In a world that was still heavily shackled by tradition, Republic City was the symbol of progress, shrugging off the stigma of industrialization which was tainted by Ozai’s militant Fire Nation in the past to reveal new wonders that uplifted and aided the people.

  When used for peace, steel and cogs brought about motor vehicles, cheaper goods, and most importantly electricity, which heralded wonders like the wireless radio and gasless lights.

  And the United Republic was the source of all this innovation and invention. Like an electric light, it was an unflinching beacon of modernity shining through the dry and tangled roots of the old ways.

  Where the Water Tribes still relied on waterbenders and the whims of the wind to propel their boats, the fishermen of the United Republic could rely on engined crafts to take them out to sea. Ba Sing Se’s monorail was once a wonder of logistics, but the trams and cars of Republic City moved at least thrice as many people and goods without being at the mercy of limited stations or the avaibility of earthbender pushers. And with the advent of electric welding, it no longer required teams of firebenders just to carry out simple metalworking.

  Yet while the United Republic pushed its way to the future with industrialization, it did not do so unhindered.

  The old ways still had its hold on the republic, most notably enforced through its administration. For all its advancement, the United Republic was not a free nation, nor was it truly united despite its name. The five members of the ruling council each represented one of the world’s powers, each looking after the interests of ‘their people’.

  ‘Their people’.

  The councillors’ true responsibility was to see to the wellbeing of their own countrymen who came to settle in the republic, not to govern and care for the citizens of the state as a whole. The councilman of the Earth Kingdom, for example, focused on how policies and events would affect his fellow compatriots from the continent, intervening if the Fire Nation’s councilwoman pushed for broadening trade retions with her home country which might reduce the volume of commerce with Ba Sing Se.

  And it didn’t take long for the representatives to cim benders of their elements as their own people, regardless of whether a firebender truly came from the Fire Nation, or if an earthbender was born in the Water Tribes. It was a simple and convenient enough conclusion to come to, and after all, it’d take someone from the Earth Kingdom to truly understand what challenges an earthbender might face, and how best to cater to their needs.

  Still, the competing interests of the councillors created a bance that allowed the United Republic to prosper, and only Tenzin of the near-extinct Air Nomads could truly be seen as working solely for the interests of the state.

  Yet they were all united in their aversion to progress. Or perhaps they were willfully blind, for the sake of their own interests.

  After all, for all the convenience brought on by new inventions, it rendered its repcements unfavorable or even outright obsolete, like motorised earthmovers trivializing the work of dozens of men with shovels and picks…or even a team of earthbenders. Or electrical water pumps that were more tireless, reliable and economical than waterbenders.

  While it would be a long time before elemental bending would no longer be truly needed, technology has made, and was making, the reliance on them far less onerous to the common folk. And as modernity slowly crept into the United Republic, the councillors still held onto their notion of a bender’s superior value over the non-benders.

  Hence the immense resistance in actually implementing a lot of new technology that would improve everyone’s lives. Because they still felt that a waterbender should hold a special pce in society, advancements into refrigeration and irrigation pumps were curtailed. Because an earthbender should remain important, any construction work was beholden to a strict quota of earthbenders that were the only ones allowed to deal with earthworks, instead of speeding things up with the new earthmovers. And there were still tedious regutions on electricity and lightbulbs, forcing many to still rely on oil mps and firepces just so the firebenders could have something to do.

  It was this oppression from up high that made Goro a hardcore Equalist. His non-bending family had endured poverty simply because neither he or his brothers could secure decent jobs as borers or farmers due to the quotas for benders. The major criminal organizations too preferred hiring benders, so even the life of crime was restrictive. And nobody in the family had the knack to open and run any kind of shop.

  No wonder that many in the movement looked up to industrialists like Hiroshi Sato, and the corporations they’ve founded. Those were the few sanctuaries where a non-bender could climb the ranks without once having to worry about whether they could bend or not. The corporate heads were all non-benders themselves, and valued efficiency and effectiveness over burdensome tradition. Assembly lines were all equipped with electric welders, water systems were operated with pumps, and corporate warehouses were built with motorised vehicles, all for the sake of pursuing the fastest and best results.

  It was also no wonder that many Equalists found work in those innovative corporations, often being recommended by fellow Equalists who’ve managed by luck or by grit to secure a cushy job there.

  Unfortunately, Goro was not one of those people. He had to admit that his talents were limited, and there were plenty of goons to pick from. He almost got a job at Future Industries that one time, but lost out because the other guy could weld better than him. And Goro did not begrudge that loss, because the other guy was simply more talented; he didn’t lose out because of some ostrich horse bullshit bender quota.

  He was given a fair chance, and he failed to get it.

  But imagine how many more chances he’d get if the benders weren’t hogging everything; Goro could be working at a pump station, or boring at a construction site, or even tilling the soil as a farmer.

  It sucked being pushed to the edges of modern life, especially when it was due to the selfish pricks looking to preserve what they thought was the order of the world.

  But his fortunes changed when a compatriot of the movement had approached him during one of the underground meetings. He’d been given another chance at a stable job, an opportunity to work at the Future Media to boot. It was a name that was being talked about a lot, especially with its new radio station and the spate of street performers singing its praises for being signed in to work for the company.

  The Future Industries group was one of the shining models of Equalist beliefs, a pce that prioritized results over the appeasement of benders. So long as you could get the job done, you’d have your pce in Future Industries and its reted companies. Yes, they still needed benders to power the generators or wield water for fire control, but that was because they were the best options, not because of some dusty belief that the benders should be there. Goro had no doubt that if a better means was found, those benders would be repced without any whining or huffing about.

  Hiroshi Sato might not be an outspoken Equalist, but Goro was sure that the great magnate had some sympathies for the movement. And it was well known throughout the alleys that Hiroshi Sato had entrusted Future Media to a bright mind (with no bending involved) named Xing, a young man almost half Goro’s age.

  Lots of rumors swirled around that mysterious name; he was either the Avatar’s former friend or bodyguard, and either they had a falling out or she’d encouraged him to find his true calling in Republic City. He also supposedly adopted an impoverished family and brought them along his rapid climb to the top. And then there were the not-so-secret whispers that Xing and Asami Sato were close, and that she relied on him as a trusted confidante.

  And all of that without a lick of bending being involved on Xing’s part.

  Hiroshi Sato must be relieved to find someone so brilliant for his daughter.

  And Goro felt the pressure from needing to really prepare for his job interview. Sharp minds like Hiroshi and Xing would no doubt not settle for simple, zy recruits in their company. He’d had to give his all to work inside one of the symbols of the Equalist ideals.

  And then Goro also remembered that Hitori Kuro worked in Future Media, and the pressure really increased to get a job there. Nobody knew what she looked like, only how she sounded. Imagine if Goro could be one of the lucky few to meet her…or even shake hands with her!

  For all the stress and excitement, Goro got the job as a ‘tech menial’ almost too easily. Despite his self-consciousness at being so poorly dressed, the staff at Future Media’s office barely paid him any mind, being too busy walking past with hurried purpose. It took little time before Goro was sat across from the director of Future Media, and Xing engaged him with polite bluntness. No smarmy remarks about Goro’s inability to bend, no ‘as, the bender quotas’ ostrich horseshit, just questions about Goro’s abilities and the expectations that would be pced upon him.

  Goro answered truthfully and resolutely, and right after that, instead of the spiel that he’d be contacted (even though Goro didn’t have a proper address to contact in the first pce), the director offered him an employment contract and bade Goro to read through it thoroughly. Then Goro was ushered out as another prospective employee (a fellow Equalist sister, Goro pleasantly noted) repced him at the interviewee’s seat.

  It took some help from the vendors before Goro could fully understand what exactly was in the slip of paper he was given, and it was a huge surprise when he could finally appreciate the enormity of what was offered to him. The sary was generous, but then again it came with responsibilities - Goro would have to take the appropriate precautions and be careful with the expensive equipment he handled. The hours were more than tolerable, and his contract even included the chance to earn a bonus or even royalties if Goro somehow could come up with an idea that Future Media could use to make money with.

  Oh, there were a few long-winded lines about keeping the company secrets a secret, but for the amount Goro was getting paid, he’d happily help the young director bury any bodies and forget about ever doing so if he was asked to.

  Goro’s first day at work was basically a plunge into a frantic rush of activity. He ran from one wing of the building to another, moving crates for the coming pro-bending tournament (a lucrative evil that has to be accepted for the time being; Goro wondered what a big Equalized sport might look like…) and lugging furniture and socket-studded consoles into the broadcasting studio. It was hard but highly satisfying work, made all more tolerable as he encountered fellow Equalists here and there working in various posts. Nobody openly decred their allegiance of course, what with the raids still going on, but nobody needed to.

  With how smoothly it was being run, Future Media might as well become another poster child for Equality.

  Goro couldn’t wait to catch up with his comrades in the next meeting in a couple days’ time. Some of them have been in the company for a while now, so maybe they could offer some tips and insight into Future Media’s work culture.

  Maybe someone might offer tales of Hitori Kuro.

  He’d have to reconfirm the address tomorrow evening… Hopefully it wouldn’t be in another basement. And with how Tarrlok’s task force is being so aggressive after the Avatar failed to trap Amon, Goro wouldn’t be surprised if the masked leader wouldn’t be present at the gathering. There were hushed whispers that Amon was leaving a trail of false clues, to mislead the task force into raiding warehouses and abandoned industrial buildings at odd hours, allowing smaller Equalist cells to congregate safely in shoplots or back alley tea halls at more convenient times.

  Or Amon had gone to ground to come up with new pns, while also spooking the task force into a constant state of alert for him to surface that they couldn’t be bothered conducting small raids.

  Considering the complete ck of news about Tarrlok little task force, either could be true. Goro personally would like to imagine the bender-rimming councilman being too ashamed by the complete ck of success to let the reporters anywhere near his orgy-mates.

  Author's notes: Not sure I got the mindset right for this, but as usual I'm too zy to continue scratching my head at this.