It was dark. The metal on the floor was cold, and painful whenever the truck hit a bump. Damn, I didn't know what Beifong had in mind when she said she was sending me on an undercover mission. This is crazy. Purposely getting captured by the Agni Kai's!? Whatever. She is the chief.
Suddenly I felt the shock of an electric weapon light up my whole body. Everything ached, and I whimpered just a little. Then the door opened and a tall woman in a green tunic and long black pants started questioning me. "You there!" she barked, putting her fists up and getting ready to earthbend should anything happen. "What is your name?"I hesitated. The battle that led to my capture kept replaying in my head, until finally I remembered this woman as the commander of the earthbending squad that ambushed us. "I said," she paused kicking my stomach, back, and arms with every word. "What. Is. Your. Name!"
She had kicked me so I laid face down, hands still clad in steel behind my back. "Why dont, you just earthbend it out of me?" I managed to stammer. She didn't like this, although I thought it was pretty funny. She picked me up with one arm and ripped some metal from my small cell and wrapped it in her hand. I admit, if I knew she could metalbend I would have chosen my words extremely differently. She punched me just once, but with enough force that I felt something crack in my cheek and tasted blood in my mouth when I hit the floor face down again.
"Talk now, or forever lose the ability to do so!" she barked at me. Fine. We'll have it her way. Now I'm pissed.
I spit the blood out of my mouth as I rose to my knees. "Mako," I said to the floor. "My name, is Mako." I grimaced, as talking now proved painful. And I'd be lying if I said my pride wasn't hurt either.
She grabbed me by the shirt with her metal free arm and lifted me up to her face. "Like the probender? The Fire Ferret?" She laughed uncontrollably and threw me to the floor. "Oh, this is too funny. Your with the police now! And you can't even hold your own against me!? I knew that probending garbage was fake!" She kept laughing; I kept bleeding. I knew that Beifong was tracking her and her squad, and that once we reached the Agni Kai secret base somewhere outside of Republic City, Beifong would rescue me, but damn, how much farther was this place.
"Why don't you free my hands and I'll show you just how fake probending is." I muttered. At the sound of my voice she immediately smashed her metal gauntlet across my face again.
"Who told you talk?!" she screamed. He face was entirely too close to mine, and her breath smelt like alcohol. I imagined that mine, especially after that blow, smelt like blood. My eyesight went a little hazy from my head bouncing off the metal flooring for the cage, but I could still see her face through the darkness. "You know," she stated "why didn't we capture your brother? He's the cuter one. Maybe on our next ambush he'll be with the police too! Hahaha, then we can have a family reunion and I can kill the both of you."
She was clearly way too drunk to handle a fight, I could have taken her out right when she started talking about Bolin. Nobody threatens Bolin. But I didn't. I couldn't jeopardize the mission; the chief scares me a hell of a lot more than this lady does.
The acute scent of salt began to permeate the air and I knew that we were close the ocean. This had to mean that shes taking me onto a boat. Fuck, Beifong didn't tell me that the base was over seas! I didn't sign up for this!
"Hey, Mato or whatever, get up we're here." The woman grabbed me with both hands and threw me out of the cage. She gave me one last blow across the back of my head. From there things got hazy. She picked me up across her shoulders and carried me over to the boat, throwing me down on the deck like cargo. I laid there for thrity minutes before three men came up with the woman and started talking about what to do with me.
"Fuck'em. He's not the real police so just waste him!" one of them argued.
"No, no, no, if we just kill a probender we'll attract way too much attention. Its better if we make it look like an accident or just pay him off." Retorted another.
"Were not wasting money on this little- shit its the police!" Suddenly the woman peeled back the metal deck of the ship to block the cords from Beifong's elite police. They must've heard them talk about killing me and decided to end the operation.
I took this oppurtunity to fight back. I spiraled back up to my feet from my back letting loose a flurry of fire from my feet as I did. Two of the men ran off for the lower deck, while the woman clenched her fists and punched the deck covering her hands in fresh metal. The man behind her produced a considerably large fireball, and then I realized that I should start running.
I ran past the first wave of Beifong's elite and ducked behind some cargo on the boat. I moitioned to one of the policemen to unbend the metal around my hands. "Sit this one out son," he said. "You are in no condition to fight. Ju-"
"Fuck that. I'm going to arrest her. She threatened my brother."
"Stop talking crazy. She's Republic City's number four most wanted criminal and the man behind her is number three. They are ruthless and they will kill you. Get off the ship and get us-"
I stopped listening to him, because I heard the hiss that comes with a stream of fire. I bended the blast around the cargo and dropped back down to the officer. "You guys need me and I'm not leaving until they are arrested." The officer gave up and joined a group of metalbenders who were assaulting the henchemen coming around our flank.
Okay mako. You can do this. I jumped up and over the cargo boxes and shot of some suppressing fire at the metal and firebending crime duo. The thoughts and instincts in my head took over. Dodge left. Fire jab, jab, jab, slide right, hose the metalbender, redirect the fireball, dodge the shards of metal, spiral flame the left flank, circle behind for cover, redirect the fire away from Bolin- Bolin!
I looked up and stopped my flurries of flames to see Bolin throwing large chunks of earth at the henchmen coming from the lower deck. He worked like a machine raising earth from the docks, and bringing them onto the boat just in time to block an attack. "Bolin get the hell out of here you're gonna get hurt!" Who the hell let Bolin on this mission?!
Bolin turned to me and shouted, "Mako lookout!" I turned around just in time to see the metalbending woman's fist slam into my face with all the ferocity of a Platypus Bear. I flew three feet backwards and tumbled on top of Bolin.
"Get off me, Mako, I know were brothers but we gotta' fight first!" He laughed while getting back to his feet. I felt the sting and throb of the pain sear into my face and felt the tears well up in my eyes. Holy shit this girl can hit hard. But if Bolin isn't scared neither am I.
"Bolin you have got to get out of here, these aren't your run if the mill criminals. They are going to kill us! I'll hold them off with the police, you try and find Korra!"
"No, Mako. I'm tired of always being the one to run for help. This time am the help!" He widened his stance and levitated two large chunks of earth from the docks. He crushed one and sent small rocky bullets all across the deck at the criminal duo. The metalbending woman easily peeled back more deck and covered her and her partner as the bullets came down.
I tried to concentrate on the thugs that kept pouring from the lower decks, literally. They were now accompanied by waterbenders who were bringing entirely too much water onto the ship. But with every stream of water I matched them with a jet of fire. Back to back Bolin and I fought. Bolin brought down a huge shard of earth right near the front of the ship and it tipped forward. The waterbenders weren't aware of the now frontheavy changes to the battlefield and just kept bringing on more water.
"Bolin, just hold off the duo, while I draw the waterbenders attacks. If they bring enough water onto the boat it will start to sink and we can escape!" Bolin only nodded, too focused on his dual defense and offense against the duo. The police kept getting pushed back off the ship and to the docks every time they made any advancement onto the ships deck. The waterbenders were now going in for the critical strike against Bolin and I as they worked together to bend a wave up and over towards us.
"Bolin we have to get moving, now!" I tugged at his shirt and he ran behind me barely missing the force of the wave. Fortunetly for us the wave impeded the crime duo enough to give us a headstart at the now sinking ship. I ran up the ship that slowly but surely was increasing its incline until finally I made the jump and rolled onto dry land. I looked back and saw Bolin who didn't make the jump yet and was still running up the ships increasing incline.
"Bolin you have to make the jump! If you don't that ship is gonna' capsize right on you!"
"Mako," Bolin screamed and I could see real fear on his face. "I don't think I can make it!" His voice sounded panicked so I had to calm him down.
"Bro, calm down. You got this, Bo, I believe in you!"
His face lit up and he vaulted across from the ship to land. In midair his green eyes shined in the sun, and his face lit up when he saw his trajectory was going to make it. My face matched his as it glowed in the blue light. Wait. Blue light? N-No, it c-cant. "Bolin!" I screamed but it was too late. I saw the jet of searing white blue lighting pierce out from underneath his chest. He landed on the dry earth, bloody and not moving. I ran over to him and fell to my knees. "Bolin, no! Get up! Bolin, there getting away! You told me, Bolin, you were the help, so get up! Please! Bolin! Bolin!" It was no use; he was gone. His blank green eyes stared at me, and aready I felt his body starting to go cold. H-How did I let this happen!? B-Bolin, no!
I saw the blue light again as the firebender who struck down my brother reared up for another strike while the metalbender covered him, but this time I was ready. I caught the lighting in my grasp, but lost control, and it blew up in my hands. I didn't have the calm of mind needed to produce nor redirect lighting. I landed next to Bolin face down and looked up at the duo who had jumped in a boat and were now speeding away. The police were just finishing up arresting the rest of the thugs.
I crawled to Bolin and held his face. "B-Bolin," I stammered tears coming down my swollen and burnt face. My voice choked. "Get up, Bolin. Please. Please get up." I heaved and sobbed into his shoulder, and barely resisted the urge to vomit. An officer ran up next to me and asked me if I was okay but I couldn't focus on him. "Bolin! You've got to get Beifong, and help Bolin! He's gonna die if we don't get him to Beifong a-and Korra! Get the avatar!"
Bolin, I'm so sorry. I failed you.