#equalist mako

He didn’t get this man, Amon. He was always a step ahead because he’d been lurking in the shadows for years, planning, scheming, so  it was no wonder he was always prepared for whatever they threw at him. Tarrlok’s alternative political agenda didn’t help with the city’s safety these past few years either, as he was coming to learn. Add Korra’s constant displacement and capturing, and Tenzin didn’t feel quite qualified to lead a bleeding city. He couldn’t even keep up with a seventeen year old girl, for goodness sakes!

“Here, catch.”

Tenzin grabbed the torch wordlessly and slowly the bunker lit up with flashlights. He looked around—no physical damage that he could see. A few things on some shelves had been rattled around in some of the quakes, but everything was standing, for now. “Tenzin,” Saikhan called, inquiry in his tone. Half lit faces distorted in distasteful shadows looked at him expectantly, and he fought a grimace. “Everybody stay calm,” he said to the room, but expressions didn’t soften, anxieties didn’t lessen, and he didn’t blame them. “Saikhan, are there any emergency—“

“—do you smell that?”

The room grew stiff. “No,” Tenzin said slowly, but he started trailing his light across the room, searching. “I don’t—“ he stopped when he spotted the air vent leaking colored gas. “Everyone hold your breath, now!” he demanded, and the room let out a collective sound of shock as a dozen or so officers took in a deep, panicked breath. Tenzin tossed his torch back to Saikhan before he began bending the air around them to create a barrier. “Everyone behind me, don’t stray—we have no choice but to go outside.” The officers scuttled behind him and out into the eerie hall, the walls tinted shades of red and orange from some of the windows.

Tenzin heard the gasps.

“Keep moving,” he instructed kindly. He was beginning to regret what was going to be out there—judging by the flickering orange hues, he imagine it was quite hot out—and the air might not be much of an improvement.

Still, they trudged on and made it to the front door where Tenzin used his barrier to blast the door down with overzealous energy. The remaining officers and Saikhan came stumbling out into the late afternoon light coughing and spurting, only to be given a warm welcome by half a dozen mecha tanks.

“Oh boy.”

.

“This isn’t working!” Korra managed to whine through labored breath. She grabbed Mako as he ran past her by his sleeve and he jerked back, stumbling at the sudden loss of momentum. She put her hands on her knees and took a few deep breaths, and he followed suit. “We’re not going to get there in time if we just run.”

Mako agreed. “Can’t you just airbend us or something?” He kicked at the ground. “There’s still some snow? Earth? Fire? You’re master of all four elements here!”

She snarled, trying to keep her temper at bay. “I don’t have a glider, so I can’t airbend us. And sure, I could get there, but I’d leave you behind.” Korra looked down the road that led to the city. “What we need is—“

“—a car?”

Was this guy serious? She bore her chattering teeth. “No, what we need is an idea that isn’t you fucking around!” He didn’t retaliate; he simply raised a finger and pointed behind her. “What? What the hell are you pointing at—oh.”

Behind them, curving around a mountain pass, Korra spotted two headlights of a car bobbing in between the flakes of snow that kept blanketing the ground. “You don’t think they’re going to the city, do you?”

Mako shrugged. “Looks like it.”

“But the place is totally in the gutter right now. Who the hell wants to go there?”

He gestured to the thinned out forest. “You can barely see out here. I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t know about it.” He watched as the car rounded another corner in the distance. “The better question is how are we going to convince them to give us a lift?”

Korra stared at him and lifted her hand, thumb out. Mako rolled his eyes. “No, moron, that’s not going to work.”

She was unfazed by the oh-so-affectionate nickname. “Why not? We’re the good guys. And, I am the Avatar, after all.”

“Do you literally carry around a piece of paper with your face and title on it? Because you play that card a lot.” He shifted his weight, rolled the kinks out of his neck. “And what if they’re bad guys? You know, equalists?”

Another shiver ran down her spine, but she managed a steady voice. “I’m sure if we ask nicely, they’ll understand.”

“Well, regardless, you aren’t driving.”

“That’s what you think, buddy boy.”

.

  Apparently, Korra and Mako had different definitions on the concept of asking nicely—and the fact that the ex-baddy had a better handle on it than the peace-keeper of the world really put Mako on end—but luckily for her, he didn’t really have the time, nor patience, to critique her on her methods. After Korra had waved the car down with an impressive episode of damsel in distress (she claimed Mako was too scary looking, and they wouldn’t even stop to consider helping him with that permanent scowl on his face. He disagreed, but…) the inhabitants of the car, a middle-aged, nothing-special couple came to a steady stop, got out the car, ran over to Korra, and asked her what they could do to help.

She was on the ground, rolling around in the snow, faking injury splendidly. “I need—I need to get to the city.”

The husband spared Mako a glance—it was then Mako remembered he was wearing equalist garb-- but otherwise, the man made an effort to help Korra to her feet. “Yes, anywhere you need, we’ll take you but—“ another look Mako’s way, and he crossed his arms in front of him in a half-assed attempt to hide his uniform, “—we don’t have room for the lad. Sorry.”

Korra sobered immediately. “Li-sten,” she drawled out the word and it took every fiber of Mako’s being not to slap himself in the face right then and there. “I’m the Avatar and—“

The couple’s eyes went wide. “The Avatar? Korra? My, we’ve heard you’ve been missing!”

“Pretty much sums up my stay in Republic City, yes, but, I need help. And this guy—“ she pointed to Mako, who tried to put on a winning smile—that’s when Korra concluded he didn’t know how to smile— “Needs to come with me. It’s crucial.”

The couple suddenly looked apprehensive. “I don’t know, we—“

In Mako’s opinion, this was taking much too long. “Look, can we take your car or not?” he asked, voice weighted with exasperation.

Then came the shouting. “Take it? No way!” the man cried out, outraged. “I don’t know who you are, boy, but even this girl, the Avatar, has no right.”

“Looook, this is kind of a national emergency so I think it would be in everybody’s interest to—MAKO GRAB THE KEYS!”

And then Mako was cursing the day he ever got roped into switching sides with this girl as he joined her, wrestled a poor man to the ground, and yanked the keys from his pockets. When he looked up, he found the wife already halfway down the road, arms flailing and crying for help. When he looked back again, however, he found Korra already in the driver’s seat, keys yanked from his hands and in the ignition. “Get out of the car, Korra, you can’t drive!”

“I can so!” she defended. “We’re not gonna get anywhere with your slow-ass driving, so trust me this is the way to go.”

“Korra—“ he was abruptly cut off with the sound of another bomb dropping in the distance. They didn’t have time for this, damn it! “Fine!” he bit out, and got in the passenger’s side of the car. “But I swear, if you’re not careful, you’ll end up being reincarnated before you can make a difference and I won’t feel the least bit sorry.”

He was not impressed with Korra’s definition of careful.

.

“How are you holding up?”

Asami was sitting on one of the many temple meditation platforms, just far enough from everything but still close enough to jump in and fight if the situation arose. She looked out on the horizon—so far, the fires and bombs were concentrated on the mainland, and she didn’t see anything coming their way. Bolin sat down right beside her, his leg brushing against hers. He drummed the palms of his hands on the top of his thighs before he clapped his hands and rubbed them vigorously. The tell-tale sign that he had something to say. “I’m holding up just fine,” she finally answered. “As you can see, no equalists here,” she said, gesturing to the vicinity. A pretty smile adorned her lips.

Bolin grinned wide. “Ah, still cracking jokes. As long as people are making jokes, everything’s okay,” said the joker, Asami thought. “But, that’s not what I meant,” he admitted quietly.

She turned her head and met cool green eyes. “Then what did you mean?”

He opened his mouth, then closed it—Asami figured he must of have done that half a dozen times before he shifted, facing her better. “I know what it’s like to find out someone you cared about made a horrible decision.”

Asami held her breath.

Bolin didn’t seem to notice. If he did, he didn’t comment. “It’s just—when I found out Mako was an equalist—“

“—Bolin, don’t, it’s ok—“

“No, no, hear me out.” He sighed. “Look, you’ve been awfully quiet since we made it to the island and I don’t blame you. I know I haven’t known you for very long—I really haven’t known you for very long—but I still consider you my friend. I mean, after all you’ve done for us? Helping me learn to fight without bending, helping Mako, going undercover…how could I not consider you a friend?” he trailed off for a moment. “I know it can’t be easy watching your father do this. It wasn’t easy for me to learn what Mako became.” He paused again, this time looking uneasy.

“What?” Asami pressed.

He squirmed beside her. “Do you think…do you think Mako ever killed anyone?”

This conversation wasn’t going in the direction she thought it would be. She weighed the options in her head and it wasn’t until she looked up and found Bolin staring at her, eagerly awaiting her opinion, that she realized just how long she had been quiet. Maybe he was on to something. “Killing isn’t really the equalists’ thing.” She reminded him.

“…That doesn’t answer the question.”

A heavy sigh. She wrung her fingers together and leaned back, lying down completely on the tiled mediation platform.  “I don’t know, Bolin. From what I’ve gathered, they’re really not into killing people but…” she grimaced. “I know it’s happened before. Treachery and all that. But if it helps,” She paused as Bolin leaned back beside her. “I don’t think he killed anybody, no.”

She craned her neck and saw his expression was content. “Yeah, I don’t think so either.”

More silence weaved between them, but they could still hear the sounds of bombs echoing off in the distance, not to mention see the fires and smoke. “I hope Korra and Mako are alright.” Bolin whispered, and that was when Asami realized he had to have been scared this whole time.

“I’m sure they’re fine,” she murmured, a half-assed offer of assurance in her opinion, but he must of felt it genuine, because he hand snaked up to start fingering through her hair.

“Hmm,” he hummed, but the worry was still etched across his brow. “But what I was trying to get at was I just wanted you to know that we’re here for you. Me, Korra, Mako…even Tahno, although I’m sure that asshole will never admit it. We got your back, no matter what.”

Asami sat up abruptly, half out of the sound of another bomb, half out of the chaos in her mind. Bolin sat up with her, confused. “Why?” she whispered. “Like you said, we barely know each other and—“

Then Bolin did something that surprised her—he laughed. “Why?” he reiterated, “Because, look what you’ve done!” He grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to look him dead in the eye. “You did what Mako couldn’t do at first all those years ago—you turned away from your father, from Amon. You did the right thing! And that took a lot of guts, Asami!” he wiped away a stray tear that had streaked her cheek but the funny thing was, Asami didn’t remember crying. “You’re very brave.”

“Don’t,” she begged, “Please, don’t.”

“What’s going on over here?”

The two teenagers looked up and found Lin a ways away, one hand tugging absently on her suspender, the other one touching one of the kali sticks strapped on her back. “You two should be on high alert, not loitering about,” she reprimanded, but the harsh tone wasn’t really there.

“Ah, no worries, Chief!” Bolin boasted. He scrambled to his feet. “I’m sure the only reason we’re even able to sit here is because Tenzin’s got everything under control. I bet Mako’s found Korra too, and they’re over there right now, kicking equalist booty!”

Lin allowed a small smirk, but her stance was still defensive. “You have lot of faith in that lot, don’t you kid?”

“You bet! Mako, he’s my brother and Korra—she’s the Avatar for crying out loud! I have nothing but faith in them. And you know,” he wrangled Asami to her feet and threw a friendly arm around her neck. “I have faith in us too, Lin. All of us. If the time comes, I’ll fight. We’ll be ready.” He showed her his new electric glove. “Asami taught me everything I know!”

“Right,” Lin whispered, nothing the two of them could hear. “Disperse, you two. One of you stay here. And keep an eye on the horizon at all costs, got it? We must be prepared.”

“Aye, aye, captain!”

Lin was the only one to notice Asami’s frown.

.

Mako jerked to the side of the car as Korra made a rough turn around a corner and neared one of the bridges to the city. He didn’t know when, but at some point Korra had performed some impossible stunt and the retractable roof of the car had long been ripped from the top, leaving bone-chilling winds to lick at their faces. He had both his feet practically glued to the floor, one on his weapons, the other where the imaginary brake was—he kept pressing it in some miracle that his efforts could help the madwoman slow down.

“Korra,” he said, warning lacing his tone. He didn’t know why he kept doing it—she hadn’t listened to him in the twenty minutes they’d spent racing down the mountain.

“Mak-o!” her voice hiccupped over the last part of his name as she hit a rock (“It was a pebble!” ;“Don’t you mean boulder?”) “Remember the talk about the chakras?”

He figured he’d remember a little better if she’d slow down. “What about them?”

“What’s the one on the forehead called?”

“Shouldn’t you have been taught all that?”

“Tenzin didn’t teach me their names!”

“I find that hard to believe!”

“If I wasn’t so concentrated on watching the road right now,” She was joking, right?“ I’d wipe that look right off your stupid face!” When he didn’t respond, she rolled her eyes and groaned in surrender. “Okay, fine, I wasn’t listening when he told me. Just, tell me, what is it?”

He cleared his throat, scratchy from the cold winds. “The light chakra.”

“..and it deals with insight, right?”

Spoken like a professional, he thought. “Yeah, that’s it.” He stomped on the floorboards as she swerved a little. “But if you already knew that, why’d you—“

“That one. Why that chakra?” she thought aloud, cutting him off. “My past lives are trying to tell me something. There’s seven chakras, why is this one so important?” her voice was growing hysterical, and it was evident in her driving. The back of the car fishtailed and Mako gripped the door handle on the inside so hard, it broke off.

“Korra, please, we don’t exactly have time—ommph!” She turned one last corner before starting to speed down the bridge. But something didn’t look right; Mako squinted through the distance to see a huge roadblock, just ahead.

“Equalists?” she asked.

“Probably. I think a roadblock was part of their plans—ACK!” Korra gunned it harder, and he dared not look at the speedometer.  “Are you going to simply run the equalists over?”

She scoffed at the idea. “No, you’re gonna put on the glove and electrocute their faces. And THEN we’re gonna run them over.” He waited for the real plan, and thankfully, she delivered. “Can’t I just…smash through the block?” Well, sorta.

Mako rolled his eyes before stretching his neck out, ignoring the stinging feeling of wind burning his skin. The two of them were approaching the roadblock fast, and he could barely see the outline of trucks and cars situated in a sloppy formation. It looked like the equalists were slackers when he wasn’t there to help keep everyone in line. “Wait, I think you can.”

Surprised, Korra jerked the wheel a bit to the right as she looked his way. “Really?”

“No, but we can get through it.” He gave her a cold look that she thankfully didn’t see on account of her actually paying attention to the road. “With precision, and care. Understand?” She pulled a face at the snide tone but nodded nonetheless. Mako pointed up ahead. “There are spaces, in-between the cars. They’re in a zig-zag formation, probably for better scouting off the bridges, but it’s weak. You can get through it—and thankfully you seem to have mastered the fish-tail.”

“Huh?”

“Those sharp corners you made and the back of the car spun out. That’s a fish tail. And just our luck, that’s what we’re gonna need to get through this. So, make sure the back of the car swings out when you turn so you can make it through the spaces, got it?” They were close now, real close, and he could see the sharp glow of the equalists goggles through the haze.

“Got it.”

Mako put his glove on. “Knowing you, you’ll probably lose some of the bumper—just remember, don’t stop. I’ve got your back.”

Korra laid a heavy foot on the accelerator. They drove a few dozen more feet before she made a sharp turn, weaving through the first set of cars. Two equalists jumped back in order to not get run over, while two more flipped in the air and tried grabbing the side of the car. Mako jammed his foot in a tight space in the middle of the seats to help hold his balance while he used his free leg to kick the equalists off and used the glove to electrocute the other.

Korra weaved again, this time jerking the car to the left and Mako gripped the side of the car to steady himself before he used his gloved hand to protect his face from another attacking equalist.  Luckily , he couldn’t climb up the car before Korra swerved the other way yet again, the back bumper skidding against the side of an equalist’s van; metal on metal clashed with hot white sparks, some of which came up to lick Mako in the face.

“Watch your bumper!” he chided, covering the back of a car when a chi-blocker flung something their way.

She seemed to head his warning, because the last swerve was tastefully done; it was smooth, the smoothest turn she’d made since getting in the car. But easy for him also meant it was easy for the equalists as well. A chi-blocker and an equalist jumped on the back of the car. When the fizz of electricity crackled in Korra’s ear, she yelped, realizing it wasn’t from Mako.

Mako un-jammed his foot and made the unappealing feat of crawling to the back of the car. He heard some sort of protest from the Avatar, but he didn’t have time to mull it over as he jerked his left shoulder back, dodging a chi-blocking attack. He used his un-gloved hand to jab back, (“Are you chi-blocking!? Since when did you learn that trick?”) successfully nabbing the chi-blocker limp, before kicking him off of the car. Unfortunately, that gave the other one, equipped with the same glove as him, the opportunity to electrocute him. And electrocute him he did.

The gloves didn’t normally burn flesh—the hot center created enough of a jolt that sent enough electricity through the body to render someone unconscious. No matter where the glove landed, it wouldn’t burn the flesh—but if an equalist managed to land the hot burning center directly on someone’s bare skin, it was strong and hot enough to burn—and this equalist certainly wanted to leave a mark.

Korra’s heart wrenched when she heard his scream—it wasn’t just any scream. It was the scream of something scorching hot burning flesh. She could almost smell—she held her breath and tried not to think about it. She concentrated on the final curve coming up ahead. Just one more swerve—“Shit!”

She heard the sound of weight plopping on metal. “Mako? Mako!”

“I’m here,” was his pained response. “I got him, he’s gone—ow!” he hissed, his hand flying up to his now burned cheek.

“There isn’t an opening, I can’t drive through it.” No, there was no way she could drive through it. But as the thought back to last high-speed chase she was in, an idea struck her. “Hold on, I’m making a ramp.”

“A ramp!?”

“I’m making an earth ramp—“ she looked at the last of the roadblock and mentally groaned. “A big one, so get in the front seat and hold on.”

He didn’t have time to protest, nor time to think before he found himself diving head first back into the passenger’s seat. The car soared through the air at an ungodly speed, right over the last of the block, and thankfully the last of the equalists and chi-blockers. One, however, managed to grab on to her side of the car, but Korra successfully punched him in the face, and he flew off. She grimaced as the car hit the ground forcefully, wobbling left and right, but she managed to keep her right hand on the wheel and keep driving, shaking her left hand.

“Ow,” she complained. “I hit him wrong. That’s gonna bruise.”  She used her peripherals to see how Mako was coping with his injury—he had finally managed to sit upright in the seat, one hand clutching his face. “How’s the burn?”

“Pretty bad, but I think it could be worse,” he winced as he poked and prodded it, and then listened to Korra’s 100 reasons on “No, stupid, don’t do that.” “Just make it to city hall.” he reminded her.

“Damn,” Korra hissed, making a sharp turn down one of the roads. They were in the city now, and people were running about in a great panic looking for cover. “Which way’s city hall?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” He hissed, and he realized he sounded way harsher than she deserved. But damn it, this girl was so hell bent on driving, had him running around on top of a car, was an absolute lunatic and now she couldn’t even navigate around the city she was supposed to protect. All that, combined with the burning of his cheek, wasn’t making him too kind.

Korra wasn’t all too understanding of his point of view. She snarled and barked back, “Just tell me which way I need to go, will you?”

“Left.”

“Left?” she repeated, and it was really testing his patience. It was one word, not a speech!

“Right, left!”

A pause. “Wait, right and then left?” the nearest intersection came up and she made a sloppy right, nearly knocking over a pedestrian.

He could have slapped her. “No! I mean “Right, you should turn left!” You were supposed to go the other way!”

“How on Earth were you Amon’s right hand man when you can’t even give directions!” She braked hard before she ripped the wheel around, making a u-turn in the middle of the road. A car packed full of citizens looking to make an escape hit the brakes hard so as to not into them.

As Korra drove down the road, the citizens’ panic seemed to intensify ten-fold. But Mako didn’t see anything, not a first. When a particular shadow darkened the street they were on, Mako’s eyes drifted up, where he found a giant airship looming over their street.

A bomb fell to the ground.

“You got to be shitting me.”

.

The bombs were growing louder and more frequent with each passing minute, and Tahno was stuck babysitting.

He didn’t know how he was roped into watching the airbender children. He figured it came down to the fact that he was a bender—Lin and Bolin could boast all they wanted about how strong they were and how they didn’t need it, and that was nice and all, but deep down they probably knew just as well as he did that he was a little better off than them. The two of them had weapons, sure, but they’d practice with them for a few hours, tops. Hence the whole body guarding gig for the experienced waterbender.

Lucky for him, the children were quiet. They were a little restless, but they were staying put. Jinora looked calm enough, but Meelo and Ikki looked a bit frightened and he didn’t really blame them. Pema was with them, talking to them, telling them stories and he was grateful for that. Made his job a hell of a lot easier.

But then Pema went into labor.

Frankly, if Korra and Bolin were around to see his panicked reaction, they’d make fun of him his whole life. It was Jinora who finally snapped him out of it. She told him to go find Lin and tell her what happened, all while helping her mother to her feet with a few other air acolytes to get her to her bedroom. So Tahno did exactly that. He ran out of the temple so fast he tripped a couple of times. But when he finally found Lin, he wasn’t too happy with what he saw.

“Shit…”

There were two air ships coming straight for them.

Lin noticed his presence as she readied her batons. They sparked a few times, a test, before she barked at him. “What are you doing?! We’re under attack! Go guard Tenzin’s family.”

“Pema’s in labor!”

That wasn’t what Lin wanted to hear.

After a string of profanities that could only be thought up from the former chief of police, she cradled her head in her hand, thinking. She didn’t have time to take this lightly. “Go guard her, now. And the kids will want to help so—“

“—don’t let them, I know. I’ll help them hide, or whatever.”

A pained look came across her face and she shook her head slowly. The next thing she said was dripping in regret. “No, let them fight.”

“What?”

“Defend them. Keep them safe. But let them defend themselves and their mother. If they hide and get caught, they’re screwed. Listen to me.” she pulled Tahno close. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Asami and Bolin making their way over, running full speed. “Those kids? Those are the last airbenders. The last ones. These equalists, they aren’t here for anything else but those kids. You make sure that no one lays a hand on them, got it?” Tahno swore her voice was bubbling with tears, all scratchy and raw. “Tell them to spin wind in their faces, tell them to run away, I don’t care. Fight, or don’t fight they can do whatever it takes to stay alive. Even if it means running away, you take them, and you run away.” She looked sad. “Tahno,” she whispered. “You and I…we can be replaced. They can’t. Do you understand?”

Tahno wasn’t used to looking after anyone but himself. His whole life had been cushy, his family on the wealthy side, and he was an only child. It wasn’t until he came across Bolin did he understand what it meant to look after people—he slipped him money for food, let him sleep at his house on cold nights. Then the Avatar stumbled in, all brash and the world on her shoulders and he was starting to understand what it meant to stand for others, what it meant to live for something other than just yourself.

He wasn’t a master at it though. Tahno could admit he was getting better at it, but he wasn’t perfect. So the prospect of keeping alive a bunch of snot-nosed children he just met at the cost of his life didn’t sound worth it, no matter who they were. But he was aware how important it was to keep the airbending children alive. And he could fight for them; that he could do.

So Tahno figured as long as he fought to keep them safe and didn’t die in the process, he would be okay, and he wouldn’t have to feel guilty at all. That was his plan, his only option. He was selfish that way.

Tahno nodded. “I understand.”

“Good,” Lin snapped as Asami and Bolin caught up, panting and out of breath. “Get going,” she said, and he nodded once more before darting off.

“W-what’s the plan, chief?” Bolin panted, wiping his brow. He looked to the sky and saw the airships coming closer the back seemingly opening slowly—he didn’t like to think just how much trouble was lurking inside. “Where’s Tahno off too?”

Lin eyed Asami before answering. “He’s dealing with the family. You two, stay out here.”

A pained cry echoed lightly though the temple, and Bolin recognized it as Pema’s. “Pema! What’s—“ he put the pieces together. “Now!? She’s going into labor now!?”

Asami bristled, suddenly rigid, as she glanced toward the innermost part of the island.

Lin growled. “Yes!” she pointed to the sky. “But as you can see, we’ve got our own job to do. Tahno is guarding the family, you two, stay out here and defend the temple!”

Bolin tugged on his glove. “Don’t you think another one of us should go guard the family? We’ve got a promise to Tenzin.”

Lin’s posture softened considerably. “I know. But with the kids and Tahno, that’s four benders guarding Pema and themselves. The rest of us should stay out here and try and prevent any of this mess from getting out in the first place.”

It made sense to Bolin, but he was still uneasy. “…Just one of us? Not even one?”

“No!” the chief snapped, and the two airships came close to landing. “You need to stay here.” she used one of her kali sticks to point at Asami. “Especially you, Miss Sato.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she snapped. She knew Lin didn’t like her, and she suspected why. She just wanted the chief to come out and say it. “Don’t you trust me?”

No answer. That’s what she thought.

 She saw a few chi-blockers twirling some weapons at the front of the line and behind them, deep in the compartment of one of the ships, were two large looking mecha tanks. Perfect.

“Look at this shit!” Lin barked. “Look at all this fucking shit! There’s three of us! I need you out here to fight, got it?”

Bolin panicked when he saw the ships finally land on the island. He didn’t have time nor the clear head to contemplate Lin’s opinion of Asami, to even question Asami’s behavior these past few days—no, there was no time. He could only manage to think about all the fighting Asami had taught him as he tightened his glove. “Roger that, chief.”

Lin sighed a little in relief. But it didn’t last. The mecha tanks rolled out with a small posse of equalists, about a dozen or so. The trio immediately recognized the two in the tanks—Hiroshi and the Lieutenant.

“Asami,” Hiroshi gave a sickening smile. “How are things?”

Bolin was readying his stance, when out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Asami reaching into her pocket. “According to plan, father.”

Bolin couldn’t believe what happened next.

“A-Asami? what are you…?”

He heard it, he swore he heard it; a faint voice, broken and tired, barely there, but still there.

“I’m sorry, Bolin.”

In her hands, a bomb.

“ASAMI!”

BOOM!

.

“City hall and police station are just around the corner,” Mako said. He was amazed if they’d even get there at all. Giving Korra directions was one of the toughest things he’d ever done, and this was coming from a guy who’d given his brother over to the equalists at the tournament.

Korra had been quiet, no doubt concentrating about their next move. He didn’t know what she was planning on doing when she found Tenzin (if they even found him) but he knew that he’d be following whatever crazy plan she had in mind. Except if involved a car, he was driving.

They had managed to dodge the bombs being dropped from various airships—luckily no one had singled them out as the Avatar and her ex-equalist, so none of them were following them around, per say. But there were still a lot of airships and a lot of bombs they had to avoid.

The last corner was rounded and at the end of it, the two of them could see city hall and the station off the right. Completely surrounded by equalists and mecha tanks. Peachy.

“Got a plan to take those things down?” Mako asked, as he tried to size them up. They had to be fifteen feet tall, at least!

“I got a plan to take one of them down.” her tone of voice was positively tainted with mischief, and Mako was almost a little too afraid to ask. “When I say jump, you better jump the hell out of this car, clear?”

Well. He didn’t exactly tell her out loud he’d go around with her crazy schemes.

“Jump? Out the car?” he whined. They were approaching the semi-circle of mecha tanks, and fast.

“This earth ramp thing is really coming in handy.” she drummed her fingers on the steering wheel in preparation. “On three!” she sounded way too happy. “One,” she pushed down on the accelerator, “Two,” she took her hands off the wheel to make an earth ramp. “Three!”

He didn’t know how he did it, but he did. The two of them successfully jumped out of the car. Mako couldn’t have counted the number of times he rolled and skidded around on the pavement. His sleeves protected him from some of the burns, but he still had a few nasty cuts. He could only imagine what Korra’s bare arms looked like. But he didn’t have to; he saw the cuts as she ran over and pulled him to his feet, so forcefully he thought she might have thrown him over her shoulder and carried him into battle. When he looked up, he saw the car had successfully knocked over and destroyed not only one mecha tank, but two; the equalists crawled out, injured.

“Well,” she panted as they ran to get into the mix, “that went better than I expected.”

“Korra!”

The two looked up to find a relieved looking Tenzin—the relief didn’t last long as he used his airbending to elevate himself out of the way of one of the tank’s claws—they were menacing things, Korra could tell, when she spotted one officer fall victim to its clutch and getting slammed into the wall.

Korra used her newfound airbending to elevate herself off the ground—she didn’t have perfect technique, by any means, but what she did have was power and a whole lot of guts. The whole thing looked sloppy and unsure, but it got her high enough to land on the mecha so she was face to face with its operator. An air-bent powered punch helped her break through the yellow glass cover. She reached down and yanked at a chord, and smashed a few buttons. “Gotcha,” she growled, and she used her bleeding hand to pull the equalist out and throw him to the ground. Bending down a bit more she kept tugging at chords and smashing buttons with her air-powered punches before she heard the sweet sound of mechanical failure. Ignoring how broken glass from the shattered window kept poking her in the sides, she wiggled her body out of the mecha tank and jumped down. With an earth pillar, she managed to knock the tank to the ground, and it died, hissing with smoke.

Three down, three to go.

Tenzin watched the whole ordeal, awed. Korra was airbending! Airbending! Her technique was less than to be desired (did he not teach her anything?) but she was finally airbending. But in the midst of his awe, he failed to see one of the three remaining mecha’s extract its claw. It nailed him in the upper chest and tossed him forcefully into the building; his head slammed first and he fell to the ground. He had enough strength to use his airbending to help cushion the fall but his head spun, his vision blurred, and it blackened around the edges. This wasn’t good.

“Tenzin!” Korra cried, noticing her master’s fall. Off to the side, Korra saw that Mako was having trouble with one of the tanks—thankfully, the glove he was wearing didn’t have enough metal to be attracted to the magnet, but there was still the looming mecha to deal with. “Mako!” she used her airbending to send a wind of air that propelled him forward and up, so that he landed right on top of the tank. She swore the bastard mumbled some complaints. “Punch through the window, pull at as many of the wires and buttons you can—if you yank the biggest chord, it’ll shut it down!” He nodded and she saw him use the glove to forcefully punch through the yellow tinted window before she ran over to help Tenzin—he was being tied up by some equalists.

With her earthbending, she sent the two of them flying, and they fell in the distance, unconscious. “Tenzin? Tenzin!” she helped the councilman to his feet. Lucky for her he wasn’t completely gone. He cradled his head in his hand, giving it a shake or two. “Korra?”

“I’m here,” she told him. She looked up and saw that Mako had successfully taken down the mecha. “I’m here, I won’t leave again. I promise.”

Now there was one mecha, and half a dozen equalists left. Unfortunately, the two of them saw a van taking away the officers in the distance. So much for Saikhan. “I got the mecha. You and Mako, deal with the equalists.” With her earthbending, the propelled herself in the air and threw a bunch of fire punches to help scorch the last remaining mecha. Mako bounded over, flipping a few times, before he landed next to Tenzin, sidling up behind him, back to back.

“Sir,” he grunted, as he started fending off a chi-blocker’s attack. He grabbed an equalist that had managed to grab Tenzin’s shoulder and twisted him by the arm before knocking him unconscious. Tenzin swore he head the distinct sound of bone breaking.

“Thanks,” he said, as he used airbending to push another two back.

“Sure,” he glove fizzled and popped. “Thing.”

When the equalists were done for, the two of them looked up to see the mecha tank spinning around in quick circles, making all sorts of noises, before it finally overheated and blew to pieces. A piece of metal flew by and Tenzin managed to just get out of the way, but not before the metal cut the tip of his beard off.

“Done!” Korra chirped, wiping her hands together. They were coated in blood from her punches to the windows, but nothing she couldn’t heal.

“Korra,” Tenzin breathed, and he ran over to embrace her. “You can airbend.”

“Cool trick, huh?” she grinned, snuggling into his robes. It felt nice, seeing her teacher, but at the sound of Mako’s cough, she remembered they didn’t have time for this. “We have to find Amon.” She told him, but it was more a reminder to herself.

“Amon,” his name was venom on Tenzin’s tongue. But then he remembered. “Amon? What about Tarrlok? Where’s Tarrlok, Korra?”

Korra blinked. Tarrlok. She hadn’t given him a second thought as soon as she escaped. Especially after Hajime’s sacrifice and attack of the city, Tarrlok was the last thing on her mind. “I…I don’t actually know.” She admitted.

“You don’t know?” he sputtered in disbelief. “How’d you get out?”

Korra pointed to Mako. “He helped me.” At Tenzin’s uneasy look, she elaborated, “Mako’s good, Tenzin, I promise.”

Mako, dare Korra say, looked a little sheepish. “Hey, do you know where my brother is?” he asked, voice quiet for the first time in hours.

“He’s back on the island,” Tenzin pointed to the other side of the city. “Korra, my family is still there, and I don’t know how long—“

KABOOM!

Far, far off in the distance, beyond the edge of the city and right in the middle of the bay, a bomb went off, and the largest smoke trail they’d seen climbed up to the heavens.

“No,” Korra whispered. “That couldn’t be…”

“We have to go back,” she cried, and he watched as she lifted her head, tears streaked frozen down her cheeks. Her eyes were sad but her mouth was contorted in rage, bright red and chapped. “Mako, we have to save Hajime! If we don’t—“

“— he saved our lives!” he admonished quietly, finding it difficult to look her in the eye. He sat down next to her and huddled next to the bark, before pulling her into his lap and wrapping his arms around her tight as he could.

“I’m used to the cold, buddy-boy.” She commented, but she snuggled into him anyway. “Mako, be honest. What’ll happen to Hajime?”

He closed his eyes, burying his head into her hair. “Hajime’s died,” he said.

Mako suddenly found himself rocking the Avatar back and forth, trying to calm her, sedate her, anything to stop the broken screams she kept yelling. Like a mantra he locked on to apologies, whispering them over and over again hoping that they’d do some good, but knowing it wouldn’t help what happened. “I’m sorry,” he said over and over again.

“Why does this keep happening.”

It wasn’t much of a question, rather an observation. He was in a similar boat, if he did say so himself. But he couldn’t compare his feelings to hers even if he wanted to. A mere seventeen year old girl with an entire city, an entire culture resting on her shoulders. Every step watched, every mistake scrutinized. She was on the front page of every paper, reminding her of her failures, as if they weren’t already swarming her mind, flooding her with an aching regret.

She was trying, he knew. He watched. Her spirit was in the right place. But Amon was something greater than she imagined—so powerful, that Mako was starting to realize he couldn’t keep up as well, even when he was on his side to begin with. They were caught in an intricate web of deceit looking into a future hazed over with complete and uncertainty. He admired her perseverance, of her blind courage to run into danger and hope to come out unscathed. But clearly, that tactic wasn’t working anymore.

“I’m telling you,” Mako finally said, struggling to word it without setting off one of her many fuses, “Amon is a genius. He’s always going to be one step ahead if you—“

“No.”

The wind felt colder, her voice biting like frost. “No?”

“That’s just what he wants me to think,” she told him, leaning away from him and gathering her bearings. She clawed at her face, noticing tears had frozen down her cheeks. “It’s not true. And I’m not letting anyone get hurt because of me. This is my battle—Amon should settle his issues with me, not innocent people!”

Mako groaned, rolling back into the snow and standing up, the wind and snow tousling his hair about. “He is! That’s exactly what he’s doing, don’t you get it?” He stared down at the young Avatar, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

She got to her feet as well, snow falling off her bare shoulders. “Amon is a coward! I’ve said this before! He’s too scared to go after me, so he’s going after those weaker, those—“

Mako threw his hands in the air, exasperated. “You don’t get it! You really don’t!” He had the nerve to laugh—a deep, cackling laugh that almost had Korra running for the hills—he sounded vaguely like the villain, guarding her cell all that time ago. “He’s captured you before. Multiple times, has he not?” Korra didn’t respond. “He could have done away with you a long time ago.”

He watched her posture change, placing her hands on her hips; she was getting defensive. “So why didn’t he!?”

“Because he’s trying to break you!” Mako screeched. Upset snow from the pine tree above plopped to the ground unceremoniously. He pinched the bridge of his nose, a habit he had to calm himself. He took a few steps closer to her until they were almost chest to chest, uncomfortable. “He wanted to take everything away from you. He wanted you to watch helplessly while others suffered and once he was confident your spirit was broken entirely, he was confident your final encounter would be a pathetic display of a hero down and you wouldn’t think twice in your surrender. He was waiting, he has been waiting, watching you unravel until there’s nothing left of Avatar Korra.”

She stood on the tips of her numbing toes, trying to get nose to nose. “He can’t,” she gritted through her teeth.

He snorted softly, looking down into those determined blue eyes of hers. His breath came out in a warm puff. “Looks like he’s been doing a pretty good job if you ask me.”

In a fraction of section she went from trying to intimidate him to punching the life out of the tree beside them. One punch, two punches, then so many he didn’t bother counting. He heard broken words slip like lightning, piercing echoes like thunder in a storm. When he’d seen enough, Mako reached out and grabbed her; he felt her toned muscles bulge in her rage as he wrapped his fingers around her arm. “Korra,” he said softly, “We need a plan.”

She snarled. “You think I don’t know that!? I—“ she stopped short, snorting out a puff of warm air out her nose. “No, you’re right. You’re right.” She rubbed her forehead. “If I’m going to prove I’m smarter than him, I got to keep it together.”

“Thanks, But Korra—“ he groaned. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

“You’re an equalist, what’s left?”

“Amon had a plan.” He explained.

Korra rolled her eyes.

He shook his head. “No, hear me out. This is about the final blow.”

That got her attention. Her eyes, curious, searched his face. “What blow?” she asked slowly.

“Amon’s going to attack the entire city.”

It was quiet for a moment, save the wind howling in their ears. “I don’t understand,” she finally said. “That’s what he’s been doing. He’s been attacking the city and instigating fear. He’s raided the arena, he took Bolin’s bending, he--”

He smacked his palms against his face. “I know, I know but—“ he slid his hands down, pulling at his cold skin. “Oh, man. I didn’t expect him to get ready so fast.”

“Ready?...” he could hear her exasperation.

“He’s going to bomb the city Korra! Bomb it! I don’t know all the details but he’s going to storm the city with his supporters and burn the whole thing to the ground!”

“WHAT!” She screamed, smacking him hard.

He clutched his arm in pain. “OW! What was that for?”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” she snarled, going in for another slap. He ducked.

“I thought I had more time!” he growled. “Seemed like a far-fetched dream—but Amon has always been a step ahead. But I saw, I heard at the last meeting—Hiroshi has all the schematics done! He’s built everything already!”

It was true. The meetings he and Asami attended were startling. He had known about Amon’s takeover for Republic City—it was in the agenda from day one. But the plans were small, and the takeover seemed so…distant. That’s the thing about dreams—they seem so far away all the time. But this wasn’t a dream anymore.

 It was war.

Korra wandered back to the tree and Mako sighed for the umpteenth time as she hit her head against the snow covered bark. “This really, really sucks.” She finally murmured.

He once again pulled the Avatar away from the tree. “Which part,” he deadpanned.

Then, something snapped. All of it, all of it sucked. Being captured, watching her friends suffer. Being lied to and manipulated. Being the one to lie and manipulate! She didn’t have proper air bending training, her friends and family were worried sick.

And the city was in absolute danger.

“Where are the others?” she suddenly asked.

“Uh,” he paused a moment, thinking. “Truthfully, I can’t tell you. Last I knew, my brother was with Asami and Tahno.”

“Asami…”

“…yeah?”

He could practically see the gears turning in her head. “If she’s really on our side, do you think her father would have told her about all the machines? The invasion? Surely she knew about this before he announced he’d finished it at the meetings and discussed it with Amon.”

Mako shrugged. “I guess, maybe.”

Korra whirled her hands around in gesture. “She didn’t tell you, any of you sooner?”

He paused, thinking. “No she didn’t.” He answered. “But,” he continued, picking up on her suspicious and accusing tone, “To be fair, I don’t know if she had gotten a chance. She’s playing a delicate part right now to help—give her a break.”

She snarled. “This would have been a shit ton easier if no one was playing the part of a  goddamn equalist.” she paused, poking him in the chest. “Which by the way, I’m still pissed about.”

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t play that card, I’m here now.”

“…Are you?” she said slowly, eying him suspiciously.

He looked to the sky. “You got to be kidding me.” Surely, this was just her nerves talking.

She screamed, throwing her hands up, kicking the snow on the ground. “Well, what do you expect me to do!”

Definitely built up nerves.

“Half the city wants my hide!” she continued. “And YOU kept me guarded, or have you forgotten.” Korra began pacing again, cheeks getting flushed from anger and breaths coming out like steam. “I can’t keep doing these little games anymore! I can’t do my part when all I’m worrying about is who I can trust, who’s lying who’s telling the truth.”

He grabbed her by the shoulders, looking her in the eye. “Korra, I’m here to help you, my brother, and all your friends. I promise you. What do I have to do to prove it?”

She whined. “I don’t know! I just—oomf!”

He kissed her.

It was scary, how instantly it all registered. She recognized the shape of his lips, the way it melted into hers. She recalled pulling him out of the icy bay and pressing her mouth to his, trying to breathe life into his lungs and it was almost like he was doing it back to her. And it didn’t take long before she found herself wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him back.

“Enough proof?” he finally whispered, pulling away. He held her face in his hands as he pressed his forehead against hers. “Now, this is the time we calm down, get out of the cold, and think. Okay?”

She nodded. “Okay,” she whispered back. She looked up to the sky, a musky violet, stars poking out as the sun dipped down behind the mountain ranges. “You think Amon has left yet?”

He gave her a curious glare. “Why,” he said, enunciating slowly.

“Because I have a plan,” she declared.

“So suddenly? Must be a winner,” he grumbled.

She began rolling her shoulders of the kinks and strain. She shook her hands and bounced left and right on her feet and Mako couldn’t help but smirk. She stopped, reaching out to grab his shoulder and tugged him up the hill, backtracking to the cabin. “Well, maybe,” she clarified. “First I have to try to get in touch with Aang.”

“You gonna drop him a call?” he snorted sarcastically, but Korra picked up on his curiosity.

“Something like that. I’ve got one more hand up my sleeve.”

“And if this doesn’t work?”

“Shit son, we’re in trouble.”

.

It had been two days since Bolin, Tahno and Lin escaped from Equalist headquarters and made their way to Air Temple Island. After conversations with Asami, the group of them devised a plan—they split up, and Asami remained with her father, offering inside information as Amon’s threat to the city grew greater with each passing day.

“That’s an illegal move.”

Bolin eyes Jinora across the pai sho board, stroking his bare chin in thought. “No, it’s not,” he finally said.

Tahno, sitting in a corner, idly reading a book, turned another page. “Bolin, it’s an illegal move.”

He slapped his hands on the table, causing a few chips to shake. “And how could you possibly know that? You haven’t been paying attention to anything.” Tahno swore he heard some grumbled profanities, most likely calling him an ass.

“Because you’re terrible at Pai Sho, that’s why. Besides,” he pointed to Jinora without looking up from the pages, “The little kid’s a lot smarter than you, which is why you’re losing anyhow.”

“I’m not a little kid,” Jinora protested.

Tahno peaked over the top of the book. “I’d argue with you , but then again, you did give me an interesting read. Certainly not something for kids, am I correct?” he winked, and Jinora’s face flushed bright red.

Bolin looked on, confused. “What, what’d she give you?” He made a swipe for the book, but Tahno held it up above his head.

“It’s not that bad, I swear!” Jinora protested.

Tahno shrugged, still keeping the book out of Bolin’s reach. “I dunno, some parts are pretty terrible. Especially Lee’s love confession?”

Jinora rolled her eyes. “Tell me about it. If you’re going to do something like that, you really should—“

“—make it more, juicy, am I right?”

She flushed deeper red.

Bolin suddenly barked with laughter. “No way! You read--!”

“No!”

Bolin and Tahno shared teasing looks, “What do you thing, Tahno? She lying?”

“Oh, most definitely.”

“Guuuuuuys!”

.

Tenzin ignored the shrill cries of his oldest daughter and loud shrieks from his other children. Ever since Bolin and Tahno had arrived at the island with Lin in tow, the place certainly become louder. Bolin immediately fell into a big brother roll, taking up teasing Jinora, arguing “that’s what big brothers do—I should know!”. The boys and Lin had filled Tenzin in with all they knew about Amon’s plans—they informed him that Asami was in on their schemes, pretending to be Hiroshi’s right hand man in hopes of gathering more information on Amon’s next plans to terrorize the city. Bolin specifically pulled Tenzin aside and had told him that unfortunately, they had no means of getting in touch with Korra—he had no idea where she had been taken, but only that Amon seemed to know where she was.

“So she’s all alone out there? Amon could have taken her bending! Or worse—he could have killed her by now!”

Bolin did not wince, but rather offer Tenzin the simplest of smiles. “I understand sir, I’m worried too. He might have taken her bending away.”

Tenzin thought about blowing everything off the island.

“—but she isn’t dead.”

He stared at the ex-earthbender curiously. “And how exactly do you know that?”

“Mako’s after her!” He told him with such exuberance, such confidence that Tenzin found it intriguing.

“You seem to have a lot of faith in this long lost brother of yours.”

Bolin shrugged. “For a long time after he disappeared, I thought he was dead. But he wasn’t. He did what he could to make sure that I was alive—and he couldn’t do that if he was dead. I don’t completely understand, and I don’t think I ever will. But I forgive him. He’s keeping Korra safe—I promise.”

Tenzin wandered into a private study, where he saw Lin in an armchair, her feet propped up and her hands in her lap as she quietly snored the early afternoon away. She looked different without her heavy metal armor, sporting instead black pants tucked black boots, with green suspenders wrapped around a white tank top. He saw the mud on her boots smeared against the side table. “Lin,” Tenzin said quietly, and she snapped up, upsetting a book that was laid over her eyes.

“Ah, yes, yes.” She rubbed her eyes. “So what’s the plan?” she asked, trying quick to collect herself. Tenzin wandered over and laid a hand on her shoulder, giving a soft squeeze. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked. “I mean, with the whole bending thing…”

Her eyes went cold. “Ask the kid. If he’s alright, then I can certainly be alright too.”

 “Right, of course”

“And besides. I have these.” Lin reached behind her and grabbed the two kali sticks behind her and whirled them in her hands. “Now about Korra,”

Tenzin paused, taking a shuddering breath. “Do you have any idea where she is? What’s happened to her?” He mentally cursed his lack of confidence. Lin was never like that—always brave, never wavering, rarely losing her temper. But she would never call him out on it, not anymore—not at a time like this.

Lin bowed her head. “Sorry, but I have no idea where she is.”

She watched as a distressed Tenzin paced about his office, stroking his beard in thought. “Forgive me, but what exactly is this plan all about? The kids tried to explain to me, but…”

“Amon plans to go to war,” Lin had said. “Complete and total offensive attack, cleansing the whole city of its benders.”

Tenzin jaw had gone slack. “Are you sure? Surely something that big couldn’t go undetected. But then again, with someone as rich as Hiroshi funding it, I guess it isn’t that far-fetched.”

Lin had remained calm. “No, but I certainly don’t doubt it. Miss Sato told us so.”

“Sato? As in Hiroshi’s daughter?”

She nodded. “Yes. Bolin and Tahno claim she’s acting as a double agent, feeding us information.”

His hand went back to gripping his beard, and Lin realized she might finally have someone on her side.  “I see,” he mumbled.

“I’m not trying to put the girl under bad light, and I don’t want to be the pessimist here, but some things just don’t add up with her,” Lin admitted. “I doubt the kids would be suspicious, seeing how much they like her. I’ll hand it to her—she’s got a lot of class. But for someone in that position…” she trailed off and Tenzin waited, knowing Lin wasn’t one to stutter and mumble as she tried to figure out what she was going to say. “I’d keep an eye on her,” Lin finally said. “Because I don’t think the kids will.”

“Agreed,” Tenzin agreed. “Now, when would she next come…?”

“Oh, Master T!” Bolin screeched from down the hallway, barreling into his office. “Asami’s here! Come say hello!”

Behind him, he heard his three kids chant, “Asami, yay! Asami, yay!”

.

“Nothing’s happening.”

Mako opened one eye and glanced at her beside him. “I thought you said the councilman taught you to meditate.”

He could practically hear her lips puff out in a pout. “He did,” she protested. “But it never works.”

Mako did his very best so suppress a sigh—this wasn’t a time to get her all worked up. “Then why’d you decided to do this?”

“Tenzin always said this was my best shot.”

“But it’s never worked.”

“Nu-uh.”

“Alright,” he said, his sigh finally escaping. He stood up slowly and went over to sit right in front of her.

“Invading my personal space isn’t going to help, Mako.” She opened one eye before closing it again. “But I’m not going to complain much.”

He gave a breathy laugh. “Okay, let me help you.”

“What do you know about meditation?” she asked, tone snipped with skepticism, before her face contorted and scrunched with discomfort. “Please, no onion and banana juice.”

“…what?”

“Nevermind.” She wiggled around, sitting up as straight as she can and assuming the correct position as she was taught. “What’s the first step?”

Mako studied her form. “You seem to be sitting right—for the flow of energy and whatnot. I guess it’s just your mind you need to relax.”

Korra rolled her eyes. “Gee thanks.”

He shrugged, indifferent.  “It’s the only way you’re going to get through to Aang.”

Putting her palm against her chin in thought, Korra fell out of her upright position and slouched over her crossed legs. “I wish I was better at this stuff.” she mumbled, her jaw bobbing up and down as she kept it rested in her palm. “Tenzin tried to teach me more, but I wasn’t very good at it—said it might easier with learning airbending.” Her eyes lit up and her smile fell slyly across her face as she leaned back and rested on her elbows, and readjusting her legs. “Which, I can do now, thank you very much.”

Mako lifted a brow. “You can airbend? Since when?”

“Since Tarrlok captured me.” She scrunched her nose at the thought.

“Have you tried doing it again?”

A small spiral of air danced from her knuckles as she punched the thin air. “Yeah. I haven’t exactly mastered it though.”

“Well, that makes things easier, I suppose. Closer to the path of being a fully realized avatar, right? Surely its increased your spiritual connection.”

Tossing her head back, she groaned. “Perfect—hey, how do you know any of this anyhow?” she looked back at him and smirked. “You a secret guru under all this as well?”

He shook his head, oblivious to her teasing or just ignoring it, she wasn’t too sure. “I just read about it in one of Amon’s book; a few sentence about it, not much.”

“Hmmmm,” Korra hummed, smacking her lips together as her mind drifted around through muddled thoughts. She felt at a lost. All through her bending training, her teachers, particularly Katara, tried their best to get her to grasp the spiritual side of each art form. But Korra could never sit still long enough to listen, to understand it. And as she grew older, she feared she might never learn, her thick skull relying in brute strength and impressive skills to beat her battles—and for the first 17 years of her life, it had worked fine. But here she was faced with a massive ordeal, the balance of the world literally in the palms of her strong, chapped hands. She needed the guidance of her predecessor, of all her predecessors, if she was going to be able to pull this off and beat Amon. “I have to reach Aang. He’s the only one that could tell me what opening the chakras would do for me—for me, personally, as the Avatar.”

Mako nodded. “Agreed. So, just follow my lead. We’ll get you meditating in no time, okay?”

They smiled at each other.

.

Bolin smiled as she watched the boat dock and Asami jump off. But his smile faded as she watched her run full speed up the stairs, hair whipping wild in the wind. She waved her hands, trying to catch his attention and Bolin jumped down and ran down the somewhat steep sides of the island to catch up with her. “Hey, what’s up?” he asked, concerned.

She panted and huffed, brushing her long hair out of her face. “The…The..!”

“Spit it out!” Bolin whined.

Asami lunged forward and grabbed him by his shirt. “He’s attacking! Now!”

“What!?”

A sound pierced the air around them, dull but sharp, something painful like a bone that didn’t quite break clean, like the slow crunch of already broken glass.

The two kids looked over at the horizon, Republic city’s towers scraping against the sky, and watched as a swarm of air tanks painted the bleached sky with puffs of ugly greys and blacks before dropping bombs, coloring the sky with oranges and stabbing towers in destruction.

“Oh no,” Bolin whispered. He turned around to go see what was going on, but noticed Tenzin, Lin and his family had heard the noises as well. They came barreling out and Bolin watched as horror made their eyes like weary, their skin look dull.

“Kids get inside,” Lin said automatically, voice clipped. They didn’t move until Tenzin said, “Find your mother. Hurry up now.”

Lin turned to Asami, lips curling as she desperately tried to hide a snarl. “What’s this all about?” Lin demanded.

“I got here as fast as I could. My father had this planned with Amon, I didn’t know—“

“Really.”

“Lin,” Tenzin warned before he dug through his pocket and retrieved his father’s bison whistle given to him all those years ago. “I have to get to city hall.” He looked back toward the temple, and Lin picked up on his worry, his fear. But before she could say anything, Bolin stepped forward.

“Don’t worry, Master T. I got your back. I’ll guard your temple and your family.”

Lin stood beside Bolin, placing a hand on his shoulder. “With our lives. You guys are the last airbenders—they’ll have to get through me first.”

Asami stepped forward as well. “And me.”

Tenzin looked at the tree of them. Everything was happening so fast—the city was under attack, his family in danger, the Avatar, the world’s last hope, missing. He was scared for what would await him in the city, scared of the responsibilities, scared of Amon; but he’d never admit it. But he figured the best way to deal with fear was to face it head on—Lin’s mother told him that—and his father never really objected.

“Thank you,” he said. Lin nodded. He knew she’d watch out for whatever danger would threaten his home, his family, his culture.

Asami smiled at him.

Or whatever danger lied right beneath their noses.

.

“In order to master the Avatar State, you must open all the chakras. Aang, tell me everything you know about chakras.”

“What are chakras?”

“Oh, I see. I guess we'll start with the basics. The water flows through this creek, much like the energy flows through your body. As you see, there are several pools where the water swirls around before flowing on. These pools are like our chakras.”

“So chakras are pools of spiraling energy in our bodies?”

“Exactly. If nothing else were around, this creek would flow pure and clear. However, life is messy, and things tend to fall in the creek. And then what happens?

“The creek can't flow?”

“Yes. But, if we open the ponds between the pools...”

“The energy flows!”

“There are seven chakras that go up the body. Each pool of energy has a purpose, and can be blocked by a specific kind of emotional muck. Be warned, opening the chakras is an intense experience, and once you begin the process, you cannot stop until all seven are open. Are you ready?”

“I'll do whatever it takes.”

“Korra? Can you hear me?”

“The sixth pool of energy is the light chakra, located in the center of the forehead. It deals with insight and is blocked by illusion. The greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation. Things you think are separate and different are actually one in the same.”

Slowly, the opened her eyes and watched as Mako’s lips twitched into a small smile. “Any luck?”

“Chakras,” she mumbled, voice strained as if drunk on sleep.

“Chakras?” he parroted. “The seven chakras?”

“You know about those?”

He nodded. “Of course. Everyone has them, they aren’t just an Avatar thing.”

“Aang gave me a vision of his past—he wants me to know about chakras.” She wrinkled her nose. “One,” she reached up, “In,” and poked his forehead. “particular.”

Boom!

“Did you hear that?” she asked suddenly. She didn’t wait for an answer before she headed to the cabin window. “Come on.”

.

Getting to City Hall proved to be quite the ordeal; after dodging numerous air ships and potential threats, he managed to land Oogi right outside of the police station. He figured having some police backup wouldn’t hurt. Tenzin hustled into the police station. “What’s the damage?” he demanded, stepping into the bunker.

Saikhan tried to block out the sound of panic in the call room in his station. Countless officers were on the phone, taking numerous emergency calls—the city was no doubt under attack. “Thank goodness you’re here—you’re the only one left!” he exclaimed.

“What!”

Saikhan sighed, rubbing his face with the palms of his hands. “All the other councilmembers have been captured. It’s only a matter of time before they make an attempt on you.”

He paused. “How bad are the attacks?”

He shook his head. He had been overhearing the calls for the past twenty minutes—burning buildings, collapsed infrastructure. Not to mention the grotesque descriptions of injuries and casualties—he fought to shudder at what the hospitals were dealing with. And poor Tenzin here had responsibility over it all. “Bad. We’re doing our best, but our forces are spread too thin.”

Tenzin stroked his beard in thought. Saikhan knew that the councilman was aware of his status, his duty

The city was in his hands.

.

AN: Hey you guys deserve an explanation. After the show finished of course came fall. I got consumed with school and without a lot of the fandom hype, it gets hard to keep interest. That combined with my lack of time made it very difficult to keep up with my story. I hope that with the long absence still comes interest, and I hope that my writing and skills keep to standard. I apologize for the wait, and I hope the story still has appeal, after all this time. 

Tinted Green

Part Seven

.

Sneaking in was a lot harder than sneaking out.

Korra slipped out in the cover of night. She found the exit she went through led her into a part of Dragon Flats; dimly lit cobblestone streets with rips and cracks tattering concrete sidewalks and murky water pooling in the spaces between. The air was sticky despite the winter winds, if that were possible, and a shiver ran up her spine as snowflakes collected like glitter in her hair. She looked up at the night, grey clouds pooling around skyscrapers like ghosts, wispy yet heavy. Snow started trickling down and she was so caught up in the sight of it all (or maybe the lack of it—the dark of night comes in many shades, she thought) that she was oblivious to the police surrounding the area a few blocks down—until the cries grew louder.

She trekked toward the scene.

.

“Tarrlok, this has got to stop.”

Tarrlok did his best to ignore Tenzin as he kept instructed the police force, along with his task force. Saikhan was in the mix, coming in and out, throwing apologetic glances Tenzin’s way when he got the chance. Finally, when Tarrlok had enough of the looks, the comments, he whirled around. “The council’s decision is final. Now if you don’t mind, stay out of my way. Or I’ll have you arrested.”

Tenzin’s eyes narrowed at the mere thought. “Like you would dare,” he whispered fiercely.

“Try me.” Tarrlok smirked, before facing the bustle of cops and citizens. “Attention, citizens of Dragon—“

The citizens were quick to interrupt. “Hey! What’s the big idea?”

“Where’d the power go?”

“You can’t do this! This isn’t right!”

Korra appeared at the front of the neighborhood, emerging from unapologetic darkness and into the unforgiving headlights of police cars. “What the hell’s going on here?”

Suddenly everyone stopped what they were doing—policeman and citizens alike—and turned to the sound of anger. Korra stood before the mix, hands fisted on her hips, lips curled in a frown. Teznin shoved his way through the crowd, knocking over a metalbender and stepping on another’s foot before he stopped suddenly before Korra. His breathing was a bit heavy before he took one more step toward her, collecting her in a hug.

“Oh, Spirits, Korra. I was so worried.” He whispered. The hug was gentle, brief, and when they parted, he smiled fondly at her, playing with the strands of her new choppy and messy hair. “What happened?”

She eyed past him, back at the growing commotion. “Later,” she mumbled, she sauntered past him and marched right up to Tarrlok. “Alright, Tarrlok, what’s with this whole mess?”

Tarrlok tried to disregard the Avatar like he did Tenzin, but it was simply not going to work—all the citizens had quieted, waiting for the Avatar to speak, to help. “These are not average citizens,” he explained, gesturing to the crowd. “This is an equalist rally!”

“What!”

“You got to be kidding me!”

“We’re not equalists! This is an ourtage!”

“Avatar Korra, please!”

“Miss Avatar please do something!”

Korra turned slowly, surveying the crowd before her. “I—“

Tarrlok shoved the Avatar aside. “Metalbenders—arrest the equalists.”

At command, the police stepped forward. Combining their skills with metal and earth, they separated the people into groups, binding them by metal strips to prevent them from leaving. They lifted the earth up into platforms, making it impossible for them to jump or wiggle free.

“Let us go!”

“Stop! Please!”

“Help us!” One woman cried, her eyes pleading as she stared at Korra, her son clinging to her dress. “You’re our Avatar too!”

“Why save me?”

“Because you’re my Avatar too.”

“I—“ Korra was surprised by her own voice: weak, timid, quiet. It was as if her words were leaves, ripped from her tree of thought and carried in the wind, flying and whirling without a pattern, without a purpose, dead.  She was shaking, but it was not from fear—it was something far beyond that.

“Tarrlok!” Korra shrieked. This time her voice sliced through air like a twister. “Let them go!” She yelled.

And as she stared at him, she was sure the air around them was heated by her wildly beating heart; it was fast but steady, like a machine going rampant. But he just smirked—he underestimated her and everything else. So he had the audacity to open his mouth and say, “No.”

No one knew how it happened; only that it had. Korra had tackled the councilman to the ground. She growled, not far from a polar-bear dog, her face dangerously close to his. “Let them go.” She snapped.

Immediately, the metalbenders came to the aid of Tarrlok. Her writs were snapped and bounded with metal cables and she was pulled off, tossed carelessly to the ground like cargo. Tarrlok stood up quickly, dusting his clothes off with a few quick pats. He walked slowly toward her, kneeling in front of her like she was some sort of pet to be admired. He didn’t smile, but she swore she heard it in his voice: some sick satisfaction. “I strongly suggest you stop right now, Avatar Korra,” He looked up at Tenzin, who wore an expression of shock from the whole ordeal. “Otherwise I’ll arrest you and Tenzin. Clear?”

“Don’t bring Tenzin into this,” she barked lowly. “This is about me—always has been.”

Tarrlok laughed, short and amused. “Ignorant girl! Typical of you, isn’t it? This isn’t all about you—you may be the Avatar, but a half-baked one at that. Until you have mastered every element, until you have a better handle on this world will people stop to even spare you a glance. For now, you are a child. A child getting in my way.” Tarrlok nodded to the metalbenders. “Arrest—“

“No. Please,” Tenzin sighed, stepping forward. “Korra’s been captured. She’s probably tired and hungry and angry with what’s happened to her. Please. Just…let her go. Let me take her home.”

It was quiet, save the mumbles of the captive citizens. “Very well,” Tarrlok finally said. “Take her home—but make sure she stays there.” He pointed to Saikhan. “Start processing the citizens. We got a lot of work to do.”

The metal binding her wrists fell and in an instant she brushed past Tenzin’s reaching arm, right to the woman who called for her help.

“I’m sorry,” she choked out breathless, “I’m sorry—but you’re right. I’m your Avatar too. I’ll help you, I will. But I can’t right now. I…I can’t,” she felt her throat ties in knots, burning with subdued sobs.

The woman said nothing; but her son looked up at her with all the wonder in the world—Korra wasn’t sure anyone ever looked at her like that—and said, “Okay. We’ll wait.”

“Come on, Korra,” Tenzin said sternly, a hand on her back. “Let’s go.”

“Okay. Thank you,” she breathed before she followed Tenzin back to the temple.

.

Sleep never came.

She tossed and turned for hours, but her mind was rampant with thoughts of the revolution. Korra thought about her friends still working undercover with the equalists. She thought about Tenzin and his airbending family. She thought about political corruption and the revolution but most of all the danced around her duty as the Avatar; she was having a difficult time outlining her plan, her objective. No one told her being the Avatar was ever going to be this hard. She was dealing not with war, but with something bigger, something intellectual. Korra’s strength was…well, her strength! But she couldn’t use it to solve anything—it required something more, something that was currently out of her reach.

She thought about the spirits she never reached, her past lives that she had no contact with.

The answer was simple—but she didn’t know how to reach it.

Frustrated, Korra finally jumped out of bed and snuck out of the temple. She fetched Naga and headed straight to City Hall, no distractions. She’d take care of Tarrlok, because that was the only thing she was sure was right at the moment.

.

She left Naga behind, instructing her to loiter in the surrounding streets of City Hall. She whispered promises of a quick return, although she didn’t know how long this would take, much less the outcome. Korra knew she had been given a “fair” warning about future defiance—she was asking for trouble, but it was needed trouble.

She stepped into the empty City Hall—it was probably almost dawn, it was so late (or early, she supposed). The other councilmembers had gone home, and her mind drifted to Tenzin, asleep and safe at his home on the island. Her feet made quiet footsteps along tiled floors, climbing up stairs and maneuvering through hallways until she came across Tarrlok’s office somewhere in the center of the building.

Korra did not go out of her way to make any sort of entrance; she walked in quietly and stood on the opposite side of the room, waiting to be seen. His page looked up first, then Tarrlok. He looked not surprised, but rather annoyed. “Avatar Korra.” He said sternly. “What a surprise.”

“You and I need to talk.” She spat, anger bubbling in the pit of her stomach.

Tarrlok rested his chin across his woven fingers, staring her down from his desk. Finally, he mumbled. “I do believe it’s rather late. Go on home now—you aren’t needed.”

“But sir.”

“Go.”

The assistant bowed his head before scuttling out of the room. Korra kept her eyes on Tarrlok, all the while her chest heaving up and down with each and every nervous, labored breath. “You can’t do this,” she hissed lowly, the sounds of the indoor waterfall gushing from the wall.

Tarrlok spun side to side in his chair. “Why is that.”

“You’re doing just what Amon says you’d do!” She screeched. Her hand went up, tugging at her hair and scalp desperately. “Spirits, don’t you get it? You’re just proving his point! You’re using your power and status to oppress these people. They’re only going to hate you! And all benders alike. The equalists won’t go away—they’ll get stronger if you keep this up.”

“And, what, you don’t?” Tarrlok said, voice rising. “Take a look at yourself right now, Korra. What are you doing to me right now? Wouldn’t you say you’re trying to oppress me with your status? Your power? I do believe you play the Avatar card quite a lot.”

Quiet.

“You see Korra,” Tarrlok continued, rising from his chair. “I admire your persistence, your strength—your willingness to do whatever it takes to get what you want. A trait I see in myself.”

“We are nothing alike!” She screamed, teeth clanking and grinding.

The councilman sighed, suddenly rubbing his temples. “Things would be a lot easier if you’d just do as I say.”

“I will not! You can play the other members of the council, you can play Saikhan, but you can’t play me. These people need me—and I won’t have you taking me down with you. I’m going to stop you Tarrlok, just you wait and see.”

“I’d like to see you try,” he growled. “You’re going to regret not working with me.”

Korra let out a laugh—a mixture of frustration and un-believability. Her mind was twisted and stretched, at its breaking point. “Spirits look at you! You’re just as bad as Amon!”

Something inside Tarrlok snapped. With the widening of his blue eyes, the color they both shared, and the lifting of his brow, all his restraint began spilling out, running through puffs of air that he choked out and slithering through his veins that pumped wildly hot blood.

He raised his arm and a snake of water came shooting out, ready to wrap Korra in a choking grip. Korra moved just in time, but not without more of her already short hair getting sliced in the process. Korra vaguely recalled lessons in bending when she was a child. Don’t fight fire with fire—it wasn’t mean to be literal but she figured she was lucky he wasn’t a firebender. She spun her arms in a circle, creating a steady stream of fire she hopes would dry the water around him, and maybe burn Tarrlok in the process. But he wrapped himself in a protective cove of water before he started dishing out ice shards, large and quick in her direction.

Korra twirled and flipped but once one of them sliced her side, she stumbled, clutching her stomach in pain. Her speed and concentration broken allowed the rest of Tarrlok’s attack to hit her. Her neck, her cheeks, her arms were sliced and cut burning with cold.

“Argh!” she cried in pain before she gritted her teeth. Two more ice shards hit her as she used her earthbending to create a wall to catch the ice. Pain as her motivation, she gave another yell as she bent the wall behind Tarrlok, ripping it from the foundation and sending crumbling rocks and a waterfall to hit Tarrlok. She continued to push the wall so far, so quick, it sent Tarrlok flying out of his study, through a wall and left him hanging by a banister. All he had was the several feet of a fall to the council room before as he dangled in thin air.

Korra approached him slowly, crouching in pain, hunting him down like she was a polar-bear dog. With a flick of her wrist, the already broken wall came shooting out in large chunks, throwing Tarrlok off the banister and spiraling to the floor below. Korra jumped from the balcony, slamming the ground with her fist as she landed—an earthquake, a ripple of earth moved below them, throwing Tarrlok off balance as he tried to get up.

“Look at that—all out of water, pal!” She screeched, her hands igniting with flames. She was a picture of something broken, cuts like cracks tarnishing her skin. Her eyes were wild with anger—and Tarrlok saw that. He had upset the Avatar, and that meant extreme measures had to be taken.

He curled his fingers and she collapsed, shaking as she tried to move.

“What the—“ Korra yelped as she watched her arms bend and twist without her command. She managed to look up at him. “You’re a…bloodbender?”

“Very observant.”

Korra recalled the night. “It’s not even a full moon!”

“Life’s full of mystery, isn’t it!” Tarrlok growled before he lifted the Avatar in the air and threw her across the council room; she hit the wall and slumped down, her head thumping and her vision fading as she teetered on consciousness.

“You’re in my way Avatar,”

Korra’s mind was racing. “Move!” she told herself, but her weary body wouldn’t budge. “Move move move!”

Tarrlok came closer.

She squinted her eyes and took a deep breath. “I said…”

Avatar Korra help us please!

Help us!

We need you!

We’ll wait, Avatar Korra.

…AANG!...

“MOVE!” She screamed.

In seconds Tarrlok was whisked across the room, spiraling like a tornado. Korra saw him hit the floor before she stared at her hands “I can airbend?” she gasped, before clenching her fingers into fists. “Yes! I can airbend!” She lifted herself in the air, leaping with the air, until she stood before Tarrlok. “Still think I’m a half-baked Avatar now?” She asked. But Korra’s smile was wiped off her face when Tarrlok stood quickly, regaining his bloodbending technique and putting Korra back in a bind.

“Yes,” he said quietly, trying to stare as she crouched crumpled, shaking. “I do.” With one swift movement he knocked the Avatar down to the ground. He bounded her with ropes and just as she was starting to wake, he closed the door, ignoring her calls of protest.

“Let me out!”

He ignored it all the way up and through the mountain.

.

Asami twisted Bolin’s arm but before she could pin him to the ground, Bolin managed to kick Asami’s leg, throwing her off balance and sending them sprawling across the floor. Bolin pressed Asami down gently, an unsparking glove to her face.

“I win!” He taunted, a toothy grin on his face. Asami laughed before she rolled the both of them over—she then pressed him to the ground, her legs straddling his waist.

“Eh, not bad,” she said, and now they were both grinning. Asami got up slowly, offering Bolin a hand. “It’s coming along. That pro-bending training is handy for hand to hand combat, believe it or not. You’ll be rising in the equalist ranks in no time.”

Bolin smacked his lips together, the sound echoing off the concrete walls. “Living the dream,” he said sarcastically. He looked behind him, where he saw Mako and Tahno finishing up their sparring match. Bolin saw Tahno’s stuggle against his brother before he offered up a piece of advice. “Left arm! Left arm!”

Mako peered up, momentarily confused. “What the—“

Tahno took the opportunity to take Bolin’s advice and grabbed Mako by his left arm. He twisted it a bit, and found Mako gave a cry of pain before Tahno kicked him in the shins, throwing him off balance as he collapsed to the ground. Tahno looked on with pity as he clutched his arm. “What’s with him?” he asked.

“When he was seven he broke that arm.”

“Doing what?”

Mako gave his arm a few shakes before his eyes narrowed in accusation. “Don’t—“

“He wanted to save a kitten from a tree.” Bolin said, clasping his hands and batting his eyes profusely. “Remember what you said?”

“Who’s the traitor now?” Mako deadpanned as he starting picking up equipment from the spar.

Bolin continued, “You thought it was so cute! You said you wanted to rescue it so—“ he paused. “so it wouldn’t be scared and alone.” Bolin laughed, quiet. “Anyway, that arm was never the same, right?”

Tahno and Asami stared at Mako. He nodded. “No—it’s never been the same.”

Suddenly, Asami bid them adieu. “I have a meeting with my father in a few minutes so I best be off. See you.”

Tahno started following her out. “Yeah I have to….” He shrugged, uncaring to come up with a good excuse. “Yeah, I’m just leaving. Bye.”

Bolin raised his hand in protest. “Wait! Aren’t we going to go check up on Lin?”

“Takes just one guy, Bo. Catch you later.”

Mako and Bolin were left alone.

Mako liked to think he didn’t know how long it was since he was last alone with his little brother. He liked to think that because the weeks turned into months and months turned into years that his memory should slip. That like any other person, he adapted to his new life and what was old started to fade, blur and perhaps vanish altogether.

But that was simply not the case.

He remembered. He remembered the day too well. He had memorized his little brother’s face, his round eyes, full of wonder, dirty face, smile with missing teeth. He memorized it all because he didn’t want to forget what someone could never take away from him no matter what happened. Mako was always Bolin’s big brother. Always.

And he couldn’t really forget that.

“So…” Mako drawled, side eyeing Bolin. Feeling awkward, Bolin attempted to busy himself with the few things around him—spare weapons, posters of Amon on the wall, you name it. “So…” Bolin parroted back.

They fidgeted about, looking anywhere but each other. Seconds ticked by, minutes passed and finally the former earthbender cracked. “Why’d you do it?”

Mako feared this. He feared this more than anything. It was one thing to have to face his brother, to have him look at him and know that he hadn’t died, to have him, his little brother, think he was abandoned. That was bad enough. But to have him stand tall before him, look him in the eye and beg for an answer for his betrayal?

He wasn’t so sure he could give an answer that would satisfy him. But he decided, he might as well start with the truth.

“I—I did it for you.”

Bolin dropped the glove in his hand. “What?” He demanded, voice wavering in anger. “You mean to tell me all this—letting Korra get captured, taking my bending away was all for me? HA!” He ripped down one of the equalist propaganda posters. “Perfect! Great! How kind of you! And to think, it wasn’t even my birthday!”

Mako could help it—he stared at his shoes. “You don’t understand,” he gritted through his teeth.

“Oh, I don’t?”

“No, you don’t!” he argued.

Bolin marched over and grabbed Mako by his shoulders, balling the excess fabric in his fingers. “Then tell me! Make me understand! Please, just tell me why you left!” His hands began to shake, along with his knees and everything else and he slowly let go. “You’re—you’re my big brother!” Bolin cried, and Mako swore he saw tears, but he couldn’t really tell through his own. “And you left me all alone, Mako! You were all I had! So please—tell me.”

Mako took one step forward and crushed his brother in a hug. Bolin felt one tear, then two, fall on his forehead and run down the bridge of his nose. “I—I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Bolin. I never meant to leave you. Never.”

Bolin embraced the hug, shoving his face into this brother’s chest. “So why did you?”

“I was working for the triads—and there was a trap. Amon’s trap. He took all our bending—including my own.”

Bolin looked up, eyes glossy. “Amon? All those years ago, Amon was there?”

A nod. “He’s been around for a long time. It was either my life or his regime.” He sighed, relaxing his hold. “I thought—maybe he had a point,” Mako whispered, a little embarrassed.

“Mom and Dad?” Bolin whispered.

“Mom and Dad. I wasn’t a firebender anymore, Bolin. I couldn’t hurt anyone. I wasn’t like our parents murderer. I was cleansed.”

Bolin took a few steps back, shocked. “I—I didn’t—how long did you feel like that?”

“I’ve always felt like that.”

It got real quiet after that. Mako could only hear his own heart pounding against his ribcage as his little brother stared at him, scrutinizing, judging. But eventually Bolin asked. “You really believe in equality, don’t you?”

Mako didn’t respond. Bolin’s lips twitched in a smile. “So why help me? Help Korra?”

“You’re my brother,” Mako responded. “And I know I messed up at first,” his thoughts were brought back to the championship. “But I pick you. I left you once—I can’t leave you alone again. And Korra—she’s the Avatar. She isn’t just about helping benders. She’s here to help everyone—and she reminded me of that.”

Bolin smiled. “But I’m not alone, not anymore. I’ve got Tahno and Korra. And you’re not alone either, okay?” Bolin gave Mako a friendly punch to his shoulder. “Korra….she’s pretty amazing, isn’t she?”

Mako blushed. “Well, I—“

“I knew it. You liiiiiiiiiike her!”

Mako rolled his eyes, stomping past him in a rush, trying to ignore how his cheeks grew heated. “Let’s go,” he grumbled, Bolin trailing behind him, laughing.

“Whatever you say, Big bro.” Bolin whispered.

Mako heard, and smiled.

.

“Let me out!” Korra pounded on the metal cage she was thrown into. Tarrlok managed to bloodbend her all the way down the stairs and place her in a metal box—one similar to the one she was thrown in when Amon took her weeks ago.

“Oh, hush.” Tarrlok snarled. “It’s no use. Your newfound airbending is useless. Such a shame you didn’t learn metalbending,” he commented, pounding on the wall once more. “But it’s platinum, so what’s the use.”

“You’re not going to get away with this!”

Tarrlok walked up the stairs. “Oh, I think I will.”

.

The next morning when Tenzin arrived at City Hall, he couldn’t believe his eyes.

He couldn’t believe after everything she’d been through, Korra snuck out. As he inspected the ruins of the building, reporters and police man informed him that equalists had attacked the hall, capturing Korra (again) and injuring Tarrlok in the process.

“I tried to save her—“ Tarrlok explained as a healer tended to his injuries. “But the equalists knocked me out with one of those damn gloves. I’m so sorry.”

Tenzin hummed. “Of course you are,” he said curtly.  “Saikhan, a word?”

Tenzin pulled the police chief over in the corner. “I don’t like this—I don’t like this one bit.” Tenzin’s eyes slid between Saikhan and Tarrlok.

“What? You don’t think—“ Tenzin shushed him before Saikhan continued, “You think Tarrlok is lying?”

“He gave Korra a hard time last night—and chances are Korra didn’t just stay and take it. I bet she went back.”

“What on Earth did she think she could accomplish on her own?”

Tenzin sighed, rubbing his head. He felt old—older than he ever had. “I’ve barely seen her. She’s been captured twice! Now three times! She’s been in the hands of equalists longer than she’s been in my own care.” Guilt crept up like a shadow.

Saikhan divided his attention to the leaving reporters and medics exiting the scene. “If you didn’t know any better you’d think she was collaborating with the equalists.” He laughed at his own joke, but Tenzin was not amused. The two men stared at Tarrlok who was finishing up a healing session with a medic. “Tarrlok,” Tenzin boomed. “Where is Korra?”

He scoffed, a bit annoyed, but he kept his political smile and charm. “I already told you—Korra came down to have a word with me, and then the equalists attacked. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to protect her. Look—“ he pointed to his arm, burned and scared. “Glove burn. I gave it my all, Tenzin. I’m terribly sorry.”

“Don’t worry, Tenzin,” Saikhan came up from behind him, laying a hand on his shoulder. “I’m mobilizing forces to search for the Avatar—we’ll find her. And these equalist hideouts as well.”

“Now, Chief, I think we agreed—“

“But nothing Tarrlok. This is the third time the Avatar has been captured. I intend to stop it. We’re going to find the Avatar, we’re going to find Lin, and we’re going to stop the equalists. Your help or approval is not needed.”

“Chief, Councilman, I really think you should reconsider. We can’t use all our forces to look for one girl!”

“She’s the Avatar!” Tenzin roared. “Why are you so against this it’s like—“ He paused, eyes going cold and hard. “You know where she is, don’t you?”

“Me!?” Tarrlok snarled. “I am offended! Why would you think I would withhold information?”

“Because you took her!”

The three of them looked up and stared.

Tarrlok’s assistant, round glasses and all, stood crouched behind a pillar. Tarrlok pointed an accusing finger. “Liar! I’ll have you fired for such nonsense!”

“Councilman Tenzin, Chief, please believe me! He took Korra last night! He asked me to leave and I was staying up to clean up when I heard a noise—a fight! I watched him tie Korra up and throw her in the back of her van!”

Like lightning, Tenzin sprung, his robes swooshing as he grabbed Tarrlok by the collar. “How dare you!” he seethed. “Tell us where Korra is, now!”

“How did you manage this—and you!” Saikhan pointed to the assistant. “You didn’t come forward, why not?”

“Because!” He braced himself. “Tarrlok’s a bloodbender!”

Next thing Tenzin and Saikhan knew, they were on the ground, unconscious.

.

“So this is the finalized airship. They are being produced as we speak, on track and ready for the invasion.”

Asami looked up, interest peaked. It was the first she had heard about any invasion. She stared at Amon as he looked over her father’s blueprints. “Very good. And you added the extra compartments for the bombs?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Excellent.”

At that moment, an equalist walked in, a letter in his hand, and captured the attention of Amon and the Lieutenant. Asami leaned in and whispered in her father’s ear, “What’s this about an invasion?”

“Oh right, sorry sweetheart. I’ll fill you in on it later. But Amon is taking the city!”

Asami nodded slowly. “The whole city,” she mumbled to herself. “That’s really something.”

“It is.” Hiroshi beamed.

“Well, well,” Amon said aloud. “It seems Korra has been captured again. But not by us.”

“By who, where is she?” Hiroshi asked.

“Don’t worry,” Amon stood from his chair, hands clasped behind his back and casually walked out of the room.

.

“How long are you going to keep this game up, kid?” Lin asked as Tahno “guarded” her cell.

He sighed, finally reaching behind his back and tossing her a pair of kali sticks. “Hide these. You’re gonna need them.”

“A key for the lock would do wonders.”

He eyed her briefly. “Surely the police chief knows a thing or two about patience. We’re going by Mako and Asami’s plan—they said we have to wait a bit, that’s all.”

“What makes you think they’re trustworthy?” Lin asked.

He sighed, loudly. “They freed us. Bad guys tend to hold on to your captives—another thing I assumed you’d know.”

“Your smartass attitude is not appreciated.”

“Noted.”

“Things may not always be what they seem. We’re constantly deceived.” Lin commented.

It was quiet, save the dripping and creaking of the walls of the hideout. “Think like that all the time and a man would go mad.”

“I’m just trying to make a point,” she emphasized, patience wearing thin. “The whole thing smells something sour. It doesn’t sit right with me.”

“Yeah, and why’s that?” Tahno barked back.

She laughed, humorless. “Call it detective’s intuition. She’s known you for what, a few days? Weeks? And she picked you guys, a rag tag team of beaten heroes over her own father? The only family she had left?”

Lin heard his loud breath momentarily stop. “You’re not giving her enough credit. She’s young, but we are all. She knows right from wrong.”

“Yeah, well,” Lin tossed the weapons in the air and caught them. “She may be using different definitions.” Lin shook her head, laughing again. “I don’t know kid—I hope you’re right. I really do.”

“TAHNO!”

He lifted his head as Lin was quick to stash the kali sticks out of view. Asami came bounding down the hall, panting for breath. “Tahno, where’s Mako and Bolin?”

He shrugged. “I dunno.” He took more concern over her disheveled appearance. “Why, what’s the matter?”

Asami eyed Lin for a split second, before her eyes drifted back up to Tahno’s. She grabbed his sleeve. “Korra’s been captured.”

Tahno rolled his eyes before slapping his face with his palm. “You have got to be shitting me. Again?”

“Just come on! I’ll tell you all about it on the way. She started running down the hall when she threw her head back and shouted. “We’ll come back for you Lin, I promise!”

The echoes of their footsteps faded quickly, leaving Lin in solitude.  Slowly, she retrieved them and tossed them in the air again, catching them with a smile.

“Good think I make my own promises,” she whispered to herself.

.

“Attack! What are you talking about?” Bolin tugged at his locks, his hair becoming a puffy mess.

Asami shifted her weight, placing a hand on her lip, using the other to gesture in explanation. “I was in a meeting with my father and Amon and they were talking about attacking the city…A cleansing, if you will. No more benders in Republic City.” Asami pointed a finger at Mako. “You didn’t know about this?”

Mako suddenly felt guilty. “I knew Amon always had plans to take the city, but…” he sighed. “I honestly thought we had more time. He must have really put his plans into action because of Korra.”

Asami grimaced. “And speaking of Korra…she’s been captured.”

“What!” Mako shouted.

“AGAIN!???” Bolin screeched.

Tahno nodded to Bolin. “Yeah that’s what I said.”

“But…But how!” Bolin stuttered. Mako thought his brother was about to pull his hair right out. “Amon’s right upstairs.”

“Wasn’t equalists—not this time.” Asami explained.

“ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!!???”

Asami winced, his shrill shouts giving sending pulses through her head. “Please! Quiet down! Amon’s on his way to making a team to retrieve her himself.”

Mako grabbed his mask and goggles as fast he could. “I got to make sure I’m on that team. It’s the only way to make sure she’s safe.”

Before the other three could even protest, even offer an alternative idea, he was gone.

“Maybe we could all get on this team?”

Asami shook her head. “Amon will only take Mako. It’ll be okay though. Everything will be just fine.”

Bolin gave Tahno a friendly jab. “Mako’s after her, she’ll be fine.” He chirped.

“…you really believe that?”

Bolin smiled softly. “Yeah,” he said. “I do.”

.

Korra decided she was very very bored.

She had tried everything. Kicking, punching, bending—but she was trapped, just like long before when Mako watched over her.

Mako.

She wondered of anyone would miss her, if anyone would try to help her.

But then she remembered she could only help herself.

She sat at the bottom, placed her hands together and tried to make a connection; afterall she had unlocked her airbending, she was bound to get to the Avatar State now.

…Right?

.

Mako was successfully placed on the team.

He was briefed, assigned, and partnered to drive up in a van to the mountains on the outskirts of town. He was in the middle of loading the truck with supplies and weaponry when he heard it.

“Hey.”

Mako turned around, snow collecting in his eyes and lashes. His partner was in uniform, mask and all. “…Hajime?”

He sighed. “Yeah.”

“You’re…still here?”

“No thanks to you,” he said, voice as cold as the winter winds. “Come on, let’s go.”

Mako closed the door to the trunk with a slam.

As they traveled up the mountains, Mako at the wheel, he found himself tapping the wheel in nervousness. They were silent, without a peep, until Mako finally said, “..are you okay?”

“You let her out didn’t you?”

The answer was so quick, so calm, so quiet, Mako had to say it over and over in his head until he managed a squeaky “..huh?”

“The Avatar, Korra? When we had her the first time. She didn’t electrocute me.” He turned his masked face and stared dead on at him. “You did.”

Mako’s mouth was parted in shock, hidden behind uniform. He didn’t know how to respond—he didn’t even know if he should. Hajime had paid the price for Mako’s actions and what was worst, Mako wasn’t even the one to tell him. He tried keeping his eyes on the road, hands moving nervously, ghosting over the wheel and the controls. But the guilt was strong, strong like Bolin, like leaving him and coming back—it was all the same. He felt terrible and he couldn’t just sit there and lie—or even worst, give him silence.

“…Yeah,” Mako choked out. “I did.”

He expected anger. Lashing out, punches and kicks. But that wasn’t the case. He heard the sharp intake of breath and then a quiet sigh before a feeble, “Why?”

Mako struggled for the right words. “I don’t know, I—“

“No,” Hajime said softly. “I think you do.” It was quiet again, but Hajime wouldn’t let Mako wallow in silence, not anymore. “Take your time—I want to know.”

Mako thought carefully. “Have you ever spoken to her?” He asked, but he didn’t expect a response. “She’s…young. Fearless. Brash. Stubborn as hell,” he laughed quietly. “But she’s also the Avatar. And sometimes, when you talk to her, when you hear her—you see it in her eyes, hear it in her voice.”

“…what?”

“Everything. You hear what she must have said time and time again. She’s here for us, Hajime—all of us.”

He shrugged. “So that’s it? As simple as that?”

“I guess so, yeah.”

Out of the corner of Mako’s eye he watched as Hajime took his mask off.  Mako looked and saw red line marring his face, slashed across his cheeks and rimming his eyes. “Hajime…”

“Don’t. Don’t say it. But Mako…”

“…Yeah?”

“I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Mako nodded. “I do.”

“Then that’s good enough for me.”

Mako wasn’t sure what he meant, but he kept driving.

.

Korra had tried everything but it was no use.

She couldn’t connect with Aang.

“I can’t believe the mess you’ve caused.” Tarrlok’s voice suddenly echoed around her. She sat up straight, a sly smirk on her face.

“Lemme guess—busted?”

Tarrlok groaned. “Whatever the matter, you’re coming with me.”

Korra scoffed. “I’m not going anywhere with you!”

“Lucky for me you don’t have a choice.”

CRACK!

It was the sound of wood creaking, breaking. “What was that?” Korra asked.

Silence. Then,“…I’ll be back.”

And that was the last Korra heard of Tarrlok.

.

Hajime and Mako followed Tarrlok into the shed.

“Stand here,” Amon said. “And wait.”

Mako and the other equalists stood behind as instructed.  A few minutes went by when the stairs to the basement creaked with wait, footsteps growing louder-Tarrlok appeared.

It took all of Mako’s restraint not to charge at him. But when he saw Tarrlok’s eyes widen in fear, he felt a little better.

“You’re no match for me.” Tarrlok explained. He lifted his hands and began moving them, twisting his fingers like crooked branches.

“ARGH!” Mako grunted. He fell to the ground.

Why can’t I move! He looked around and saw everyone but Amon was down. Why can’t anyone move?

But Amon kept moving, albeit slowly. A few steps here, a few steps there and before he knew it, Mako watched as Amon grabbed the councilman by his neck and remove his bending.

Mako stood up, recovering. What was that? Was that...bloodbending?

He didn't have much time to muse it over. “Retrieve the Avatar,” Amon explained, hoisting an unconscious Tarrlok over his shoulder. “And don’t underestimate her.”

“Sir.”

Mako followed the Lieutenant down the stairs where they found a small box, the same she had been kept in from before. “Electrocute the box,” The Lieutenant said, handing another equalist the kali sticks. “Then open the box.”

Mako bit his lip.

“Arghhhh!” Her screams drove him mad. Like thunder after lightning, it shook him in all the wrong ways. But the worst part was the quiet after the storm, the thunk of metal when she hit the box in unconsciousness.

He clenched his fists. He was running out of time to think, and now she wasn’t even conscious to help him!

“Open it.”

The next thing he knew he was thrown into the wall, the floor beneath him wavering and crumbling like a landslide. He watched as Korra rolled out of the box before she dashed up the stairs.

“Korra!” Mako shouted, doing his best to regain his balance and run after him. His vision was blurry from hitting his head but he ran through the haze, up the stairs and out into the snowstorm.

She stood in fear, staring at Amon.

“Korra!” He shouted again. But she didn’t acknowledge him. She readied herself for a fight as Amon crouched, ready to run at her, ready to take her bending.

“NO!”

He ran towards her and in a mess of action, tackled her to the ground. Amon was only a few feet away, back to standing, back to watching, as Mako sat hunched in the snow, Korra under his arms.

“Mako…” Amon said slowly. “So I see.”

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

“You’re the traitor,” Amon growled. He took a few more steps forward. “I spared your life once a long time ago. But this time, I won’t be so kind.”

Mako held Korra tighter.

“Mako—“

“—is not the only traitor!”

In a flash, Mako’s vision was surrounded by hot white light, the pop and fizzle of electricity from a glove. Amon jumped back and Mako and Korra found themselves staring at the back of someone very familiar.

“I’ll hold him off! Go!” Hajime demanded, sparking the glove up.

“What are you doing!” Korra screeched. “You can’t win this fight!”

“…I know. Which is why you need to go. You need all the time you can get.”

“What! Korra screeched. “No, Hajime, you can’t--!”

“Mako, get her out of here!”

Mako tugged on Korra, but she wouldn’t move. In a hurry he collected her small muscular frame in his arms. “Put me down! I’m not leaving! I can fight!”

“Exactly! You’re the Avatar!” Hajime cried. “What chance do we have if you can’t fight for us? You have to leave! So Mako, get out of here! SCRAM!”

“Come on, Korra,” he whispered, before the two of them started running.

Amon squinted behind his mask. “Two traitors…” he mused. “I guess you didn’t learn your lesson the first time?”

Hajime scoffed. “You already burned my face, what’s left?”

Amon drew near. “Something much worst—I assure you.”

The glove popped and fizzled. “Bring it.”

They charged.

.

“Everything going according to plan?” Hiroshi asked, looking over his schemes. His daughter walked in, ruffling her hair as she removed her mask and goggles.

“They’re eating out of the palm of my hand.” She laughed. “They totally buy it—Bolin, Tahno, all of them--they think I’m on their side.”

“Excellent!” he beamed. “So you’ll have no trouble with the last part of the plan?”

“Don’t worry Dad—“ Asami smirked, playing with her equalist glove. It sparked to life. “I’ve gained their trusts—it’s only a matter of time before I get on that island. And then,” she walked over to the wall, looking over a drawing of Air Temple Island.

“They’ll be ours,” Hiroshi finished.