for us.’

‘You guys done this before?’ Mako asked at Aniki’s lack of confidence.

‘We all learnt it in the academy,’ said Adriel. ‘It’s an old technique that Republic City’s first firefighters used. Better suited to smaller houses with just one or two rooms, but less so in newer, compartmentalised buildings.’

‘Captain Polok said it used too much water,’ said Nikor.

‘Nikor, Captain Polok used a Screeching Dodo for his engine’s siren,’ said Aniki.

‘Well, whatever reason they haven’t used it for years, Company Seven’s bringing it back,’ said Adriel. ‘Now, places everyone!’ 

Urika set another fire in the training building. Everyone returned to roughly where they’d stood the first time as smoke billowed from beneath the window covers.

‘Masks up,’ said Adriel, pulling his over his face before putting on his helmet. ‘Not that I don’t trust you all,’ he added in response to their looks. ‘But this is a more advanced waterbending technique. The pressure in the hose will help, but since we haven’t tried this for a while, I don’t want anyone splashed with boiling water if it goes wrong.’

Everyone did so. Nikor and Aniki raised a hose, and Lorren sent a burst of water through the end connected to the engine. The two firefighters bent it into a large, swirling dome enclosing everyone. The surrounding sounds distorted as if they were underwater as Urika raised her fingers in a countdown.

Mako braced. Droplets splattered his mask, dripping down his goggles, and cooling his face once they’d seeped through. 

Aniki cried out, and it echoed around the dome. Mako felt a chill spread across his back. The water chilled into icy spots, washed away as Urika opened the door. 

Just as it had the first time, smoke plumed out like steam from a locomotive’s funnel. Just as it had before, after a minute, the backdraft erupted towards them. Just as in miniature, the fire hit the dome, and with a burst of steam, it spread across the front. 

Mako closed his eyes as the flames filled his vision. Grateful to Adriel for taking down the temperature, he felt the chill normalise as steam rose both inside and outside the dome. 

In an instant, sweat soaked into his mask. Had Adriel miscalculated? It had been used in the past, but maybe not against an unrelenting backdraft?

A fresh chill washed over Mako, and he opened his eyes to see the fire disperse. 

Something moved in the corner of his vision. Two short, blurry figures emerged from the fire station and ran towards the dome.

‘Boys? Get back!’ Aniki shouted and waved at the figures.

The dome burst. Walls of water flew upwards like an enormous drop hitting the ground. The blaze closed in, and Mako flung his arms to the side. Flames flew in all directions, and he dropped to the ground.

A loud hiss, punctuated by cries of distress and shock — then a scream.

Mako jumped to his feet. The dome had splattered onto the ground, and steam rose from the stain, leaving a dry circle shape around him.

The fire still burned inside the training building, where no one tried to put it out. There was another cry, and he saw why. All the firefighters crouched by the door leading to the engine house. Two boys sat scrunched between them. One covered his face, and the other gripped his arm, his teeth clenched beneath the rest of his contorted face. 

A boulder landed in the pit of Mako’s stomach. The boy clutching his arm was Fin, and Gaho lowered his hands as tears ran down his scolded cheeks.

Chapter Text

Lorren tore off the burnt remnants of Fin’s sleeve and threw it on the engine house floor. It had borne the brunt of the backdraft’s offshoot before the wave of boiling water had splashed it out; both of which had scalded Fin’s left arm. 

‘Doesn’t look too bad,’ said Adriel, kneeling in front of the boys as Lorren waved glowing, concentrated water across the wound. Urika withdrew her concentrated healing water from Gaho’s face, a similar reddish colour to his brother’s arm. ‘Rub in some cactus oil and you’ll be fine in the morning.’ 

‘Thank you, Lieutenant,’ said Urika. ‘Now, what were you two doing here in the first place? You’re not supposed to come until tomorrow.’ 

‘It was his idea!’ Gaho shouted, pointing at Fin.

‘I’m sorry!’ Fin cried, his voice shaking. ‘We’d…we had a job at the zoo. We finished it early and father’s not getting us for another hour.’

‘I told him we should wait!’ Gaho shouted, lunging at his brother. 

Fin did the same, but flinched as Gaho’s face came within inches of his.

Mako pushed between the boys as Nikor and Lorren grabbed and pulled them back. 

‘All right!’ Urika shouted. ‘Both of you, calm down!’

The boys’ anger drained, and they shrank into themselves as they stared at Urika. Gaho in defiance. Fin in remorseful deference.

‘Mako,’ said Urika in a newly businesslike tone. ‘Keep an eye on things while we clean up outside.’ 

Leaving Mako no time to object, the firefighters followed her back into the yard. Mako suppressed a sigh; even with his colleague’s newfound willingness to cooperate with him, he was still the probie.

‘What was that water…dome…thing?’ Fin asked.

‘What?’

‘That dome thing you guys made,’ said Fin, miming an invisible dome, his face beaming in an expectant, enthused stare.

‘I,’ Mako began, ‘we were trying out a new technique. Well, a revision of an old firefighting technique. So we don’t end up all crispy and fried if something blows up in our faces again.’

‘Oh yeah?’ said Fin. ‘What’s it called?’

‘I didn’t ask,’ said Mako. ‘Talk to Lieutenant Adriel when he’s finished outside.’

‘It was so cool,’ said Fin. ‘What else can you do?’

‘I can’t take all the credit,’ said Mako. ‘And how long were you spying on us?’

‘We weren’t spying!’ Gaho snapped.

‘All right,’ said Mako, gesturing as if Gaho were about to leap at him. ‘I believe you.’

‘Yeah,’ said Gaho, unconvinced. ‘And how did you bend water?’

‘I just said I can’t take all the credit,’ said Mako. ‘Those guys handled the water.’

‘So your garbage firebending’s what’s got us both burnt.’

‘Gaho, stop it!’ said Fin.

‘Hey, keep it civil, you two,’ said Mako.

A tense silence fell until Fin said, ‘I thought it looked really cool.’

‘Well,’ said Mako, ‘I’ve had some practice.’ 

Fin’s eager gaze persisted. To avoid another awkward silence, Mako described, with some creative liberties, some instances where he’d redirected explosions as he had in the yard — leaving out that he’d performed most outside duties for the fire department.

‘Did you use that on Ember Island?’ Fin asked.

It took Mako a second to remember the backstory he’d given Muhging, then nodded.

‘Wow,’ said Fin, the eager light still in his eyes. ‘You know, one time our school’s garden caught on fire. The teachers bent the rocks and slammed them down on the grass.’

‘Is that how they stop fires in Ba Sing Se?’ Mako asked.

The light in Fin’s eyes disappeared as if switched off. 

‘Oh no. I shouldn’t have said that.’ His face went pale, and tucking his arms into his chest, he clutched his mouth.

‘Don’t be stupid,’ said Gaho. ‘They can’t get to you here.’

‘The Dai Li?’ Mako asked, putting two and two together. ‘I can’t imagine you two getting in trouble with them.’ 

‘You don’t have to do anything wrong to get in trouble with the Dai Li,’ said Gaho, all arrogance gone.

‘Stomping fires out, though,’ said Mako after a pause. ‘Sounds kind of harsh, but it fits. Did they do that to people’s homes?’

Fin hesitated.

‘Hey,’ Mako said, crouching to look Fin in the eye. ‘I’ve dealt with the Dai Li before.’

‘Huh?’ Fin’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

‘Some vacationed on Ember Island,’ Mako added in a hurry. ‘Their house caught on fire, and we had to rescue them. They promised to look the other way if I ever needed them to.’

‘No,’ said Fin, more timid than before. ‘They didn’t. They used to put building fires out with sandbending.’

‘Yeah?’

‘Yeah. They hauled huge tubs of sand to fires and filled the houses.’

‘Cool,’ said Mako. ‘Sounds like you know your stuff.’

‘Yeah,’ said Fin, a renewed light in his eyes. ‘Our school’s dorm had a great view of the city. I used to stay up late and watch for smoke. There was a fire hall just down the street, too. We did some lessons on creature care and the teachers took us there to watch them feed their Ostrich Horses.’

‘Didn’t they have fire trucks?’ asked Mako.

‘Just carts for the sand,’ said Fin.

‘Interesting. What else did you study?’

‘A load of stuff,’ said Fin, eager and bright. ‘History. Animals and plants of the world.’ He hesitated, looked over his shoulder, then leaned towards Mako. ‘They even told us all about the spirit world.’

‘The spirit world?’

’Shhh!’

‘Hey, remember, I can handle any snooping Dai Li.’

‘Well,’ Fin said, a little less enthused. ‘Professor Pushu said he wasn’t supposed to teach us it, but he wanted to.’

‘Nice,’ said Mako, then he noticed Gaho. Rather than listen to their conversation, he crouched on the sidewalk and jabbed at something in the dirt by the roadside. 

‘Is he all right?’

‘He’s been a little stressed lately,’ said Fin. ‘Father has been too. I think he wants Gaho to step up, or something.’ A sadness came over him as he continued. ‘I wish I was a waterbender. Then I could be one of you.’

‘Hey,’ said Mako. ‘Did you forget everything you just told me?’

‘It’s different in Republic City,’ said Fin, his eyes wandering to the floor.

‘Fin,’ said Mako, squatting into Fin’s line of sight. ‘I got a little secret.’ He leaned in and spoke in a voice close to a whisper. ‘Things might be changing soon.’

Fin blinked and opened his mouth as if to ask for more.

‘I can’t say much more,’ said Mako. ‘Not yet.’ Feeling his babysitting skills fatiguing, Mako stole another glance at the door to the station yard. How much longer would the others take to clean up?

‘Mako?’ Fin asked in a timid voice. ‘I know you might not…I mean, it might be breaking the rules, but—’

‘What might be breaking the rules?’

‘Well,’ Fin’s cheeks went red. ‘I can sandbend. I practised watching the firemen in Ba Sing Se. Would you like to see it?’

Mako considered the implications. What would happen if it went wrong? How long would he be left cleaning up the mess? What if someone got injured — again?

‘Please,’ said Fin. ‘I want to help.’

Mako got a bucket of sand from the storeroom. ‘This do?’ he asked, scooping up a handful.

‘Yeah.’

Leaving the bucket on the sidewalk, Mako indicated a line of miniature vines sticking through a gap in the slabs. ‘That’s your fire,’ he said, pointing at the one in the middle.

Fin nodded, took a deep breath, pulled his arms back, and punched at the vine shoots. The dirt left the ground, flew towards the shoot, and buried it. He let out a joyous laugh and punched the air.

‘Wow,’ said Mako, crouching at Fin’s level and patting him on the shoulder. ‘Good job.’

Fin spun around, his mouth open and his eyes beaming as if Mako had just told him he’d won a lifetime’s supply of jennamite.

The moment didn’t last. With a POP and a WHOOSH, flames leapt from the crack in the sidewalk. They encircled and engulfed the vines still showing, then flared across the entire slab. Mako raised his hands and pushed the fire away. He leapt to his feet, but hadn’t chance to run into the station and grab a bucket of water before Fin cried out. Not in pain, but triumph. 

He stood, fists clenched in a stance towards the vine shoots — or the pile of ashes and dirt in their place. Breathless, Fin gaped at Mako, not believing what he’d just done. Gaho looked in shock between Mako, Fin, and the charred vines.

Mako hadn’t chance to say anything before Adriel strode out from the engine house. 

‘Boys, I just got off the phone with your father. He’s coming to get y—’. His eyes bulged as he noticed the cindered and charred mess on the sidewalk. ‘Probie,’ he said, folding his arms as he turned to Mako. ‘Firefighters encouraging children to play with fire? Unbelievable. This could get you kicked out of the department.’

Fin’s eyes darted between Mako and Adriel. ‘I’m sorry!’ he blurted. ‘It was my fault. I wanted to show him how they put fires out in the Earth—’

‘Relax, Fin,’ Adriel said with a smile. ‘I was only joking. But I don’t think the captain would appreciate another fire in her station, or if you got yourself burnt again.’

At Adriel’s suggestion, the boys went back inside the station; Gaho faster than Fin.

‘Look, I’m sorry, Lieutenant,’ said Mako. ‘It was irresponsible of me.’

‘Kid, don’t sweat it,’ said Adriel. ‘Although we don’t use real fire in our education programmes.’

‘I—’ Mako began, then decided against it.

‘You what?’ said Adriel.

‘You’d think I was making it up.’

‘Try me.’

Against his better judgment, Mako described how the vine had spontaneously combusted. To which Adriel made a you’re a terrible liar face. ‘Gaho might have done it? Little prankster.’

‘I don’t think so,’ said Mako. ‘I didn’t feel any firebending from him.’

Brakes screeched, and a shiny, black Satomobile mounted the sidewalk. Muhging leapt from the back.

‘Lieutenant! Mako!’ he said with a nod as he raced into the engine house.

‘Are you trying to make my hair fall out?’ Muhging yelled as he noticed Fin and Gaho. Devoid of the boisterousness of his last visit, he sounded genuinely angry. ‘I waited ages for you two. I called Ben, seven sites and the office before I found out where you were! And…what happened to your face?’ He pointed at Gaho.

‘Muhging,’ said Urika. She jogged up in front of him and spoke as if addressing a chief. ‘I apologise for what happened, but I can assure you we did everything to help them afterwards.’

‘What?’ Muhging blurted.

In a matter-of-fact voice, Urika explained what happened in the yard.

‘Oh,’ said Muhging. ‘Well, I guess accidents happen. Their own fault for sneaking about.’ His anger drained as he spoke to Mako. ‘Thank you for keeping watch over them, Mako. At least I know they were in good hands while I was running around like a headless komodo chicken looking for them.’

Mako nodded, but had to suppress an eye-roll. This felt like the prelude to another deafening pep talk. How loud could Muhging’s voice go when coupled with a tetchy temperament?

‘Mako!’ Lorren shouted just in time. ‘Call for you.’

Charging into the watchroom, Mako seized the handset. Expecting to hear Chief Beifong’s voice, he winced at the excitable babble that met his ear.

‘Hey, bro!’

‘Evening, Bolin,’ said Mako, grateful for the distraction, even as Bolin launched into a comprehensive account of how he’d been sent back to Zaofu to help Suyin and her family prepare for their upcoming visit, and all the luxury he’d indulged in as a byproduct. In a moment of lost focus, he noticed Lorren. Rather than standing by the door, she sat at the desk and scribbled something on the papers.

‘Bro, you need to come next time,’ he said. ‘You could use a vacation.’

‘So you are just vacationing there,’ said Mako.

‘Hey,’ Bolin said, offended. ‘I’ve finished all my political engagements and I’m using the rest of my time as I please. Wrap that case up quickly, and you can join us. We’ll be back soon. Su and her family are staying in this awesome hotel downtown. It’s called the Platinum Tower. She showed me all these pictures of it. It’s got saunas. Earth King-sized beds. Fountains. Spirit vines on display. Fastest room service in the city. Makes the Four Elements look like a backstreet motel. It’s a-maz-ing!’

‘You should work for the tourism committee,’ said Mako. 

‘Not a bad idea. Zhu Li said they need to get people to come back to Republic City after the last few years.’ 

Mako sighed. ‘I’m sure your obligations to the Beifongs at that a-maz-ing hotel would be great for that.’

‘Don’t worry, bro,’ said Bolin. ‘I won’t abandon you. As tempting a prospect as putting my feet up in a seven-star luxury room with an en-suite swimming pool is, I thought you’d want to see me more.’

‘Thanks, bro.’

‘I gotta stop by Air Temple Island and see Asami and Korra first, though. Oh, and Opal said something about needing to catch up with her airbending.’

‘Is she all right?’

‘She’s getting really good. I mean, she said she might have to smooth things over with Tenzin. She’s been away a load, but she’ll have those blue arrow tattoos before—’

‘I meant Asami!’

‘I just mentioned three girls, bro,’ said Bolin. ‘You should be more specific.’

‘Okay!’ said Mako, then smoothed out his voice. ‘I didn’t know you’d spoken to them.’

‘I caught a few minutes when Su spoke to Korra,’ said Bolin. ‘She sounded—’ A long, drawn-out beep drowned out whatever Bolin had to say.

‘Hold up,’ said Mako, shaking the receiver. Lorren stood at his side and held out her hand. ‘Bolin, I gotta go,’ said Mako under Lorren’s piercing eyes. ‘I think we got another call coming through.’

‘Well, see you in a couple of days, bro.’

Lorren took the phone before Mako had finished handing it to her. He would have stayed in the watchroom to avoid Muhging, but caught Lorren’s glare through the sides of her eyes and felt it best to leave.

‘Mako!’

Blinking just in time to hide his despair, Mako forced a smile as Muhging spread his arms, but stopped short of an embrace.

‘Forgive my haste. Running a business in this city is not for the faint of heart, but I couldn’t not say thank you for keeping watch over these two troublemakers.’ He indicated Fin and Gaho, both looking like they’d just been told off.

‘Oh, it was nothing,’ said Mako, shrugging and offering the boys a smile like it would spread to them.

‘Babysitter one minute, action hero the next,’ said Muhging, his voice and posture regaining its bombastic-ness. ‘Fin couldn’t help but tell me what you did at that…that awful fire at the police station. I hope Chief Beifong gets well soon. Do pass on my regards when you see her.’

Mako’s chest tightened, and Muhging’s grin faltered. 

‘Oh, please forgive me for eavesdropping, but I overheard you mention the Beifongs on the phone. Don’t tell me you’re friendly with them?’

‘Uh, yeah,’ Mako began. ‘Yeah, I know Chief Beifong’s…niece. We met when I first moved here.’ He wouldn’t have believed that if he’d been in Muhging’s shoes. ‘And I also met Chief Beifong at my inauguration ceremony when I transferred to Republic City. It was part of this big exchange programme with all the…emergency departments, and…yeah, so that’s how I know them.’

Had he pushed it too far? Did that story contradict anything he’d already said?

‘I knew you had the stuff to go far in life,’ Muhging laughed. ‘I mean, of course, I’ve had the privilege of working for the family in the past. Helped with their suite in the Platinum Tower, I did, and we still perform the odd bit of maintenance there. Really is a splendid place. Play your cards right, and you could find yourself in a very comfy carry-on with connections like that! But, I’m sorry, Mako. I’d love to stay and talk all day, but a business doesn’t run itself. You must all give me a demonstration next time I stop by.’ 

His voice sharpened as he turned to his boys. ‘Come on, you two!’

Mako waved as they drove away, dropping the facade as soon as the car left his sight. How many more layers would he have to add to his cover story before that pompous old fart left him alone?

While future visits were a potential problem, a present one returned as he wandered to the open doors. He eyed the remains of the spontaneously combusting vines. No evidence connected the two; as far as he recalled, none of the buildings involved had vines enwrapping them, but he couldn’t discount it.

‘Well,’ Nikor announced to the engine house, ‘I’d best start dinner.’

‘Great,’ said Aniki as if dinner was something to dread. ‘I can’t wait for another platter of roasted giant flies.’

‘I know you love them, buddy,’ said Nikor as he set foot on the stairs. ‘Served with pickled kombu kelp, just for you.’

Remembering their talk in the office, Mako called out to Nikor, who’d barely turned to acknowledge him when the alarm sounded.

A mangle of cars filled the highway’s inside lane, blocked by a mail van with another car’s wreckage wrapped around its hood. Engine Seven parked diagonally in the blocked lane, and the car following too close behind them had to swerve into the outside lane. Drivers from the wrecked vehicles who could walk stumbled towards the dismounting firefighters. Others slumped on the outer guardrail. 

Aniki and Adriel took the drivers aside, leaving Mako and Nikor to run out the first covering hoses. 

As Mako finished laying his out, he heard a thump on glass, followed by a scream. A little girl pounded on a car’s back window. Mako ordered her to get back and cover her eyes, then smashed the window with his elbow. The girl kept screaming as Mako grabbed her. She pointed at a man. He was unconscious, and the steering wheel pressed him into his seat.

A wailing siren rang over the scene as Mako pulled the girl from the car. A police airship’s shadow loomed over the crash site as its metalbending cops rappelled down. 

‘Nice job, kid,’ said a voice, and Mako found a woman in black and gold armour taking the girl from him.

‘Chief?’

‘If you try and tell me I should still be in bed, you’ve got latrine duties for six months.’ She handed the girl to one of her officers. ‘Metalbenders, listen up! Check all these cars and get everyone out!’

Metal ripped and wrenched as the officers tore the doors off every smashed car. Chief Beifong pulled the roof off the car from which Mako had just rescued the girl and winced as she hauled the driver from his seat.

‘Beifong?’ Urika said, business-like. ‘You’re looking well.’

‘You’d be surprised what a bottle of Earth Kingdom wine can do.’

‘You’re welcome.’ Urika turned on the spot and shouted, ‘Aniki! You’re on the fire in the van. Don’t let it spread to the gas tank!’

‘Cap!’ Adriel shouted as he eased a shaken-looking man away from the crash. ‘Gas is leaking from the cars.’ He pointed to the car closest to him. Something dripped from the rear, pooling around the wheel. ‘Nikor! Get the sand buckets!’

‘Back me up, Mako!’ Aniki ordered, heaving a hose towards the wrecks.

Mako did so, and the two advanced on the van as Nikor haphazardly threw the sand over the gas pooling beneath the cars. The water rushed in a cone over the van’s rear doors, and the flames retreated.

‘No hazardous materials notices!’ Aniki shouted.

‘It’s just a mail truck!’ Mako added, pointing at the remnants of the United Republic Mailing Service’s logo on the unburnt patches.

Adriel joined them as they advanced. Handing them the hose line, Mako reached for the door handle. Water pummelled his back, and his helmet slipped down his forehead, soaking his neck guard. Inch by inch, he eased the door open, gritting his teeth through every burst of freezing water.

Flames licked through the door, pushed back by Aniki’s jet. Mako winced as steam billowed into his face. As the cloud cleared, he caught his first view of the inside of the van. A figure, or the silhouette of one, slumped through the fire. Their clothes ablaze, their face dark.

The pressure dropped as the water washed over the figure, and it fell onto the road.

Before Mako could take in any identifying features, that feeling of impending danger landed in his stomach. 

BANG!

He flung himself behind the door as flames burst towards the firefighters. Aniki and Adriel dived for the ground, and the smoke-shrouded fireball rolled over them into the air.

‘The gas tank?’ asked Aniki as the two stood up.

‘If that was the gas tank, we wouldn’t be talking right now!’ said Adriel. 

‘Help!’ a voice cried from the front of the truck. ‘Help me!’

They found a metalbending officer straining to untangle the crumpled mess that had once been the truck’s hood, now pressing on the driver’s torso. The man screamed and flailed as much as the compressed space allowed, and fire licked up from the passenger seat.

‘Hey!’ The metalbending officer shouted, the strain contorting his face. ‘I could do with some water on that!’

Aniki grabbed the hose and smothered the encroaching fire. A second metalbending officer joined her colleague, and the two forced the hood to one side.

Mako raced in. Whatever injuries his rapid intervention might cause the driver, it was better than him going the way of his colleague. He pulled the driver onto the road, and his stomach dropped again. The back of his neck burned as he forced the driver flat on the ground, and Aniki and the cops jumped clear as an explosion engulfed the van.

The evening rush hour slowed in the outside lane and on the opposite highway as drivers and their passengers gawped at the crash.

Mako watched over his shoulder, then pulled a salvage sheet over the body. The pile of bones and blackened skin that greeted him had once been a person. Someone who’d shown up to work for a day of delivering mail, same as they had for however long they’d been working.

He stopped his thoughts before they could spiral. That wasn’t his burden. Not today.

Nikor dropped a black bag atop the sheet without taking his eyes off the mail truck’s smouldering wreckage.

‘Yeah,’ said Mako. ‘Not much left.’

Nikor gave a noncommittal murmur.

‘You all right, dude?’ Mako pressed. 

Nikor blinked. ‘Yeah. Just…just hungry.’ And he left.

The truck’s rear compartment had collapsed, both inward and onto the road. The mangled fragments of what had been walls mixed with the sodden piles of sand.

Mako decided there was no point in picking apart every bit of the wreck before he knew where to start. Instead, he made for the ambulance — just as it sped away.

‘They couldn’t wait,’ said Beifong, heading for the crash. ‘We were quick, but he still got burned pretty bad.’

Mako sighed, and Beifong followed him to the burnt-out truck. He stared down at the mess at his feet, then stepped over it. 

The metal footplate was as scorched as the vehicle’s frame. Fearing it wouldn’t take his weight, he pressed it. When it didn’t give, he stepped up and into the back of the van. He scanned what remained of the cargo — there wasn’t much. Skeletal outlines of what had once been crates lined the walls. Some had fallen out and shattered on the road. 

‘How’s it looking up front?’ Mako asked.

‘I’ve seen worse,’ said Beifong, craning through the door between the cab and the back. ‘But whatever started the fire ain’t in here.’

‘Yeah, I know,’ said Mako. Craning into the cab, the burn patterns lacked intensity.

Returning to the rear compartment, he peered into what remained of the crates. They all had similar contents: an assortment of letters and packages. The scorching was worse on the outside than within. Failing to find a source, he squatted and set his attention on the floor. A carpet-like layer of ash covered it, and a pile of the stuff sat beside the crate closest to the rear exit. 

Something poked through the top. Mako brushed the ashes aside, taking care not to damage whatever sat beneath. He found a small package in the corner, stained black with a gaping hole in the side. The box pushed out as if something had burst out from within. He raised it and positioned it so the light from the nearest streetlight shone through the hole. 

‘Mako?’ came Urika’s voice. She placed a tentative foot on the rear step. ‘We’re all packed up and ready to go.’ She blinked. ‘You found something?’

‘Maybe,’ said Mako. 

Beifong had heard and climbed through from the front. 

Mako presented the package to both women, then turned it so the light shone inside it.

Something slid into view.

‘Wire?’ Mako thought aloud. He tipped the package, and short, string-like pieces fell into his outstretched hand. ‘No, it’s organic.’

‘Sticks?’ said Urika. ‘Worms?’

Mako shook the package again, but nothing else came out.

‘No detonator or timer,’ said Beifong.

Handing her the package, Mako examined a piece of the contents. It was too thick for a worm, but it lacked a head. He examined another. This one was more fully-formed and looked more like a grub or a beetle. 

‘Where was this going?’ Mako asked. Then he noticed the corner from which he’d picked up the package. It lacked the same darkness as the rest of the van. He turned the package over and over again in search of a label. Half of it had been burnt away, including the address. But there was something else. A number, still partially readable:

0164-3

Some words preceded it, but only the last few letters were readable:

‘…ck up No.:’ 

‘Hey, cap!’ Adriel shouted. ‘We’re all packed up!’

Urika gave Mako an apologetic look.

‘I’ll finish up here and let you know what else I find,’ said Beifong.

Mako nodded and handed her the remains of the package.

Beifong looked at the singed label. ‘I’ll call the mail service as soon as I’m done at the hospital. I’ve had the latest intel on everything linked to the fires sent to Station Seven. Have a look through them while I try and get you something from this.’

They ate in silence. Mako played with his food, and it was cold when he did take a bite. 

Nothing of Beifong’s latest intel that he’d read so far was of much interest. He’d flicked through a dozen near-identical witness statements from the police station fire before Adriel ordered him to the kitchen for the long-delayed meal.

‘It’s good, Nikor,’ Urika said, looking up from her bowl. ‘Thank you.’

Nikor flashed a thin-lipped smile without looking up from his food.

The heavy silence returned, lingering until everyone finished one by one. The meal wasn’t bad, considering it had been left on the counter for three hours, but Mako couldn’t wait to leave, thanking Aniki for taking his dish-cleaning duties as he slumped back to the locker room. 

‘You all right?’

Adriel caught Mako as he left the living area. He answered with an affirming, yet non-committed murmur. 

Catching Adriel’s knowing look, Mako decided to clear the air. ‘Did you see what was left of him?’

‘Yeah.’

‘We’ve both done it, haven’t we?’

Adriel nodded. ‘Worst news for anyone.’

‘You see why I’ve got to get to the bottom of this, Lieu? Innocent people are getting caught up. I need to make sure no one else has to hear that their father, brother, son, mother, sister, daughter, whatever ain’t coming home because some psycho arsonist with a chip on his shoulder wanted to make a point.’

‘You think those Ashes guys did that?’ Adriel asked.

‘I don’t know. I mean, they could have, but they don’t seem the type to pull off something like that.’

‘All right,’ said Adriel. ‘Take as much time as you need.’ And he retreated from the locker room.

‘Lieu,’ Mako said, remembering the events of that afternoon. ‘Where’s Nikor?’

With his food-stained apron still tied around his waist, Nikor slid into the locker room. Adriel made to leave, but Mako waved his hand, and he stayed.

‘What can I do for you, Mako?’ he asked.

‘Something was wrong at the crash,’ said Mako. ‘I could tell.’

‘It wasn’t the dead guy,’ said Nikor. ‘I’ve seen more of them than I’d like to, but I can take it.’ Staring at the floor, he added, ‘I just hope the explosion took him out before the fire.’

‘So what was wrong?’ Mako asked.

‘I dunno,’ said Nikor. ‘Felt something like dread. Like I was scared something horrible was gonna happen. I mean, worse than what had happened already.’

‘Like something was coming?’

‘More like something I loved, something that made me feel good, had been twisted into something horrible. I felt it the whole time we were fighting that fire. When do you feel yours?’

‘Just before the explosions,’ said Mako. With so little gained from the night, he told Nikor what he’d found in the packages in the back of the truck.

Nikor blinked, and distress flashed in his eyes. ‘If there was so little left,’ he said, ‘what makes you think they were spirit vines?’

‘That’s what I hoped you could help with,’ said Mako, then described what happened with Fin’s sapling earlier that evening.

‘It did what?’ Nikor said, his eyes widening.

‘I take it you’ve never heard of this before?’

‘Not in the swamp,’ said Nikor. ‘Vines are far too damp for a fire to take hold that quick.’ He covered his mouth, then added, ‘Unless something in the city’s, I dunno, poisoning them?’

‘Poisoning?’ Mako pressed, then remembered the dark forms spirits took when they got angry.

‘I ain’t an expert on spirits, Mako,’ said Nikor. You’d be better asking your Avatar buddy about that.’

‘Thanks, Nikor,’ said Mako, putting his pen away and shaking Nikor’s hand. ‘You’ve been a great help.’

Nikor left the room.

‘Spirits?’ said Urika. Stood by the door beside Adriel, she sounded somewhere between curious and disbelieving. 

‘I doubt those thick-skulled thugs have a spiritbender in their ranks,’ said Mako, thinking of the Ashes’ skirmish on his way in.

He read through the rest of his files. Witness statements. More images of the burn patterns. Then a police report. An accusation of harassment and a request for a restraining order. Mako shook his head. Beifong must have put this in by accident in her haste to get the dossier ready. He glanced at the top of the form, read the details of who’d filed it, then blinked. 

Doja’s name was in the box. Mako read further. It was a restraining order; filed against the Triads from the hideout fire.

‘We’ve got the pro-bending on,’ said Adriel.

Mako looked up from the report. Adriel and Urika stood in the same spots they’d been earlier. ‘You should come listen with us.’

‘I can’t,’ said Mako, then realised he’d been chewing his pen. ‘I’ve still got statements to read.’

‘Listen to your lieutenant,’ said Urika. ‘If we get another call, I don’t want you getting sleepy and falling off the engine on the way.’

Everyone placed a bet before the match began, between the Red Sands Rabaroos and the White Falls Wolfbats. Mako picked the Wolfbats without giving it much thought. 

Most of the game was a standard pro-bending match. Mako paid it little attention, only realising anything had happened when the others cheered as the team they were betting on advanced. He’d brought a couple of files with him and flipped through them as he sat in one of the armchairs. Failing to find anything groundbreaking, he closed his final file and slid it under his chair.

The match ended with the Red Sands Rabaroos winning, and Mako losing five yuan. 

He’d shrugged as he tossed the coins onto the coffee table, his mind miles away, lost in a haze of contradictions and unanswered questions.

Nobody bothered to switch the wireless off and were treated to the post-match analysis with the commentator and two ‘expert’ pro-benders. 

Mako scooped up the files and readied to take them back to his locker. 

‘What you working on cap?’ asked Nikor.

‘Nothing,’ said Urika, sharply.

Across the room, Mako saw Urika standing up from the kitchen table. She too was filing papers inside a red dossier.

‘Sorry to distract you,’ said Nikor.

‘It’s fine,’ said Urika. ‘It’s just some paperwork. I’ll finish it in my office.’

‘Looks too interesting for paperwork,’ said Aniki, leaning over. ‘First  incident reports I’ve seen with stickfigure sketch—’

‘You want to be on hose cleaning duties for the next six weeks?’

Aniki and Nikor backed up as Urika scooped up the dossier and left.

Mako had too much to think about to give the incident much thought. The haze lingered as he went to bed and lay there. 

Nothing about the case added up. 

First, Future Industries seemed the main target; most of the buildings were owned by, or linked to them. 

He’d half ruled out the explosion at the Triad’s hideout, but the attack at the police headquarters felt too high profile to discount them.

Doja, once his prime suspect and capable of triggering the explosions, seemed less and less likely to be his arsonist with every new revelation. Yet, he had been at the police station just before that had gone up in flames. 

The Ashes had claimed responsibility for that fire, though. But from what Mako had seen of them, they didn’t seem the type to organise such a campaign and not get caught. The possibility of spiritbending being involved would certainly make that easier. But would the Ashes know how to harness spirits in such a way to cause a fire?

And the mail truck crash. How did that fit in? Was it even part of the same web or a separate incident? Strange, but unconnected?

Without enough evidence to discount Azulon’s Ashes, Mako resigned himself to further investigating the group. His heart sank at the thought. He already had enough on his plate without going too deep into another line of enquiry. 

He sighed, and his eyelids felt heavy.

Something jostled him, and a pair of hands gripped tight on his shoulders. Bolting upright, he almost butted heads with who’d woken him. Lorren, in a t-shirt and shorts, with an urgent look in her eyes.

‘Phone call for you,’ she hissed.

Light-footing his way to the watch room, Mako noted it was just past 5 a.m.. He found the phone off the hilt and cleared his throat.

‘Hello?’

‘I would have called sooner.’ It was Chief Beifong, sounding tired through the crackling line. ‘But the hospital and the mail service’s office were closed until half an hour ago. I just got off the phone with the first one.’ She paused.

‘Yeah?’ Mako pressed, his train of thought restarting as if a switch had flipped.

‘Are you sitting down?’ Beifong asked.

‘What?’ Mako’s stomach felt heavy as he sat in the watch room’s wooden chair.

‘That pick up number was attached to three packages,’ said Beifong. ‘All the same size and weight. All bound for the same place: Future Industries’ headquarters.’

Mako’s brain fired in a million directions as he processed the news.

Beifong continued before Mako could piece everything together. ‘I just spoke with Zhu Li. The city’s threat level’s now at red, and we should be grateful our suspect doesn’t know where their target actually is.’

‘I’ll call Tenzin and get more of the White Lotus to Air Temple Island,’ said Mako.

‘I like your thinking, detective,’ said Beifong. ‘But it’ll take too long for more to get here. I’m afraid I had to improvise.’

Mako’s chest tightened. ‘Chief. Air Temple Island’s out of P.D.’s jurisdiction. You’ve—’

‘I did what I had to,’ Beifong barked back. ‘Unfortunately, with all my busywork from your casebook, I didn’t have time to phone ahead. And while it’s necessary to protect Ms Sato, Tenzin and the Avatar won’t appreciate restrictions being dumped on them without explanation.’

‘Oh no,’ said Mako, already hearing Korra’s voice ringing in his ears. ‘You called them afterwards, right?’

‘I tried,’ said Beifong. ‘But something’s stopping me from getting through. I’m sorry to put all this on you, kid, but you’re on better terms with everyone there than anyone else I know. Now, I’ll get you a statement from the mail truck driver, and I need you to get over to Air Temple Island like you’ve got every Shirshu in the world after you, and make sure the airbenders don’t sever all ties with the United Republic before sunrise.’

Chapter Text

Mako’s heart sank as Air Temple Island came into view. Two patrol boats, identical to Mako’s, sped parallel to the beaches, and a police airship hovered over the tower, its spotlights shining over rooftops and rocks. A police boat had struck the jetty, and a group of officers and a White Lotus guard argued next to the crushed masonry. 

Mako’s boat had barely docked before he leapt onto the jetty, flashed his badge to the bickering officers and charged through the archway and up the steps. Reaching the top, he heard shouting and found a battle raging in the plaza.

Funnels of air burst skyward, punctuated by the shots and grinds of unspooling wires. Seven metalbending officers staggered and charged after two children in airbender wingsuits who leapt out of their reach and shot retaliatory pulses of air.

‘Get off our island!’ one of the kids shouted. ‘Or I’ll take ALL you cops down!’

Mako recognised Meelo’s short, scruffy hair and the golden snoods in his sister’s.

‘You have no right to be here,’ Ikki shouted, landing after a barrage of airbending. ‘You have to leave! Why won’t you listen to us?’

Mako called out as he ran towards the fight; his voice lost in a freshly-launched gust. Jumping out of the way of two more blasts of air, he shouted again. Nobody heard above a fresh round of spooling and unspooling wires.

‘Hey!’ Mako shouted as loud as he could. He punched skyward, and a flame burst from his fist. 

The fighting paused as all heads turned towards him.

‘Everybody stand down,’ Mako ordered, extinguishing his flames.

A metalbending sergeant gave Mako a who do you think you are? look, that vanished once Mako flashed his badge.

‘Mako!’ Ikki shouted. The kids rushed towards him and launched into overlapping, gesture-filled rants.

‘Hey,’ Mako said, raising his hands and silencing the kids. ‘One at a time!’

‘They should NOT be here,’ Ikki said, gesturing at the officers surrounding them in a circle. ‘They don’t own Air Temple Island!’

‘You hear that, tin heads?’ Meelo shouted at the cops. ‘You ain’t welcome here!’

‘This island is a protected space!’ Ikki added.

‘This is an act of war!’ Meelo shouted, jabbing his finger at Mako. ‘You get your stupid cops off our island before I throw them off in a tornado!’

‘All right,’ Mako raised his voice. ‘Where’s your dad?’

‘Daddy’s busy!’ Ikki said. ‘Aren’t we good enough to—?’

‘Hey!’ a woman shouted from across the plaza. ‘That’s enough, you two!’ Pema marched towards them, Rohan holding her hand. Some of the cops stood defensively, but relaxed as the two neared.

‘Mom!’ Ikki yelled. ‘They won’t leave. I said—’

‘I heard what you said,’ said Pema. ‘I’m not a fan of this occupation either,’ she eyed Mako as she spoke. ‘But fighting isn’t going to help things.’

‘Mommy,’ said Rohan, hiding behind Pema’s legs. ‘I’m scared.’

‘It’s okay, honey,’ said Pema, rubbing her son’s head. ‘This man here’s a friend, and he’s going to put things right.’

Mako wanted to temper those expectations, but thought better of it.

‘Now,’ Pema said, turning to Ikki and Meelo. ‘You two go to your rooms while we sort all this out.’

Ikki blinked. ‘But mom—!’

Pema stared daggers at the two, and they shrank off towards their dormitories.

‘So, where’s Tenzin?’ Mako asked.

Pema frowned. ‘In his office, where he can’t damage anything.’ She shot a look at the officers as she led Mako towards the tower. ‘Or anyone.’

Police officers surrounded the buildings Mako and Pema passed on their way to the tower. None had made it inside, where airbenders, some defiant, others scared, watched from the doors and windows.

‘What do you mean she’s busy?’ Tenzin’s voice rang through the corridor as they approached his office.

‘Sorry,’ Pema said. ‘Unannounced interruptions aren’t his thing.’

Mako nodded as they reached the sliding door. ‘Excuse me,’ he began as he slid it open. ‘Master Tenzin?’

‘WHAT?’ Tenzin spun round, his brows raised over his scarlet face.

‘Darling, please,’ said Pema, stepping in front of Mako. ‘This isn’t his fault.’

Tezin’s ferocity faltered as he recognised Mako. ‘No,’ he sighed. ‘No, I suppose it isn’t.’ 

Mako bowed, apologising for the disruption as Tenzin hung up the phone. The office looked like Tenzin had unleashed a tornado inside it, and scrolls lay across his desk and the floor.

‘I wouldn’t have minded so much if I could have negotiated with Lin before they swarmed this sacred piece of land without any regard for—’

‘All right, dear,’ said Pema.

‘Well, it would have been less of a shock,’ said Tenzin. ‘Now, Mako, would it be so much to ask for an explanation as to why we’re suddenly overrun by your officers? I tried to ask them, but they just kept saying they had orders to follow.’

‘Yeah, I will,’ said Mako. ‘But I need to—’

‘There’s still more coming!’ A voice called from upstairs; a voice Mako hadn’t expected to hear, but in a strange way, welcomed. Footsteps pounded above and down the stairs. The door crashed into the wall as it was flung open, and a tanned-skinned woman barged into the room.

‘What did they s—?’ Korra blinked as she saw Mako, and her mouth momentarily hung open. ‘Mako?’

‘Korra.’

She wore a light blue tank top and baggy black pants, and her brown bob looked like she’d just got out of bed. ‘When did you get here?’

‘About five minutes ago. Look, I’m sorry about this.’

‘Is this all your fault?’ Korra asked, gesturing at the window.

‘No,’ said Mako. ‘Well, not entirely.’

‘What do you mean, not entirely?’

Mako winced at her raised voice. ‘Look, I promise I’ll tell you everything. But first I need to see Asami.’

Korra shrank back. ‘Why?’

Mako hesitated, carefully choosing his words, then said, ‘Because this is kind of to do with her.’

Korra considered him. 

‘All right. I’ll take you to her,’ she said at last. ‘But first, I gotta know something really important.’

‘What?’

‘Why are you dressed like a firefighter?’

Mako felt his face hot as he looked down at his body. The words Probationary Firefighter and the F.D.R.C. crest greeted him. In his haste to leave, he’d forgotten to change out of his station-wear.

‘Can’t it wait until everyone’s around?’ Mako asked, not keen on explaining it more than once.

Korra folded her arms.

Resigned to his fate, Mako sighed and, making sure he didn’t mention anything about the case itself, told Korra why he was dressed like he was.

‘Wow,’ Korra said, once Mako finished. ‘I thought you were just trying to impress someone.’ Gesturing Mako to follow her, she led the trio towards the exit. She raised an eyebrow as she said, ‘or you were wearing it for a side job.’

Mako’s stomach lurched, but he felt it best not to argue against Korra’s implications.

Before anyone could reach the door to the courtyard, it flew open, and two airbenders hurried inside. 

‘Daddy!’ Jinora said. She had troubled eyes, and her hair was messy like she’d been airbending. ‘I tried talking to them, but they won’t listen.’

‘Just following orders. Just following orders,’ Kai mimicked, and placed his hand on Jinora’s shoulder. ‘Then they threatened to lock us up if we didn’t leave.’

Tenzin and Pema hugged Jinora. 

Kai blinked as he noticed Mako. ‘Can’t you do something about this?’

‘I’ll try,’ said Mako. ‘But let me see Asami first.’

Kai’s demeanour changed as he eyed Mako’s shirt. ‘Still playing firefighter, huh?’

‘You knew about this?’ Korra asked.

‘Sorry,’ said Kai. ‘It didn’t seem important.’

‘Don’t worry,’ said Korra with a smile.

Mako did the same. Halfway out of the door, he remembered what Nikor said about spirits and the vines.

‘Jinora?’ he called back. ‘Could you come with us?’

Jinora turned, but Kai spoke first. ‘It’s too early. We’re all stressed out with these swarming cops.’

‘Excuse me,’ said Jinora, folding her arms. ‘I don’t recall letting you control what I can and can’t do.’

Pema smiled as Kai winced.

‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘Just promise me you won’t wear yourself out. Not after what happened in the Spirit World.’

‘I won’t,’ Jinora said in a softer voice. ‘Promise.’

‘Will you at least let me come with you?’ Kai asked.

Jinora smiled as she kissed Kai’s cheek, and Tenzin’s shadow shook against the wall. 

Metalbending cops approached the group as they crossed the yard towards the women’s dormitory. Mako waved them off with his badge, but how they’d recoiled made him think they’d met Korra’s glare first.

Korra slid through the doors to the same dormitory she and Asami had shared during their first stay, and a moment later, invited the others in.

Mako’s stomach felt like lead as he stepped over the threshold. He’d have a lot to explain once inside, but would anyone be prepared to listen? By the time he entered the room, everyone had crowded around the right-most bed.

He caught sight of Asami’s injuries in the moment before she turned to face him. Her black hair was tied in a side parting to her right. The hair around her left ear had been shaved off. The ear itself was a dark, muted mix of red and brown.

‘Mako,’ Asami said, sitting further up, her face lighting up. ‘I’m so glad to see you.’

The weight lifted from Mako’s stomach as he stood at the end of the bed. 

‘Hi, Asami,’ he managed. ‘How are you…feeling?’

‘I’ve been better,’ she said as she shrugged and nodded at Tenzin and Pema. ‘But the airbenders have looked after me.’

Mako smiled, but couldn’t take his eyes off Asami’s burn. It reached her left cheekbone and her jaw, but had spared her eye.

‘It’s not so bad,’ she said, her hand hovering over the wound. ‘At least I’m still here.’

‘Yeah,’ said Mako. ‘You are.’

‘But I heard a firefighter got hurt?’ said Asami.

Mako nodded.

‘Did you know him?’

‘…kind of.’

Asami’s eyes widened as they fell on Mako’s uniform.

‘And, when did you change jobs?’

‘That’s a long, complicated, and rather unbelievable story,’ said Mako.

‘Does it have anything to do with all this?’ Asami asked, gesturing at the window and the police airship still hovering outside.

‘Yeah,’ said Mako, as if he’d arranged the deployment himself.

‘Then I think we’d all like to hear it,’ said Tenzin.

Mako hesitated, half hearing Chief Beifong shouting at him. Even if he tried to stick to what she’d deem “shareable”, his audience wouldn’t settle for the cliff notes. They’d want details — he could already hear Korra accusing him of holding something back. 

‘Well?’ Korra prompted.

‘All right,’ Mako said. Deciding he could trust the people who’d fought at his side on multiple occasions, he began his recount from the City Hall fire. He reviewed the events in his head as he spoke. Pausing only when someone reacted. Korra and Asami failed to suppress their smirks as Mako recounted his first days at Station Seven. He skipped the attack on the police’s headquarters and the Triad hideout, without mentioning Doja. 

He skipped the fire at the police headquarters, earning him an offended look from Kai. He ignored it and recounted the mail truck crash, the burnt-out packages, and their intended destination. 

Everyone stared at Asami, and her face fell. ‘If this is going to cause any problems, I’ll go home.’

‘Nonsense,’ said Pema. ‘You still need to rest and recuperate. Kya will be back from the Southern Water Tribe in a couple of days, then she can get to work on healing your scars.’

‘I don’t…,’ Asami began, ‘that’s kind of you, but if being here is going to hurt this place, I can wait for another time.’

‘Don’t fret,’ Pema insisted. ‘We’ll just learn to live with it for the time being.’ 

‘All right,’ said Tenzin. ‘But I’d be happier if they stayed away from the temples. I’ll contact the White Lotus and have them provide protection at the more sensitive locations. Mako, can you pass that on to your…colleagues?’

‘Sure,’ Mako said, finding himself yawning.

‘Sounds like you’ve been working hard for a while,’ said Asami. ‘Why don’t you take a break?’

‘Can’t.’

‘Mako,’ said Pema, pointing at Mako’s eyes. ‘I don’t think those patches should get any darker.’

‘She’s right,’ said Asami. ‘I can take care of myself.’ Korra took her hand as she spoke. ‘My company shouldn’t take up the police’s time, but I’ll speak to our security contractor and arrange extra protection for our sites until you catch whoever’s behind this.’ 

Mako stifled another yawn. ‘But it’s not just you.’

‘You made it sound like it was,’ said Korra.

‘I left some bits out,’ said Mako. ‘I wanted to tell you why the cops were all over this place. Everything else would have got in the way.’ 

‘Everything else?’ Korra said, as if she’d been lied to.

Mako backtracked in his story and told them about the Triad’s hideout fire and the explosion at the police’s headquarters. Kai smiled and nudged Jinora when Mako recounted how he’d revived the injured firefighter. Tenzin, however, raised an eyebrow at him.

‘What makes you so sure they’re linked?’ Korra asked.

‘What’s to say they’re not?’ Mako countered. ‘I can’t write them off as unconnected until I’m sure.’

‘You got any leads?’ Kai asked.

‘I can’t say,’ Mako answered. ‘I’ve shared enough with too many people already.’

‘Mako,’ said Korra. ‘I get it. “Leave it to the police. It’s police business.” All that official junk. But if Republic City’s in danger, I’d be irresponsible not to do everything I can to help.’

Mako suppressed a sigh. He should put his foot down and say a definite and final “no”, but he knew what would follow. Korra wouldn’t stop until she got what she wanted, and if he wasn’t forthcoming, she’d find a way to get that information herself.

‘Everyone in this room’s on your side,’ Korra insisted. ‘Aren’t we?’

One by one, everyone nodded.

‘Lin knows that too,’ said Tenzin, to which Pema raised an eyebrow. ‘Well, I’m sure she’ll understand.’

‘We’ll deal with her,’ said Korra, standing beside Tenzin.

Mako realised all eyes in the room were on him.

‘All right,’ he said. ‘But I need something in return.’

‘What?’ Korra asked, a spiky apprehension in her voice.

‘I need some information on the spirit vines.’

‘Spirit vines?’ Jinora said.

‘Okay,’ Korra said. ‘No need to bargain. What do you want to know?’

Grateful he wouldn’t have to negotiate further, Mako told everyone about the vine exploding outside the fire station and what he’d already said about the packages in the mail truck.

Korra blinked as if the story resonated. After a pause, she spoke. ‘Remember what I said in my letter?’

Mako couldn’t, but Korra clarified. 

‘That I’d made some troubling findings on our travels.’ She turned to Jinora, who stepped forward. ‘Well, you did.’

‘I felt it a few times,’ said Jinora. ‘Both when we were meditating and spiritbending. I don’t know what it was. But something felt,’ she paused. ‘It felt off.’

‘Did anything explode?’ Mako asked.

‘No,’ said Jinora. ‘But I remember feeling angry. Not my own anger, but like I was feeling someone else’s.’

‘Like someone’s anger was channelled through the vines,’ said Korra.

‘How would someone do that?’ said Mako.

‘It’s not unheard of,’ said Korra. ‘The connection between humans and spirits is still in flux.’

‘Exactly,’ said Jinora. ‘If a human hurts a spirit, or defiles a place that’s sacred to them, they’ll retaliate. It can turn them dark.’

‘Like when the Triple Threats attacked the spirit portal,’ said Korra.

’What they did to Tokuga?’ said Mako. ‘But that still doesn’t account for the exploding vine.’

‘If a spirit can be corrupted,’ said Tenzin. ‘Theoretically, it wouldn’t be impossible for that same influence to affect the vines.’

‘Thanks,’ said Mako. This addition of spiritual imbalance hadn’t simplified anything. He made a mental note to double-check the fire-damaged buildings for vines. His train of thought stopped right as he remembered the patterning on the walls. ‘This corrupted spirit energy…stuff,’ he said. ‘Could it spread to buildings?’

‘I don’t know,’ said Korra. ‘Do you have a connection?’

Mako’s chest flipped, feeling like Korra had played him. ‘I…I’m not sure.’

‘Mako,’ Korra folded her arms. ‘We’ve told you what you want to know.’

Mako sighed. ‘Okay, but before I tell you anything else,’ he stared at everyone individually, ‘promise me you won’t do anything that could compromise my investigation. I get that you wanna help. But if I’m gonna build a solid case, I can’t have anyone threaten that, no matter how well intentioned.’

Everyone exchanged looks, and an unspoken agreement seemed to pass between them. 

‘All right,’ said Korra.

‘I’m making enquiries,’ Mako began. ‘Nothing definite yet, but from what I’ve heard, it sounds like a powerful bender’s at work. I thought it was some kind of firebender, but now I don’t know.’

‘What about the guys who claimed to have attacked the police station?’ said Asami. ‘Have you investigated them?’

‘The Ashes?’ Kai blurted. ‘Those hotheaded losers?’

‘They’re not to be underestimated,’ said Korra, not sharing Kai’s disregard. ‘A few months back, they caused quite a problem in the Earth Kingdom. They’ve got a stronger foothold in Ba Sing Se. Prince Wu called me for help with them.’

Mako shuddered at the mention of the Prince. ‘What kind of problem?’

‘Marches through the streets. Setting cars and trash cans on fire,’ Korra said. ‘Nothing the Dai Li couldn’t handle.’ Her face darkened. ‘Well, those who stood up to them.’

‘They joined them?’ Kai said, in a mix of shock and anger.

‘Not all of them,’ said Korra. ‘But I wasn’t surprised. The Dai Li attracts their type. People who idolise those who ruled with force. The Fire Lords of centuries ago; Sozin, Azulon, Ozai, even Princess Azula and the old Earth Queen.’ 

‘But the old Fire Lords were awful people,’ said Jinora. ‘Why would anyone want to go back to that way of life?’

‘You’d be surprised,’ said Tenzin. ‘Lots of people did quite well under those tyrants.’

‘Well,’ said Kai, deflated. ‘You don’t make millions of yuans by being nice to people.’

Asami raised an eyebrow as she tilted her head at Kai.

‘I mean…just by being nice to people,’ he fumbled. ‘Not all rich people are horrible.’

Asami smiled.

‘Thank you all,’ Mako said. ‘I need to put this in my case file, and,’ he suppressed another yawn by gritting his teeth. ‘I should go.’

‘Shouldn’t you take a minute?’ said Asami, leaning forward as Mako made for the door.

‘I’m fine,’ said Mako. ‘Really, I’m getting all the sleep I need.’

‘A person needs more rest than just sleep,’ said Korra. 

‘I haven’t time,’ said Mako. ‘The fire department doesn’t need me for four days, and I have other leads to follow up.’

‘Well,’ said Korra, ‘at least join us for breakfast. If that’s not too much trouble?’

‘I’m sure I can accommodate one more,’ said Pema.

It took some persuasion, but Mako relented. Nobody said much as everyone knelt around the table and slowly ate their dumplings, looking as if they’d rather still be in bed.

A White Lotus sentry knocked on the door halfway through to announce that they had taken charge of security, and the police had left the island. 

Mako didn’t hang around, said his goodbyes, and apologised again as soon as he’d finished.

‘It was nice to see you,’ Asami said as he left.

‘Don’t be scared to stop by if you need anything else,’ added Korra.

His eyes still stung, and fog clouded his head, but Mako was in better spirits as he made his way home. Asami was fine, and whatever else happened during his investigation, he’d have at least one support network if everything else went wrong.

Returning to his apartment, he found a flyer on his doormat. The crimson paper sported a burning golden phoenix and an address in matching writing. He turned it over. 

On the back, Beifong had scribbled:

Call me when you get back. We should talk.

The phone rang twice before he heard her voice. ‘Let’s get your anger out before we talk business.’

‘All right,’ said Mako. ‘I understand you had to move quickly, but you know how sacred Air Temple Island is, and I didn’t appreciate having to be your peacekeeper on top of my other ten jobs — chief.’

‘Too right I had to move quickly!’ Beifong bellowed. ‘Imagine if our arsonist already knew Ms Sato was there!’

‘Chief?’ He was used to Beifong being snappy, but that was the voice of a chief at the end of her tether. ‘Are you okay?’ 

‘Don’t you dare, kid,’ she said. ‘I’m not struggling with any kind of stress or trauma because someone blew up my station!’

‘Who said anything about stress or trauma?’

There was a pause.

‘Okay,’ Beifong said at last. ‘I’ll talk to Tenzin and smooth things out.’ She scoffed. ‘We both need a time out after you catch this lunatic.’

‘Yeah,’ said Mako.

‘The two of us should get a beach house on Ember Island.’

Mako winced. ‘Uh, if that’s what you want?’

‘I’m joking, kid,’ she scoffed. ‘I must be tired.’

‘Thanks for the flyer,’ said Mako, wanting to change the subject. ‘I’ll let you know what happens tonight.’

‘One of my officers infiltrated an Ashes protest yesterday,’ said Beifong. ‘We were gonna bust it, but you know what they say.’

‘What?’ Mako said, lacking the mental stamina to think of every police-related analogy.

‘Know your enemy.’

Mako slept through most of the day before heading to the address on the flyer. It took him back to Green Meadows and past Doja’s apartment, before he parked on a nondescript street and triple-locked the car.

Adjusting his hat so it cast a shadow across his face, he half marched, half ran through streets lined with the same mix of smog-caked factories and warehouses until he reached a large, rundown building. 

A spotless sign hung above its entrance, ensuring people that the Varrick Industries Convention and Conference Centre was Under Construction, and Opening Summer 178AG! 

Down an adjacent, trash-strewn alley, Mako spied a set of rusted double doors. Rather than risk being the first one there, he leaned against a dumpster in the alley and pretended to smoke a fake cigarette. As he waited for someone he could follow inside, he noticed a car parked up the street with two men inside. He resisted the impulse to nod in acknowledgement. 

Within ten minutes, a trio of rugged, skinny men and a haggard-faced woman hurried off the sidewalk and into the alleyway. They all wore backpacks. The second man hadn’t properly fastened his, and a crimson cloak flapped as it hung out. Mako watched the quartet as they slid inside the rusted doors. He scanned the street, and the doors creaked as he slid inside.

Expecting to find a bouncer watching for spies, Mako pulled the flyer from his coat, but no one requested it as he entered.

He scoped out the room. It resembled the building where the Equalists had held the rallies he and Korra had infiltrated years ago. This room was smaller, and about two dozen figures congregated in groups. Many wore their crimson robes, though some still wore their civilian clothes as their conversations, rough and brutish, echoed. Many congregated around a stage at the far end, though there was no podium or anything bearing the Ashes’ emblem.

‘Hey,’ said a gravelly voice behind him. Mako turned around and came face-to-face with a tall, broad-shouldered man with a face like steel. ‘Where’s your robe?’ he asked, buffing his own.

‘I’m new,’ said Mako. ‘Name’s Maoru.’

‘Well then, Maoru,’ said the steel-faced man. ‘Welcome to the cause. Now stop looking so uptight and have a drink.’

He thrust a glass into Mako’s hands. It was so dirty that it took Mako a second to realise the liquid inside was orange. Suppressing a grimace, he raised the glass to his lips and swallowed the smallest drop, then fought not to spit it back out. The bitter, bile-like taste lingered as he strode among the attendees.

They drank and jeered their way through conversations. Among talk of domestic problems and a few xenophobic slurs, some discussed far-fetched ideas of what they should set fire to next, but no specifics as to how they’d carry out those fanciful plans.

Mako sat and listened, careful not to involve himself. Show too much, or not enough interest, and people might question if his motivations ran deeper than newbie curiosity.

A metallic clang echoed throughout the room, silencing the rabble and drawing everyone’s attention to the stage. Two broad-shouldered men in Ashes robes stood on either side of the stage; the one to the right clutched a rusted pipe. The steel-faced man stepped up onto the stage to whoops and jeers from the crowd.

‘Sairu!’ someone shouted, a name several others chanted.

‘Welcome, my brothers and sisters,’ said Sairu. ‘I see a lot of familiar faces.’ He smiled. ‘But even better, I see a lot of new ones.’ He scanned the room, then continued. ‘More of us are rediscovering our inner strength. Our inner fire. Despite the so-called leaders of the United Republic’s attempts to extinguish it.’

The crowd gave a low jeer.

‘Yes,’ Sairu continued. ‘Despite their talk of progress, of peace, of co-operation, deep down the other nations still fear us. We should expect their jibes. Their insults. But the other day, I heard something that sickened me to my stomach.’

There was a pause.

‘Our own so-called Fire Lord—’

Loud jeers and boos drowned out Sairu’s words. Instead of silencing them, he nodded. ‘That charlatan hippo-cow, still under the thumb of her traitor of a father, condemned us. She dared call us a grotesque appropriation of a dark period in our history!’

The jeers resumed, and it was a while before they lowered enough for Sairu to speak again. ‘They would have us act ashamed of the Hundred-Year War. Still the greatest show of strength of our nation! Of our people! Of any nation!’

Mako’s ear rang as the man beside him cheered, and drink splashed down his arm.

‘So remember that the next time anyone lectures you on how the Fire Nation should be ashamed of its past!’ Sairu shouted. ‘The next time anyone insults you. The next time a police officer tries to move you on. Know that we are reminding the world of the strength we were so rightfully gifted!’

The cheering reached a crescendo, and Sairu had to bellow his next words.

‘We are the spark! And that spark has ignited a fuse that would grow into a raging inferno!’ He raised a hand. ‘WE ARE THE SPARK!’

‘We are the spark!’ the crowd chanted. ‘WE ARE THE SPARK! WE ARE THE SPARK!’

Mako knew where this was going. As the chanting continued, those with drinks downed them, and any sense of restraint vanished. The chanting turned into animalistic cries. Glasses smashed, and the sound of fists punching flesh rang throughout the room. 

The doors wrenched open, and bursts of fire shot into the air as the horde-like crowd charged into the alleyway.

Mako followed close to the back, far enough away that he wouldn’t get caught up in the worst of the violence but not too far back so people would think he was just observing.

One of the Ashes jumped into the air, punched a flame and ignited the dumpster Mako had stood by. 

The others roared as they charged into the street, setting fire to a car parked on the sidewalk and the sign advertising the Varrick Industries Convention and Conference Centre. The few civilians on the street scattered as newly produced flames shot towards them.

Feeling he should do something to make him seem part of the rabble, Mako kicked over a trash can and gave a half-hearted punch of fire.

Looking up the street, he spotted movement in the car where the two officers had sat. It was still too soon to run away and not raise the Ashes’ suspicions, and he watched as they shot flames at the buildings with lights in the windows. Fire spread up the building, smoke seeped through the windows, and screams rang from within.

Every cell in Mako’s body screamed at him to run in and save them. Defying instincts from both his jobs, he turned away from the apartments. Every step away felt like he was defying his humanity.

Beneath those instincts, Mako felt a strange simmering sensation; one that intensified with each of the Ashes’ bursts of fire. He felt their strength as if he were holding a punching pad while someone with heaps of pent-up anger wailed on him. Bursts of angry strength, but with no control or finesse.

Then came the sirens. The Ashes paused. Some cheered as if a fight was welcome. Others went skittish and ran. Mako seized the opportunity, ignoring the foolhardy Ashes as they jeered after the fleeing ones. 

Wishing he could stop and help, Mako ran past the burning apartment again as its occupants spilt into the street, clutching their chests and coughing. He had to play his part, and now, he was just a civilian running from the riot. A police car and two vans passed him as he hurried into his car and drove away, grateful neither Korra nor Urika could see him.

Chapter Text

The image of the burning apartment and the screams stayed with Mako for his two much-needed rest days, until Chief Beifong ordered him to a four-storey building in the shadow of the sky-scraping Platinum Tower. He knew the rented office space. It had been empty for a while, but now two spotless signs hung above the entrance: Republic City Council and Republic City Police Department.

He found the sign on the door to Chief Beifong’s office, scribbled on a weathered piece of card. Pushing it, the door only half opened before banging into something. Mako sidestepped into the office, a quarter the size of her office at headquarters. Chief Beifong stood in the tiny amount of floor space between the mass of filing cabinets.

‘This is only temporary,’ said Beifong, as she squeezed through the minuscule gap between her desk and the wall and took her seat. ‘Until they rebuild our headquarters. Again.’

‘Right,’ said Mako, almost backing into one of the cabinets. He stumbled into another and realised someone else was standing in front of a smoke-damaged desk piled high with reports. 

Korra raised one of her folded arms and waved.

‘The Avatar here told me about your little…debriefing on Air Temple Island,’ said Beifong. 

Mako’s heart sank. Half hoping Beifong wouldn’t find out, his eyes flicked to Korra.

‘Chief.’ He bowed in deference. ‘I know it’s police business and I shouldn’t have—’

‘I wasn’t surprised,’ said Beifong. ‘Especially considering your history and how Ms Sato got hurt.’

‘Sorry I didn’t tell you first,’ said Korra. She gave Beifong a side-eyed look. ‘But I would have found out sooner or later.’

‘Yeah, I’m sure you would have,’ said Beifong. ‘Now, detective, your findings from your meeting with the Ashes?’

Mako felt his insides contort as he thought of that night. What happened at the rally felt as if it were out of focus, overshadowed by the all-too-sharp image of the apartment burning.

‘Mako?’ said Korra, like she thought he was hiding something.

Mako sighed, steeled himself, and recounted what he saw. The red-robed figures in the building earmarked for redevelopment, Sairu’s rousing, hate-filled speech, and the following violence. ‘They’re obsessed with proving how strong they are,’ he said as he finished.

Beifong spoke first after a long pause. ‘So, those troublemakers are establishing a foothold in Republic City.’

‘Yeah,’ Mako said. ‘But I still say they’re not organised enough to pull off all this.’ He gestured at the case files piled on the tiny desk.

‘Don’t underestimate them, Mako,’ said Korra. ‘If they’re willing to kill people just for living in the wrong place, they’re dangerous enough.’

‘No one died last night,’ said Beifong. ‘My officers called the fire department as soon as they saw what happened. Arrived in three minutes and got everyone out.’

Mako felt a weight lift off his chest and the fog from his head. He realised he’d omitted the most crucial point from that night. ‘I spoke to one of them,’ he said. ‘The guy who gave the speech. His name was Seiru.’

He gave a physical description while Beifong scribbled in a notebook. ‘I’ll get someone to look through the records for any previous offences.’

‘Did anything distinguish him from the others?’ asked Korra. ‘A crown, anything to indicate ranks?’

‘No,’ said Mako. ‘But everyone there seemed to know who he was.’

‘Then they’ve already got enough of a foothold here,’ said Korra. ‘We need to do everything we can to make sure there isn’t a repeat of what happened in the Earth Kingdom.’

‘Must be a full moon,’ said Beifong. ‘Because I agree with the Avatar. We’ll keep tabs on when they’re holding meetings and plant more detectives. We’ll break up any street protests and investigate participants more thoroughly.’ She turned to Korra. ‘You think the airbenders will help us keep tabs on them?’

‘After what just happened on Air Temple Island?’ said Korra. ‘I wouldn’t count on it. Besides, they have their own duties and training to keep up.’

‘Okay,’ said Beifong, exasperated. ‘I get your point.’

‘I’ll speak to Tenzin,’ said Korra, calming her voice. ‘But don’t blame me if he needs some extra convincing.’

Beifong gave Korra a knowing, if irritated look.

‘All right,’ said Mako, feeling like a spare part to the deliberation. ‘Let me know of any developments as soon as you can. If I’m wrong, and the Ashes are behind these fires, I want it confirmed or denied before they hurt anyone else.’

‘Of course,’ said Beifong. ‘In the meantime, keep looking for clues with your water pixie friends.’

With the meeting wrapped up, Mako turned to leave.

‘I almost forgot,’ said Korra, ‘Su and the other Beifongs arrived yesterday.’

‘Yeah,’ said Beifong, with a verbal eyeroll. ‘I don’t know how I missed that.’

Korra ignored her and asked Mako, ‘You coming to the party tomorrow night?’

Mako let out a non-committed murmur.

‘Asami and I are going,’ said Korra. ‘Bolin’s gonna be there too.’

‘Su knows I’m not a fan of parties,’ said Beifong, sinking into her chair. ‘Yet she invites me anyway.’

‘Well, if Mako comes, you’ll have someone to sulk with while the rest of us have a good time,’ said Korra.

Mako didn’t get a chance to concede that he’d think about it. Beifong’s phone rang. Her eyes widened as she nodded, answering in murmurs and affirmations that conceded little. She jumped to her feet and slammed down the receiver. ‘Move over,’ she said, shoving past Mako.

‘What’s happened?’ Mako and Korra asked simultaneously.

‘Break in,’ said Beifong.

‘Where?’ Korra asked.

‘You,’ said Beifong, pointing at Mako, ‘follow me.’

‘Where are we going?’

‘Republic City Zoo.’

Korra followed Mako to his car as Beifong made for hers; the chief, still scowling after losing her argument with the Avatar. 

Several police vehicles lined the bottom of the steps leading to the zoo’s grand, stone admission gates, while police officers stood guard behind the scene’s outer cordon. The initial report had specified that an animal enclosure had been compromised, but nothing indicated there’d been a mass breakout of anything large or predatory.

Beifong led the pair to the zoo’s curator—a short, podgy man with glasses and receding brown hair, as he spoke to a metalbending officer.

‘Seems a little overblown to call out Chief Beifong?’ Korra remarked, looking around as if trouble would sneak up on them.

‘It’s a high-risk site,’ said Mako. ‘Protocol to call a high-ranking officer.’

Beifong spoke to the curator with her back to Mako and Korra. The bustle of the city and crowd meant neither could hear their conversation. ‘One of the smaller exhibits got broken into,’ Beifong announced once she returned with the curator a few steps behind. ‘It’s in the reptile and insect house. No need for me to hang around.’

Mako pulled out his badge and shook the curator’s hand.

‘Name’s Gata,’ said the curator in a highly strung, yet nasally voice. ‘Follow me, and I’ll—’ He blinked, and his face flushed as he noticed Korra. ‘I…what’s the Avatar doing here?’

‘She’s…shadowing me today,’ said Mako.

‘Doesn’t the world still need to be kept in balance?’ asked Gata.

‘Yeah,’ said Korra, as if it was somewhere further down her to-do list. ‘But I like to keep a handle on normal folk’s problems too.’

The reptile and insect house consisted of two stone and glass domes linked by ridge-and-furrow sections to a larger, central dome. It sat in the middle of the zoo, where all the spokes of the paths converged. Gata hurried Mako and Korra through the large glass doors in the central dome. Tropical plants lined the windows opposite glass biomes on the stone wall. They passed a menagerie of creatures: a hive of scorpion bees, basilisk centipedes, and a weasel snake.

‘Don’t let me hurry you,’ said Gata. ‘Customers sometimes skip these exhibits. They’re not the most attractive creatures, but that doesn’t mean they’ve no natural merit.’ They reached an enclosure in the corner. ‘Not exactly sympathetic faces for a missing poster, I know.’

A hole had been smashed in the glass and blocked up with a piece of canvas. Shards lay inside the enclosure.

‘Dragon weevils?’ said Korra, pointing at the sign beside the enclosure, on which there was a picture of a black, six-legged creature with red and orange stripes along its back. The scale diagram showed it as half the length of a human thumb.

‘How many are missing?’ Mako asked.

‘I don’t know,’ said Gata. ‘You’ll have to ask the janitor who reported it. I think he did a full count.’

‘Could you get him for me?’ said Mako.

‘I’ll be right back.’

‘Wow. These things sound nasty.’ Korra said as Gata hurried away, and she pointed at the information board beside the enclosure.

Mako read past the scaling and images to the description. He only got as far as the creature’s distribution before Gata returned. Behind him, a man with a buzz cut and a brown bandana above his sunken eyes. Mako blinked and had to stop himself from leaping to his feet.

‘Hello, detective,’ said Doja. 

Mako tried to mask his gasp and introduced himself as if this was their first meeting. ‘Do you have somewhere private we can go?’

‘Well,’ said Gata. ‘There’s an office—’

‘It’s all right, boss,’ said Doja. ‘We can talk here.’

Gata took that as his cue to leave.

Mako went through all the motions of starting an interview. Doja had trimmed his beard since their last meeting, and his eyes wandered to Korra.

‘Hello,’ he said, then looked back at Mako. ‘I didn’t know you had—’

‘She’s shadowing me,’ Mako said sharply. He lowered his voice and continued. ‘Now, these weevils. How many are missing?’

‘Ten. They’re all we had, and they’re all gone.’

‘And do you know any reason why someone might want them?’

Doja’s nose curled, and he shook his head. ‘Can’t think why anyone would.’

‘Not a fan?’ Korra asked, staring at Doja’s bandana.

‘Have you read that thing?’ said Doja, pointing at the information board. Korra nodded and did so. ‘And they’re multiplying.’

‘Multiplying?’ said Mako.

‘It’s egg-laying season,’ said Doja. ‘And they lay a lot of eggs.’

‘You always had an interest in bugs?’ Mako asked. Doja seemed less downtrodden than how Mako had found him at his apartment, and though his face still bore the signs of a hard-lived life, his eyes had an enthusiastic gleam.

‘Always had a passing interest in animals,’ said Doja. ‘More interesting than people, and somehow less complicated. I hear things from the keepers, and those boards help pass the time on the slower days.’ He snorted. ‘Maybe if life had been kinder, I could have worked with them.’ He reached for his bandana and tugged at it.

‘So these weevils,’ said Mako. ‘I take it they’re not readily available from a market stall?’

‘Nah,’ said Doja. ‘No value.’

‘No value? They’re not a delicacy? Any rare pets like to snack on them?’

‘Those things?’ said Doja, and half laughed. ‘Nah. They ain’t got a lot of predators. I heard they taste like spicy puke.’

‘Sound kind of like Bark Beetles,’ said Korra, still looking at the information board. ‘Tunnel their way into trees, lay their eggs in the bark. Once the eggs hatch, they chew through, stopping the spread of nutrients in the tree, and killing it.’

‘Yeah,’ said Doja. ‘Nasty little dirtbags.’

‘So, where were you when the break-in happened?’ said Mako.

‘I guess,’ Doja began. ‘It must have happened sometime between eleven and one. I’d just finished feeding the Badger Moles and came to feed these guys,’ he gestured at the exhibits. ‘That’s when I found it.’

‘No visitors noticed?’

‘It’s a weekday,’ said Doja. ‘We’re not as busy as the weekends.’

‘Do you have access to these enclosures?’

‘Yeah. They’d get dirty if I didn’t. And it would give me a chance to pick up each piece of glass from outside the enclosure so I could put it back inside and make it look as if someone had broken in.’ He folded his arms.

‘No one’s suggesting you broke them out,’ said Mako as casually as he could.

‘Sure,’ Doja said, then answered the rest of Mako’s questions without sarcasm.

Mako spent the following hours interviewing other zoo staff members. Despite the mundanity of the work, Korra stayed. In the time between his interviews, he caught her staring out towards Air Temple Island. He didn’t understand why she didn’t just head back there to be with Asami; a more pressing, and maybe even enjoyable way of passing the time than staying here.

Dusk stained the sky a mix of blue and orange as evening approached, and Mako handed the files to a police sergeant. 

As they approached the ticket barriers, Korra asked ‘Do you know that guy with the bandana?’

Mako hesitated.

‘How?’ Korra pressed.

He could have made up a story, but why tie himself in more knots? She’d find out sooner or later. He nodded towards the restrooms before the ticket barriers and led Korra towards them. ‘Before I say anything, you gotta promise me you won’t do anything stupid.’ 

‘Depends how you’d define “stupid”,’ said Korra.

Mako sighed. They stopped in the cramped space between the restrooms and the zoo’s outer wall. Flies buzzed around the garbage lying among long-rusted trash cans. ‘Since you’re not going to let me off until I tell you,’ he said, then explained that Doja had been in prison in Zaofu, that he’d seen him at the Triad hideout explosion, how he’d found where he lived, right up to the police station explosion. He talked quickly so Korra wouldn’t butt in, but she stayed quiet and let him finish. ‘Chief Beifong’s still got eyes on him,’ he added afterwards. ‘He’s got to report to the police every two days, and they’re trying to treat him at the hospital.’

‘What is someone like him doing in Republic City?’ Korra asked.

‘He’d served his time for what he did,’ said Mako. ‘I don’t know why they put him here, though.’

‘Chief Beifong’s got a lot of explaining to do,’ said Korra, shaking her head with fire in her eyes. She blinked and looked at Mako. ‘Thank you for telling me.’

Mako eyed her as if expecting some vengeful addendum. 

‘Don’t worry,’ said Korra. ‘As much as I’d like to, I’m not gonna bust down his door and force a confession out of him.’ She raised an accusatory eyebrow. ‘What did you say to him last time?’ 

’Nothing inflammatory.’

‘But you did arrest him,’ said Korra.

‘He blew up a building,’ Mako said in a hushed voice. ‘I couldn’t let him off.’

They pushed through the turnstiles, and Korra asked, ‘What are you thinking?’

‘I’m not,’ said Mako. ‘Even if he shouldn’t be in a city, I don’t think he’s our arsonist.’

‘What makes you so sure?’

‘At first I thought he was,’ said Mako. ‘He’s capable of doing it, yeah. But aside from that explosion at the Triad hangout, I can’t pin any of my suspicious fires on him.’

‘What about the police station?’ said Korra. ‘I’d be angry if I were arrested for something I couldn’t control.’ 

‘Beifong said he was long gone before the explosion. So unless he’s found a way to…I dunno, delay his explosions, it doesn’t add up. And he doesn’t have enough of a motive to target Future Industries. Okay, he doesn’t like them. But people are allowed to dislike companies. I can’t arrest him for that. And this has gotten too big to be down to him alone. There’s nothing to suggest he’s on anyone’s payroll, and if he is, I’ll need more evidence before I could arrest him again.’

‘All right,’ said Korra. She stayed silent until they reached the trolley stop across the street. ‘I should head back to Air Temple Island. I’ll see you at the party?’

Mako didn’t answer immediately. Down the side of the zoo, beneath a sign: DELIVERIES & MAINTENANCE VEHICLES ONLY, he saw a tatty van seemingly held together with thread. Fin and Gaho stood behind it unloading some equipment.

‘Come on, Mako,’ said Korra. ‘Don’t be a stick in the mud.’

‘Yeah, sure,’ he said, as the trolley car approached. ‘Don’t bother with that. I’ll take you to the port.’

Mako didn’t think about the party until Bolin called to invite him again, and who took his answer like he’d personally convinced him to go. Mako was only too happy to tell his brother he was going to be late for his next tour if he didn’t leave there and then.

He was half putting on his station uniform, half looking through his files when Nikor caught his attention. ‘How were your days off?’ he asked in an obvious attempt at small talk. 

Mako answered without divulging much, but when he returned the question, Nikor flinched. 

‘That’s kinda what I wanted to talk to you about. Remember you asked about that exploding spirit vine?’

Mako nodded.

‘Well, yesterday, my boy, he said the spirit vine in our living room didn’t feel right. He said it again before I left this morning.’

‘Didn’t feel right?’ Mako asked, thinking about what Jinora had said.

‘He’s no spiritbender,’ said Nikor. ‘But after being around them for long enough you get to know what they’re like. I felt it too, later that day when I was giving a tour of the wilds.’ Nikor looked him straight in the eye. ‘Mako, I know you gotta keep details private for secrecy and all, but…is my house gonna explode?’

‘No,’ said Mako. He said it out of surprise rather than a sincere attempt at reassurance.

‘You sure about that?’ Nikor pressed.

‘Nikor, you guys will know what’s causing these fires as soon as I do. Of course, I wanna keep you all safe as much as anyone else in Republic City.’

‘I’m sure you will, Mako,’ said Nikor. ‘But I’ve gotta think about my family here and now.’

Mako mentally groped for more empty reassurance. He decided against it and said, ‘I need to investigate it further. But if I find anything about the vines exploding, you’ll be the first to know.’

Nikor’s lips pursed. Clearly hoping for more, he nodded and stood up. ‘Then don’t let me keep you from it,’ he said as he left the locker room.

Mako continued reviewing the files, but another voice soon interrupted him again.

‘As your superior officer,’ said Adriel, standing in the doorway, ‘it hasn’t escaped my attention that you’re missing a key item off your must-do list.’ He reached for the file, which Mako pulled to his chest. ‘Put that down,’ Adriel said, ‘and follow me.’

Mako’s insides slumped as he put the file back in his locker. Though happy to keep playing firefighter, he didn’t think he could memorise another hybrid bending technique, and he had too many lines of enquiry to endure another prank or laundry list of chores no one else could be bothered to finish.

Adriel stopped and leaned on the guardrail beside the top of the pole, and Mako knew where this was going before Adriel tapped it. 

‘You’ve spent long enough polishing this thing. Would be a shame for you to leave without trying it properly.’ Adriel stepped aside and gestured for Mako to approach.

Looking down the pole, he saw the others standing around the mat at the base. He’d never been scared of heights — he’d jumped from ones greater than this, but with everyone watching, he felt like a kid who couldn’t swim about to be forced down a water slide into a pool full of tiger orcas.

‘It’s not too hard,’ said Adriel, taking hold of the pole. ‘Wrap your legs around it. Don’t hold too tight, and let gravity do the rest.’

Doing just that, Adriel smiled at Mako and dropped.

Now on the precipice, Mako watched the lieutenant land and let go of the pole. With all eyes back on him, he did his best to mirror Adriel’s grip on the pole and wrapped his legs around it. He tensed up. For something so simple, he could envision making a fool of himself, landing badly, and even doing himself an injury, benching him in the most embarrassing way.

‘Come on, Probie!’ Aniki called.

He’d already embarrassed himself. Mako sighed and loosened his grip. He slid down an inch, then loosened his arms again — and gravity took hold.

He felt a momentary rush before his feet hit the mat, and cheers and claps filled his ears.

‘Not bad for a first attempt,’ said Urika once the applause had subsided.

‘You did better than Aniki,’ said a smirking Nikor.

‘Don’t you dare,’ said Aniki, his eyes almost popping out.

‘Shot down like this,’ Nikor went on, gesturing with his fist. ‘And then.’

He took hold of the pole, pressed his head against it, then flung it back, almost rear-head butting the wall, then jerked it back to the pole.

‘Now, if you’ll let me do the honours,’ said Adriel. ‘All stand to attention for this special presentation!’

All the firefighters did so as Adriel reached into his pocket. ‘It is my privilege to announce our latest probationary firefighter, Mako, is now officially pole certified.’ He pulled out a red ribbon and stuck it on Mako’s chest just below the fire department crest. ‘Thus, he is now the proud owner of our department’s most essential medal.’

Pulling the ribbon off his chest, Mako found a shining silver-coloured coin attached to the end. He wasn’t sure how to respond until he caught its sweet smell. He raised the medal and sniffed it. ‘Jennamite?’

‘Department’s most essential medal,’ Nikor reiterated.

Mako’s fingers stuck to the coin. Pulling it off the ribbon, he bit into it. It was, indeed, jennamite. He smiled, then stuffed the whole thing in his mouth.

‘Congratulations, kid,’ said Urika.

‘All right,’ said Mako, the jennamite cracking in his mouth before he swallowed it and shoved the ribbon back into his pocket. ‘I’ve done it.’

‘Don’t sweep it under the rug, kid,’ said Urika. ‘Completing our valued traditions is a rite of passage for any firefighter, no matter why they’re here or for how short a time.’ A familiar look crossed her face; the one she wore when she was about to order Mako to do some more probie duties. ‘But since you’re so keen to get back to work,’ she picked up the broom leaning on the wall beside the pole. ‘The floor by the door’s getting a little dusty.’ She paused, then leaned closer to him. ‘Unless you’ve got more “additional work”?’

‘Nothing I can do much with here,’ Mako whispered.

‘Well, then you’d best get sweeping, Probie.’

Mako heard a noise as he headed for the door: a rumble, like distant thunder. 

All chatter and banter ceased, and everyone braced as if expecting an earthquake. Out in the street, someone screamed.

Mako placed the broom against the wall and looked out of the engine house doors. People had stopped on the sidewalk. All staring, and some pointing towards downtown. 

More screams rang out as Mako and Adriel stepped outside. He looked skyward, and his heart dropped into his stomach. 

The Platinum Tower loomed over the skyline at the end of the street. Colossal grey and black clouds plumed from the upper floors. Debris fell down the building, and a fierce orange glow flickered through the shattered windows, reaching up towards the roof. Time seemed to slow down as Mako stared at the building. The sounds, even as they intensified, felt distant and muffled.

Urika’s shout brought him back to reality. ‘Everybody, mount up!’ The other firefighters followed her as she scrambled to put on her bunker gear.

Mako’s heart hammered as he shoved on his boots and bunker pants, and the ringing of the alarm filled the station.

Chapter Text

His hands seared as he clung onto the fire engine, and Mako stared, transfixed at the tower as flames and smoke billowed from the broken windows. He couldn’t feel his arms or legs, and all sounds were muffled, even the multiple sirens overlapping as they approached the scene. Getting his pole drop medal felt like a distant memory.

His neck ached as the engine stopped in the plaza at the foot of the Platinum Tower. He stole glances back at the inferno as he pulled equipment from the lockers, slung a hose line over his shoulder, and followed the others. The once muffled sound now grew piercingly loud—the shouts from the gathering crowd, the emergency vehicles swarming in from all directions, and Urika’s voice.

‘Probie!’ 

Mako blinked. He stood alone, with the others several feet to his left. Rejoining the firefighters, he glanced between them and the blaze as they rounded the building.

‘Too much debris falling on the south side,’ Adriel said before Mako could ask why they hadn’t gone straight in through the main entrance. ‘We’ll go in through the north side. Less chance of getting squished.’

A distant rumble. The ground shook, and people screamed as a light flashed. Mako glanced up at the skyscraper just in time to see a fresh fireball burst from the top. 

‘Move it, Seven!’ Urika shouted. ‘Move!’

Someone grabbed Mako’s shoulder and pulled him into the lobby before he realised what was happening. He caught his breath and registered the shining glass and wooden decor.

CRASH! Window panes shattered on the sidewalk, and burning debris disintegrated where everyone had stood.

Firefighters flooded the lobby, with the captains and lieutenants crowding the reception desk. Behind it stood a fire chief with a grey moustache, his white helmet bearing a gold shield with a circle of five stars.

‘Wait here,’ said Urika, as she and Adriel joined the commanders.

Office workers and building staff hurried down the stairs, coughing as they made for the exits. Some were bloodied and burned, and others nursed their injuries. Police officers rushed to block the main entrance and redirect the fleeing victims to safer exits. 

Mako felt an internal itch. An urge to rush up the stairs to whoever needed help. Who? He thought of the Beifongs and Bolin. Were they among the missing? A feeling of helplessness crashed over him as he listed everyone who might be up there.

We’ve been through worse, he thought. Bolin can look after himself when it matters. With the Beifongs at his side, he’d surely be all right. His feet betrayed his inner reassurance, and he found himself heading towards the captains and lieutenants. 

Adriel was first to notice Mako as he stopped behind him and Urika. One by one, all eyes fell on him. 

The chief blinked and cleared his throat. ‘Please. Pay attention! If you do—and who’s this?’ He pointed at Mako.

‘Chief Raalim,’ said Urika. ‘Please excuse my probationer. He’s…eager.’

Raalim considered Mako, then nodded. 

‘Very well. Listening in won’t hurt him.’ He spoke again to the others. ‘Now, both explosions occurred on the sixty-second floor; that and the three floors above are penthouse apartments. The rest is office space. Most have been evacuated, but we won’t know for sure until we search the place.’

‘How many are in the penthouse?’ Mako blurted.

‘Patience, boy,’ said Raalim. ‘We’re still gathering information, but based on what we know, there are at least thirty unaccounted for. We’ll set up our forward command post two floors below the fire. Battalion Chiefs Podum and Tarruna will assume control.’ 

Raalim indicated two chiefs in white helmets. Podum had a sharp-angled face and greying stubble. Tarruna had sunken eyes and the first traces of wrinkles between her nose and chin. ‘The other chiefs and I will coordinate the operation from down here,’ Raalim continued. ‘The metalbending cops are on their way. I’ve warned them not to get their airships too close to the building. They’ll land on the Spirits’ Light building across Fifty-First Street. From there, they can access the upper floors.’

Raalim further described his plan of attack and began issuing orders to the waiting captains and lieutenants. 

An impatient itch gnawed inside Mako. He couldn’t keep still. His gaze darted between Raalim, Urika, and the stairwells; the stampede reduced to straggline office workers as the chief went on.

‘Company Seven,’ Raalim said at last. ‘You’re on the primary search on the sixty-third floor.’

‘You put me on the spot back there, kid,’ said Urika, leading Mako out of the vacant office space on the fifty-ninth floor. The firefighters would use this space as their forward command post. Right now, it was packed with dozens of firefighters preparing to advance as Podum and Tarruna set up their equipment and issued orders.

‘Doesn’t he know?’ said Aniki, lugging a hose onto his shoulder.

‘Yeah,’ said Urika. ‘But drawing attention to it beats the whole point of the kid’s operation.’

‘Cap, I’m sorry,’ Mako said, looking up from his feet, just registering the smell of smoke. ‘I—’

‘Will find them once we get up there,’ said Urika. ‘Which, if we don’t spend any more time talking, won’t be too—’

‘Cap!’ Nikor’s voice echoed from the next landing up. ‘Bit of a major problem!’

Mako smelt the brick dust, and his heart sank as they reached Nikor. He stood before a tangled mess of masonry, metal, and wood blocking the stairs. Tiny gaps allowed smoke to seep through above a faded orange glow.

‘Company Seven to forward command,’ Adriel said into his radio. ‘Stairwell A is blocked. Get us some metalbenders up here.’

As soon as Adriel spoke, the whir of a retracting cable rang from outside. It clamped to a halt, and a woman’s voice shouted ‘Hey!’

Chief Beifong and four metalbending cops swung in through a shattered window. ‘It’s like this all the way up,’ she said. ‘You can’t take the elevators past the command floor.’ Beifong presented her forearm. ‘Grab hold. We’ll take you up.’

Without discussion, each cop grabbed a firefighter. One by one, they leaned through the window, and with a snap and the rush of recoiling wire, they shot skyward.

‘You two,’ said Beifong, once she, Urika and Mako were the only ones left. 

‘You sure, Lin?’ asked Urika. ‘This stuff weighs—’ Beifong shot Urika a dangerous glare. ‘Not as much as it looks.’

Urika took Beifong’s left arm, and Mako, her right. Making sure he had a strong grip on the gear, Mako backed up towards the shattered window. Before he’d taken his last step, he felt a lurch, and the icy air rushed past his cheeks and ears.

It lasted barely longer than a second, then heat surrounded him, and the stench of burning and smoke filled his nose and mouth. He lost momentum and landed with a crash on a wooden floor. Mako blinked as he fastened his mask over his face and took in the scene. Black, branch-like strains sprouted from the centre of what had once been a reception area. Every window was shattered, and blazing furniture lay scattered against the walls.

‘What was this?’ Urika asked, pointing at the epicentre.

‘According to the plans, some kind of plant!’ Beifong called from the hole in the wall.

Looking among the wreckage, Mako noticed twigs and splinters of wood; green where they weren’t burnt. 

‘It was a Spirit Vine!’ he said, remembering Bolin’s description of the hotel’s luxuries.

‘Gimme a moment,’ said Beifong, her and her officers mid-stance, their cables unspooling. ‘I’ll find Su and let you know for sure.’

Mako’s stomach flipped. If Suyin was in the tower, did that mean the rest of her family was too? If Opal was there...Mako remembered what Bolin had said as they’d eaten weeks ago.

‘I don’t get much chance to see her anymore.’

‘All right,’ Urika shouted. ‘Nikor, Aniki, you stay here and knock back the fire. Adriel, Mako, you’re with me.’ 

Without wasting a second, Mako hooked up the hose to the closest dry-riser outlet and charged for the stairs.

‘Mako!’ Adriel shouted. ‘Mako, hold up!’

Hands seized his shoulders, and Mako only half heard what Adriel shouted. He wanted to see Bolin there and then, alive and well with his air-headed smile intact.

‘Mako?’ Adriel shouted. ‘Mako, are you all right?’

He threw off Adriel’s grip. ‘I’m fine! Let’s go!’

‘Not before the line charges,’ said Adriel, grabbing at Mako again.

‘We’re wasting time!’

‘Probie!’ said Urika, glaring through her mask. ‘What’s gotten into you?’

Mako stopped fighting Adriel, and what he’d prepared to shout slipped out. ‘I think my brother’s up here.’

Urika and Adriel blinked.

‘With respect, Captain,’ Mako said, ‘don’t tell me I ain’t up to this because—’

‘Mako, we understand,’ said Adriel. ‘I’m not gonna tell you to leave. But if you’re gonna back us up, we gotta know you’re not gonna do anything stupid.’

‘Exactly,’ said Urika.

Mako nodded and stared at the hoses. They lay empty for what felt like hours before droplets burst from the couplings, and the lines filled with water.

‘All right!’ Adriel shouted, seizing the hose closest to him. ‘Now we’re in business!’

Steam filled the hallway as the trio advanced. Adriel bent the water in bursts at the flames rolling along the ceiling. 

Mako found unconscious staff and guests in the smoke-filled hotel rooms and dragged them back to the reception area. He didn’t know whether to be relieved or anxious that none of them were Bolin or the Beifongs.

After rescuing a fourth casualty from the corridor’s final room, he rejoined Adriel and Urika as they doused the last of the flames. A fire exit sat beyond the steam at the end of the corridor. Adriel checked that the door was safe, and Urika bent the water into a spray as the lieutenant eased it open.

Mako noted the smoke hanging in the stairwell when Chief Beifong’s voice spoke through the radio clipped to his belt.

‘This is Chief Beifong to all emer…personnel,’ wind crackled through the speaker as she spoke. ‘I’m…roof.’ 

The crackling stopped, and her speech was clearer but for a slight echo. 

‘We’ve got about twenty people trapped up here. My officers can only take so many at a time, and our airships can’t get close enough without endangering themselves or worsening the fire.’

There was a pause in which Adriel and Urika scoped out the stairwell.

‘I.C. to Chief Beifong. Received.’ said Chief Raalim. ‘We’ll get some of our team on the roof to assist you. Captain Urika, can you get up there?’

‘I’m on it, chief.’ She stopped halfway up the stairs and beckoned Mako after her.

He nodded, and leaving the hose behind, charged after her and Adriel.

Cold air whipped through Mako’s hair and bit at the exposed parts of his face as he charged onto the roof. Pulling his mask off, he blinked as a gust stung in his eyes.

Opening them revealed a scene of desperation and helplessness. The roof was crowded. Seven hotel staff tried to calm the guests, wearing what would once have been well-tailored formal clothes, all now smoke-stained. The guests themselves either looked frantically for a way off the roof, staring over the chest-high guardrails as if they’d find an exterior stairway on the side of the building. Others stumbled around as if they didn’t know where they were. 

Huan Beifong’s streak of green hair stood out among the crowd. He tried to look unfazed; a facade his darting eyes betrayed. Urika, Adriel, and Chief Beifong stood in the centre of the roof along with the metalbending officers not trying to persuade people away from the edges. 

Mako approached the convened firefighters and cops, still checking for his brother.

‘My team are fighting the fire on sixty-two,’ Urika said as Mako reached them. ‘Chief Raalim’s committing more companies, but it’ll be a while before they clear the debris in the stairwell.’

‘My officers will transport them up in the meantime,’ said Beifong. ‘Still not—’

BANG!

People screamed as the roof shook. 

Mako staggered, felt a pair of hands on both his shoulders, and found Urika and Adriel at his side.

‘Two floors down?’ said Adriel.

‘At the furthest…,’ Urika trailed off, and horror flashed in her eyes. 

Mako lurched as Urika yanked the radio off his belt. 

‘Nikor? Aniki? Do you copy?’

The rumble of freshly fallen debris crackled through the speaker. 

‘We’re all good, Cap!’ Aniki replied.

‘Yeah,’ Nikor added. ‘We’re getting a good hold on it!’

Urika sighed, and a smile flashed on her face.

As the firefighters conversed, Mako suppressed the urge to charge back down the stairs and find Bolin. Staring across the roof at the trapped civilians, staff, and emergency workers, his eyes met Urika’s. They gave him a knowing, side-eyed look. 

Mako’s train of thought came to an abrupt stop, and he recalled the words the captain had said days before. ‘Don’t forget the big picture.’ Bolin was just one part of that, and of all the people potentially in need of rescue, if anyone would survive, he’d be among them.

Metal wrenched and twisted, and a woman in a dark green dress leapt up. Crouching as she landed, she released the man with a goatee and glasses she’d cradled in her arms, and brushed her grey hair from her pistachio eyes.

‘Su!’ Chief Beifong called, dashing to her sister’s side.

A whoosh of air swept up, and a young, black-haired woman in an airbender wing-suit landed beside her mother. 

‘Sorry we’re late,’ said Opal Beifong.

‘Couldn’t leave him behind,’ said Suyin, her hand on Bataar’s shoulder. Soot stained their face and clothes, and Suyin wiped a blackened layer of sweat off her brow. 

‘I was,’ Bataar coughed, ‘making sure our room was…clear.’

‘I found him on our balcony,’ said Suyin. ‘Shaking like a leaf.’

Huan pushed his way through the crowd, then slowed as his mother pulled him into a forced hug.

‘Su,’ said Chief Beifong. ‘What happened downstairs?’

‘It was the spirit vine,’ said Opal. ‘It,’ she hesitated as if trying to comprehend her own words. ‘It just exploded. I was in the reception area when it happened. I escaped through the window.’

‘Was anyone with you?’ Mako asked.

‘Just some hotel staff and guests. I got them up here then went to help mom.’

Mako hesitated, but couldn’t stop himself from asking. ‘Bolin?’

Opal’s face fell. ‘I wish I knew where he was.’

‘Su,’ said Bataar, pulling himself up onto his wife’s shoulder. ‘The boys?’

‘Huan?’ Su said, looking at her son. ‘You all good?’

‘Yeah, mom,’ said Huan. ‘I’m fine.’

‘Wing and Wei can look after themselves,’ Suyin added.

The loudest blast yet shook the roof, and the crowds’ hopeful cries turned to despairing screams.

‘They’re getting closer,’ said Urika. ‘We need to get everyone off this roof ASAP!’

Voices suddenly called out in awe and hope, and the guests and staff pointed skyward. Five figures in airbender wing-suits descended towards the tower, and a blue-clad figure clung to a glider at the group’s helm.

Mako met Korra’s eye as she whipped the glider back into a staff, and Kai, Jinora, Bumi, and two airbenders whose names Mako didn’t know landed behind Korra.

‘We came as fast as we could,’ said Korra, joining the rescuers. ‘What happened?’

Mako gave a hurried explanation of what they knew. 

Korra nodded as the airbenders and rescuers gathered around. ‘Chief Beifong,’ she said once Mako had finished. ‘How long will it take for the cops to clear the roof?’

‘Too long,’ said Chief Beifong, shaking her head. ‘They can only take one or two at a time, and there are only three of us.’

‘No ladder’s gonna reach this high,’ added Urika. ‘And airships are out of the question.’

‘Airbenders?’ Chief Beifong pressed.

‘These flight suits ain’t the sturdiest,’ said Bumi. ‘And they’re only for single use. Too much weight and they’ll—’

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Mako’s knees buckled as the roof gave a violent lurch. He covered his face and, falling to the floor, he felt the flames lick up past the guardrails. 

CRASH!

Something landed on the roof. 

Lowering his arms, Mako saw a singed metal plate lying across the crushed remains of what seconds earlier had been a guardrail.

Hysterics overtook the crowd. Several guests fainted, while others froze and doubled over. Smoke billowed into the sky as the police tried to calm everyone, though their pale, sweating faces betrayed them.

Mako’s heart hammered in his chest. One more explosion and the roof may give way, leaving them at the mercy of the fire — and maybe gravity.

As the airbenders joined the police in moving the crowd away from the newly landed debris, Korra stood alone, her eyes darting between the rubble and the people.

‘Nikor? Aniki?’ Adriel yelled into his radio. ‘You guys all right?’

They had to wait an agonising moment for a crackle-distorted reply. ‘Hea…tenant! Things are…worse…here!’

‘Repeat your last message, Nikor,’ said Adriel as he adjusted the radio’s dials. ‘How are you holding up?’

‘Still putting the wet stuff on the red stuff,’ said Nikor. The message crackled, but was more intelligible than before. ‘But we’re running out of wet stuff!’

‘We’re losing pressure,’ Aniki clarified. ‘Since that last explosion.’

‘The water’s got to travel up sixty-plus floors before it gets to them,’ said Urika, listening nearby. ‘Those explosions must have compromised the dry-riser.’

‘All right,’ said Adriel. ‘Nikor, we’ll secure another water source as soon as we can. In the meantime, recycle what’s already there.’ 

‘Korra,’ said Kai, pushing his way to the front of the airbenders. ‘Why don’t you take all their water to the top of the building, then flood it?’

‘That could work,’ said Korra. ‘But not until everybody’s out. I don’t want to risk drowning people.’

She looked at the debris atop the crumpled guardrail and ran towards it.

Mako scrambled to his feet and called out to her as he followed.

Korra raised her hand without looking up from the debris; the warped, smoking remnants of what had once been part of the building’s exterior cladding. She crouched beside it and blew the fire out.

Mako thought he knew what she was thinking, but knew better than to ask for clarification in case she thought he was questioning her.

At last, Korra asked, ‘This cladding’s just for decoration, right?’

‘According to the building’s schematics, yeah,’ Chief Beifong said, and Mako realised that she, Suyin, and Urika were watching.

Korra leaned over the intact part of the guardrail, looking between the cladding left on the building and an adjacent skyscraper, about twenty storeys shorter than the Platinum Tower. Her eyes flicked between them several times before she shouted, ‘Su! I’ve got an idea!’

Mako nodded as he listened. Korra’s plan wasn’t dissimilar to what he’d had in mind.

Chief Beifong waited for Korra to finish, then ordered, ‘Everyone who can metalbend, get over here!’ 

The Beifong sisters stood on either side of Korra, with the metalbending cops and Huan behind her. Following the Avatar’s lead, they motioned their arms. The crowd screamed and stepped back as metal twisted and wrenched, growing louder as it reverberated up the building. Piece by piece, the metal cladding twisted and slid up and onto the roof like a swelling, metal wave.

‘So the Platinum Tower isn’t covered in platinum?’ said Mako.

‘The developers were rich,’ said Chief Beifong, without taking her eyes off the contorting metal, ‘but not that rich.’

Soon, they had the cladding collected in a circling motion. With a downward gesture, they pancaked on top of each other. Korra reached out, and the panels slid out from under one another across the skyline until they reached the adjacent building’s roof. Huan gestured in a circling motion, and the crumpled guardrails reformed in a wave-like shape along the bridge’s side.

‘Wow!’ Kai yelled. ‘That was awesome!’

‘Don’t celebrate too soon,’ said Korra, throwing out her arm as if Kai was about to run across it. ‘It’ll hold for a time, but I’m not sure how much weight it’ll take.’

‘Rough guess, I’d say about three people per panel,’ said Chief Beifong. ‘We should find out for sure before we send anyone across it.’

‘Good idea, Lin,’ said Suyin. She strode onto the makeshift bridge with Chief Beifong a few steps behind her. 

‘Bumi!’ Chief Beifong shouted, beckoning after her. ‘Care to join us?’

‘On my way, ma’am!’ said Bumi.

Mako held his breath as the three edged across, panel by panel, until they reached the adjacent building. Chief Beifong stepped onto the roof and beckoned.

‘All right,’ Korra shouted, drawing everyone’s attention. ‘We’ll go three at a time. Don’t run, and slow down if you get—’

BANG!

The roof shook, and the makeshift bridge creaked and swayed as the rumbling subsided. Panic took over the crowd. Some screamed and crumpled on the spot. Others charged for the bridge. Mako, Jinora, Kai, Adriel, and Urika rushed to hold them back.

‘All right! Everyone, calm down!’ Urika shouted once the panicked cries had subsided. 

Together, she and Adriel sorted the guests and staff into groups of three. The most distressed and injured crossed first, each group escorted by a metalbending cop. Kai, Jinora, and the two additional airbenders glided parallel to the bridge as Mako and Korra ushered everyone across. Chief Beifong and Suyin stood beside the bridge, their outstretched arms shaking.

Mako kept one eye on the bridge as he ushered more guests across. The number of people on the roof dwindled until only a pair of butlers and a man in a smoke-stained manager’s suit remained amongst the rescuers. 

Allowing himself to feel relief, Mako beckoned the stragglers to cross.

Heat hit him in the face, and a scream banished any sense of ease as flames licked up the side of the bridge. 

Suyin flinched from the rising smoke as the fire advanced. 

Mako rushed forward and bent the flames back down the building. 

Urika and Adriel joined him, opening their contingency canteens and shooting their meagre water into the fire.

Jinora and Kai broke off from their escort and swooped towards the Platinum Tower, bending the air into vortexes and blowing the fire further down the building as they landed. 

Korra pushed her way past the firefighters and, standing on the bridge’s precipice, pulled back the water that the firefighters had just expended. She propelled it into the airbenders’ vortexes, extinguishing the fire as Huan and the last of the hotel staff escaped the roof.

Everyone stopped to catch their breath, and a switch flipped in Mako’s head. He waited for the last flames to turn to steam before calling Korra, Jinora, and Kai over. 

‘Captain,’ he said, once he’d run through the plan several times, and Urika, Chief Beifong, and Suyin had finished their conversation. ‘So, we’ve got loads of water lying around, but no pressure, right?’

‘Yeah,’ said Urika.

‘Nikor and Aniki’ll make the best of it,’ added Adriel. ‘But it ain’t ideal.’

‘Mako might have a fix for that,’ said Korra. ‘If you’ll let me and the airbenders into the fire, they can create a vortex like the one they just made. Then me and your firefighters can bend water into it and we’ve got ourselves a mini water spout.’

Jinora stepped forward. ‘If Korra can turn the water into droplets, it’ll take the temperature down and use less water than by waterbending.’

Kai smirked as Jinora spoke.

‘Could work,’ said Adriel with a tentative nod.

Urika looked around as if another solution might appear out of thin air, then conceded. ‘It’s worth a shot.’

The explosions had damaged the stairs up which they’d accessed the roof, but after some careful climbing, they reached the hose where they’d left it in the corridor. Smoke hung just off the floor. The airbenders summoned spheres of air around their heads as the firefighters pulled their masks back on, and everyone advanced in squats and crouches.

The raging crackle greeted them before they rounded the corner, which amplified tenfold as they reentered the reception area. All their previous efforts seemed to have been for nothing. A murky black cloud hung in the air, punctuated by fiery flashes.

Urika swore, then shouted, ‘Everyone stick together!’

‘Do you want us to clear it?’ Kai asked, his voice strained.

‘Might just make it worse,’ said Adriel. ‘Keep hold of the pipe and we’ll all get back.’

Pulling on the hose line, Mako edged his way through the inferno, repelling the flames as they encroached on the party.

‘Nikor?’ Adriel yelled into the smoke. ‘Aniki?’ His voice was lost to the blaze.

Puddles of water dotted their path, turning into strands of steam as they evaporated into the smoke. Korra summoned what she could of the water and shot it at the fires Mako had bypassed. 

They advanced for what seemed like an age. Over his shoulder, Mako watched the airbenders stagger and flag, and their air spheres thinned. He staggered over something, and an instant of horror plummeted through his stomach as he reached back to check for a pulse. 

He gripped a charred piece of the ceiling; not Wing, not Wei, and not his brother.

Daylight smudged into the smoke. They’d reached the hole Chief Beifong had dropped them off through. 

Away from the worst of the fire, Mako heard splashes like those of a trickling stream, and a faint hiss.

‘There they are!’ Adriel shouted.

Two shadows crouched at the entrance to the stairwell, hunched around their nozzle and bending out the last pulses of water. They waved as the party approached and the smoke cleared enough to identify Nikor and Aniki. They were covered in soot, with only patches of their red bunker gear still visible. They wiped their masks, revealing their sweat-soaked, scarlet faces, and they heaved through gasping breaths as Urika and Adriel met them.

‘Are you two all right?’ Urika asked like she was their concerned mother.

‘Fine,’ Nikor managed. ‘But our pressure’s pretty much gone.’

‘Where’s your backup?’ Adriel asked.

‘One of those explosions took out the main stairway,’ said Aniki. ‘Caused a secondary fire, and a big one, too. The chiefs don’t want it to get behind anyone else.’

‘And it took out the elevator,’ said Nikor. ‘Rest of the guys gotta walk their way up.’

‘Why didn’t you just fall back to the command post?’ Adriel asked.

‘And concede?’ Aniki jeered as if they would be his last words. ‘No way.’

A high-pitched whistle cut through the approaching fire’s crackle, and Aniki seized a gauge attached to his mask. ‘And that’s gonna be a problem.’

Another whistle rang out, and Nikor checked his gauge; his eyes confirmed his predicament. ‘My tank’s almost empty too.’

‘Here,’ said Kai, pushing his way to the firefighters. ‘Lemme try something.’ He reached for Aniki, but the firefighter recoiled.  

‘Hey! Just wanna help.’

‘What you thinking?’ Korra asked.

‘Just something to give them extra time,’ said Kai. 

‘All right,’ said Mako, thinking he knew what Kai had in mind, he crouched so he looked him in the eye. ‘Show me.’

Kai’s eyes darted across Mako’s breathing apparatus. ‘How do you resupply these things?’

‘The pipe that connects to the mask leads to the tank,’ said Adriel, indicating that point on his own set.

‘Okay,’ said Kai. ‘Take a deep breath, and I’ll see if it works.’

‘And if it doesn’t?’ Urika asked.

‘Then I’ll make him another bubble,’ said Kai.

Noting his tank had a quarter of its initial supply left, Mako took a deep breath and unscrewed his regulator. 

Kai reached for the window and pulled in a spiral of air. Korra ran her hands through the spiral as it compressed and funnelled down the tube.

Mako’s pressure gauge shot up to full, and he jammed the pipe back into place. Breathing in, he tasted the fresh air. ‘Whoa. That’s a pretty cool technique, Kai.’

‘I had to purify it,’ said Korra. ‘No point in having more air if it’s half smoke.’ She looked at Kai. ‘But nice job.’

With all the firefighters convinced by Kai’s technique, they let him resupply their air tanks.

Korra stood between the airbenders, crouching beside the shattered window as the firefighters squatted in a readied stance. 

Korra’s air sphere shrank, and with a sweep of her arms, the smoke parted and rushed into the adjoining corridors. 

Mako squinted as the room became a furnace. Fire covered every wall and surface, and roared louder than a charging locomotive as it encircled the skeletal, wilting remains of what had once been a magnificent spirit vine.

The firefighters, now silhouettes against the inferno, raised their arms. A reflection of the flames shuddered in the water pooled on the floor. It retreated like a reversing wave, then leapt into the air.

Mako blinked, and the airbenders recoiled as the water flew in a jet towards Korra, where it formed into a swirling ball in her hands.

‘Sorry, that’s all we got,’ said Urika, as the last trickles of water sank into the ball. ‘A lot of it’s evaporated!’

‘It’s okay!’ Korra shouted. ‘I can work with it.’

The ball shuddered as Korra raised a hand away and beckoned at the blaze. Every wisp of steam that hung around the fire rushed towards her. As the flames shrank beneath strands of rising steam, the airbenders stood, keeping their heads low as their air spheres shuddered. 

A rush of wind sent a chill across the sweat on Mako’s neck as the airbenders gestured in a pushing and pulling motion. The flames bent away as the funnel rose up into the room, where it expanded into a colossal sphere. Its form distorted and contorted as the steam converged, gradually growing as Korra refocused on it, and it regained its shape.

She threw an upward punch, and it flew into the swirling air sphere. The water vaporised until it was impossible to tell the difference between the two elements. Korra spread her arms, and the ball emitted a mist-like cloud. As the particles flew across the room, the fire seemed to wince, then recede. Its glow faded, and clouds of steam billowed towards the ceiling. 

Urika and Opal scrambled in front of Korra as if in sync. Punching the air, they halted the cloud’s advance as Korra bent the steam back into the sphere — turning the fire’s remnants against it. 

The flames receded, dwindled, and were finally smothered. The steam cleared, revealing a scene of blackened devastation. Every inch of the once grand reception area had been incinerated. Charred doorways to rooms and corridors lined the walls. 

Mako took a step forward, then the bigger picture returned. With Korra, the airbenders and firefighters having gained the upper hand, Mako tapped Adriel on the shoulder. He’d half gestured at the doorway, but Adriel nodded and advanced towards it through the steam before Mako could ask.

Finding no one on the sixty-third floor, Mako and Adriel found themselves on the same stairs they’d climbed to the roof.

Clear of smoke, they took their masks off as they found the door to the sixty-fourth floor. 

Frustration came over Mako as Adriel checked the door for heat. ‘Why didn’t we check these before we went all the way up?’ 

‘We had our orders,’ said Adriel. ‘And we thought we’d have some backup.’

‘I’m sorry,’ said Mako, recognising his lapse of judgement. He caught Adriel’s reassuring smile. 

BANG!

Mako’s legs buckled as the floor lurched, forcing him and Adriel to steady themselves against the wall. They waited for it to subside and advanced into the corridor off the stairwell. It led them to an open-plan, lavishly decorated observation lounge. Modern art adorned the walls, and long couches faced the windows. Aside from the lingering smoke, it seemed untouched by the fire. 

A distant rumble shook the room. Dust and fragments of plaster fell from the ceiling, and a painting dropped from its hanging.

‘Cap?’ Adriel barked into his radio once the shaking subsided. ‘Everyone okay?’

His answer came in another panicked voice. 

‘Urgent message! This is Forward Command to all units. Our position has been compromised! Explosion on floor fifty-eight!’

‘Copy that, Forward Command,’ said another voice. ‘What’s your status? Over.’

‘Cap?’ Adriel repeated, switching the dial on his radio. ‘Captain? Nikor? Aniki? Can anyone read me?’

Mako looked frantically for his brother, a doorway to a room, or anywhere else he could be hidden. The ceiling creaked. Glass shattered, and the window frames buckled. Mako and Adriel flinched as the ceiling fractured, covering them in a fresh shower of debris. 

Unintelligible shouts punctuated the twisting and wrenching noises. 

Adriel froze amid the intensifying carnage, and Mako saw why. A duo of young men in green robes stood before the shattered windows. Thick metal strands punctured the floor, enwrapped the building’s supports and the tops of the windows, forcing the frames back to their original height. They dropped their arms as the crumbling eased. Turning to Mako and Adriel, their identical faces were caked in soot, dust, and sweat.

‘Thank you,’ Adriel said, awed.

‘Wing? Wei?’ Mako began.

‘But why didn’t you leave with everyone else?’ Adriel added.

‘Figured you guys would be busy,’ said Wing. ‘Thought you’d appreciate the help.’

‘This wasn’t an accident,’ said Wei. 

Urika’s voice barked through the radio before Wei could elaborate; it crackled, and there was a noise in the background akin to a landslide.

‘Lieutenant? Lieutenant? Can you—?’

‘All good, Captain!’ Adriel blurted with undisguised relief. Regaining composure, he told her where they were and who they’d found.

‘Meet us in the stairwell,’ said Urika. ‘We’re getting out, NOW!’

‘Cap?’ Mako began.

‘Just do it!’ And the transmission cut off.

‘Well,’ said Wing, eying Mako’s firefighting gear. ‘Bolin wasn’t lying.’

‘Where is he?’ Mako asked, almost grabbing Wei.

‘He was on this floor,’ said Wing. ‘Least he was last time we saw him.’

Another BANG sent a lurch through the floor — the couches and coffee tables slid as if on a boat just hit by a wave. Wing and Wei stared at the ceiling as if it might fall.

‘I.C. to all units,’ said a voice through Adriel’s radio. People screamed and sirens wailed in the background. ‘We believe the building’s structural integrity has been compromised. All F.D. units, evacuate immediately!’

‘P.D. command to all personnel, withdraw,’ yelled another voice as the quartet left the lounge. ‘Concentrate on the exterior. Try to keep the building from collapsing!’

Instead of heading for the stairwell, Mako defied every one of his survival instincts and ran the other way. 

‘Bolin?’ he called. ‘BOLIN?’ 

Not caring what a resulting backdraft might do to him, he kicked in door after door to lavish empty room after lavish empty room, shouting for his brother. Adriel, Wei and Wing tailed him. Mako feared they’d try to drag him back to the stairs. Instead, Adriel went into the rooms Mako had already checked while the twins pushed past Mako.

Did they know where to go?

Something gave a short, panicked squeak, and a small shape scurried close to the floor. Wing and Wei crouched beside it, and Mako made out a soot-covered fire ferret turning tail and running back the way he’d come. 

Mako abandoned the door he was about to barge through and followed Pabu and the twins. ‘Bolin? BOLIN?’

‘Bro?’

Mako’s chest somersaulted, and everyone froze.

‘Mako? Is that you?’ The voice was distant and muffled, but it kept talking. ‘Any time now would be good, bro! Could…seriously use a little help!’

Mako hadn’t time to worry about his brother’s potential injuries. Trailing Pabu, he barged through the door at the end of the corridor and into another open-plan room. 

Smoke hung in the air with an orange glow beneath. Across the room, among a mess of displaced, wooden sun-loungers, past a bar covered in overturned drinks glasses and jugs, straining to hold up a cracked, smouldering column, stood Bolin, his entire body shaking.

‘Oh, hey!’ he yelled through gritted teeth. ‘Glad you could...finally…join the party!’

The fire consumed another sun-lounger. The wood popped as it fed the blaze, creeping within inches of Bolin.

Mako charged in, but Wing and Wei overtook him. Thrusting their arms before they reached the column, metal shot and coiled up through the floor. 

Adriel ran into his stance. A multicoloured concoction of water, teas, and juices flew from stray glasses and jugs, behind the bar, and puddles beside those overturned in the rush to escape. Together, they mixed into a murky grey concoction as Adriel projected it across the room. Strands of it splashed the benders, but most of it landed in the fire’s heart, pushing it back. 

Wing and Wei flinched as they got splashed, but maintained their stances on either side of the column as they bent the metal around it, up, and across the ceiling.

‘Thanks, guys,’ Bolin sighed, lowering his arms as his entire body sagged. 

Mako rushed in to prop up his left side, Wing, his right, and Pabu ran up his leg and settled on his shoulders.

Like the Beifongs, Bolin’s face bore an acrid mix of sweat and smoke dust. That same mix soiled his once sharp suit, and steam rose off blackened burn patches.

‘How many on this floor?’ asked Wing.

‘I think…about five,’ said Bolin, struggling to count.

‘Five?’ Mako pressed.

‘It’s the explosions,’ said Wei. ‘They’re going off everywhere. Even where there’s no fire. It’s like the place is rigged with bombs.’

‘The support columns were going up like fireworks,’ said Bolin. ‘And if these floors come down, they’ll pancake onto the rest. I mean, I could have thrown the top floors aside, but then everyone upstairs would’ve wished they were airbenders!’

‘Lieutenant?’ Urika’s voice peaked through the radio. ‘Where are you?’

‘We’re on our way, Cap,’ said Adriel. ‘We’ve just found the ambassador. Soon as we’re out, this section’s clear.’

‘Just so you know,’ Bolin added halfway to the stairs. ‘I didn’t spend all my time on that one column.’

Mako patted Bolin’s back. ‘Bro, you did—’

Everything dropped. There wasn’t time to hear the explosion before the breaking and crashing of destruction filled Mako’s ears. The floor rushed past him as he lost his balance and grip on Bolin. 

Dust filled his eyes and mouth. Coughing, he removed his helmet and groped for his mask. The floor stabilised, and it took him a second to find his helmet in the dust as he breathed clean air.

Wing and Wei’s silhouettes doubled over and retched as they pulled each other up.

‘Everyone okay?’ Adriel shouted, getting to his feet.

Not answering, Mako grabbed to his right. Panic rose after his first two attempts.

‘I’m okay!’ Bolin groaned, pulling himself up out of reach.

Mako got up and helped Bolin to his feet, Pabu still clinging to his shoulders. 

Adriel had charged further into the lingering smoke and dust as it lifted. 

The floor, or rather, the ceiling, had collapsed, landing them back on the sixty-third floor, in the corridor between the stairwell and the reception room with the spirit vine. 

More silhouettes appeared, struggling to stand as they regained their bearings. Kai and Jinora slouched among them, both cut and covered in dust. Bumi and Opal were nearby, similarly beaten up. The other two airbenders lay motionless as Opal lifted one onto Bumi’s shoulder.

Mako shouted for Korra as he neared the others.

‘She went to help the cops,’ Kai croaked as he limped towards Mako, propped up by Jinora.

Mako nodded and made sure the two youngest airbenders were okay. Then Opal rushed to his side. She hugged Bolin, who kissed her, then jabbered about how worried he’d been as she took him off Mako’s shoulder.

Now alone, Mako looked for the firefighters. He found them as a sharp, guttural cry rang through the rubble-strewn corridor.

Three of them crouched in a huddle. Mako approached, and his stomach turned to lead. Nikor lay surrounded by his colleagues, his lower body buried in the rubble. He fought to hold a brave face as Urika rushed through the questions she’d ask any other victim.

‘This part’s all right,’ Nikor said in a hoarse voice, gesturing from his neckline to his torso. Reaching his buried legs, he added, ‘This, not so much.’

‘Does it hurt?’ Urika asked, her panic seeping through.

‘Yeah. Hurts real bad!’

The tension eased by a modicum.

‘Hold on! I got this!’ Bolin shouted, pushing his way past Mako, he punched up, and the debris flew off Nikor’s legs.

Nikor winced, then sighed. His lower body was caked in dust and mud — some of it red and collected around his left boot.

‘Can never just put your foot in it, can you?’ said Aniki, scrambling to the bloodied boot.

‘You know me,’ said Nikor. ‘Whole hog or nothing.’ 

‘Mako,’ said Urika. ‘We’ll take care of Nikor. I need you to find us another way out.’

Their options were limited. The elevators were out, and Mako found an impassable mess of metal and masonry leading up, and a gaping hole and sheer drop down the stairs. 

‘What you thinking?’ Adriel asked, appearing at Mako’s side and staring at the mess.

It was impassable for Mako and the firefighters, but for the other members of their party, perhaps not? 

‘Get the Beifongs and my brother,’ said Mako.

Adriel nodded, but his radio burst into life before he could leave. ‘This is Company Thirteen to I.C.!’ a voice cried. ‘There’s been a collapse on floor twenty-six! We have an injured firefighter!’

‘Company Six from floor fifteen,’ came another. ‘We’re out of water and there’s flames blocking our exit!’

More calls for help echoed as Adriel left, and Mako had made up his mind by the time the lieutenant returned with Wing, Wei, and Bolin on his heels.

‘You want those stairs rebuilt?’ asked Bolin, pointing at the precipice.

‘No,’ said Mako. ‘Judging from those distress calls, the situation down there isn’t great. We should go up.’ 

He pointed at the blocked, ascending staircase.

‘And where do we go once we’re on the roof?’ Bolin asked as if that was an obvious flaw.

‘We’ll deal with that,’ said Wei.

‘Okay,’ said Adriel. ‘It gets my vote.’

Urika led the airbenders into the stairwell. Bumi and Aniki supported Nikor on their shoulders; his bloodied leg wrapped up in a makeshift bandage. 

Urika agreed to the escape plan before Mako had even finished explaining it.

‘Airbenders,’ she ordered. ‘Thanks for your help. Get yourselves out.’

‘Excuse me?’ said Bumi. ‘Our work’s not done until all you water pixies are down on the ground.’

‘Don’t argue,’ said Urika. ‘If there’s another explosion and one of you—’

‘We’re not leaving,’ said Kai.

Opal, Jinora, and the other airbenders stared in solidarity.

‘All right,’ said Urika. ‘But I want you off that roof as soon as we’re up there.’

Bolin bent the debris off the stairs — or the mangled, compressed remains of what had once been stairs. With a twist, a wrench, and an ear-splitting squeal, Wing and Wei turned them back into something climbable.

Urika gestured at everyone to go up, but the building shook before she could speak. The shudder became a quake, forcing everyone to stand in situ. It reached its peak, then subsided.

‘Cap,’ said Nikor. ‘Bit of a problem.’

Looking back into the corridor to the sixty-third floor, Mako felt like he’d been punched in the gut. The collapse gave them a view of the withered spirit vine, or at least its silhouette. That silhouette darkened above a growing orange glow.

Aniki shouted. ‘It’s reignited!’

‘What?’ shouted Kai. ‘All that water and airbending was for nothing?’

‘Come on!’ Urika shouted, charging up the stairs.

‘How explosive are those things?’ asked Bumi, moving as fast as he could onto the stairs.

‘Very!’ said Bolin, charging past Bumi, pulling Opal after him.

The group charged up to the sixty-fourth floor. Pabu climbed over everything in the way before Bolin, Wing and Wei cleared a path for the others.

‘That vine looked pretty burnt out,’ said Kai. ‘You really think it might go up again?’

‘I wouldn’t stay and find out,’ said Nikor. ‘Don’t wanna lose any more limbs.’

‘You’re not gonna lose anything,’ said Adriel.

As if on cue, the stairwell lurched sideways. Mako grabbed a bent-out-of-shape guardrail and shut his eyes as dust fell, and the sounds of destruction and an explosion echoed around him. Someone cried out, and people coughed as the noise subsided.

Standing up, Mako gathered himself and took in what greeted him as he opened his eyes. 

Bumi, Aniki, and Nikor lay sprawled in front of him. Aniki scrambled to Nikor’s side, who winced as he sat up. Bumi’s face contorted as he clutched at his hip. Opal rushed to his side and pulled him up, ignoring his protests. They’d all lost their air spheres in the chaos.

Mako ran to Nikor’s side and took Bumi’s place under his right shoulder. 

Adriel joined. ‘Go help those airbenders,’ he ordered.

Aniki did as he was told, and Adriel counted to three. Mako lifted, and Nikor screamed.

‘Not much further,’ said Adriel.

Nikor forced a gritted-toothed smile at Mako, which he returned.

Then something glinted just behind Nikor’s head. The fire had somehow spared the wooden panels that lined the walls. Within those panels, something moved. A tiny shiver. A bulge. Then another. And another. 

Time slowed down. Mako felt his face fall as three yellow dots illuminated from the bulges. Jinora screamed, and Mako felt a foreboding sense of terror. He heaved Nikor towards the next flight of stairs. 

Adriel looked between the illuminating panel and his crew and shoved them away. 

Mako felt his heel catch something. He’d missed the first step and winced as he fell against the rest, and Nikor landed on top of him. As he tried to get back up and help, Adriel tried to pull the wincing firefighter off him. 

There was a rumble, a crack, and light flooded Mako’s vision, turning the two firefighters into silhouettes. He threw up his arm as everything came crashing in around him in a deafening burst of light and heat.

Chapter Text

His hearing came back first, filling his ears with a constant, high-pitched ringing. Other sounds underpinned it, muffled and intelligible. He blinked. His eyes were dry and stung as he slowly opened them. His own forearm and a debris-strewn step greeted him, partially obscured by flakes of falling dust as his surroundings came back into focus. A flame licked in his peripheral vision as the ringing subsided enough for Mako to make out a woman’s shouts.

‘Company Seven!’ It was Captain Urika, muffled, frantic and hoarse, but alive. ‘Is everyone all right?’

Mako pushed against the floor, and the pain hit him. Sharp stabbings peppered his right-hand side and down his back. He winced, but pushed through it to sit up. He found his helmet, dusty and singed, beside where his head had been. He took a deep breath as he reached for it. No air came. The mask contracted and tightened against his face. He gasped and choked, then seized the straps on the back of his head and wrenched it off. Retrieving his helmet, he looked around.

Dust and smoke encircled him. He couldn’t see the others, but their voices grew louder. He heard Urika again, and Bolin, Opal, Wing and Wei.

Then the sight of a red coat shattered Mako’s moment of relief. A figure lay slumped on the stairs beside him. Nikor. His helmet was nowhere to be seen, and his mask had cracked, the broken glass cutting into his face.  

Mako seized and shook his shoulders. Nikor winced and stirred. His eyes inched open, then snapped shut as he screamed.

Aniki scrambled through the smoke. He was covered in dust, and his nose was bleeding. After confirming Mako was okay, his attention turned to Nikor. Urika followed, her tunic torn below her shoulder.

‘Hey, Cap,’ Nikor croaked. ‘I’d give you a sit rep, but brain’s a bit foggy.’

‘It can wait,’ said Urika. She looked around as if to ask for help when Opal spoke.

‘Everybody, hold your breath.’ 

Mako didn’t ask for details. Wind rose and encircled them, and the dusty cloud split in two. 

Opal stood on the storey splitting the group. Behind her, Mako saw Bolin clutching his blood-stained arm with Wing and Wei at his side and Pabu at his feet. Further down, Bumi lay twitching. Kai and Jinora crouched beside him performing basic first aid.

‘Thanks for saving us,’ said Jinora.

‘If you hadn’t screamed, we wouldn’t have known it was coming,’ said Bolin in a strained voice. His eyes flicked across the stairwell.

Following them, Mako saw a mess of debris embedded in the opposite wall.

‘Sorry it wasn’t pretty,’ said Bolin. ‘Only had like half a second.’ He looked around, and panic set into his eyes. ‘Where are the other airbenders?’

‘They went to tell the fire command post what happened,’ said Kai.

‘Good call,’ said Urika. ‘Lieutenant? Get over here and we’ll get moving.’

There was no reply.

‘Lieutenant?’

Mako leapt to his feet and looked to where he’d last seen Adriel. A mess of panelling, support rods, and masonry lay on the steps below.

Someone gasped, and Mako’s eyes fell upon where the debris had crushed the guardrail. He felt the floor give way. Yet he was still stationary. Someone cried out, another screamed. Mako’s insides somersaulted, and he realised what he was looking at as Urika and Aniki scrambled forward. He jumped to his feet and followed, then froze.

Lieutenant Adriel lay behind a fragment of the wall. Blood soaked his hair, trickled down his dust-matted face and out of his mask’s shattered visor. His bunker gear was blackened and smoking. His arms lay strewn above his head, as if he’d tried to shield his face.

Aniki screamed Adriel’s name and shook his shoulders. The Lieutenant didn’t wake. 

Urika’s lips pursed, but her eyes betrayed her as she tore off Adriel’s mask, and blood seeped out of his open mouth. 

Nikor trembled as he forced himself to sit up and bellowed a desperate cry.

Mako stepped back, still staring at the firefighters. Numb, he hoped against all his senses that what he was seeing wasn’t real. The longer he stared, the more it dawned on him that it was. Wretchedness sank into every inch of him, yet he couldn’t look away as Opal and Kai rushed in beside Adriel’s lifeless body and tried to revive him. He stayed transfixed as Wing and Wei placed Adriel’s body on a makeshift stretcher and Urika and the airbenders’ attempts grew ever more desperate. 

He barely registered the journey down from the roof, but felt all eyes fall on him as the group handed Adriel to the healers. They laid his makeshift stretcher on the ground, tore off his bunker gear, drew out healing water, bent it over his chest, and grabbed at his arms and his neck. Then the lead healer’s lips pursed, he turned to the firefighters, and shook his head.

Everything stopped. The noise around Mako muffled, and the rescue party stared transfixed at the body. He felt himself tensing up.

Someone let out a small gasp. Nikor shouted something, and Aniki dropped to his knees beside Adriel, his head shaking as he covered his eyes. Mako stepped back and looked at his friends. Kai and Jinora held each other, and Bolin joined the Beifongs’ condoling embrace.

Urika trembled as she joined Aniki at Adriel’s side. She held his hand, as if hoping against all her senses that he might wake. She let it slip from her clutches, then removed her tunic and laid it over Adriel’s face and chest. Aniki clutched the Lieutenant’s helmet, then gradually released it and placed it atop his fallen comrade.

At some point, Nikor left in an ambulance, but no one aside from Urika had a chance to say goodbye. Chief Raalim offered Company Seven professional sympathy and took his helmet off as he stood them down from the incident. 

It was a silent trip back to the station, and a silent checking of the equipment. They were out of service for the rest of the shift, so no one bothered to clean the engine. Mako sleepwalked through it all. Every part of his body felt heavy, yet his insides felt numb. Muscle memory and some sixth sense guided him; one immune to what he’d just endured. 

How could Adriel be dead? Strong, capable, all-knowing Lieutenant Adriel. He couldn’t just die like that. Through all the hazing and hostility Mako had received upon arriving at Station Seven, Adriel had welcomed him the same as any other rookie, hadn’t cared he was a cop, and had shown him all the ropes where the other firefighters had conspired to make his life harder. Thoughts of how and why the Platinum Tower could have gone up in such a catastrophic way crept in. On any other day, he’d have been straight on them. Today, Mako let them fester and expire.

Urika made tea, which they drank in silence. 

Mako stared at his cup, his stomach feeling as if it were full of lead. Images of the moments before and after the explosion flashed in his head. The struggle up the stairs. The impending sense of doom. The screams. The scramble. The flash. The sounds. Adriel’s body lying in the rubble. He stood up, the scrape of his chair unnoticed, and left the living area. 

Though preposterous and misguided as it was, an unpleasant thought hit Mako as he passed the pole and slumped down the stairs. Did they blame him? 

Adriel had pushed him out of the way - and taken the blast’s full force. Given all the training they’d undergone around backdrafts, Mako might have survived if their places had been switched.

He tried to suppress the guilt as he reached the engine house.

‘What’s up, probie?’ said a youthful voice. 

Gaho stood by the back door, which creaked as Fin followed him in.

Mako weakly greeted the boys as he approached them.

Gaho’s smile faded as he looked Mako up and down, and colour faded from his face. ‘What?’ he said, his eyes widening. ‘What’s happened?’

‘Gaho,’ came a voice from behind Mako. Urika stepped past him, her eyes puffy and strained. ‘Come with me. You two should sit down.’ And without a word to Mako, she led the boys towards the watch room.

Mako made to follow, the pit of his stomach heavy and tense. Another creak from the back door stopped him beside the engine. 

Chief Beifong stood there, her face and uniform still caked in dirt from the fire. Mako stopped himself saluting as she shook her head. She greeted him with her usual professionalism, but her face bore a mournful look. Two metalbending officers stood behind her; their uniforms also covered in smoke stains. It took Mako a second to recognise them as Pitau and Gingko; the two he’d almost come to blows with at the fire at the port warehouse weeks ago. Both gave Mako a look of solemn condolence.

The door creaked and opened yet again, and three new arrivals joined the police officers. Korra, her clothes singed and soot-stained. Asami, one bandage around her head holding another over the left side of her face. And Bolin, with his arm in a cast and Pabu around his ankles. 

He pushed past the others and pulled Mako into a hug. ‘Bro,’ Bolin murmured. ‘I’m…I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I tried to stop it as fast as I could. But there was already fire all around him before I could bend the debris away.’

‘It’s not your fault,’ Mako said, the words dropping out of his mouth as they broke apart.

A muffled cry echoed from the watch room as Korra and Asami both embraced Mako.

‘Oh, Mako. I’m so sorry,’ said Korra. They separated. ‘I was with the cops trying to stop the building from collapsing. You’d already gone by the time I found out and tried to find you.’

The cries intensified, and Fin ran into the engine house, his hands covering his nose and mouth as tears streamed over them. He raced past the new arrivals without a glance, and the back door slammed open as he ran through it.

Mako, Bolin, and Asami waited outside the living area as Korra gave the firefighters her condolences. No one spoke for a while, with only Korra’s voice, low enough that her words were intelligible, preventing a silence.

‘Won’t this blow your cover?’ Asami asked.

‘No,’ said Mako. ‘They all know who I am. Thought it would make my job easier.’ Noticing Asami’s bandage, Mako asked. ‘Are your sessions going well?’

‘I’ve got one more with Kya, then she says it’ll heal naturally.’

‘Won’t that take a while?’ Bolin asked.

‘Maybe,’ said Asami. ‘It’ll get better, but it’ll never look like it did before.’ 

She blinked, sighed, then hugged Mako. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘No. Don’t be,’ said Mako, returning her hug. Even if none of his friends or colleagues blamed him, it didn’t stop him blaming himself. Injuries. Property damage. Death. These fires were ruining and ending lives.

He heard footsteps, and Urika, Chief Beifong, and Gaho came down the stairs from Urika’s office. Gaho trembled, his skin pale, and his eyes’ pupils shrank into pinpricks.

‘We should go in,’ said Urika, pushing open the door.

Korra sat at the head of the table, with Aniki and Lorren still staring at their half-drunk tea. Neither of the firefighters looked up as the group entered, but Korra stood and pulled Mako into another hug. Asami and Bolin hung back at the door as if trying to stay apart from the others’ grieving.

‘I just spoke to the hospital,’ said Urika. Aniki and Lorren looked up as Urika continued. ‘Nikor’s gonna be in there for a couple of days, but they’re saying it’s looking good for him. They’ve informed his family, too.’

‘Is he…?’ Aniki began.

‘They said he’ll still be able to walk,’ said Urika. ‘But he’ll be on light duties for a while.’

Lorren managed a slight smile, then nodded as if realising it meant something for her.

‘Anyone else?’ Aniki asked.

‘Twenty more are in there with him,’ said Urika. ‘Most were injured by explosions in the evacuation.’

‘And deaths?’ Lorren said.

Urika pursed her lips. ‘Ten civilians,’ said Chief Beifong. ‘Six were found by search teams, and four died in the evacuation. But no other firefighters or cops.’

No one spoke as the news sank in. It didn’t make their situation any better, but Mako took a moment to share their relief. 

A suppressed gasp broke the silence. Gaho, silent since he’d entered the room, still stood in the doorway staring at Korra.

‘Hey,’ Korra said in a friendly voice.

Instead of replying, Gaho’s eyes darted between Korra and Mako. ‘Y...You know the Avatar?’

‘We…we’ve met through work,’ said Mako. 

‘I heard what happened to Lieutenant Adriel,’ added Korra. ‘I met him as he tried to put the fire out, so I couldn’t go without offering my condolences. Was he your friend?’

Gaho stared at Korra. He retched, covered his mouth, then ran towards the bathroom.

‘He’s in shock,’ Urika said to Korra. She added something about Adriel being easy to get on with. The specifics, Mako didn’t hear.

The door edged open, and Pitau poked his head through. Beifong left as fast as she could without making any noise.

Seeing their silhouettes in the door, Mako slipped away from the mourning. He found Beifong and the officers halfway to the stairs.

‘Chief? Something wrong?’

‘Yeah,’ said Beifong. ‘We’ve gotta go.’

‘Something urgent?’

‘Yeah. So if you—’

‘What?’

‘Kid,’ said Beifong, as if admitting defeat. ‘Leave this to us.’

‘Chief,’ Mako insisted. ‘What’s happened?’

Beifong looked like she wanted to vanish as she spoke. ‘There’s been another incident at the zoo.’

With Station Seven stood down for the rest of the day, Mako changed out of his station-wear and insisted he go in Beifong’s place. 

‘I was there recently,’ he said. ‘And you’re still needed downtown.’ 

Beifong reluctantly agreed, but insisted Pitau and Gingko accompany him. 

Not much information came in over the radio as they raced through the sombre, ghost-town-like streets, but Pitau said there’d been a stampede and several injuries.

Emergency vehicles lined the bottom of the steps leading to the zoo. Civilians crowded around the cordon, and Mako winced at the wall of noise. He watched as several people looked frantically around and called out for their missing loved ones. Children sat alone and cried amongst the crowd. 

Mako flashed his badge at each of the cordons until he and the officers reached the zoo’s admission gates. Glancing back at the sea of panicked people, Mako felt his insides slump. The Platinum Tower loomed over the city’s skyline. Once sleek and shining, now it resembled a burnt tree. A blackened, smoking monolith, casting a shadow over the city as the sun set. Nowhere seemed immune from tragedy today.

An officer escorted them into the deserted zoo. Screeches and roars from spooked animals echoed around them. The paths were peppered with dropped guidebooks, refreshments, souvenirs, and personal effects. 

Mako thought he knew where they were heading as they ventured deeper in. Some visitors and staff had been trampled in the rush to escape and sat at the path’s edge being treated by healers and firefighters.

‘Any fatalities?’ Gingko asked as they continued. 

‘None reported so far,’ said Pitau. ‘Be a miracle if it’s true.’

They reached the same reptile house Mako had visited days earlier. The building seemed unscathed by the incident. The same could not be said for Gata, the zoo’s curator, who stood beside a police captain.

‘Oh, it’s you again,’ he said as Mako approached. His voice was shaky, his face pale, and sweat glimmered on his forehead. ‘Follow me. This way.’

Instead of leading them into the Reptile House, Gata led them away from it and down one of the spoking pathways. ‘What a horrible day,’ he said in the same shaking voice. ‘First, that tower goes up. Now this. People were here to try and get away from all that. Parents bought their children so they wouldn’t have to think about….’ He trailed off, glancing between Mako’s face and Pitau and Gingko’s soot-stained uniform. ‘We…were you there?’ he asked. His shock turned to desperation. ‘My son. He was doing an apprenticeship at this company. Their main office was in that tower. Do you know if he’s all right? His name’s Lu Jin.’

‘Sir,’ said Pitau. ‘I’m sorry. I’d call the hospital if you—,’

‘I tried that,’ said Gata. ‘Seven times. The line was always busy.’ He stopped and let out a heavy sigh. ‘I’m sorry. I’m just waiting for any news.’

They continued down the spoking pathway to a hub where others converged. A tree sat in the centre; or the smoking, ash-like remains of one did. Firefighters surrounded the tree. Some packed away their equipment, while others manned hoses as if they expected it to burst back into flames.

Mako’s heart sank as he approached the plant. Reading the information board at the surrounding fence confirmed his fear.

‘I never wanted the spirit vine in this section of the park,’ said Gata. ‘But the blasted things just grow wherever they want.’

‘This the only one that exploded?’ asked Mako, pointing at the charred tree.

‘Yes,’ said Gata. ‘Over there. Blew out the snack vendor.’

Without waiting for permission, Mako ran to the remains of the burnt-out food stall. He volleyed over the fence, ignoring all protests and climbed up the tree to a point where the roots looked to have exploded. Feeling the vines with the back of his hand, he confirmed they were cool enough to touch. The tree’s remains crumbled in his hands, and he didn’t need to move much before he found what he was looking for. A miniature burrow sat just below the vine’s outer layer, leading to the ignition point. Just off to the right, another burrow continued into the tree. Mako forced his hand down it, tearing into the vine until he felt something like flesh. He clenched it. It struggled, then went limp as something wetted his fingers and he wrenched it out. 

The zoo was closed and cordoned off, with special transport arranged for the animals while the fire department made sure the site was safe.

Korra had gone by the time Mako returned to the station. The shift change was still an hour away, and he found Aniki and Lorren slumped on the sofa around the radio. Mako caught Aniki’s eye as he approached them.

‘Sorry,’ Mako whispered. He thought again of the seconds before the explosion, and everything he’d done, or hadn’t. ‘I’ll—,’

‘The captain wants to see you,’ said Aniki, nodding back towards the door.

Urika looked up from her desk as Mako slid into the office.

‘Captain?’ Mako said, noticing her reddened, glassy eyes. 

She closed them and raised a hand. 

‘So,’ she said in a hoarse voice, ‘what happened at the zoo?’

Mako opened his mouth to object, but Urika stood up, her chair scraping on the floor.

‘Mako. I heard stuff over the radio. I know there was an explosion and people got trampled. Was it linked to the tower, and everything else?’

Everything else? That was a puzzle Mako still couldn’t solve. Then he felt the damp spot in his pocket. Reaching inside, he presented the squashed carcasses of the Dragon Weevil grubs he’d wrenched from the exploded vine.

Urika craned over, and her reddened eyes widened. 

‘I know. I shouldn’t have killed them,’ Mako said. ‘But if I hadn’t, I might have got another…,’ he stopped short of saying “fireball in the face”.

‘What are those things?’ Urika asked. 

Mako pulled his hand back, as if the carcasses might explode if touched. He did his best to remember what he’d read on his first visit to the zoo before speaking. 

‘They’re Dragon Weevils. Grubs.’ He explained they were like Bark Beetles, and how their larvae ate and killed trees once they hatched.

‘Well?’ Urika pushed once Mako had finished. ‘What’s some squished beetles got to do with anything?’

‘Captain,’ said Mako. ‘Remember that pattern on the walls at all the fires? I saw it in the tower, just before…,’ his throat tightened, ‘before the explosion.’

‘And?’ Urika said, her eyes pleading for more.

Mako explained about the spirit vine at the zoo. ‘The zoo had these on show. And on one of my rest days, someone broke into their enclosure and ran off with them. I know, it’s a stretch, but there could be a connection.’

Urika blinked, then looked between Mako and the squished grubs. Her next words were laced with accusatory anger. ‘Are you serious? Those things?’

‘Think about it,’ said Mako, mentally adding everything up as he spoke. ‘That spirit vine in the tower. It kept reigniting no matter how much water you threw at it.’

‘Probie,’ said Urika. ‘This sounds like some sick joke.’

‘Captain, I know this sounds ludicrous, and I dunno for sure, but I did find them in the vine that exploded at the zoo, and from what I heard from Korra and the more spiritually inclined airbenders, spirit vines are really reactive, especially to anything negative.’

There was a pause in which Mako rubbed the grubs’ squished innards off his hand.

Urika stared at the carcasses. ‘So,’ she began at last. ‘You think the vines explode when these things ingest them?’

Mako nodded. ‘I’ll have to speak to Korra and the airbenders before I can say for sure. In fact, we’re off duty. I should be over there now.’

‘Mako,’ said Urika. ‘About that.’

‘Don’t say your chief’s changed his mind.’

‘No, he hasn’t. The department can cope without us for the rest of the day. It’s about tomorrow, and afterwards. Nikor’s gonna be off for a while,’ said Urika. ‘Even when he’s back, the department’ll put him on light duties. I dunno how long that’ll be, but until they’re sure he’s back at full strength, we won’t have enough firefighters to operate as a full company. He can’t drive, so I can’t swap him and Lorren.’

‘Can’t they just send a temporary replacement?’ Mako asked.

‘They could. But I don’t want a standby firefighter. My crew’s been through a lot, and they don’t need the extra trouble of another fresh-faced probie or some old-timer doing things their way. I want someone I know is capable, knows this crew, and understands what they’ve been through.’

She looked straight at Mako, and his face went hot.

‘Cap?’ he eventually said. ‘You really think they want me around here after today?’

‘After today?’

‘With what happened to Lieutenant Adriel. He was protecting Nikor and me when—’

‘Mako,’ Urika interrupted. ‘You don’t seriously think I blame you for that?’ Her voice rose. ‘Of course I don’t! None of us do! The only one I blame is whoever rigged all those bombs! I never thought a firebender could do what you’ve done. You’ve not been with us for long, but even if you’re not a proper firefighter, you’ve taken to it better than some real probies. Mako. Please. I want you here. My crew’s broken. We don’t need another missing piece.’

The outpouring took Mako aback. Did Urika and the others really think that highly of him? Yes, she’d shown interest in his detective work, but he thought that was more to do with wanting to stop the fires. 

‘Captain,’ said Mako, every inch of compassion he had cursing him. ‘Of course I want to help you guys. I do like this place, and I’m flattered that you think of me that way. But this investigation has to come first. If I don’t, how many more victims will we have?’

Urika’s frame sank. ‘Okay,’ she said, leaning on the desk. ‘You’ll be back tomorrow though, right?’

‘Tomorrow?’ Mako asked. ‘Aren’t you guys stood down tomorrow?’

‘Absolutely not,’ said Urika, almost launching herself back to full height. ‘Every firefighter knows what can happen when the gong goes off and we tool up for a fire. Whatever happens, we’ve always done that. And tomorrow, when it goes off again, we’ll be back on the engine, same as we were this morning. To do anything else would dishonour Lieutenant Adriel and Nikor. So, Mako, you’ll go and speak to the Avatar tonight, but you’ll be back here, same time tomorrow.’

Standing to attention, Mako gave the only answer he could. ‘Yes, Captain.’

He slumped towards the locker room, devoid of the adrenal rush he’d normally feel upon reaching a breakthrough. He’d add everything to his casebook, then make his calls. No reason for him to leave the station now he knew how everyone felt. Doing so would have been cruel.

Reaching the locker room, Mako froze. The door was ajar, giving him a clear view of the inside and his locker — its open door, and the papers littering the floor.

Coming to his senses, Mako rushed forward and dropped to his knees. He grabbed every sheet he could see and skim-read the pages. Some of them were crumpled, and others had been crushed into balls. A gust blew a pile out of reach. He cursed the open window as he groped to retrieve the scattered files.

After scooping them all up, he flung his locker open. More pages lay strewn and scrunched among his scattered belongings. 

‘Mako? You all right?’ 

Mako looked up. Aniki stood over him on the locker room’s threshold. He bent over as if to pick up some papers at his feet, then hesitated.

‘It’s okay,’ said Mako.

‘Classified?’

‘No. But I can get it. I’m almost finished.’

Aniki ignored him and scooped up the paper. Lorren followed him into the room and joined in, gathering the files and placing them neatly on the bench.

‘Thanks, guys,’ Mako said once they’d finished and he placed the first re-sorted pile in his locker.

Aniki nodded and gave a brief “you’re welcome” smile. It faded as his eyes drifted to the last locker in the line: the Lieutenant’s.

‘We’ve got to empty that either today or tomorrow,’ said Aniki.

‘That quick?’ Mako asked.

‘Not to replace him,’ said Aniki. ‘So we can return his personal effects to his family.’

Mako’s stomach felt heavy. ‘I never thought to ask if he had any.’

‘His brother lives in town,’ said Aniki. ‘I think he works near the port. His parents and sister still live at the South Pole.’

Mako felt worse than ever. It made Adriel seem all the more real, with a whole life outside the walls of this fire station, and a family - a family receiving the worst possible news. He slammed the door to his locker shut and left the room. He couldn’t think about that now.

Chapter Text

Mako stopped at the police’s temporary headquarters to give a statement and hand over his notes, all of which were now evidence for the break-in. The clerk assured him he would create a copy for him to work off, but they wouldn’t be ready until the morning.

Sea water spray caught Mako’s cheek as his boat chased the setting sun towards Air Temple Island, and he mentally checked off the fires.

A car showroom. 

A restaurant.

A storage building.

The Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center. 

City Hall. 

A Future Industries warehouse. 

A Triad hideout. 

The Police Headquarters. 

A courier truck heading for Future Industries. 

Platinum Tower. 

Republic City Zoo. 

He looked up and grabbed the steering wheel as his boat careened towards the jetty. He turned the boat on a dime, and the resulting wave soaked the jetty, almost washing away the scaffolding around the damage from the last time the police visited. 

Hopes that his mistake would evaporate or drain away without a trace were dashed as footsteps echoed down the steps. Squirming and with his face getting hot, he looked up to see Korra.

‘I’d just finished meditating and saw you coming in.’ She bent the water back into the sea and embraced him.

The two reached the courtyard at the top of the steps. Mako caught his breath, and after they exchanged the usual pleasantries, he recounted all the fire locations to Korra.

‘And they’re all connected?’ she asked as they continued onto one of the covered walkways between the buildings.

‘I used to think so,’ said Mako. He hesitated. ‘But after today, I dunno.’

‘That’s not like you.’

‘I know. Normally, I’d want more evidence or a breakthrough in the case, but this one’s just made me doubt what I thought I already knew.’

‘You’ve had a breakthrough?’ Korra asked, her eyes lighting up. ‘That’s good, right?’

‘Yeah,’ Mako conceded. ‘But I dunno how it fits with the rest of the case.’

‘Mako,’ said Korra in a reassuring voice. ‘A lot’s happened today. You might need some time.’

‘Korra, I don’t have any time,’ said Mako. ‘These fires are breaking out every day, and I don’t want to risk anyone else—’

‘I know. I know,’ Korra said, holding up her hands. ‘But if you want to stop who or whatever’s behind them, you’re going to have to clear your head. Now, come with me.’

She headed back the way they’d come. 

Knowing better than to push for clarification, Mako followed her. 

They left the buildings behind and strode up the hill to the meditation pavilion, its eight pillars decorated with swirling patterns of gold and blue. 

‘Don’t worry, I don’t expect you to zone out and connect to anything,’ said Korra, stopping beside the wooden handrail. ‘But it’s a good place to reflect. Thought it might help.’

Mako gazed at where the pavilion’s pillars joined its sloped roof. Korra jumped onto the handrail and leaned against one of the pillars. ‘Just forget everything about the case for a minute. Concentrate on where you are. What you can see and hear.’

After some deep breaths, Mako let his eyes wander down to the sliver of sun gleaming against the inky black sky. The smell of the grass filled his nostrils as he breathed in through his nose. It was very quiet. The only sounds were the chirping of crickets in the surrounding greenery, the gentle rustle of wind in the nearby trees, and the distant crashing of waves on the island’s shores.

The world and all its forces continued regardless of the trials he faced. His thoughts refocused on those trials despite his best efforts to reassert his thoughts and push them out —  doing so had the opposite effect.

‘Okay. You’ve had a pause,’ said Korra, before Mako could let his mind wander. ‘Now, tell me about your breakthrough.’

As if it was bursting to get out, Mako recounted what he’d found at the zoo. The explosions, the injured, and how he’d wrenched the weevil grub from the tree.

‘Couldn’t they have got away in the enclosure break-in?’ Korra asked.

‘No,’ Mako stated. 

Korra blinked at the sharpness in his voice. 

‘I’m sorry. The trails in the tree were the same as those I found at most of the other fires. And remember what it said when we were at the zoo?’ Mako pressed. ‘What those things do to plants they lay their eggs in?’

‘Yeah.’

‘And you know how volatile spirit vines can be.’

‘And didn’t your combustionbender buddy say it was their egg-laying season?’

Mako nodded, but his enthusiasm dwindled. ‘But not every building fire, even the ones where I saw that pattern, had a spirit vine in it.’

‘Maybe they didn’t have to be inside the vine to trigger a reaction?’ Korra said.

The solution came to Mako in an instant, and he blurted out, ‘Bolin!’

‘He’s still here,’ Korra said, as if unsure where this was going. ‘What about him?’

‘When he was working with Kuvira on that spirit vine cannon,’ said Mako. ‘Even though the vines were removed, they were still volatile. What if someone’s feeding the dragon weevil grubs bits of the vines, then placing them where they want to burn?’ 

‘That’s possible,’ said Korra. ‘But I’d hate to be whoever’s in charge of feeding them.’

Footsteps echoed from down the hill, then a voice shouted. ‘Bro?’ It was Bolin, in a tank top and loose-fitting pants. ‘Mako, what’s going on? Is there another fire?’

‘No, Bolin. It’s fine. Go back to bed,’ Mako said as Bolin reached the pavilion, clutching his bandaged arm as he caught his breath. 

‘Oh, am I interrupting some secret detective Avatar meeting?’ he said, his eyes darting between Korra and Mako. ‘Okay,’ he whispered, and raised a hand over his face leaving two fingers parted to show his eyes. ‘I was never here.’ He backtracked down the hill, stumbled, then winced and nursed his arm as he went.

‘So, you might have an ignition source,’ said Korra. ‘But what about a suspect?’

‘This is where it gets foggy,’ said Mako. ‘I thought I knew who it was. Then I discounted hi—them, but after today, I dunno.’

‘Your combustionbender buddy from the zoo?’ asked Korra.

‘Yeah.’ Mako conceeded as he looked back out to the horizon, now an inky black with the sliver of moon barely illuminating the ocean. ‘When you put it all on paper, you’d think he was our guy. He doesn’t like Future Industries. He has a bad history with the Beifongs. He’s capable of blowing things up.’

‘Hold up. Hold up,’ said Korra. ‘A bad history with the Beifongs?’

‘Oh…right,’ Mako said, his stomach tensing again. 

‘What ELSE did you forget to tell me?’ Korra said, and even in the dark, Mako saw the whites of her eyes.

‘That guy,’ Mako sighed. ‘Remember I said he was in prison in Zaofu, and that the Beifongs took him in after they busted him out of an insurgents’ training camp?’ As if admitting he’d been lying before, Mako explained the circumstances through which Doja had earned the nickname the “Beacon of Zaofu”. ‘Since Suyin’s in charge of everything there, he didn’t have a very high opinion of the family.’

‘Mako,’ said Korra, as if looking for what she was missing. ‘Why didn’t you tell me this the first time?’

‘I hadn’t noticed the pattern then,’ said Mako.

‘So what is there to doubt?’ Korra pressed.

‘Well,’ Mako began, ‘can you explain how he gained access to all—?’

‘What did you say when we were at the zoo?’ Korra interrupted. ‘You weren’t convinced because he didn’t have the means or a solid motive. Well, now he does have the means, and he’s had enough of a motive all along! Who’s to say he wasn’t going after Future Industries as practice for when the Beifongs came to town?’

‘Korra,’ said Mako, trying not to shout. ‘You’re jumping to conclusions. I only know he started one fire; the one in the Triads’ basement. And that was an accident. And even if he does have those weevils, how would he know they’d explode if they ate spirit vines? The zoo didn’t have any information about that, and he’s never alluded to knowing anything about spirits.’

‘What if he is working with Azulon’s Ashes?’ said Korra. 

‘He hates those guys,’ said Mako. ‘When I spoke to him, he said they were wasting their time. And,’ he hesitated, trying to word it in a way that wouldn’t make it sound like a hunch. ‘And he doesn’t…seem like one of the Ashes. At that meeting, they went on and on about strength and wanted to show it afterwards. Doja just doesn’t fit that mould.’

‘What if he was lying?’ said Korra. ‘What if he was putting up a front to throw you off?’

‘Chief Beifong interviewed him too. She’d have known—’ Mako didn’t finish. Someone called out his name in a weary, breathless voice. Then Tenzin charged out of the darkness. 

‘Call for you in my study. And,’ he stared through tired eyes, ‘please don’t keep her waiting.’

‘I tried your home,’ said Chief Beifong’s voice once Mako answered the phone. ‘Figured you’d be here when you didn’t answer. I heard someone had a good look through your case files.’

‘Yeah,’ said Mako. ‘I was gonna tell you, but I thought I’d best get over here so I could talk to—’

‘And you’re certain there was nothing missing?’ Beifong interrupted.

‘I checked five times,’ said Mako. ‘I’m sure.’

‘And that no one left the window open?’

‘Well, there was. But Captain Urika said it wasn’t fastened. Not their standard protocol. And the papers were scrunched, like someone had screwed them up.’

The speaker was loud enough that Korra could hear, and she craned over Mako’s shoulder as she listened in.

‘Any suspects?’ Beifong asked.

‘No,’ said Mako. 

‘Not even the guys who were so eager to help you clean up?’

‘What?’

‘What did they stand to gain from helping you?’ Beifong pressed. ‘What if they went looking for something, bailed early, then used helping you as an excuse to finish what they started?’

‘I don’t buy that,’ said Mako, not after Urika’s vote of confidence.

‘So what’s the alternative?’ said Beifong. ‘Someone broke into the station and had a good root around in all your evidence that they just happened to know where to find?’

Mako hadn’t the chance to answer before the phone was ripped from his hands.

‘Chief,’ Korra said. ‘Will you stop sullying the water? We think we might know who the arsonist is!’

‘Stay out of this, Avatar,’ said Beifong. ‘You’re not officially part of this investigation, and now that it’s compromised, I should tighten security back to a need-to-know basis!’

‘Chief,’ said Mako, grabbing back the transceiver. ‘Please. Korra and I have talked over a lot tonight.’

‘Have you?’ Beifong said in a patronising tone. ‘Anything so good you’d like to share?’

Without pausing for breath, Mako told her everything he’d found at the zoo and what he’d seen in the tower. He expected Beifong to interrupt as he described the dragon weevils and how he’d found them in the zoo’s vine, but she didn’t speak until he’d finished.

‘Well. A tall tale if ever I heard one.’

‘Yeah,’ said Mako. ‘You see my dilemma?’

‘I can advise you what I think, Mako,’ said Beifong. ‘But I can’t make the call for you.’

Mako paused. Forgetting those in the room and on the other end of the line, he felt as if all eyes in Republic City were on him, awaiting that decision, and what might happen if he got it wrong. Clutching at any straw left hanging, he asked, ‘Any news on the ashes?’

‘Afraid not,’ said Beifong. ‘No more meetings as far as we can tell, and no street brawls, either.’

Mako sighed, then made up his mind. ‘Okay. I don’t know for sure that the combustionbender is our arsonist. But with everything that’s happened today I think we should question him again.’

His decision was met with silence.

‘All right, kid,’ Beifong said at last. ‘I’ll prepare your files and pass them on. We’ll keep him in a cell overnight, and they’ll question him in the morning.’

‘You’re not gonna do it?’ Mako asked.

‘You’ve got a short memory,’ said Beifong. ‘Since my family is pretty close to the centre of this, the department’s gotta be sure I ain’t showing bias. I would have had you question the guy, but last I checked, you’re on duty tomorrow.’

Mako nodded. ‘All right. Sure.’

‘For the record,’ Beifong added, ‘I’d have done the same.’

‘Pema saved you some dinner,’ Korra said once Mako put the phone down. ‘And there’s a spare bed in the men’s dormitory.’

‘No,’ said Mako. ‘Thank you for—’

‘Come on, bro,’ said Bolin, standing at the door with Asami to his right. ‘You’ve had one of the worst days ever. At least let me and the rest of Team Avatar do what we can for you.’

He could have argued on, but he was outnumbered, and he hadn’t the wherewithal to do so. He hadn’t the grounds to either — Bolin was right. He thought again of Nikor and Adriel. His last glimpse of the two before that explosion. He felt for Urika, Lorren, and Aniki; his own sadness felt trivial by comparison. Then came the guilt. Even if Urika didn’t explicitly blame him for what happened, he hadn’t closed the case fast enough to prevent further loss of life.

Hands rested on his back and just below his shoulders, and he looked up to find Bolin on his left and Korra on his right. Letting out a deep sigh, he let them both pull him into an embrace. Someone else hugged him from behind; Asami, he assumed. Though he didn’t cry, relief and a sense of safety engulfed him, leaving him unwilling to push them away. Even though he still had a lot to do, here and now, surrounded by the people he trusted most, he felt safe. His burden, shared.

Once they finally broke apart, and Mako had eaten Pema’s leftover bowl of steamed tofu and vegetables, the team headed for their dormitories to the sound of crickets chirping above the waves washing over the foot of the cliff.

‘Sorry I got a little aggressive earlier,’ said Korra, nodding at the meditation pavilion.

‘Don’t be,’ said Mako. ‘I’d want the same if I were in your shoes.’ They continued towards the girls’ dorm. ‘And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the connection to the Beifongs. I didn’t want to overcomplicate things. You’ve got enough to worry about.’

‘If you’re talking about me,’ Asami interjected, ‘I’m all good. I’ve been ready to go home for a couple of days.’

‘Then how come you’re still here?’ Mako asked.

She looked side-eyed at Korra, but still smirked as she said, ‘Someone won’t let me leave.’

‘Aww,’ Bolin cooed. 

‘Well,’ Korra said, not meeting Asami’s eye, ‘it’s kind of dangerous for us out there.’

‘Okay,’ Bolin said as if giving an order. ‘Who are you and what have you done with the Avatar?’

‘Nothing, Bolin,’ Korra said. ‘But we’ve all gotten caught up in whatever this arsonist’s game is. We just need to stay alert.’ Looking at Mako, she added, ‘For now.’ 

Reaching the girls’ dorm, Asami’s smile returned. ‘I know you mean well. But we’ve got this if we watch each other’s backs.’

Korra sighed in conceit. ‘All right. Tomorrow. We’ll go home tomorrow.’

Mako and Bolin bid the girls goodnight. Heading for the men’s dorm, Mako was surprised when Bolin went the other way. ‘You’re not coming with me?’

‘Sorry, bro,’ said Bolin. ‘Opal needs me tonight.’

‘Of course,’ said Mako. Realising what today meant for both of them, he added. ‘Bolin, at some point, I’ll have to speak to her and the other Beifongs about the fire. And you’ll need to talk to someone too.’

‘You sure that’s a good idea?’ said Bolin. ‘I doubt they’ll wanna go near a candle after today. Maybe I shouldn’t let firebenders around them at all for a few weeks?’

‘Bolin,’ said Mako, unsure of how serious he was being. ‘You’re not their family bodyguard, and I don’t have a few weeks!’ 

‘But I thought they were locking the combustionbender up again?’ said Bolin, as if Mako had misled him.

‘They can’t hold him indefinitely. At most, I’ve got two days to get enough evidence to charge him, or we’ve got to let him go. Talking to Opal and the others could help.’

There was a pause.

‘All right,’ said Bolin. ‘I’ll let them know. I dunno when they’ll have time, but I’ll bring it up.’ He thought for a second, then added, ‘tomorrow.’

‘Thanks, bro,’ said Mako. They shared a brief hug before he continued towards the dorm.

‘Thanks for the tip, though!’ Bolin called after him. ‘If I ever get tired of politics, I might try out bodyguarding!’

The next morning, Mako found his locker empty and wrapped in police tape. Yawning, he put his spare station uniform in the locker next to it. Dust plumed in his face as he wiped it from the top shelf, stinging his already dry eyes. He wished he could have taken advantage of his friends’ kindness with a restful night, but images of the explosions mixed with other flashes of fires and the people woke him almost every hour.

‘Here,’ said Aniki’s voice, and Mako found the firefighter handing him a rag.

He took it and wiped the shelf clean. Handing it back caked in dust and cobwebs would feel disingenuous. He’d wash it in the bathroom first. Aniki and Lorren were beside Adriel’s locker. Aniki crouched over a box, its contents topped with a neatly folded station uniform. Lorren reached into the locker and pulled out a large textbook.

‘Sorry,’ Mako said, backtracking. ‘I’ll go around.’

‘It’s okay,’ said Aniki, moving aside.

Mako tried to move past the two, but stopped. ‘Mind if I give you a hand?’

‘Sure,’ said Aniki. ‘I gotta get another box. There’s more stuff on the top shelf, right at the back.’

Lorren placed the textbook on the bench. Aniki strained as he picked up the box that was already full. ‘The Lieutenant was never a minimalist,’ he said with a sad smile.

Mako’s chest tightened, but he managed to return Aniki’s smile. He reached for a pile of notebooks and textbooks towards the back of the top shelf.

Something moved out of the corner of his eye. It shuffled from behind the box, then scuttled along the top; a black, six-legged creature with red and orange stripes along its back.

Mako’s stomach dropped, and he almost leapt back. He shouted at Lorren to grab a bowl from the kitchen, which he used to catch the stray dragon weevil. Then, using his authority as a police officer, ordered everyone outside. 

Once in the yard, he, Aniki, and Urika stood around the bowl, leaning close enough to see the creature while still keeping their distance. The weevil scurried around in the bowl and tried in vain to escape up its sides.

Urika stooped over it, and Mako fought the urge to pull her back as she inspected the creature. ‘Are you sure there weren’t any more?’ she asked.

‘We didn’t find any,’ said Aniki, bending a handful of water in mid air in case the weevil combusted.

Lorren came jogging out of the station. ‘Chief Tarruna’s on her way.’

‘She believe you?’ Mako asked.

Lorren looked away and pursed her lips.

‘Mako,’ said Urika, fear in her voice. ‘You really think my station’s unsafe?’

‘You saw what happened everywhere else these things show up,’ said Mako. ‘We’ve lost enough.’

‘Not that I don’t believe you,’ said Urika. ‘But you might have to convince Chief Tarruna.’

‘She won’t buy your whole “exploding bugs” story without more evidence,’ said Lorren.

‘Well, they’re mad if they don’t at least call the exterminators,’ said Aniki.

‘We’ll stay outside until they arrive,’ said Mako. ‘But if they’re taking this seriously, they’ll listen.’

‘I’m with you,’ said Urika. ‘But can we go back in and take what we can while we wait?’

‘Captain?’ said Mako. ‘Didn’t you—?’

‘All our equipment’s still inside,’ said Urika. ‘Our bunker gear, the engine and everything on it. If we can’t get to those, we’re not operational.’

‘Okay,’ said Mako. ‘I’ll give you ten minutes. Then I want you all back out.’

The firefighters approached the back door as if expecting a backdraft. One by one, they advanced into their own station as if it were an unfamiliar hot zone.

An engine started, then subsided, and Lorren and Aniki charged back into the yard. 

‘Okay, the engine’s out the front,’ said Aniki. ‘And I loaded some extra gear.’

Mako nodded, his eyes fixed on the door. Every second of Urika’s absence seemed infinite. He glanced between the door and windows, straining all his senses for any sign of a fire, while Aniki and Lorren stood as if expecting something to attack them.

‘Her time’s up,’ said Mako, without checking his watch as he charged back into the station.

His footsteps echoed around the empty engine house as he ran inside. Urika wasn’t in the watch room, nor the kitchen or the living space. Thinking he knew where she was, Mako charged for the captain’s office. 

He jumped in surprise as he reached the second floor and nearly fell backwards down the stairs. Urika let out the smallest of screams as Mako ran into her. She recoiled, almost dropping a large binder filled with papers.

‘I knew you wouldn’t be far behind,’ she said.

‘What was so imp—?’

‘I’ll explain outside,’ said Urika, grabbing Mako’s arm. ‘You know, because of the whole reason you chucked us all out in the first place.’

Mako finally took a breath as he stopped in the yard. They’d raced downstairs as if being chased by a fireball, yet looking back, the station remained intact. Once his heart’s hammering had slowed to a normal speed, he made to look for Urika.

‘I wasn’t keeping this from you on purpose,’ she said, with a guilty glance at the binder, ‘but things got kinda hectic recently.’

‘Keeping what from me?’

Urika held out the file and opened it to the first page. A scribbled title read: OTHER BENDERS - FIREFIGHTING.

She turned over a handful of pages before Mako could ask her to elaborate, and stopped on one with a crude drawing scribbled on it: a stick man pulling in red, wavy lines. The drawing had annotations around it, but Urika turned the page before Mako could read them. 

Another crude scribble greeted him. This one had several stick figures surrounding a big ball of black and blue lines.

‘What’s all this for?’ Mako asked.

‘Mako. I’m glad you didn’t see how I reacted when Lin told me she was saddling me with a firebender with his own agenda. The latter part I understood; she wouldn’t do something like this for fun. But I worried you’d be a dead weight on me and my team. Sure, in the Fire Nation, they might have to be creative, but fighting fire with fire wasn’t something I was prepared to try, not where it might hurt people; my people.’

She turned back to the cover, then flicked to the first page. There, Mako stared at his own face, and the mocked-up fire department personnel file Chief Beifong had shown him the day after the fire at City Hall.

Urika turned the page, revealing what read like a scathing school report, full of details of his mistakes and performance in his early days. He cringed. It detailed how he had a “bad attitude” and was “confrontational with other firefighters”. 

As if sensing it, Urika returned to the first sketch. ‘But the more I watched you, and how you can handle yourself, it made me think again. Lieutenant Adriel told me what you said to Fin and Gaho the other day too. Of course, other cultures have their own ways of fighting fires. I used to think those were antiquated and had no place here in Republic City.’ She turned the page back to the circle surrounded by blue lines. ‘But after seeing you handle fire after fire, and especially after those airbenders’ display, maybe the fire department should make room for new ideas?’

She closed the file. With a clear view of the cover, Mako realised where he’d seen it before: Urika had been working on it while they’d listened to the pro-bending match.

‘I mean, it works for the United Forces,’ Mako said. He felt something like butterflies in his stomach and didn’t know where to look.

Urika also averted her eyes as she said, ‘I was going to wait until your case was closed before I showed Lin, but if someone’s trying to blow us all up—’

The station’s phone rang, echoing through the engine house.

‘Let me get that,’ said Urika.

‘I’m on it, Captain,’ said Lorren, beating her through the door. It slammed shut, and within seconds, the ringing stopped.

Mako felt uneasy again. All his senses heightened as he stared at the open door. Urika stepped into his line of sight. What he thought next, he knew might land him in trouble, but he’d told Korra and most of his other confidants. Why shouldn’t those in the line of fire know? Especially considering what had happened yesterday. He hadn’t chance to think how he’d word his explanation when Lorren burst back into the yard.

‘That was headquarters,’ she said without taking a breath.

‘And?’ Aniki pressed. ‘Any word on Chief Tarruna?’

‘She’ll be here soon. But I’ve got bad news. It’s the Platinum Tower. The fire’s re-ignited.’

‘What?’ Urika said, despair in her eyes.

‘Nothing huge,’ Lorren said. She paused, then continued as if less sure of herself. ‘But they want us down there.’

‘Then how come there’s no alarm?’ Mako asked. ‘Unless someone disconnected it?’

‘We’re not going to put the fire out,’ said Lorren. She looked at Mako. ‘Chief Beifong specifically wants us down there.’