#saikhan

The bottle of gin scraped across the marble countertop as she dragged it towards herself and chugged for a few seconds. It burned on the way down, and the burn turned to warmth that spread from her stomach through her tense muscles to every inch of her skin. She took some steadying breaths as she stared at the phone. The image of it became blurry and she angrily wiped away the tears that she would not allow to fall.

It’s been three years.

Get a grip.

One more time tipping back the bottle. Courage, she told herself.

Courage.

She dialed the number and picked at the label on the bottle while she waited for the line to connect.

Saikhan.

“Come pick me up.”

Oh- alright. You okay, chief?

She hung up the phone instead of responding and went to go put her uniform on. Saikhan was knocking on her door within minutes and she was ready for him, presentable as ever, not a hair out of place. It was only the redness of her eyes that betrayed her.

“Let’s go.”

She made sure Saikhan went down the stairs first, otherwise he might have seen her struggling to walk in a straight line. He was obviously concerned about why he was summoned to her house, hailed like a private taxi for her on her day off.

Her one day off.

This day.

Annually.

Like clockwork.

She let go of the railing to rub away the phantom sensation of pressure in the middle of her forehead and almost tripped, but by the time Saikhan turned around she had righted herself.

“Eyes front,” she barked.

Saikhan turned back around and opened the door that led to the street. It was a sunny day, but she could still feel the cold rain on her face, trickling down her skin under her armor. The fear.

Why?

I don’t understand.

I don’t understand.

“Where to?” he asked once they were in his squad car.

She didn’t remember getting in the passenger seat. “The docks.”

She wished she had brought the booze with her. Saikhan drove like a grandmother.

“Where is the avatar?!”

Blood stained her tongue and teeth. All she could taste was iron.

“Where are the airbenders?!?”

Were those snapping sounds her bones?

“Stop the car.”

“Chief, we’re in the middle of a bridge.”

Lin reached up to flip the emergency lights on and started opening the door. Saikhan skidded to a stop, much to the chagrin of the single lane of traffic behind him. Lin bounded out of the car and over the sidewalk to put her head through safety bars below the handrails and began to vomit.

“Spirits in all hell.” Saikhan got out of the car and ran over to try to hide her with his larger form. If news of this got out, the press would have a field day. He put his hand on her back and she shoved him away before continuing to wretch off the bridge. Cars started honking their horns.

“Chief…”

“Shut—shut the fuck up and get back in the car.” She heaved again.

Saikhan hovered until she pulled her head back through the bars. They got in the car and continued on.

“You sure you should be getting on a boat—”

“Do you want to get demoted?”

He remained quiet and dropped her at the docks without so much as a parting “see you tomorrow.”

Lin boarded the next ferry to Air Temple Island and stood like a pissed off statue the whole way there.

People got out of her way as she made for the steps and started marching up to the temple. Towards the top she could already hear Pema poorly singing one of those nomad tunes for children.

“Auntie Chief!!”

Little Rohan perked up from the group of children and sprinted over. Rocks he had been bending clattered on the ground, forgotten as he ran to Lin. She braced herself just in time to catch him. His bright eyes, excited laughter, and face smeared with something multicolored was enough to make Lin crack a smile.

“Happy birthday, rookie. Did you have cake?”

“Yeah!” He threw his arms up in excitement and then wrapped them around Lin’s neck and started tugging. “You eat cake too!”

Lin laughed. It was surprising how genuine it felt. She started walking towards the rest of the party. “Are you sure what’s left of the cake isn’t all over your face?”

Rohan smiled and shook his head. “I left some for aunt shief!”

“Thanks, rookie.”

She put Rohan down by his mother and the brief eye contact they shared was enough to recognize that Pema was not having a good day either. Pema looked away first, her voice still bubbly for the young children she was trying to entertain, but Lin saw that her eyes and nose were pink. She assumed it was probably from wiping her face. Rohan had no intention of letting her dwell on it, though. He grabbed her hand and took off. She was turned abruptly and smacked into something both hard and soft.

“Oof.” Tenzin stood there rubbing where her metal shoulder caught his chest. The bags under his eyes made him looked like he hadn’t slept in a week.

Rohan kept running. So much for needing her presence.

“Watch where you’re going,” Lin snapped.

The healer left the room and made his way directly down the hall to where he had asked Assistant Chief Saikhan to wait. A petite woman had joined the metal bender, looking extremely anxious. As soon as the healer was within earshot, the woman asked, “Is she ok? How bad is it? Does she still have her bending?”

“This is Chief Beifong’s personal assistant, Tani,” said Saikhan, putting his hand on his shoulder to calm the younger woman down, although he was just as anxious to find out the answers to her questions.

“Assistant Chief,” the healer gave a small incline of his head as a greeting. “I am Healer Yan-Ting. Chief Beifong is resting now and is in stable condition. I was wondering if her family was here so I could update them.”

Tani shook her head. “No family. Just us. How severe were her injuries?”

“I’m afraid for privacy reasons, I must speak to her next of kin. She is still unconscious and cannot verbally provide permission to relay her medical status to anyone else. Even to the police, I’m afraid. Not without a warrant,” answered Healer Yan-Ting diplomatically. Saikhan let out a sigh of frustration but nodded at the healer that he understood.

At least he knew that Lin was going to survive her encounter with Amon’s people. From what Tenzin had told them, Amon had not been present and although they had both been injured, they had not lost their bending. The Avatar’s friends had gotten them out of the Sato compound alive although Lin had fallen unconscious after boarding the ship on the way to the hospital.

Tani was digging in her oversized bag now and produced a large manilla envelop. She rested it on the counter of the nurse’s station and shuffled through several pages to pull out the document she was looking for. Handing it over to the Healer, she said, “Chief Beifong’s next of kin is Assistant Chief Saikhan. Here is the paperwork with her signature. I have everything on file.”

“What?” asked Saikhan, taken aback by the statement.

Not that he had ever given much thought as to who Lin’s next of kin was listed as. Obviously, when she had first been on the force, it had been her mother. When Chief Toph left, he knew that Tenzin had been listed because he had to call him after a car accident once. Lin had been fine, but they had to alert him to drive her home. After their breakup, he had never thought about it.

But him? Why on earth would she list him?

Healer Yan-Ting glanced over the paper Tani had produced, nodded, and then began to address him. “Assistant Chief, if you could come with me, I will be happy to update you.”

As the healer motioned for Saikhan to follow him, Tani moved too, which caused Healer Yan-Ting to hesitate. Saikhan shut that down quickly. “I give permission for Tani to join us.”

This seemed to satisfy him and the three moved into a small office space down the hall. Healer Yan-Ting offered them both a chair, but only Tani accepted. She sat in a straight back wooden chair, clutching the file folder to her chest. Lin had done well finding her. Saikhan had thought she was a little too young with Lin had hired her, but Tani had risen to every occasion and was the most dependable assistant in the office.

“As I said before, Chief Beifong is in stable condition and we have chosen to leave her in the unconscious state so that her body is able to heal itself. She suffered several broken ribs and a fractured radius. Luckily, her metal armor protected her against any lacerations, but she will have severe bruising.”

“If it’s just some broken bones, why keep her unconscious?” asked Tani before Saikhan could even think of a follow up question.

“We have some concerns about a concussion and possible internal bleeding. Honestly, at this point it is just a precaution.”

“And she may try to leave if you wake her up?” Saikhan asked, half jesting. He was just relieved that Lin would recover from her encounter with the Equalists. They had work to do. So many of their metalbending force had been captured.

Healer Yan-Ting did smile at this. “There was a note in her file that she may not be cooperative.”

“Thank you, Healer.”

Six hours later, Saikhan shifted uncomfortably in a stuffed chair. He was half asleep, but it was impossible to find a position to actually get any sleep in. He needed to take Lin’s statement when she woke. And, although he would never admit it out loud, he was worried about her.

“You look like shit.”

The sound of her voice nearly startled him out of his chair. Lin’s eyes were open, but her head still laid back on the pillows. Gathering himself, he replied, “You should look in a mirror.”

She made a little humph noise and closed her eyes for a few moments. Saikhan leaned forward, his hands clasped together. “What happened, Lin?”

“I miscalculated.” The anger and guilt in her voice pierced Saikhan’s heart. There was no way she would be this honest with anyone else. He was seeing the other side of the Chief. “I need you to do something for me.”

Her eyes were open now. Saikhan stared into green. “Whatever you need, Chief.”

“You aren’t going to like it.” Lin slowly sat up, wincing as her body moved. “I’m trusting you and I need you to trust me.”

“Of course.”

“I will be turning in my letter of resignation as soon as you leave this room.” Lin held up her hand to stop him from interrupting. “They will make you Chief. I need you to accept it without question.”

There was something in her gaze, that he knew this wasn’t the Chief of Police was asking of her Assistant. Lin was asking her friend; she was asking her next of kin. There was something that she wasn’t telling him, but she had asked him to trust her. And Saikhan always trusted Lin Beifong above all others.

“If that’s what you want…”

“This next part is important, Saikhan.” Lin leaned towards him and Saikhan left his seat to attend to her bed side. “You must do as they say. You have to play along. They will make you Chief and you have to follow their rules.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked, confused. “Who is they?”

“The Council. Specifically, Tarrlock.”

“What? He’s been calling for your resignation!” exclaimed Saikhan.

Lin’s gaze held steady. “And I’m going to give it to him. Don’t trust them, Saikhan. Just do what they say. There is something bigger at play here and until I figure out what it is, you have to keep the city safe. The only way to do that is to play along. Keep my officers safe; keep yourself safe. Let me do my job.”

His first instinct was to argue. This was an outrageous plan; one he knew would end badly. Or it would all work perfectly. Lin was taking everything that had happened in the arena and to her officers to heart. Saikhan knew she felt like it was all her fault, but that wasn’t fair. No one could have foreseen any of this.

But if anyone could get them out of this mess and save the city, it was Lin Beifong. So he would do as she asked.

“Can I trust you, Saikhan?”