Legend of Korra

Title: Number Forty Nine

Rating: T

Summary: Earthbenders are slowly disapearing from the streets of Republic City, and Bolin hasn't returned yet. Can Mako and Korra save him?

"Thanks, Mr. Yee!" A smiling Bolin waved to an elderly man as he walked out of the little corner grocery store carrying a paper bag of groceries, Pabu draped over his shoulders absolutely enjoying being outside.

Digging into the bag he pulled out a small pastry and took a bite, "I'm sure Mako would understand if I sampled them... just to make sure they're safe." he grinned as he came up with the reason to justify eating the dessert to his ferret. Pabu gave a small squeal of delight as he was given a small piece, holding it in his paws as he nibbled. Bolin laughed, "Enjoy it. Cause you aren't getting another, you're getting heavy you know?"

It was early in the evening. The lit street lights casted a yellow hue on the sidewalk, which was occupied by a few pedestrians and one homeless man, that made it seem later than it was. Bolin did not notice the big truck speeding up behind him until it was out in front of him and several men in black fategues with black masks quickly jumped out of it.

Bolin raised his hands as his eyes widened. "Whoa! I'm not causing any trouble here-"

Before he could even Earthbend to defend himself, an arm from behind him wrapped around his neck while another held a cloth against his mouth; it smelled of chemicals as he was forced to inhale it. Suddenly Bolin's world went blurry, his eyes half-lidded and glazed, the men turned into black blobs in the haze and the bag of groceries in his hand fell to the ground. He heard Pabu hiss and shriek, then a loud whine of terror moving away from him and a thump against metal.

"N-No! Pabu... " Bolin weakly tried to fend off the black blobs.

He tried to raise his hand and as he did so he felt those infront of him attack him on precise points, he could not bend to defeat his attackers and his strength and coherency were failing him fast. He coughed as the cloth was still being firmly held to his face. His last vision was of being pushed forwards into the back of the truck, the door closing and his vision going dark then his mind was out like a light.

The homeless man crawled over and picked through the abandoned grocery bag, taking what ever was able to be eaten right away without having to be cooked.

...~

Korra was there in the practice circle with the young Airbenders when Tenzin returned from the city to Air Temple Island. He looked really stressed as he walked into the court yard and greeted his children and Korra.

"Daddy!" the middle child, Ikki, screamed estatically and ran with the wind on her heels into her father's arms. Meelo, the youngest followed suit while the eldest, Jinora, slowly followed and hugged his robe being too big to be carried.

Korra hung back for a minute before going to greet Tenzin, standing a couple feet away while the children clamoured over their father, "Hey you look awful, that bad of a day at work?"

"Worse, I've been informed by Chief Beifong of something greatly disturbing..." Tenzin's expression looked concerned but mixed with pain. He was watching the world slowly crumble and did not know what to do about it.

"What is it?" Korra pressed him, he wouldn't mention it if it wasn't something she shouldn't know.

Tenzin took a deep breath and continued. "People have been disappearing recently, five in the last three days and those are only the numbers reported to be missing. The Chief said they would not be this concerned if it weren't for the fact that all those missing are Earthbenders..." His voice trailed off as Korra did exactly what he thought she would do, run off past him before he could finish.

Not going after her, Tenzin simply held his children close. As a father he feared for them and their future, growing up in this world becoming ever increasingly chaotic.

...~

"Mako!" A shout and loud pounding of a fist at the door startled him out of his sleep. Mako slowly got up from where he normally slept and dragged himself to the door, leaning on the doorframe as he opened it. Groggily, he looked at the young woman who was breathing hard as though she ran the whole way.

"Huh? Korra? Im sorry, but practice is tomorrow..." He said half asleep. He had an exhausting day at the power plant.

"Mako, wake up! Where's Bolin?" She looked serious.

"What? You two got plans or something?" He rubbed his eyes as he now looked visably annoyed. "He went out for groceries, that was-" glancing at the clock and froze. " -hours ago... Damnit!" He cursed and looked back at Korra. "Tell me what you know. Now!"

"Tenzin just told me Earthbenders are going missing." Korra explained quickly as Mako grabbed his coat and scarf from the hook within arms reach. He ran past her and down the hallway. She followed Mako down to the street where he was catching his breath before taking off with Korra hot on his heels. "I came as quickly as I could to warn you guys."

"What? Is it the Equalists?" Mako looked back over his shoulder to her, she was keeping up with him easily.

"I don't know." Korra looked away.

Mako grimaced and bit back a remark, that would not help right now.

"Where does he go to get food," Korra asked hoping to be of some kind of help to him.

"Yee's Market. Its down the street here, not far." Mako said a little winded. His muscles ached from the day's work but he would not stop for anything.

They arrived at Yee's Market just as the old man was pulling the gate closed on his shop as the work day for him was done, looking over his shoulder when he heard the smacking of hurried footsteps on the pavement.

"Mr. Yee!" Mako shouted as he got closer. "Have you seen my brother?"

"Oh, Mako it's you! And a fine lookin' young lady you have here you lucky rascal." Mr. Yee finished locking up the gate and clapped the dirt off his hands. "You mean Bolin? I saw 'im 'bout... three hours ago. Bought the usual set o' groceries fer the week. Left goin' down the street on this side here..." he raised his arm in the direction of where Bolin walked, which was the opposite direction which they came.

"Thanks Mr. Yee!" Mako politely waved as he hurried in the direction that the old man began to point at.

"Why would Bolin be walking away from your place?" Korra said as she waved at the shop owner, following Mako.

"When he wants to take his time getting home," Mako was able to give a short smirk.

"Oh." Korra ran into the back of Mako and grabbed a hold of his frame to keep from falling. She stepped from behind the tall young man, "Hey, what is it?"

Kneeling down next to an empty paper bag, "This..." he picked up a can next to it. "These are my favorite..."

Korra looked at him with a look that she was going to be sick "Olives? Gross."

"Hey! They're really good! Anyways... I asked him to get them for me..." he began to choke a little

Puttng a hand on his shoulder to comfort him, "Hey those could be anyone's you know."

Mako looked back at her and nodded, he then froze as he heard the small whimpers of an animal nearby and the small coaxings of someone. "C'mere uh... kitty kitty kitty... I'm not gonna hurt ya... just boil ya and eat ya... Here kitty kitty.."

A man who appeared to be homeless with a patchy coat, fingerless gloves, shaggy long beard that hid his face and foul smell, trying to lure out a from underneath a satomobile using a dumpling, a black footed Red Panda Ferret, also known as a Fire Ferret. But to Mako and Korra he was known as Pabu.

"Hey!" Mako's hands immediately ignited into flames and leaped towards the man. Before Mako even got a foot, Korra grabbed the back of his coat. She only needed one hand to stop him and pull him back much to his suprise.

"Let me handle this one. You'd burn him up before we get any information."

The homeless man had seen them already and backed away to his little box shelter next to a stoop, his eyes growing big and wide as a pissed off Mako jumped at him. "I wasn't going to hurt the creature, honest!" he closed his eyes awaiting pain.

"We get that." A young lady's voice spoke to him and he opened his eyes to see a beautiful girl crouching on the sidewalk infront of him. "We just want to know if you saw anything earlier, about the person who was with him, the ferret."

He looked away, "I didn't see anything..." he said with a pout.

"Thats fine too if it were true, but you live here right? You have to have seen something? Please?" Korra smiled and it was like the world stopped just for that. Pabu crept from the under the mobile and come to rest on her shoulders.

The man looked back and regretted it as Korra had smiled sweetly, the man groaned. "I only saw the young fella, with the rat-thing there, get snatched up by these guys dressed in black and drive away in a blue truck. Real quick they were... almost didn't catch it."

"And you didn't try to stop them?" Mako growled, he put up his flaming fists.

"Hey! I keep ma' head down out here, only way to survive."

Mako looked away, a painful look of remembering on his face, as his fire went out. "Yeah..."

"Thank you, you've been a big help." Korra smiled and stood. Turning she guided Mako away from the scene.

"W-Wait! Don't I get a reward or something?" The homeless man could be heard as they walked away from him.

"Don't worry Mako, we'll find him..." Korra placed her hand on Mako's shoulder again, feeling it was the right thing to do.

Mako did not even feel her hand, he couldn't feel anything at this point except pain and her words were far away. Even Pabu slinked over onto his shoulders, ringed tail tickling his neck, Mako's eyes remained far away. "I shouldn't have sent him out, I should have known!" he squeezed his eyes shut.

"No way, it's not your fault! You couldn't have known before now."

"But why him? He's done nothing wrong..." Mako opened his eyes, looking to Korra for answers.

"I don't know... why don't we go to the police station to file a report then you can come back with me to the Air Temple... figure out a game plan." She was afraid to leave him alone, he might spend all night searching the whole city and questioning everyone who owned a blue truck which was probably in the hundreds.

Mako shook his head, "I'll go to the police with you, but I want to go back to the loft just in case Bolin shows up..."

Korra nodded, she wasn't going to argue with that, "Then I am going with you." she folded her arms across her chest, a sign that he could not argue with her.

"Fine," Mako did not care to dissuade her. Even he felt he could not deal with this again alone.

There was a crowd at the police station, it took an hour for Mako and Korra to get their turn and then another hour for their report to be competed. It seemed that the station was processing a multitude of claims that night.

Mako passed out on the couch, physically and emotionally exhausted, while Korra stayed up and found some pictures in the paper of the Fire Ferrets latest victory. She eventually fell asleep on the floor where she sat, leaning her head against the couch.

End chapter one

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