**Police Headquarters. Sub-basement level.**
Several meters underground lay vast open spaces, large enough to accommodate half the contingent of the entire police station at once. Everything necessary for law enforcement officers to stay in top shape was here: well-reinforced walls and ceilings allowed for the use of serious bending techniques from various elements, treadmills, various frames for strength training, bars, and pull-up bars, dumbbells, and kettlebells. It's safe to say that no more complete sports and gym equipment can be found anywhere in this world.
The training hall was nearly empty, as it was the busiest time of day—the officers were occupied with their primary duties. Mostly, only the sounds of air being sliced and something heavy colliding could be heard.
In the western part of the room were arenas, punching bags, and other equipment suitable for honing martial arts and bending skills. That's where all the thuds and whistles were coming from. There, with one large and even heavy-looking punching bag, the chief of police of Tienhai City was skillfully working out. The woman, no, more accurately, the girl—after all, twenty-six years is just the beginning of adulthood—who had recently taken on the responsibility of maintaining order in the city, was the owner of a truly powerful body. In the humble opinion of most male officers, it was excessively powerful. Most likely, they were simply insecure. With her tall stature, tight muscles that beautifully rippled across her body, and her masterful dominance in earthbending, she effortlessly crushed the fragile male ego, subconsciously evoking envy and dislike in men. Fortunately, they kept their personal feelings separate from their work.
It's worth noting that Kuvira—for that was the name of the new police chief—did indeed have a somewhat masculine build, as evidenced by her broad shoulders and moderately deep voice. But this didn't diminish her exotic beauty, rare in this world. After all, for centuries, fragile and delicate-looking girls had been the norm here, so seeing something entirely different was always welcome. Perhaps because of this, a couple of lower-ranking officers were always hovering around her, none of whom had managed to conquer Kuvira's iron heart.
Kuvira was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice the bold glances of her subordinates roaming over her body. And there was certainly something to look at! Her large, firm breasts seemed ready to burst through the thin fabric of her white tank top at any moment. By the way, the light shirt had long been damp with sweat, making the outlines of her large nipples clearly visible. With each new punch she landed on the bag, her upper chest tantalizingly bounced, causing three men to completely abandon their pretend workouts, fully devoted to admiring her beauty. Her round, enticing backside, seductively hugged by green training pants, deserved special mention.
Somewhere on the edge of consciousness, Kuvira's mind registered the men's gazes, but she had no time for reprimands now. Besides, as far as she knew, these persistent representatives of the male sex always performed their duties flawlessly. And the stares? She could tolerate them. It wasn't the first time. Anyway, they wouldn't get anything out of it—the fragile and sensitive heart of such a formidable-looking woman had long been occupied by one man.
Of course, it sounds absurd, but she had met her chosen one when she was just six years old. Anyone might scoff and ask if a little girl could truly mistake her emotions for such profound feelings? No, at that time, the already adult man was her only support, an older brother, perhaps even a father figure, but certainly not an object of love. But years passed, and the image of Roku, her savior, never left her mind—and most importantly, her heart.
At the most pivotal moment of her life, when her own parents abandoned her, cruelly throwing her into the streets, He appeared. With Roku, she traveled for three whole months, and during that time, they searched for other abandoned children in need of help. It was then that she realized her parents had never truly loved her; their indifferent faces she had mistaken for affection, their cold attitude she had considered normal. But when a severe drought swept through their province, they decided to get rid of the extra mouth…
It was hurtful and unpleasant. She had never cried so much in her life. But if things had gone differently, she would never have met Roku. That very Roku who, in three months, gave her more warmth than her biological father and mother had ever given her. The memories of those times would warm her soul for years, helping her overcome even the most hopeless situations.
Once they had traveled the entire province, Roku left her at one of the renowned academies, where both earthbending and ordinary sciences were taught. If one lacked the gift of bending, the focus was on the latter. Fortunately, she followed the benders' curriculum. The academy's administration, for an additional fee, allowed students to live on campus year-round. Only later would she understand the enormous sums Roku had paid to provide a couple dozen strangers with a proper education and a place where they could eat and sleep in peace.
Time passed, and the little girl who constantly longed for Roku's voice emerged from the academy as a strong, adult conqueror. With her excellent graduation, her private room and free three-meal-a-day dining disappeared, so she decided to work. Fortunately, with her nearly masterful bending skills and general erudition, many paths were open to her. She chose to guard trade caravans—the pay was good, she didn't have to worry about food or shelter, and she could test her true bending abilities. To her shame, she still hadn't learned to cook…
One caravan was replaced by another, and then another, in an endless cycle. Once, she was hired as the head of security for a famous circus in the Earth Kingdom. There, she discovered her other passion—the first, of course, was bending, but the second turned out to be dancing. She even extended her contract to participate in several more performances with other dancers. Each of her days was filled with various small and large events, but her thoughts continued to revolve around one figure. After the nations began to unite, she managed to visit the Fire Nation, where she briefly saw the respected Advisor Wan. Something in her heart fluttered at that moment; her mind told her she was seeing a completely different person, but her heart said otherwise. Without fully understanding her feelings, she sailed away to continue exploring the world.
Her next stop was the place of eternal winter—the Northern Water Tribe. The local beauty captivated her for a long time—who knew such a beautiful city could be created from simple ice? She spent an entire week studying the pristine white wonders, not forgetting to heal her injuries. After all, she had been wounded more than once, and some of those injuries had hindered her from living life to the fullest. On the last day, she caught a glimpse of the young Chief Yukia in the company of her large family. And again, she was overcome by the familiar feelings she always experienced when thinking of her benefactor—Roku. Once could be a coincidence, but twice her body couldn't lie…
To confirm her thoughts, she made her way to Omashu, where, according to rumors, a new Earth King had been elected—none other than the well-known Roku. Thanks to her extensive resume, her masterful earthbending, which she continued to refine every weekday, she was quickly accepted into the city's garrison. Over the years of service, she saw him countless times—her… she still hadn't figured out what Roku was to her, but he was undoubtedly the closest person in the world. Every night, she blamed herself for her indecisiveness—what would it have cost her to just approach him and start a conversation? Maybe he hadn't even forgotten her! By the way, the more she saw Roku, the more his figure overlapped with Wan and Yukia. She didn't know what kind of chi Roku was channeling, but if that was the case, she would remain silent!
Many of her colleagues noticed that whenever their city's ruler came into view, Kuvira tried to make herself as small as possible, or even hide. Various encouragements followed, and many empathized with her feelings—Roku's mere presence commanded respect, and if you listened to eyewitness accounts of his feats, that respect quickly turned into reverence.
- "I'll approach him when I become the city's chief of security!"—she promised herself every time that next month she would definitely talk to him. But as an excellent professional in her field, a ruthless bender on the battlefield, and with a mind as sharp as a razor, she faltered when it came to the object of her sleepless nights.
And so, she missed her chance—Roku moved to Ba Sing Se. The need to demonstrate her metalbending somehow fell away. After all, it was through her masterful control of metals that she had hoped to get closer to him. For a whole week, she was completely out of sorts, until she pulled herself together and vowed never to miss her chance at love again! After so many years, she could admit to herself that she was ready to share her entire life with him.
After moving to Ba Sing Se, she encountered numerous problems. There were other talented individuals here who were doing everything to get a job in the Palace. After two years, she still hadn't managed to rise to the upper ring; of course, being the chief of police in the middle ring also sounded impressive, but it didn't bring her any closer to her main goal.
Then came the news of the creation of Tienhai City. In the list of people who approved the city's construction, there were immediately three names, all connected to the same person. Gathering her few belongings and submitting her resignation, she departed for Tienhai.
The unpleasant part was that Roku himself, like his other personas, rarely visited the city. But…
- "Another one?!"—Kuvira exclaimed in shock, though only to herself. The thing was, she had caught sight of one of the last airbenders—Yo. They say that with age, a woman's intuition only grows stronger. For a precise answer, thousands of girls and accumulated statistics would be needed, but in Kuvira's case, it could be said with one hundred percent certainty—her instincts were becoming more and more reliable.
She was reignited with hope, but cowardice had firmly attached itself to her nature, becoming part of her character. So, it was no surprise that she still hadn't approached the object of her affection, limiting herself to distant observation. Time marched on, and before she knew it, she had become the chief of police. And of all times, they had to put her in charge just a month before the New Technologies Exhibition! She knew all too well that after this event, a wave of kidnappings, murders, and other horrors would follow. For months, they would have to protect specific scientists and inventors who came under attack.
This year, everything turned out to be much worse. Some people in identical protective suits, along with bandit groups, had organized a marathon of attacks. The worst part was that they were holding their own against her officers—those who had undergone excellent training and had many new technological gadgets in their arsenal!
Her office was piled high with reports of kidnappings, murders, and complaints about the poor performance of the police. Few knew that some of her subordinates hadn't slept for days—just to keep up with the calls! She herself had been on stimulants for two days now, because aside from paperwork, she was the strongest combat unit.
- "It seems to have eased up a bit," Kuvira thought, sending the punching bag flying one last time. Only a good old-fashioned brawl helped her not give in to negative emotions. Unfortunately, she couldn't "torment" her subordinates right now—they needed to be in peak form.
- Chief, there's an attack on the "Future Industries" factory!—a young sergeant's shout halted her steps toward the shower rooms. With a slight wave of her hand, the door of the metal locker swung open, and Kuvira's police uniform flew out. The metallic fibers woven into the fabric allowed her to dress in mere seconds. Next, other metallic and extremely dangerous objects emerged from the locker, calmly circling her body.
She didn't even need to say anything—the other men in the room, who just seconds ago had been indulging in purely aesthetic enjoyment, were already in full gear, not even distracted by the enticing movements of Kuvira's hips as she walked ahead.
- "They've been thoroughly probed," Kuvira nodded to herself, slightly clenching her right hand—that's where one of the members of some new group, a master of electric batons, had hit her last time. Back then, she had honestly tried to take their group alive, but she had no intention of giving them another chance.