The head of the Dai Li, Long Feng, wasn't happy with the reports he was reading in front of him. Four reports of four separate events in the city that happened last night, but they were all linked. He looked at his agents that stood in front of him as he looked back at their reports.
"Let me understand this. Each man you apprehended described a giant, menacing, super natural form that was in the shape of a bat?" Long Feng asked the agents.
"That is correct sir. The man I caught claims he was robbing a home in the upper ring when the creature captured him." The first agent said.
"I found two thieves who claimed the same thing." The second agent said.
"Where were they?" Long Feng asked the agent.
"The conscious thief that told me his story was on the roof of a building in the lower ring, while the other was tied, and hanging upside down from a tree not too far from the first thief." The agent said.
"And with the two men you apprehended?" Long Feng asked the last agent.
"Both were bound together, and hanging from the wall that separates the middle and lower rings. They claimed that they were trying to rob a man pushing a cabbage cart when a giant bat creature landed behind them and knocked them unconscious. They claim that when they woke up, they were being hung at the wall." The agent said.
"And what did they call this thing?" Long Feng asked them.
"Each one said the same thing, sir. They call him the Batman." The middle agent said.
"Batman? I don't care if it's the Avatar himself, Ba Sing Se is my city and I will not have a vigilante causing chaos. Return to your units and keep your eyes out. I want spies on the Avatar at all times. If he's the Batman, apprehend him." Long Feng ordered them.
"And what if he isn't the Batman?" one agent asked.
"Then we'll find him. And when we do, he shall learn obedience." Long Feng said as he threw the reports into the fire of a torch.
Mako opened the curtains and allowed the rays of the morning dawn wash over the large bedroom, causing the young sleeping man to groan and hide under the sheets.
"It's morning, Bruce. It's time for you to get up." Mako said.
"Bats are nocturnal, Mako." Bruce grumbled.
"But high society socialites are not." Mako said as he pulled the sheets off of Bruce.
"Can't you ever let me sleep in late?" Bruce asked as he stood and popped all his joints as he stretched.
"Should I ask how the test run went?" Mako asked as he noticed the large bruises on Bruce's right arm and left side of his chest.
"Like a glove. Of course, I didn't count on a few of them fighting back." Bruce said as he opened his wardrobe and began to look for some clothes.
"What are your plans today, Bruce?" Mako asked him.
"First of all, I need to observe some of the Dai Li agents." Bruce said.
"Why on Earth would you want to do that?" Mako asked.
"I found out not too long ago that the Fire Nation attacked the city with a giant drill, and only a hand full knows about it. From what I can tell, they're being pressured to keep silent. That means the Dai Li are the ones controlling the city. Think about it Mako." Bruce said.
"You think the Dai Li are agents of the League of Shadows?" Mako asked him.
"Possibly. That's why I need to observe them." Bruce said.
"Might I make a suggestion, sir?" Mako asked.
"Go ahead."
"You can't be this Bat creature all the time, sir. People will get suspicious if they don't see you around the city."
"Meaning?"
"I know you don't want to, but you're going to have to do things with the members of high society. Lunches, tea, businesses, and everything else. Your father was a healer and put his money into trying to take care of the people of Ba Sing Se. What are you going to do, Bruce?" Mako asked him.
"Good question." Bruce said to himself.
"I can't believe you dragged me to another one of these stupid parties!" Toph said as she, Sokka, Katara, and Aang walked with Bruce to a social party that was to discuss the situation with the refugees.
"After you told me what happened with Dai Li, I figured you'd at least want to find some way to help out." Bruce said to them as the sun started its decent into night.
"You have to admit that it was a good idea, Toph." Aang said to her.
"Anything that involves me in a dress ISN'T A GOOD IDEA!" Toph shouted as loudly as she could.
"Great, now I'm deaf in one ear." Sokka said as he clutched his right ear.
"Quit your whining you two. Thank you again, Bruce. I think it's great that you're taking us to something like this." Katara said kindly.
"You might change your mind afterwards. With some of these stuffed shirts, you'll have to fight the urge to stand up and smack them upside the head." Bruce said.
"How do you know? You left when you were a kid, remember?" Toph asked him.
"My father was the richest man in Ba Sing Se, Toph. He took me every now and then. But that stopped when I punched one rich man in between his legs after he made a snide comment about my mother." Bruce said.
"Ow." Aang said as he grimaced.
"You were mean as a kid." Sokka said to him.
"What makes you think I've changed?" Bruce said.
The others looked at him, and Bruce merely looked the other way like he hadn't said anything.
"You're weird." Sokka said as they walked on.
"I hope so." Bruce said as they arrived at their destination, and were soon allowed inside when he showed the guard his family crest. Of course, the poor guard looked like he nearly had a heart attack. It happens when someone who was thought dead has an unexpected resurrection.
Inside the giant room were men and women wearing all sorts of colorful robes and amazing designs. Each of them wore a medallion around their necks with different designs on each of them. As the others followed Aang into the large group, they noticed Bruce wore a medallion that had his family crest on it.
"Why are they wearing these medallions?" Katara asked.
"It's to show that they are apart of a rich family. My uncle takes care of mom and dads work every so often." Toph said, seeing with her senses at what was happening around her.
"Here, they talk about different things; different situations that concerns them and the city." Bruce said as they climbed the large, winding wooden stair case to the third floor.
"Mainly them." Toph said.
"I'm sure it's not that bad, Toph." Aang said.
"Sadly, it is that bad Aang. If not worse." Bruce grumbled as the walked onto the third floor and walked to the rail that over looked the round table at the bottom. The table had twelve seats around it with the symbol of Ba Sing Se carved into its smooth top. Soon, twelve old gentlemen took their seats as the one at the head took out a stone ball, and banged it against an indenture in the table.
"This city meeting will now come to order. It has been several weeks since our last meeting, and I would like to hear of new concerns. Chow Sin, do you have anything you wish to address to us?" the large man with the round belly asked as he tried to keep his chair from breaking from his weight.
"Thank you Master Fou. As you all know, more and more refugees enter the city by the day and I'm sick and tired of all that filth leaking into the upper rings. I propose that more guards be posted along the walls to keep that trash from entering areas that they are not allowed." A very skinny man at the table shouted.
"But many of us venture into the lower rings all the time, why can't they come into the upper rings?" one of the older men at the table asked.
"It is because we're better than them! The refugees are nothing but vermin that has to be dealt with." Chow Sin said.
"And you are still an old wind bag, Sin." Bruce said and stepped forward to the railing.
"This meeting is for those that are society's leaders only, young man. It is not a playground!" Sin shouted at Bruce.
"Then I have every right to be here." Bruce said to him.
"Who are you, young man?" Master Fou asked him.
"I am Bruce Wen, the last living member of the House of Wen." Bruce said and showed his family crest to the members of the table, causing everyone in the large building to start talking among themselves.
"That's impossible! Bruce Wen has not been seen for almost a decade!" Sin shouted.
"And your voice is as high as it was the day I hit you, Sin. Would you care for me to make it go higher?" Bruce asked him.
"Why you arrogant,"
"Enough, Sin! It is good to see that the boy that left has returned a man, young Wen." The old man said.
"Thank you, Master Fou." Bruce said and bowed respectfully to the older man.
"Well then, young Wen. If you are so smart, what do you propose about the refugees?" Sin asked.
"First of all, Sin, you known nothing about what these people have been through. In my travels, I have seen some the places they once called home. Most of these people bare scars from the Fire Nation armies using them for target practice. They have watched everything the hold dear, including loved ones, burn to ash because of the Fire Nation. They deserve nothing more than respect for their hard journey here." Bruce said.
"That still does not keep them in the lower rings!" one man shouted.
"Personally, I think this business of class is ridiculous. Cut any of us, and we all bleed red. I propose that shelters be constructed for these people. Most of them do not yet have homes, and need a roof over their head. These shelters should have beds, meals, and the ability to find these people work." Bruce said.
"And who is going to construct these illusions of fantasy? You?" Sin asked as he laughed so hard that he was shedding tears.
"I will personally finance the construction of these shelters in not just the lower ring, but in the other rings as well." Bruce said, making the society members go silent.
"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" Sin shouted.
"You forget again, Sin. I am the richest man in not just Ba Sing Se, but in the entire Earth Kingdom. I can and I will." Bruce said to the stuck up snob.
"I think Bruce's plan holds merit." Master Fou stated. "These are new citizens of the city, and they should be welcomed with open arms. Will anyone help with the construction of these shelters?" Fou asked.
"I will." A tall man with a long salt and pepper beard said. "The Wen family and the Li families have always been good friends. To repay the kindness of the Wen family, I will also help in the construction of these shelters." He said.
"Then it's put to a vote. In favor of the shelters?" Fou asked as he raised his hand, and saw more than half of the entire building raise their hands. "Opposed?" he asked as he saw Sin and a few others raised theirs.
"Pending approval from the Emperor or the Dai Li, refugee shelters shall be constructed in all the city rings." Fou said and banged the stone ball against the table.
"I have to admit, I'm impressed. You actually stood up to those guys and didn't blink." Aang said as Bruce and the others socialized.
"Sometimes Aang, you don't fight all the villains with fists. You just need the same wits about you." Bruce said.
"You mean like courage?"
"No. Just being dumb enough to not know when to call it quits." Bruce said as he saw the man with the long beard walk up to him.
"I believe I heard the same words from your father ages ago." The man said as he firmly shook Bruce's hand.
"It's been a long time, Li." Bruce said.
"That it has Bruce. I trust all is well?" he asked the young man.
"Not yet, but hopefully soon." Bruce said with a small smile.
"That was a brave thing you did today. This city has missed people like you and your father, Bruce." Li said.
"Maybe the shelters will help bring those kind of people back." Bruce said.
"I wish that were true, Bruce."
"What do you mean?"
"We'll be lucky if I see the plans approved before I die, Bruce. The Dai Li will not approve anything unless it benefits them." Li sighed with regret.
"When did the Dai Li take control?" Bruce asked him.
"Not too long before you left, Bruce. The Emperor is still young, and the leader of the Dai Li, Long Feng, is his advisor. He keeps the Emperor's eyes covered while he uses his soldiers to rule the city in the way he chooses. We do not even know if the Emperor knows of the ongoing war with the Fire Nation." Li informed him sir.
"What about calling council with the Emperor?" Bruce asked.
"Long Feng is his chief advisor, Bruce. He reviews everything that it to be brought to the Emperor's attention. Not even the Emperor his own parites anymore. The monarchy of Ba Sing Se is slowly slipping away, Bruce. Soon, the Dai Li will control Ba Sing Se." Li said.
"Here's hoping something happens soon, old friend." Bruce said.
"Would you like to join me for some tea tomorrow? There is this little shop that makes the most wonderful tea in the lower ring." Li said.
"Let me guess. The new cook is an old man, and his nephew is the new waiter?" Bruce asked him.
"You've been there?" Li asked.
"As a matter of fact, yes. In fact, I've been thinking about giving them their own shop in the upper ring." Bruce said.
"Really?" Li asked surprised.
"Yes I have." Bruce said, but mainly so he could keep an eye on the nephew. He heard to many rumors of the renounced prince of the Fire Nation, and that young man fit the prince's description. Especially with the scar on his face. Bruce knew he could be wrong, but it was better safe than sorry.
"Bruce, we might have to leave soon." Katara said to him.
"Is it Toph again?" Bruce asked.
"No, Sokka has discovered the pleasures of fine dinning." Katara said as a loud belch echoed in the large building, followed by an even louder and deeper one.
"Sounds like Toph ins again." Bruce said with a small smile.
"It reminds me of a certain young man I once knew." Li said with a smile.
"If you'll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to." Bruce said as he walked with Katara and Aang to the dining tables.
He landed softly on top of the tiled roof, his landing not making a sound. His training was proving very useful tonight. The meeting earlier that day had taken most of his time, and that meant he couldn't spy on the Dai Li agents like he had wanted. So he had to make up for it tonight. He had just finished patrols in the lower and middle rings when he sensed movement through the ground, close to his home as a matter of fact.
It turned out that Katara was taking an evening walk, and what he had sensed was none other than a Dai Li agent following her. He was good at stealth, almost a master of it. Too bad he wasn't a ninja. He followed the agent across most of the high class neighborhood, sticking to the rooftops while the agent walked along the ground. He kept glancing at the agent's movements every so often to make sure he didn't have any weapons.
He didn't trust this man at all. He didn't know what kind of men the Dai Li were, and what he had heard sounded more like a dictatorship. The Dai Li were invading the city from the inside. It was time to find out if these were League of Shadow agents or not. The drill was too obvious for them, but the Dai Li's control sounded more like their style.
"Katara's been gone a while now. Do you think we should go check to see if she's all right?" Aang asked the others.
"She's a big girl, Aang. She's made it clear that she can take care of herself." Sokka said.
"And you don't want to risk her getting you again, huh?" Toph asked.
"She surprised me that one time!" Sokka shouted.
"Hold on a minute. She's back, but something's not right." Toph said as she sat up and pressed her feet harder to the ground.
Toph and Aang walked to the door and opened it in time to see Katara to begin her climb up the stairs.
"I wasn't gone that long." She told them, but noticed the looks on her companion's faces. "What's wrong?" Katara asked them.
"I thought I felt something. Did you notice anyone following you?" Toph asked her.
"No, I didn't." Katara said as she glanced around herself, growing a little worried.
"It looks like they're gone now." Aang said as he lowered his staff and let Katara back into the house.
"I could have sworn I felt something." Toph said as she paid attention to every vibration in the ground, letting her head give her a clear picture. "Maybe I was – wait a minute." Toph said.
"You found something?" Aang asked her.
"I think so. It's faint, but it to the South East." Toph said and pointed.
Aang glanced in the direction Toph was pointing to, and Aang began to look. It was a full moon out, so it gave him some light to help his eyes. So far, he just saw the other houses the some of the windows lit with lamplight, the stars in the sky and the –
"Huh?" Aang asked as he saw something in the moonlight. It was something weird standing on the roof of one of the houses. When it stood up, Aang began to stutter a little with fear.
"What is it, Twinkle Toes?" Toph asked.
"Ba – Ba –Ba"
"What?" Toph asked him.
"G-giant bat!" Aang finally said and pointed.
"BAT? WHERE?" Sokka shouted as he rushed to the door with his weapon in hand.
"There!" Aang said and pointed to where he had seen it, but nothing was there. There was no shape or any sort of movement.
"Are you sure it wasn't just Momo?" Sokka asked him.
"But I saw it!" Aang said.
"You probably imagined it." Sokka said and went back inside.
"Are you sure it was a bat? "Toph asked him.
"Of course I'm sure." Aang said.
Toph could only think of one thing at the moment. What was a giant bat doing in Ba Sing Se?
Where was he? What had happened to him? He was following that girl as he had been ordered to do, but something had hit him across the head. Was it the Avatar? Did he surprise him? He could hear thunder in the distance and feel the faint drops of rain begin to fall. Ho long had he been asleep. As he opened his eyes, he let out a yell of fear as he dangled from the outside wall of Ba Sing with the Fire Nation drill below him.
He looked down/up to see his foot tied to a rope that was through a pulley system. When he saw what held the other end, he let out an even louder scream of terror.
"Let me down!" the man shouted, and found himself quickly falling downward.
He jerked to a hard stop a few feet away from the drill, and felt himself being quickly pulled back up. He was soon face to face with the dark figure.
"I'm going to ask you questions, and you're going to give me some answers. Understand?" the voice asked in a deep growl.
"I-I understand."
"Why have you been ignoring the war outside?" he asked.
"I-I don't know."
"WRONG ANSWER!" the figure shouted and let the Dai Li agent fall, only to come to another hard stop.
He was breathing very erratic when he faced the figure again.
"Why have you ignored the war?" it asked him again.
"Long Feng has been trying to take control of the city. When the time is right, he plans to use the Emperor's stupidity to his advantage and seize control." The man said.
"What about the drill?" he asked the agent.
"We didn't know about it, I swear." He said.
"What do you know about the League of Shadows?" the figure asked him.
"What?"
"Wrong." The figure said and dropped him again.
This time, he felt his ankle dislocate when he stopped, and noticed he was stopping closer and closer to the drill. This figure might not catch him the next time.
"The League of Shadows! What do you know?" the figure demanded him.
"They're a myth. Nothing more than a stupid story to scare children!" the agent screamed.
He had been taught to read a person's face, pay attention to facial movement and body language during his training. He could tell the Dai Li agent wasn't lying. This was just one, though. The leader himself could be a member of the League of Shadows. He would have to question a few more agents. He punched the agent across the face, and then proceeded to bring the man back onto the wall. It was time to leave Long Feng a message.
"What do you mean the agent hasn't reported in yet?" Long Feng asked as they marched through the palace square.
"He was supposed to report in a few hours ago, but no one has seen him. It's as if he disappeared." The lowly servant said.
"People do not just disappear. I want that agent found now!" Long Feng said before he looked up and came to a dead stop.
A large fire had been built in front of one of the palace walls, with a Dai Li agent tied to two posts in front of the fire. The shadow projected on the wall almost looked like a giant flying bat.
"Sir, it's the missing agent. This was found on him." Another agent said and handed Long Feng a sheet of paper.
Long Feng unfolded the paper, and saw a drawing of a bat with its wings spread open. Below it, someone wrote "I'll be watching you."
"I want this Batman found at once. Use whatever force is necessary." Long Feng said as he crumpled the note and threw it to the ground.