"The subject is dead. Cause of death: acute White Jade poisoning." The physician stood up and muttered a prayer to the spirits. To a medic, all life was sacred, even that of an assassin. He had worked all his life tirelessly saving lives. To see a dead man was a tragedy–a personal failure.

Turning around, he faced the people who looked on anxiously. The alarm had been raised not too long ago. Guards had rushed back and forth through the hallways, making sure the man had been alone. And now, several members of Team Avatar had arrived, along with the Chief Advisor, former Prince and General, Iroh, to assess the severity of the situation.

"This is very disturbing." said Iroh gravely, "If one of them could break into the Royal Palace, it begs the question what other secure locations they have had access to."

"And a White Jade poison capsule, surely such a small amount would not kill a man." Katsu stroked his chin thoughtfully, "White Jade is fatal through prolonged exposure, but death would never come from ingesting such a tiny portion."

"Yeah, I once drank a whole teapot full of it. Worst rash I ever had in my life." Iroh grinned foolishly.

"Evidently, this was a specially prepared mixture." voiced the physician, confused by the changing atmosphere in the room. "The one who prepared this would have to have been very knowledgeable and skilled. To turn a simple White Jade flower into such a deadly fast-acting poison is no small feat."

"There are only a few apothecaries in the capital. Only a handful of them are skilled enough to have prepared such a concoction. I think we may have our first lead." Katsu walked over to the crumpled body of the man in black and bent down. The assassin's face was horribly disfigured, the texture of the skin a ghastly reddish-purple. Carefully, he searched the robes for any potential clues. He came up with four shurikens, a knife, a vial of strange liquid, and two empty scrolls.

Katsu had known the unlikelihood of finding another WolfBat message. With a second he could have discovered a common pattern and at last have cracked the code. For now, he would have to make do with what he had.

"Find anything Katsu?" asked Toph impatiently.

"I'm afraid not. There was a vial filled some sort of liquid," He held it up for all to see, "But I shall have to conduct some tests to determine what it is. It may turn up to be nothing at all."

"Well at least we have our first lead." said Iroh, proud of Katsu. "We must search the city and question all resident apothecaries. With luck we may be one step closer to finding this organization."

"Allow me to lead the search." said a young woman in Fire Nation uniform. Iroh smiled, it was the former prison guard who had shown him great kindness, Ming. Now she was a high ranking officer in the city guards and he often invited her for tea at the palace. He thought of her as the daughter he never had, and she in turn had come to regard him as a father.

"Be careful Ming. This group is well trained and very dangerous."

"Relax General Iroh, I can look after myself." she grinned.

"I'll go with her too." said Hakoda. "My men and I are not used to living in a palace. Some fresh air would do us good."

"We'll help in the search," Ty Lee did a handstand cheerfully. "Me and the girls I mean."

"Perhaps it would be best if you ladies stayed and guarded the palace." said Hakoda.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked a Kyoshi Warrior angrily.

"Yeah, you think we can't handle it?" voiced another.

"No, ladies, " Hakoda held up his hands in protest, "I merely meant that someone has to ensure there are no more intruders."

"And you just assumed that we'd be perfect for the job?" Ty Lee flipped back to her feet.

"You think a woman's place is at home in the kitchen, huh?" The Kyoshi Warriors began to crowd Hakoda and his men.

"Please, everyone." said Katsu placatingly, "This is not the time to be fighting."

Glancing at him, all the Kyoshi Warriors felt themselves blush beneath their makeup. Ty Lee cartwheeled over to him. Taking him by the arm, she asked seductively,

"You wouldn't mind escorting a weak helpless young lady through the streets of the big city, would you?"

Katsu scratched his head nervously, "What happened to the whole 'girl power' thing?"

"Haha, all I meant is that men and women should work together." she held him tighter, her chest pressed against his arm. "More intimately…"

"Get your hands off of him." yelled Toph, and shifted the ground beneath Ty Lee's feet, causing the girl to fall on her back.

"What's your problem?" Ty Lee flipped back to her feet, and glared at Toph.

"My problem is you putting the moves on my man!"

"Hey, I'm not anyone's–" Katsu realized he was momentarily forgotten and decided to stay out of the fight.

"Your man? I saw him first!" Ty Lee stood face to face with Toph.

"No, I saw him first!" growled Toph and turned the ground beneath Ty Lee into quicksand. The poor girl sank up to her neck in the mud.

"Ahh! My dress! You big dumb meanie!"

"Should we do something?" Iroh scratched his head.

"Nah, let them sort out their problems for themselves. I learned that with Katara." said Hakoda with a paternal smile.

The sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the adjacent corridor. A guard from the Royal procession rushed into the room and bowed to Iroh.

"Come with me, my lord. It's urgent."

…

Katara gasped as the dreadnought dropped anchor. Republic City was hell on earth. Hundreds of burnt out, smoldering, mutilated skeletons of former buildings protruded from the ground. A thick dark cloud encompassed the sky, giving it an ominous tone. The whole area was filled with an eerie smog that seemed to conceal a deadly horror within. The haze grew thicker, stronger, as the sun began to set.

The streets were empty–devoid of life. An unnerving silence dominated the city. For a moment Katara thought she saw someone walking along the dark shorelines. When she looked again, the beach was empty.

The heavy iron scaffoldings groaned beneath the weight of the crumbling buildings. It was as if the city itself was crying out in pain. The smog was now all encompassing. Nothing could be seen past its dark brown curtain. In her mind Katara imagined the spirits of the dead walking in those ruined streets. Silent, solemn, trying to find their way home. She shuddered.

Katara recalled the story Gran Gran had told her as a child. She had been so scared that she hadn't slept for days after. She had tried her best to forget and now only the ending remained in her memory. She remembered Gran Gran's eyes narrow and her voice grow solemn as she finished the tale:

"…Though she had fought off the bears and the wolves for many days, she could not escape her fate. As she huddled her feet, she did not see it. As she closed her eyes, she did not hear it. But just before she left this world, she felt the cold. She felt the kiss of death."

A loud noise caught her attention. Along the dirt trails and scarcely recognizable roads, a multitude of corpse filled carts rushed to the Eastern district. There seemed to be no end to them. On and on they rumbled, disappearing one by one into the malevolent fog.

The wind began to pick up, bringing with it the moist and putrid air. Bringing with it the smell of death.

The stench was unbearable. Katara covered her nose, but she could still smell it. It was as if the scent was inescapable. She felt the bile rising to her mouth and the tears welled up in her eyes. Bravely she forced herself to be strong. She was here for a reason.

Seeing her horror, Sokka put his hand on her shoulder comfortingly. He had barely managed to suppress his own fear. Everything about the City felt wrong–dark and ominous. It was a graveyard. A nightmare. And as the heavy ramp touched the dock with a foreboding thud he felt the certainty that they were trapped.

"We shouldn't be here." He muttered, "We should turn back, right now."

"I agree with you Sokka. This was a mistake." Suki's face was pale with horror, but her eyes remained calm and collected.

"This place gives the Boulder the willies."

"You guys can go back. I'm staying." said Haru with determination. "I won't go back without father."

"I'm staying too." In spite of her fear, Katara knew her help was needed. It was her job as a healer to save as many lives as possible. Though having seen the ruined city, she did not know if there was anyone left to save.

"Fine then we'll all stay." Sokka slung his bag over his shoulder and followed the others down the ramp. At the docks a single sentry greeted them.

"Welcome to Republic City, Team Avatar." He bowed.

"Where is everyone?" asked Katara.

"There has been renewed fighting in the Eastern District so all available reinforcements have been sent to suppress it."

"We should help them." said Haru.

"The Boulder is ready to bust some heads."

"Hippo good to go!"

"Very well." said the sentry calmly, his soot covered face visibly weathered. "I'll have one of our men escort you."

"I'd like to help out in the field hospital. I'm a healer." said Katara, anxious to get away from the smog.

"Ah, that's wonderful." The sentry gave her somewhat of a smile, "I'll have another of our men show you there. They'll need every healer they can get. If that's all then I must leave you."

The sentry bowed and went to talk to the captain of the Dreadnought, who was busy conversing with the harbor master. The Fire Nation soldiers seemed indifferent to the sight of the ruined city. The stench of death didn't faze them at all. Katara wondered how they could be so nonchalant, but then she remembered. They had probably seen their fair share of death in the war.

After saying goodbye to the rest of the group, Katara and the Fire Nation physicians made their way to the hospital. Even with the complement of guards she still felt uneasy. From time to time she would get the feeling that she was being watched, but when she would turn to look she would see only the empty darkness of the ruined city, staring back at her grimly. She felt a shudder travel down her spine.

"Horrible sight ain't it?" Katara turned around and saw the soldier watching her.

"Yes, it is."

"Nothing to be ashamed of." he said kindly, "Fear is a natural response to things like this. It shows you're alive and not…" he trailed off and glanced behind him.

"What is it?" she asked nervously.

"Thought I heard something." She looked in the same direction. By now the sun was drowned half-way in the ocean. Behind them, the smog seemed to blend with the darkness. She could barely see more than a few feet in front of her. In the all encompassing cloud, the shadows seemed to move of their own volition. Twisting and writhing like so many snakes.

"We best get a move on." said the soldier, bringing her back to reality. Katara gazed at his skull-like face plate. She felt the fear once more welling up inside her. As she gave the darkness one last glance, Gran Gran's words echoed in the deep recesses of her mind.

…

Taro ran as fast as he could. Following close behind him were Nakon and Iyo. They had been running for almost ten minutes, the Marines hot on their heels. Almost tripping over a rock, Taro cursed and ran faster, his shallow breath echoing through the desolate streets of the Eastern district.

Earlier, under orders from Jimonshin, they had started a new riot in a poorly defended sector of the Eastern district. The goal was to distract the surrounding guards long enough for the rest of their brethren to escape and regroup with the majority of their allies in the West. Everything had gone well until the Rhino riders arrived. He had warned Jimonshin about the danger, but the man had already made up his mind.

The rioters fled immediately at the sight of those monstrosities, leaving Taro and his comrades exposed. Still, they had stood their ground and calmly faced their opponents. Running then would have been suicide, they would have been picked off one by one like glow flies. Instead they had assumed a tight square formation. With their firebending they succeeded in repulsing the Rhinos. The Earth Kingdom soldiers that foolishly attempted to rush them were also humbled. But then they had arrived.

Team Avatar, backed by two battalions of Fire Navy Marines, and a complement of Yu Yan Archers. The two Earthbenders of the group smashed through their defenses, plowing them apart. The Yu Yan Archers following up the attack with their deadly arrows. Within moments they were running for their lives.

Taro looked behind him, the marines were still gaining on them. He thanked the spirits that the Yu Yan Archers were not trained to be runners. The thought that he had faced them in combat still sent shivers down his spine. He turned a corner, Nakon and Iyo followed, the marines not far behind.

Nakon saw one of the marines catching up to them, merely a few feet away. Spinning around in mid sprint, he blasted the soldiers in the face. Without seeing the outcome, he resumed running for his life. He felt the ache in his muscles, felt the pain in his lungs, he knew he could not keep up the pace for much longer.

From the corner of his eyes he saw Iyo bend over as he ran, his face red and sweaty. His eyes raw with rage. At the end of the battle his close friend Re had been struck between the eyes by an arrow. It was mere chance that Iyo had survived. Nakon knew what it was like to lose a friend. Knew the anger that Iyo was feeling.

Good, thought Nakon calmly, he can channel his rage into strength. He'll need those emotions in the coming battles. Why else do emotions exist?

Out of all his father had taught him, one lesson always rang clear:

'Control your emotions.' He had said, his battle hardened face stern and serious. 'Use them to your advantage. Never let them control you.'

Nakon took a quick glance back. The marine he had blasted was lying motionless on the ground several blocks back. The nine that remained now followed them at a safe distance.

"Taro!" he yelled, conserving his air as best as he could.

"What?" came the breathless reply.

"We can't keep this up. We have to face them."

"Are you mad?" Iyo coughed, "Those aren't ordinary soldiers. They're marines. Second only to the Royal Procession."

"Do you have a better plan?" Nakon asked.

"How about we pull the old 'Skunkbear hides from Shirshu' ploy." said Taro.

Nakon smiled, the strategy well known by members of the Mitoshin. He recalled the countless hours that WolfBat had drilled them in the strategies and the stories behind them. The skunk bear was an odious animal, the Shirshu a master in hunting by scent. Obviously, the skunk bear could not run or hide from the Shirshu, so all that remained was to trick it. The skunk bear rubbed its tail on several trees and rocks, its scent heading out in many directions at once. By the time the Shirshu got there, it could not find the start of the true trail. Indeed, WolfBat had taught them very well.

The trio neared a split in the road. Instantly and without hesitation, they each took a separate route. The marines quickly split into three equal groups and continued the chase.

…

Taro skidded to an abrupt halt. He had come to a dead end. The road in front of him was blocked by a building that had collapsed from the fire. He could hear the footsteps of the marines not far from him now. He glanced from side to side–no escape. He was trapped.

The three marines slowed their pace as they came close. Gradually their slow walk became a tentative battle stance. Taro quickly matched their stance, moving his feet in reaction to their steps. Anticipating them, reading their moves.

One of the marines attempted to flank him, Taro parried with a broader stance. With his back against a wall and with no way out, the marines were aware of his desperation, and so they moved slowly, deliberately. They had all the time they would need. Sooner or later he would make a mistake. Then they would strike.

Again they advanced, and again he parried. The marine in the middle stepped forward suddenly, causing Taro to flinch. Too late he realized his mistake. The two marines on the sides lunged at him, Taro dodged, their flames missing his vulnerable torso by mere inches. Taro forced them back with a wide spread of fire. He was no prodigy , but he knew his basics.

The marine on the left rushed him, dodging Taro's reflexive fire blast he came in low and fast, aiming a fire kick for his midriff. Taro side-stepped with uncanny speed, drawing his short sword as he moved. The soldier could not stop in time and went past him. Before he could turn around, Taro buried the blade in his lungs. The remaining marines quickly rushed to press their advantage.

Taro, matched their first two fire blasts with his own flame. The guard closest to him went low and attempted a fire sweep to Taro's feet while the other soldier attacked head on. Easily predicting the first move, Taro jumped over the fire and to the side, slashing the second soldier's arm with his sword. The marines backed off to a safe distance, trying to regroup.

The injured marine cradled his arm, Taro saw the bloodlust in his eyes. Patiently, he waited. Letting them make the first move. A mistake now would be fatal.

The marines looked at eachother and one of them nodded. Taro immediately went on guard. The two soldiers circled him, one going behind him, the other in front. Taro darted his gaze back and forth, making sure to never lose sight of either one.

He saw the one in front move to the left as the one behind moved to the right. They were making circles around him. The same pattern. Round and round. The circle gradually widening. Another circle–one of them was gone. Taro barely had time to react as the blast came hurtling at him. It was all over.

Taro felt the wind pick up. Opening his eyes he realized, to his astonishment, that he was still alive. Behind him stood Nakon, his short sword buried up to its hilt in the stomach of the marine. The last soldier began to back away slowly. His arms in front of him, ready for anything. Suddenly he stopped. Taro saw the bloodlust leave him. The eyes became glazed and distant. The marine collapsed on the ground dead–three shurikens pertruded from his back.

"That was a close one." Iyo stepped out of the shadows. He was burnt in several places and his face was spattered with blood.

"Yes it was." said Nakon with a cruel smile, "Either than that your plan worked like a charm, Taro."

"Thanks." Taro quickly resumed control of himself. "Thank you for saving me."

"My pleasure."

"Yes, splendid. Now what do we do?" asked Iyo.

"It's nearly nightfall." said Nakon as he stretched, "The streets are probably crawling with night watchmen, and the marines are still out looking for us. Not to mention the fact that we have no idea where we are. Like it or not we're trapped in the East till morning."

"Hah! As if we'll last till then." cried Iyo hysterically.

"In the morning, we can try to find our way back to the others." continued Nakon, nonplussed by the outburst, "No point getting lost in the dark."

"We're dead either way. No sense in prolonging the inevitable. Might as well go down blazing."

Looking at the corpses of the dead marines an idea popped into Taro's mind. Sheathing his bloody sword he announced, "I've got a better idea."

A/N: Tell me what you think. Reviews are greatly appreciated!