The Rescue/ The Sacrifice

When Hiroshi Sato got to the house it was on fire. Waterbenders were there trying to put the fire out. His eyes reflected the fire and he crumbled to his knees. "No" he gasped again. A metalbending officer approached him.

"Mr. Sato, there was an explosion. We got here as fast as we could but, it looks like we won't be able to save the building". Hiroshi Sato just stared at the flames.

"Mr. Sato?" the metalbender cop repeated.

"Have you- Have you found any survivors?" he asked.

The metalbender cop shook his head. "Sorry Mr. Sato, but I doubt anyone would have survived that. Where's there someone inside?"

"My daughter and some of her friends" he mumbled.

"I'm sorry" the cop replied placing his hand on Hiroshi Sato's shoulder. "We can look for survivors after the waterbenders put out the fire" he offered. Hiroshi Sato shook his head.

"I want everyone to leave after the fire is out" he said. The metalbender nodded.

It was until two hours later that everyone was gone that Hiroshi Sato approached the ruins. He walked through what used to be the front door and made his way to where Asami's room once was. He stopped and knelt there tears in his eyes. He had only been there a few minutes when the ground under him shook. He got up and backed away as the ashes and boards shook then there was a loud boom. He covered his face with his arms and saw nothing but dust. Suddenly he saw four figures in the dust. His eyes widened.

"Dad!" Asami yelled as she ran to him. He hugged her as tears rolled down his cheeks. "How did-How did you survive?" he asked with a shaky voice.

She looked back at the Chief who was leaning on Mako and Bolin. "Chief Bei Fong earthbended a hole in my room. It protected us from the explosion. We had to wait until everyone left to make everyone believe we were dead" she said.

"How can I ever repay you" he said looking at the Chief.

"You can start by not complying to Lieutenants requests. And just because your daughter is helping us doesn't mean you won't be doing some jail time" she said.

He nodded. "I will take full responsibility for my actions".

"We have to go find Korra" Mako said. Asami nodded.

"We need a plan first" she said.

"Well then what's the plan?" Bolin asked.

"Chief, you have to get some more metalbender cops. Mako and Bolin you guys will infiltrate yourselves into the assembly in case I don't get Korra".

"And you?" the Chief asked.

"I will get Korra" she said.

"No way. I'm getting Korra" Mako said.

"No. You can't" she replied.

"And why not?" he challenged.

"Several reasons. One, you will be chi blocked before you even come close to Korra. Two, she will be more concerned about protecting you, than protecting yourself. And Three, I know where she is and you don't". He grimaced but nodded.

"Okay, now everyone, split!" she said. And everyone went to accomplish their mission.

Korra knew she had to have been unconscious for a long time. Her body ached but her back ached even more. She laying face down and she tried to get up but couldn't. It took her several tries before she could sit up but when she did the room began to spin. And it wasn't only because she was dizzy; she had heard a loud boom. Two chi blockers walked in and stood her up and tied her hands and hanged them from the ceiling once again.

"This is getting old" she murmured.

"When will you learn to hold your tongue" Lieutenant said as he walked in.

"When will equalists learn how to bend" she retorted. His mouth twitched and he shoved the kali sticks on her chest, she yelled.

"Bring the tub" he commanded. A chi blocker brought a tub full of water. "If only I could bend" Korra thought.

They placed the tub in the middle of the room filled with water. "Before I put you in there I'm going to give you a couple of more whips" he said as he grabbed the whip. He whipped her several times, she felt the blood in her back, but instead of screaming she tried to only grunt as the whip hit her skin. After a while he stopped and asked the chi blockers to put her in the tub. She could barely stand so two chi blockers helped to get her into the tub.

The water felt ice cold. She shuddered as she was put in. At first it felt relaxing but then her back began to burn, she yelled as she tried to get out. It took four chi blockers to keep her in.

"Painful isn't it?" Lieutenant said with a smile. "You didn't think I'd just put you in a tub of water just cause, did you? Well, since I know you are dying to know what is in the water I will tell you. I put salt in it, salt burns cuts, hence that is why your back must feel as it is on fire" he said.

Korra yelled louder. "That's what I thought" he said. "But the worse hasn't come yet" he said taking out his kali sticks.

"What…are…you…going…to…do…to…me?" she asked.

In response he sunk the kali sticks to her sides; the water served as a current ant it electrocuted her. He pulled them back. "How does that feel?" Korra responded by lifting her head out of the tub and throwing up.

"Not exactly what you expected eh?" he said.

Korra turned to look at him. "You won't…win…they'll come…for me" she said.

"Who? Oh right your friends". He shoved the kali sticks into her side with more force. Korra felt one, then three and then four cracks in her right side. She yelled in pain as he broke four ribs.

"They'll come" she muttered again.

"No they won't. Do you know why?" he taunted. Korra looked at him. "They're dead that's why. You heard the explosion? We'll your dear friend Asami blew up to bits along with the Chief tyrant, your boyfriend and his pathetic brother".

"No" Korra gasped.

"Oh yes. I will not be betrayed. So you can lose hope in thinking that they will come because they are not" he said as he jammed the sticks into her again. She yelled louder than before.

Asami saw as Lieutenant left the hallway that led to Korra's cell. Two chi blockers stood outside the door of the hallway. When she made sure Lieutenant had left for good, she threw a smoke bomb at the chi blockers that put them to sleep. She opened the door and ran into another two; she fought with them and finally knocked them down. Outside of Korra's cell were four. She threw sleeping darts at them and moved them to the side of the cell. She opened the door and gasped at what she found.

Korra was in a tub with water; her head leaned on the edge of the tub. She was tried up from her hands and her feet. She wasn't moving.

"Please no" Asami muttered as she approached the tub. She moved the hair out of Korra's face. Slowly Korra opened her eyes. "Thank goodness you're alive!" Asami said with a smile. Korra continued to look at her. "Don't move. Let me take off the ropes" she said taking out a knife. She heard Korra mumble something.

"What?" Asami asked.

"You're not…really here" Korra finally managed to say.

"What? Of course I'm right here! I told you I was going to come back and break you out".

"You're just…an illusion…" Korra breathed.

"Stop being stupid Korra" she said as she untied her legs.

"You're dead" she replied.

Asami stopped as she grabbed Korra's tied up hands. "He said we were dead, didn't he?" she asked. Korra weakly nodded.

"Korra, it's a long story. But basically we didn't die in that explosion. And it was thanks to Chief Bei Fong, she saved us. All of us. Mako is here and so is Bolin. I came alone to get you" she said ripping the ropes off her hands.

Korra stared at her. "I'm serious. Mako is alive and fine. Well he won't be one hundred percent fine until he sees you. Don't you want to see him Korra?" She nodded. "Ok well let's get you out of here" she said trying to get Korra to stand up from the tub but she couldn't. She had nothing but dead weight; it was as if she had lost the will to live.

"Come' on Korra! Do it for Mako!" Asami told her, putting Korra's arm around her neck. Finally Korra stood up and Asami helped her tumble out of the tub. She sat her down on the floor for a minute. She had been wondering what Korra had been doing in the tub until she saw two wet kali sticks on the floor. He had electrocuted her.

She knelt down and looked at her. "Korra?" she said. She looked up at her. "I have some bandages in my bag, I'll be able to only bandage some parts though, is there somewhere where it really hurts?" Korra nodded and put her hand on her side.

Asami lifted up her shirt as careful as she could but Korra let out a small cry. She gasped. Her entire right side was covered with bruises and burn marks from the kali sticks. Her left side was pretty bruised up and burned too but not as bad. She took out a bandage from her bag and wrapped up Korra's side. When she finished she offered her water to drink. Korra gulped all of it down. Her lips had looked dry.

"Thank you" Korra said, feeling a little stronger.

Asami smiled. "We haven't gotten out of this just yet" she said. "Can you walk?"

"I think so" Korra said trying to get up. Asami helped her and put Korra's arm around her neck. "Ok, let's get out of here" she said and they made their way out of the cell.

"Where is she?" Mako asked himself when he saw no sign of Asami or Korra.

"Give them some time" Bolin said. Mako knew he was nervous too.

"I think she's been gone long enough" Mako said again.

"Asami said to stay here Mako" Bolin replied. "We don't want to jeopardize the mission. Just stay put".

The lights turned off and the only line that could be seen was on the stage. Lieutenant was on there. Behind him dozens of benders were tied up. Mako felt the urge to attack him but Bolin grabbed his shoulder and he stopped advancing towards him.

"Today, we will finally have our revenge!" he said. "I have the Avatar! Justice will be served!"

And then Mako saw them. Asami and Korra were brought onto the stage. Asami had her hands tied behind her back and Korra was so weak that she didn't even had to be tied up. The dropped both of them on the floor next to Lieutenant.

"This girl" he said grabbing onto Asami's hair. "Is a traitor!" he yelled. The audience booed at her. "She tried to help the Avatar escape but luckily we caught them" he said. Mako couldn't keep his eyes off Korra. She looked hurt. Really, really hurt.

"Bolin" he whispered. His brother approached him. "We need to try to get to the front to see if we can help them". Bolin nodded and they began to move through the crowd.

Korra felt awful. Everything hurt. She knew her body was probably covered with more bruises than anyone could count. Asami had tried to help her escape but they had been caught. And now Korra lay on the floor, motionless, without being able to help get them out of the mess they were in. she closed her eyes and went into the Spirit World for guidance.

Korra looked for Avatar Aang. She found him in the same place she always did and sat in front of him.

"I need help" she said.

"I can help you. Actually we can help you" he said as all the past lives lined up behind him. "Let us help you" he said.

"I want you guys to help me" she said.

"You know what you must do" he answered.

She looked down. "I don't know if I can" she said. "You can. You must if you want the world to have peace and balance".

She crossed her legs and began to meditate. Every single memory of the people she loved flew into her head. Her mother taking care of her when she recovered. Her father carrying her onto Oogi when she fought Amon the first time. Laughing with Bolin at a restaurant. Tenzin hugging her after Amon scared her. Asami talking to her while in the cell. Katara giving her advice and then her first kiss with Mako".

"Let go" Avatar Aang said.

And then Korra realized that she had let them go. She remembered bidding goodbye to her parents and Katara goodbye when she left to Republic City. Leaving without Tenzin when she faced Amon a second time. Saving Bolin from Amon and telling him to leave as she stayed behind. Locking up Mako in a metal cage in order to protect him. She had let them go, but she had not realized it. She felt the power of a thousand lifetimes in her and she left the Spirit World.

Korra opened her glowing eyes and stood up. Lieutenant backed away from her. Korra used water from a pipe to cut Asami's ropes and she ran to Bolin and Mako who had hoped on stage. She used all four elements to partially destroy the room they were in. Equalists ran for their lives and there were a lot of screams from the scared people. Lieutenant tried to run but she earthbended a wall in the direction he ran.

"Lieutenant" said the combined voices of the Avatars. "You along with Amon have disrupted the peace and balance this city once had".

"What are you going to do to me?" he asked scared.

"Only Justice will bring peace" the voices said. Korra combined the four elements and launched them at him. He put his arms up in an effort to protect himself. His eyes were closed. But he opened them when nothing happened. The Equalists stopped to see what had happened. The elements had not hit Lieutenant. They had hit the wall Korra had built.

"We should end your life" the voices said. "But then we will be no better than you. We will let the justice of your world take care of you". She then turned and looked at the crowd. "We are the same people. Benders and Non-Benders it is only you who have separated yourself from us. It is true that the fire nation attacked and killed many but balance was gained once again. We must not live as two but as one as we used to for thousands of years in peace and harmony. We are the living reincarnation of equality. Some of us were born to Non-Benders and we lived among you. The Avatar masters the four elements not to represent power, but to represent the unity of all people. To achieve the equality you desire you must first start by looking at yourselves as equals".

The equalists looked at each other and nodded and made their way to the stage and started to untie the benders. "What are you doing?" Lieutenant yelled.

"What is right" one replied as he helped a bender get down from the stage. The metalbending police arrived and headed towards the stage.

"Don't get too close to the Avatar" the Chief warned. They did as they were told and tied Lieutenant up. Once the stage was cleared Mako approached Korra. He did it slowly to not scare her. She turned towards him still with glowing eyes. He put his hand against her face. "Korra?" he said. Slowly her glowing eyes faded to her blue ones. She crumpled to the floor but Mako grabbed her before she could hit it.

"Korra?" he said again. She slowly opened her eyes and she gave him a small smile.

"Mako" she said weakly.

"I'm right here" he told her.

"I will…always love you…" she said putting her hand on his face. "Even after…my heart…stops beating".

Mako looked at her with tears in his eyes. "I love you Korra" he said. She smiled again but her eyes closed and her hand fell from his face.

"KORRA!" Mako yelled.