Chapter Text
“You’re still here?” Mako looked up to see Lin leaning in the doorway of her office. His desk happened to be the closest to her door.
“Yeah, I’m just trying to finish the reports for that Triad bust today.” He replied, gesturing to the typewriter in front of him. The department had been busy over the last five months. Most of the city had been repaired already, but some parts were still under construction. During that time, the RCPD had been working hard to keep the crime rate down. The Triads had become emboldened after Kuvira’s defeat and had been causing no small amount of chaos in the city.
“I have to say, it’s nice having the Avatar back to help out,” Lin said, walking over and sitting down across from him.
“I agree. I’m not sure if we could’ve caught Tokuga without Korra’s help.” Mako stated. “Even with her, bringing him in was tricky. I’ve never seen anybody fight like he does. Even Asami might’ve had a hard time against him.”
“Tokuga had the potential to become the next Yakone, or perhaps someone even more dangerous.” The chief agreed. “I still can’t believe he took out Viper of all people. He was one vicious bastard.”
“I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself.” Mako sighed, staring down at his lap. The Triad Strike Force made up of himself, nine other officers, and Korra, had gotten a tip that someone new was trying to take over the Triads. According to their informant, this new person was making a move on Viper first. So they'd gone to Viper’s known hangout in hopes of capturing him and whoever this new potential leader was. They had gotten there too late. Viper was dead on the floor when Korra kicked the doors down. Tokuga was standing over him, blood still dripping from his hook swords.
“You okay, kid?” Lin’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
“Sorry, it’s just hard to believe he’s dead,” Mako answered. “I grew up being terrified of Viper, and for good reason. So now that he’s gone…it’s a strange feeling.”
“Well, I wouldn’t get too comfortable.” Lin sighed, crossing her arms. “With both Tokuga and Viper gone now, there’s going to be a power vacuum.”
“Not much we can do but wait.” Mako shrugged. “Anyway, I should get this finished.”
“Just don’t stay here too late, kid,” Lin said, as she got to her feet. “Take it from someone who knows, your life shouldn’t revolve around the job.” Just as she was about to go back into her office, the door to the squad room opened loudly. They looked over to see one of the newer officers, a man by the name of Lee, walking over. He had a confused look on his face. “Something going on, officer?”
“Uh, maybe?” The young man replied. “I caught a strange report and the desk sergeant told me to bring it to you, Chief.” Lin and Mako shared a look. The desk sergeant, a veteran cop named Yu, wasn’t the type to waste the Chief’s time. If Yu had sent him, then it must’ve been important.
“What is it, kid?” Lin inquired a tone of curiosity in her voice. Officer Lee walked over and fidgeted with his uniform belt as he spoke.
“I have a beat over in the Dragon Flats District, ma’am.” He began. “Usually it’s nothing more than the occasional Triad deal that needs busting, or theft. Sometimes I get some violent stuff. Had a mugging case that I solved last week. But lately, I’ve been hearing some whispers.”
“Whispers?” Mako repeated.
“Yes, sir,” Lee confirmed. “The higher ranked officers told us to try and build connections with informants. I was a street kid growing up, made my living as a newsie before I got too old for it, and had to get a more appropriate job. Anyway, I still have connections with some people from that life.”
“Get to the point, Officer Lee.” Lin cut in.
“Right, sorry, ma’am.” He stammered. “My contacts have been mentioning a group of weirdos who’ve been hanging out in and around an abandoned factory lately.”
“That’s not exactly a strange occurrence and not one that would necessarily require an investigation.” Mako countered. Lin nodded in agreement.
“Normally I’d agree with you, so I went to see it for myself.” Lee continued. “There were at least three people I saw going in that I know are former Triad members. And if they’re involved, then I doubt that whatever is going on is legal. If that isn’t enough, these meetings only happen at night, and the people going in or out are always wearing robes.”
“He makes a good point,” Lin said. Mako looked at her curiously. “Remember the Equalists? Well, they didn’t just magically appear overnight. We had been getting similar rumors of strange activity from our informants, but we brushed them off as just rumors. You remember how that turned out.” Mako felt an involuntary shiver crawl up his spine as memories of Amon flooded his mind.
“Alright,” Mako stated, frowning thoughtfully. “I’ll head over there myself and give it a look.” He turned to Lee. “Would you care to come along? I could use someone familiar with the area.”
“Sure thing,” Lee replied, glancing at his watch. “The next meeting starts in two hours. So if we hurry, we can find a good place to observe.”
“Just don’t go doing anything hasty,” Lin said, firmly. “This isn’t an official investigation, so we don’t have cause to get involved yet. Observe only, then report back to me when it’s over.”
“Yes, Chief.” Both men replied in unison.
—
The warehouse in question wasn’t hard to find. It was located near the very edge of the Dragon Flats district and stood slightly further away from any other buildings. The outside looked decrepit and abandoned. A heavily faded company logo covered the wall facing the street, though it was too corroded to read. According to public records, it had once belonged to Varrick Global Industries, before it went bankrupt. The only entrance was a huge hanger door that looked to be rusted shut, and a smaller door that was only accessible by a narrow alleyway.
“So much for trying to sneak inside,” Mako muttered to himself. If this group was smart then they’d have people watching the door and alley. The only windows he could see were all at least twenty feet above the street. Possible to jump with a little firebending help, but that would draw too much attention. Especially at night.
“What was that?” Lee asked. He was seated in the driver’s seat. True to his word, he’d known a perfect spot for their impromptu surveillance operation. Mako made a mental note to recommend Lee for a promotion when the next one came up. The rookie had good instincts. It was approaching 10:00 pm, which meant that the people they were looking for would be arriving any minute. Sure enough, just as Mako was about to answer Lee’s question, he caught movement in the corner of his eye.
A group of four people, three men, and a woman were approaching the warehouse at a leisurely pace. All four of them were wearing long blue and white robes. The robes had fur around the collar and had been modeled off of Water Tribe clothing styles. The foursome seemed to be talking amongst themselves as they walked. Mako watched them closely, leaning forward slightly to get a better look at their faces. They weren’t Triad members, though he got the sense that they weren’t locals to this neighborhood either. There was something about the way they carried themselves that screamed ‘rich people’ to him. He vaguely remembered seeing one of the men at a charity event Asami had taken him to.
Mako settled back into his seat once the foursome disappeared into the warehouse. Now his curiosity was truly peaked. Former Triad members hanging out in abandoned buildings was one thing, but what on earth could have brought some of Republic City’s wealthier residents to the Dragon Flats district?
“See what I mean?” Lee said, reaching up to rub his chin thoughtfully. “Definitely something odd going on here.”
“You have good instincts, rookie,” Mako replied. “Take note of anyone you recognize.” Lee nodded and pulled out his notepad and a pen. Mako did likewise. Over the course of the next hour, roughly twenty people entered the warehouse. Far more than Mako had been expecting. They arrived in small groups, or alone. As far as he could tell, there were people from every nation and they all seemed to come from different walks of life. Some were locals to the area, while others weren’t. He thought he even recognized one or two of the new airbenders amongst them.
‘Why in the world would they be here?’ He thought.
“I’m going in,” Mako announced, setting aside his notepad.
“What?” Lee asked in surprise. “But the Chief said-“
“I know what the Chief said, but we need to know what’s going on in there,” Mako said, as he removed his badge and name tag, then opened his door. “If I’m not back in ten minutes, radio for backup.”
“With all due respect, sir, you’re insane.”
“You’re probably right.” Mako shrugged. He got out of the car and shut the door behind him. There were still some people moving towards the warehouse. A few of them weren’t wearing the same strange robes, which he hoped would help him slip inside more easily. He stayed a few feet behind two other people as he walked. Just as he suspected, two people were watching the entrance. A man and a woman. The man interacted with everyone who went inside, either by bowing to them or saying something. The woman was security. Her eyes continuously scanned the crowd but said nothing. Probably an earthbender, if Mako’s instincts were correct.
The woman spotted him before he reached the alleyway. She didn’t shout, but merely touched the man on the shoulder and nodded in Mako’s direction. The man looked over at him and smiled warmly. Well, that was weird. Mako glanced down at his uniform. Without the badge and name tag, there wasn’t any way to tell he was RCPD. Unless they had noticed the squad car, of course. That was a troubling thought. Still, it was too late to possum-chicken out now. It would look far too conspicuous if he suddenly turned around and left.
So he kept his head up and walked with confidence. As long as he pretended like he belonged here, then he should be okay. The people in front of him reached the entrance and exchanged greetings, before heading inside. Then it was Mako’s turn. Up close, the man looked to be from one of the Water Tribe. He had close-cropped dark hair and a carefully trimmed beard. His blue eyes seemed to bore into Mako as he inspected the officer closely.
“Well isn’t this a blessing!” The man said, once Mako was standing in front of him. He turned to the woman next to him. “What did I tell you, Sister Mai, tonight was going to be a good night!”
“Hello,” Mako replied, smiling politely.
“Hello, Detective Mako.” The man greeted him. Mako’s eyes widened slightly. “There is no reason to look so shocked. Everything will be explained inside. But first, where are my manners? I am Brother Kaliq, and I’m the leader of our humble group.”
“And what kind of group are you exactly?” Mako inquired.
“Why don’t you come inside and see?” Brother Kaliq suggested, gesturing towards the door. “Everyone is here now so I can escort you myself. Sister Mai, please keep an eye on the door.” Mai nodded. His mind still reeling, Mako followed Brother Kaliq inside the warehouse.
What he saw inside only deepened his confusion. The warehouse’s interior had been cleaned, as much as was possible for an abandoned building, at least. Mako’s nostrils filled with the smell of incense and the place was lit up by oil lanterns on the walls. All the people he had watched enter the building were gathered in the main area, talking quietly amongst themselves. The place reminded him of Air Temple Island, and Mako suddenly felt like he was intruding upon something sacred and private.
Then his eyes drifted away from the crowd and he spotted something against the far wall. It was a wooden table, covered with a white cloth. Around it were dozens and dozens of candles, all of them were lit. Hanging on the wall above the table were a handful of picture frames. It took Mako a moment to recognize them all. When he did, it filled him with confusion and shock. There were all images of past Avatars. Yangchen, Kuruk, Kyoshi, Roku, and Aang. Only Aang’s was an actual photo, which looked like it was cut out of a newspaper, the others were paintings.
There was a sixth frame sitting on the table, surrounded by candles and small offerings. This one was of Korra. It was slightly larger than the ones on the wall and was placed in a more ornate frame. The photo was of Korra standing in front of City Hall. It looked like she was facing someone else, but the other person had been cropped out of the image. What concerned him was that it didn’t seem like she even knew that the picture was being taken.
“What is this?” Mako asked, turning to face Brother Kaliq.
“It’s not much to look at yet, I know,” Kaliq replied. “But even though it’s humble, it shows our devotion quite well I think.”
“I don’t understand.”
“My apologies,” Kaliq said, chuckling softly. “We call ourselves the Avatar’s Chosen.” He added, gesturing to the crowd. “Each of us were all saved by Avatar Korra. Brother Fong over there was saved by Avatar Aang.” He pointed to an elderly man who nodded at them.
“Avatar’s Chosen?” Mako repeated. Kaliq nodded. “I’m assuming you picked that name because you believe you were all chosen for a reason.”
“An astute guess, Detective,” Kaliq replied, smiling slightly. “Myself and the others here were all saved so that we could spread the truth.”
“And what truth is that?”
“That the Avatar is a god, and deserves to be revered as one.”