The Other Side

Chapter One - Welcome to Republic City [working title]

Hei felt himself falling backwards. The sensation was strange, like he was being sucked into a vortex.

Through the deafening hush a voice echoed from above. "Hei!" Forcing his eyes open, he looked up.

"Yin!" He yelled.

"Hei, come back!" Her voice was charged with emotion.

"How?"

"Please," she begged. "Don't leave me here alone…" He could hear her crying.

A Spector, shaped like a hand, appeared and Hei tensed all his muscles. Struggling against the tide with all his might he reached up. He was a meter away from the tip of her fingers.

He stretched his arm out as far as it would go, threatening to divorce it from its socket.

Half a meter away.

He was so close.

Centimeters away.

The pull was too strong. Hei grasped but it was too late. He was gripping air.

Darkness swallowed him and the breath was sucked from his throat.

Hei opened his eyes with a jolt. Before he could fully come to his senses he shot up and screamed, "Yin!"

Grass prickled the palms of his hands. He dug his fingers into it and pulled out a clump. He could feel the dirt, cool under his nails.

Where am I? Is this real?

A girl's voice made him jump. "Who's Yin?"

Hei looked up to see a young girl with blonde hair, probably no older than five. Her hair was up in pigtails and an expression of utmost bewilderment and curiosity shaped her face.

"A-Amber? What the hell did you do?" Hei breathed.

The girl cocked her head to the side, not phased at all by Hei's threatening tone. "Who's Amber? And whatcha doin' just sleeping there?" She eyed Hei suspiciously. "Did you hit your head?"

She wasn't Amber. Her eyes were a vivid blue.

A small breeze passed and Hei held his hands up to feel it. Something about the air felt different. He recognized it instantly. This air, the energy in it … it lacked electricity. Naturally, electricity was still present but there was far less radiating off the buildings here than in Tokyo. The static that he had grown accustomed to feeling was dialed back to a soft hush.

Still staring at his hands he whispered, "Maybe I did…" He sighed heavily and looked up at her again. "Where am I?"

"Republic City of course!" The girl squeaked. "I'm Sakina. What's your name?"

"Li…" Hei answered, doing his best to look cheerful. "Li Shengshun."

"Hmm…" Sakina pondered. "I know lots of Li's. But Shengshun? That's a funny name."

Hei tried to cover his tracks. "Oh no, no," he said, waving his hands. "It' more of a nickname, really."

The girl put her hands on her hips, gesturing importance. "I'll call you Sheng then! A nickname of a nickname. How's that sound?"

She plopped down next to Hei and stared at him again, this time inspecting his clothes. "You're dressed funny." She commented, her eyes on his Black Reaper disguse.

"Uh…" His voice trailed off. He had already noted that his attire was far different from everyone else's here. If he wasn't careful, he could attract too much attention.

This girl is precocious … still, she might be able to tell me something useful.

He decided to change the topic. "So Sakina," He said. "What's this city like?"

She had already turned to sit on her knees and was making a nest out of the mound of grass he upheaved. "Oh you know, it's nice." She said distractedly, still focusing on her grass creation. "It's pretty quiet. 'Cept for that mean guy with the boomie."

Hei's eyebrow raised slightly. "Boomie?" He asked.

Sakina cupped her dirt streaked hands around her mouth, amplifying the sound. "Down with the Benders!" She shouted. She dropped her hands and spoke at her normal volume again, a sad look on her face. "He says mean stuff about my friends." Her eyebrows furrowed. "I don't like him."

"These Benders…" Hei asked slowly, placing each word with care. "…are they bad people?"

She looked shocked. "No way! Where're you from? How come you don't know?"

"Very far away," He replied honestly.

She smiled wide, her eyes sparkling with wonder. "What's it like there?"

Hei's mind rushed to thoughts of the Gate, the Syndicate, Amber, Huang, Mao … Yin. A heavy weight settled in his chest and he simply replied, "It's beautiful."

"Why do you look sad then?" Sakina prodded.

Hei laughed it off. "Wow, you're full of questions. Where are your parents? Shouldn't you be with them?"

She gave Hei the stink-eye for a second but eventually turned away and waved to her right. "My mommy's over there buying food from the ugly lady. She lets me go explore while she buys stuff because I get bored." Her eyes lit up and she exclaimed, "Wanna come exploring with me?"

Hei smiled kindly, shaking his head. "Some other time, maybe." He stood, brushing the grass off the seat of his pants. "I should get going."

Sakina looked disappointed but nodded and stood too. She cradled her grass nest in her hands. "Alright … see you, Sheng!" With that she ran off.

After she was out of sight, Hei dropped the façade and turned his face to the sky.

Amber, what are you trying to teach me?

Hei considered the possibility that this may not be Amber's work. He'd heard about a Contractor whose ability allowed her to control her subjects by describing what she wanted to happen to them. This included inducing a dream-like state. Whatever she described was their reality, for as long as she wanted. She'd driven people to mania with it and, on more than one occasion, death. He hadn't seen her inside the Gate though … could her ability work telepathically?

Another option was that this could be the Gate alone and this really was the other end of the vortex. It wasn't a pleasant alternative. The entire country was depending on him.

Yin … she had called out to him. She was scared. He'd never heard fear in her voice before. What was going to happen to her? Even worse, what was going to happen to the Contractors? Whether they knew it or not, their lives depended on his next move. Was he too late?

Hei grasped his forehead in frustration, wincing.

I can't lose it. I need to stay focused and find a way out.

He took a deep breath and focused on the rational alternative: that this was a delusion and he simply needed to work through it.

He passed a billboard with "WANTED" posters plastered on it. Nothing stood out to him at first but something made him reel back. He stared at it, his eyebrows gathering slightly.

Why does that man look familiar?

His hair looked moderately short, parted down the middle in a way that framed his sharp features.

It hit Hei like a wrecking ball. He ripped the paper off the wall, his shaking fingers tearing the parchment where they dug in.

Staring back at him was the sketched face of November 11th.