Based on my headcanon that Tarrlok couldn't take the Avatar prisoner that night. Character death, AU past episode 8.
Summary: Just as the elements must be balanced in the world, so too must they be balanced in the self to achieve peace. Passion. Detachment. Adaptability. Endurance. Mako deals with the Avatar's disappearance.
Prologue
Ultimately, peace comes to republic city because of the Avatar's disappearance.
Tarrlok has quietly removed himself from the council, after the long and fruitless investigation. He has faded from the public eye, and when reached for comment, he only regrets that he was unable to prevent the Equalists from kidnapping the Avatar. There's an emptiness in his eyes, though, and he's taken to wearing gloves to cover the unexplained burns on his hands.
A non-bender has been appointed to the council in his place, and changes come quickly and with much celebration. The minimum wage for non-benders is increased, and there is suddenly enough funding to crack down on gangs.
And there are plenty of new recruits for these task forces. The benders have rallied around their martyred Avatar, missing in action while trying to defend the city from the Equalists and for benders and non-benders.
When weeks pass with no word of the Avatar, the newspapers slowly phase out wild theories about her disappearance with somber summaries of her life and her accomplishments.
They are glowingly positive, consistently praising her courage.
The Avatar was popular with the people, from pro-bending to protecting ordinary citizens. "She was our Avatar, too," says one of the last to see the Avatar alive.
"She stood up for us. She was so brave."
Smoke curls up around the edges of the newsprint where it lays abandoned on the sidewalk. Mako walks away as it smolders.
