The Black Mask: Chapter Six -- The Black Mask
Title: The Black Mask
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Mai, Zuko, Zhao, Ty Lee Pairings: Mai/Zuko
Word Count: ~22,000, eight chapters plus epilogue. Chapter Six: ~2,100.
Summary: While searching for the Avatar, Prince Zuko stops at Whale Tail Island. He meets the Governor's daughter, Mai, who shows him around the most boring Fire Nation colony in the world. But things start happening when Captain Zhao arrives to investigate a report of an air bender living on the island, and both Mai and Zuko get pulled into his hunt.
Six: The Black Mask
Mai crouched on the gray tiled roof of a shuttered noodle shop on the strip of land that divided the harbor in two. From here, she could clearly see both sides under the full moon. It was almost midnight, and since there were no cargo ships to load or unload, everything was quiet.
In the distance, Prince Zuko's small, battered battleship slowly chugged away. She still wondered if he had in fact reported Ty Lee's hiding place to Zhao. But even if he hadn't, he was still a heel. He would waste his life searching for the long-dead and gone Avatar, but wouldn't help someone in need. He didn't deserve to have his honor back.
She shook her head, focusing on her mission. Turning her attention to the other side of the harbor, she studied the two Fire Navy ships berthed there. Both dwarfed Prince Zuko's ancient tub. The smaller one would be Zhao's, but the larger one with an elaborate gold dragon head on the prow was an Admiral's ship. She frowned. This would only make a rescue even more complicated.
If she wanted to know what was going on, she would have to get closer. Carefully looking up and down the docks to make sure no one was around, she silently slid to the edge of the tiled roof and dropped to the ground. She quickly ran along the side of the building and rounded the corner, where she almost ran straight into a man.
She veered wide around him, shooting arrows. He was knocked back against the side of the building, smoothly and quietly--too smoothly and quietly. Looking down, she saw wheels where the man's feet should be. Looking up, she saw the sign on the front door: Fancy Phoenix Costume Emporium.
She had just attacked a mannequin.
Mai paused, leaning against the wall and breathing deeply. Being so tense wasn't good--she would end up making foolish mistakes. To distract herself, she looked at the mannequin's garish clothes: orange silk robes trimmed in red and a yellow sun-shaped medallion the size of a dinner plate. It was hideous.
But what the mannequin wore on its head caught her eye. A mask, mostly black, with black cloth to cover the hair attached to the edges. The eyebrows were red and shaped like lightning bolts; the eyes ringed with white. The chin and lips were yellow.
Seizing the mask, she slipped it over her own face. Moonlight shone down on the shop windows, casting her reflection back. Alone in the dark with a mask on, she looked alien and dangerous, less like a Fire Days Festival reveler and more like a bandit.
She liked it. After a moment's consideration, she tucked two copper pieces into the pocket of the mannequin's robes and continued on her way.
On the way to Zhao's battleship, she saw and heard no one. She crept along the dock close to the ship, staying low and in the shadow the massive vessel cast under the moon.
Footsteps and voices drifted down from the deck. Listening close, Mai realized from the conversation that the watch was changing. Men greeted each other, making jokes and exchanging small bits of news. She learned that there was leftover fried rice in the galley and that the night engineer was in a bad mood. But one particular exchange caught her interest.
A mellow tenor voice asked, "Did you see the prisoner?"
A deeper, huskier voice answered, "Aye. She looks normal. You wouldn't guess she's an air bender."
The first man said, "I heard she can do some weird thing with her hands that'll stop someone bending."
The second man grunted. "I think people are exaggerating."
"Maybe," his companion replied. "Still, I'll feel better when Admiral Shang gets her off this ship. I've got a bad feeling about this whole thing."
The two men said good night. When they finished speaking, the only sounds were the whisper of a cool breeze and the lapping of water. Admiral Shang--she recognized that name, and cursed softly. The commander of the Southern Fleet was here. Whatever was going on behind the scenes, it wasn't good.
Mai had to act fast. Slipping aboard Zuko's ship unnoticed had been fairly easy, but both Zhao and Shang would have much larger, more alert crews. She considered waiting until Ty Lee was being transferred to the Admiral's ship to strike, but decided against it. If Zhao had injured or somehow disabled Ty Lee during the capture (and the thought made her want to have five minutes alone with him and her three-pronged knife), Mai would have to get both of them out under her own power. She was good, but not good enough to fight off the crews of two Fire Navy ships.
The only option that seemed to have any chance of success was to sneak aboard Zhao's ship. Once there, she would find and free Ty Lee, and then, if everything went well, they could vanish into the night without a fuss. If everything did not go well, she would have fight her way off the ship. And after all that, she would still have to find a way to get both Ty Lee and herself off the island. There was no way she could hang around afterward--too many people would suspect her involvement.
She sighed.
The first task was to actually get onto the ship. The smooth metal side of the vessel towered above her head. A heavy anchor chain stretched down from near the top, disappearing into the dark water.
Cautiously, Mai advanced. Hanging on to a pylon with one hand, she could just stretch far enough to reach the chain with the other. She grasped one of the massive links and pulled to see how much noise she made. The link didn't budge, so she pulled harder and harder. She placed a foot on the link and kicked, and still the chain hung in silence.
Satisfied that she wouldn't wake the entire ship up by climbing the chain, she pushed off the dock and clambered on. She climbed as quickly and quietly as possible, hoping that no one came strolling up the dock to spot her. Even with all her weight on it, the chain barely moved.
The anchor chain attached to the ship a few feet below the railing on the deck. She waited there, listening for the watchman. Hearing nothing, she risked peeking over the bottom of the railing.
The guard was currently walking at the other end of the deck. Between her and him were three massive catapults. She didn't know the names of all the mechanical parts, but she knew that they were capable of hurling enormous projectiles a great distance.
The size of the machines could also provide cover. She waited until the watchman passed behind one of the catapult's steel legs, then swiftly jumped over the ship's railing. Almost doubled over, she ran for the nearest catapult and hid under a piece of overhanging metal on the frame.
Several moments passed. The guard continued his circuit, unaware of her presence. She had been lucky--no one on the bridge had spotted her either.
Ty Lee would be below deck, so that was where Mai had to go next. In front of the bridge was a hatch leading down below, the cover left open. She darted between the giant steel legs of the catapults, keeping hidden from the watchman patrolling the deck and slowly closing in on her target. While she hunkered underneath the leg closest to the hatch, she heard the man yawn loudly. She felt like a mouse-vole scampering past an oblivious cat.
The watchman had now reached the point near the bow where she had slipped on board. He paused, looking out over the railing, at what she couldn't say. Perhaps there was someone walking on the docks, or the few twinkling lights in the town caught his eye. But his distraction was her opportunity.
She ducked through the hatch and scrambled down the ladder. Compared to the moonlit night, it was dark below, despite there being a lantern on the wall above her head. She listened for nearby crew members. There was nothing except distant metallic sounds that she couldn't identify, but which seemed to be background noise, like street traffic.
Taking a breath, she adjusted her mask. Her face felt hot, and she wished for a splash of cool water. Even more, she wished for a map that would show her where the--what was a ship's jail cell called? The brig, that was it--where the brig was. But she had to keep moving. She'd made it onto the ship; now came the hard part.
She moved down the hallway quickly, alert for footsteps. None of the doors had any markings on them. After a few minutes, she came to an intersection. Not knowing where to go, she continued straight toward the back of the ship.
Along the way, there were several ladders leading to levels further down. Mai did not know a great deal about naval ships, but she did know that the engine room and the crew quarters were on the lower levels. It seemed unlikely to her that dangerous prisoners would be housed with the rest of the crew or near the all-important engines, so she stayed on the same level.
Every fifty feet or so, she passed another intersection. Occasionally, she heard footsteps down one of the other corridors. She would press herself against the wall, braced for a fight, but her luck held. No one came down the path she was taking.
She figured that she must be close to the stern when she finally found the jail. A sign at an intersection noted that the brig was ahead, and that only authorized guards were permitted beyond this point.
Looking at the large red arrow pointing directly forward, she flexed her hands and smiled.
------
Zhao sipped his tea, keeping his expression neutral with an effort. Across from him sat Admiral Shang.
Smiling, Shang said, "Of course, I will put you up for a Letter of Commendation for your effort in helping capture the prisoner, Captain."
Zhao's fingers twitched at the word 'helping.' He had damned well caught the girl himself.
The Admiral continued, "It was very good work, tracking her down so quickly, and using the anesthetic darts was quite clever." He paused to sip more tea. "But then you have always been a clever man. I am sure you will rise through the ranks with due speed, once you have a proper opportunity to distinguish yourself."
Condescension ran through Shang's tone like poison. There was a warning in the words as well: this was the Admiral's triumph, not his. He should not attempt to seek more recognition than his superior officer was willing to give.
Zhao murmured thanks over his seething resentment. He was not a nobody from some tiny Fire Nation island full of fishermen or goat herders who had made captain through sheer attrition. He was the grandson of Fire Lord Sozin's War Minister. Shang's ancestors were minor military officers and low level government bureaucrats. He may be Zhao's commanding officer, but he was by no means an equal.
Finishing his cup, Shang stood. "Thank you for the excellent tea, Captain. A good yellow tea is rare. But now it is time for me to collect the air bender and be on my way."
Zhao rose. "I will take you to her, sir."
Shang nodded. The two of them walked to the brig, Zhao silently fuming all the way.
In front of the prisoner's cell, they both abruptly stopped in shock. All four guards lay on the floor in a heap, their limbs limp and their expressions dazed. The cell door was wide open. Zhao strode forward and looked in the tiny room.
The girl was gone.
One of the downed men lifted his head with effort and said weakly, "A few minutes ago, sir. Someone in a black mask attacked us. Throwing knives. Too fast. The prisoner did this…after she got out of the cell."
Admiral Shang sputtered angrily, "She's escaped?"
Zhao felt in his pocket for the paralyzing dart. The air bender and her accomplice couldn't have gotten far. He smiled dangerously. "Not to worry, sir. I have the situation under control."
--end Chapter Six
Seven: Sword and Dagger
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Mai, Zuko, Zhao, Ty Lee Pairings: Mai/Zuko
Word Count: ~22,000, eight chapters plus epilogue. Chapter Six: ~2,100.
Summary: While searching for the Avatar, Prince Zuko stops at Whale Tail Island. He meets the Governor's daughter, Mai, who shows him around the most boring Fire Nation colony in the world. But things start happening when Captain Zhao arrives to investigate a report of an air bender living on the island, and both Mai and Zuko get pulled into his hunt.
Six: The Black Mask
Mai crouched on the gray tiled roof of a shuttered noodle shop on the strip of land that divided the harbor in two. From here, she could clearly see both sides under the full moon. It was almost midnight, and since there were no cargo ships to load or unload, everything was quiet.
In the distance, Prince Zuko's small, battered battleship slowly chugged away. She still wondered if he had in fact reported Ty Lee's hiding place to Zhao. But even if he hadn't, he was still a heel. He would waste his life searching for the long-dead and gone Avatar, but wouldn't help someone in need. He didn't deserve to have his honor back.
She shook her head, focusing on her mission. Turning her attention to the other side of the harbor, she studied the two Fire Navy ships berthed there. Both dwarfed Prince Zuko's ancient tub. The smaller one would be Zhao's, but the larger one with an elaborate gold dragon head on the prow was an Admiral's ship. She frowned. This would only make a rescue even more complicated.
If she wanted to know what was going on, she would have to get closer. Carefully looking up and down the docks to make sure no one was around, she silently slid to the edge of the tiled roof and dropped to the ground. She quickly ran along the side of the building and rounded the corner, where she almost ran straight into a man.
She veered wide around him, shooting arrows. He was knocked back against the side of the building, smoothly and quietly--too smoothly and quietly. Looking down, she saw wheels where the man's feet should be. Looking up, she saw the sign on the front door: Fancy Phoenix Costume Emporium.
She had just attacked a mannequin.
Mai paused, leaning against the wall and breathing deeply. Being so tense wasn't good--she would end up making foolish mistakes. To distract herself, she looked at the mannequin's garish clothes: orange silk robes trimmed in red and a yellow sun-shaped medallion the size of a dinner plate. It was hideous.
But what the mannequin wore on its head caught her eye. A mask, mostly black, with black cloth to cover the hair attached to the edges. The eyebrows were red and shaped like lightning bolts; the eyes ringed with white. The chin and lips were yellow.
Seizing the mask, she slipped it over her own face. Moonlight shone down on the shop windows, casting her reflection back. Alone in the dark with a mask on, she looked alien and dangerous, less like a Fire Days Festival reveler and more like a bandit.
She liked it. After a moment's consideration, she tucked two copper pieces into the pocket of the mannequin's robes and continued on her way.
On the way to Zhao's battleship, she saw and heard no one. She crept along the dock close to the ship, staying low and in the shadow the massive vessel cast under the moon.
Footsteps and voices drifted down from the deck. Listening close, Mai realized from the conversation that the watch was changing. Men greeted each other, making jokes and exchanging small bits of news. She learned that there was leftover fried rice in the galley and that the night engineer was in a bad mood. But one particular exchange caught her interest.
A mellow tenor voice asked, "Did you see the prisoner?"
A deeper, huskier voice answered, "Aye. She looks normal. You wouldn't guess she's an air bender."
The first man said, "I heard she can do some weird thing with her hands that'll stop someone bending."
The second man grunted. "I think people are exaggerating."
"Maybe," his companion replied. "Still, I'll feel better when Admiral Shang gets her off this ship. I've got a bad feeling about this whole thing."
The two men said good night. When they finished speaking, the only sounds were the whisper of a cool breeze and the lapping of water. Admiral Shang--she recognized that name, and cursed softly. The commander of the Southern Fleet was here. Whatever was going on behind the scenes, it wasn't good.
Mai had to act fast. Slipping aboard Zuko's ship unnoticed had been fairly easy, but both Zhao and Shang would have much larger, more alert crews. She considered waiting until Ty Lee was being transferred to the Admiral's ship to strike, but decided against it. If Zhao had injured or somehow disabled Ty Lee during the capture (and the thought made her want to have five minutes alone with him and her three-pronged knife), Mai would have to get both of them out under her own power. She was good, but not good enough to fight off the crews of two Fire Navy ships.
The only option that seemed to have any chance of success was to sneak aboard Zhao's ship. Once there, she would find and free Ty Lee, and then, if everything went well, they could vanish into the night without a fuss. If everything did not go well, she would have fight her way off the ship. And after all that, she would still have to find a way to get both Ty Lee and herself off the island. There was no way she could hang around afterward--too many people would suspect her involvement.
She sighed.
The first task was to actually get onto the ship. The smooth metal side of the vessel towered above her head. A heavy anchor chain stretched down from near the top, disappearing into the dark water.
Cautiously, Mai advanced. Hanging on to a pylon with one hand, she could just stretch far enough to reach the chain with the other. She grasped one of the massive links and pulled to see how much noise she made. The link didn't budge, so she pulled harder and harder. She placed a foot on the link and kicked, and still the chain hung in silence.
Satisfied that she wouldn't wake the entire ship up by climbing the chain, she pushed off the dock and clambered on. She climbed as quickly and quietly as possible, hoping that no one came strolling up the dock to spot her. Even with all her weight on it, the chain barely moved.
The anchor chain attached to the ship a few feet below the railing on the deck. She waited there, listening for the watchman. Hearing nothing, she risked peeking over the bottom of the railing.
The guard was currently walking at the other end of the deck. Between her and him were three massive catapults. She didn't know the names of all the mechanical parts, but she knew that they were capable of hurling enormous projectiles a great distance.
The size of the machines could also provide cover. She waited until the watchman passed behind one of the catapult's steel legs, then swiftly jumped over the ship's railing. Almost doubled over, she ran for the nearest catapult and hid under a piece of overhanging metal on the frame.
Several moments passed. The guard continued his circuit, unaware of her presence. She had been lucky--no one on the bridge had spotted her either.
Ty Lee would be below deck, so that was where Mai had to go next. In front of the bridge was a hatch leading down below, the cover left open. She darted between the giant steel legs of the catapults, keeping hidden from the watchman patrolling the deck and slowly closing in on her target. While she hunkered underneath the leg closest to the hatch, she heard the man yawn loudly. She felt like a mouse-vole scampering past an oblivious cat.
The watchman had now reached the point near the bow where she had slipped on board. He paused, looking out over the railing, at what she couldn't say. Perhaps there was someone walking on the docks, or the few twinkling lights in the town caught his eye. But his distraction was her opportunity.
She ducked through the hatch and scrambled down the ladder. Compared to the moonlit night, it was dark below, despite there being a lantern on the wall above her head. She listened for nearby crew members. There was nothing except distant metallic sounds that she couldn't identify, but which seemed to be background noise, like street traffic.
Taking a breath, she adjusted her mask. Her face felt hot, and she wished for a splash of cool water. Even more, she wished for a map that would show her where the--what was a ship's jail cell called? The brig, that was it--where the brig was. But she had to keep moving. She'd made it onto the ship; now came the hard part.
She moved down the hallway quickly, alert for footsteps. None of the doors had any markings on them. After a few minutes, she came to an intersection. Not knowing where to go, she continued straight toward the back of the ship.
Along the way, there were several ladders leading to levels further down. Mai did not know a great deal about naval ships, but she did know that the engine room and the crew quarters were on the lower levels. It seemed unlikely to her that dangerous prisoners would be housed with the rest of the crew or near the all-important engines, so she stayed on the same level.
Every fifty feet or so, she passed another intersection. Occasionally, she heard footsteps down one of the other corridors. She would press herself against the wall, braced for a fight, but her luck held. No one came down the path she was taking.
She figured that she must be close to the stern when she finally found the jail. A sign at an intersection noted that the brig was ahead, and that only authorized guards were permitted beyond this point.
Looking at the large red arrow pointing directly forward, she flexed her hands and smiled.
------
Zhao sipped his tea, keeping his expression neutral with an effort. Across from him sat Admiral Shang.
Smiling, Shang said, "Of course, I will put you up for a Letter of Commendation for your effort in helping capture the prisoner, Captain."
Zhao's fingers twitched at the word 'helping.' He had damned well caught the girl himself.
The Admiral continued, "It was very good work, tracking her down so quickly, and using the anesthetic darts was quite clever." He paused to sip more tea. "But then you have always been a clever man. I am sure you will rise through the ranks with due speed, once you have a proper opportunity to distinguish yourself."
Condescension ran through Shang's tone like poison. There was a warning in the words as well: this was the Admiral's triumph, not his. He should not attempt to seek more recognition than his superior officer was willing to give.
Zhao murmured thanks over his seething resentment. He was not a nobody from some tiny Fire Nation island full of fishermen or goat herders who had made captain through sheer attrition. He was the grandson of Fire Lord Sozin's War Minister. Shang's ancestors were minor military officers and low level government bureaucrats. He may be Zhao's commanding officer, but he was by no means an equal.
Finishing his cup, Shang stood. "Thank you for the excellent tea, Captain. A good yellow tea is rare. But now it is time for me to collect the air bender and be on my way."
Zhao rose. "I will take you to her, sir."
Shang nodded. The two of them walked to the brig, Zhao silently fuming all the way.
In front of the prisoner's cell, they both abruptly stopped in shock. All four guards lay on the floor in a heap, their limbs limp and their expressions dazed. The cell door was wide open. Zhao strode forward and looked in the tiny room.
The girl was gone.
One of the downed men lifted his head with effort and said weakly, "A few minutes ago, sir. Someone in a black mask attacked us. Throwing knives. Too fast. The prisoner did this…after she got out of the cell."
Admiral Shang sputtered angrily, "She's escaped?"
Zhao felt in his pocket for the paralyzing dart. The air bender and her accomplice couldn't have gotten far. He smiled dangerously. "Not to worry, sir. I have the situation under control."
--end Chapter Six
Seven: Sword and Dagger