I walked out of the shop, letting the door slam behind me. I stuffed my fists into the pockets of my jacket as the night blew my raven black hair around my face as I started walking home. I shivered as the wind found its way into my jacket and sent a chill up my spine. I was a firebender and I couldn't even keep myself warm. How pathetic. I started to head to the pro-bending arena hoping to catch the last round of the match. It was Korra's second fight with the Fire Ferrets and I wanted to see how good she was doing. I climbed the steps to the pro-bending doors and the guards were happy to step aside to let me in without any trouble. My father built the pro-bending arena, so I was welcomed anytime without any cost. I walked to the top of the stadium and into the Fire Ferrets changing room to watch the game from there.
I leaned against the railing that overlooked the arena just in time to see Korra waterbend the last opponent off the arena and into the water, causing the Fire Ferrets to win their third round and winning the match. Bolin, Korra and Mako walked onto the platform that carried them back to the changing area with smiles gleaming on their faces.
"Well done." I praised them as they took off their helmets.
"Thanks." Mako gleamed, his amber eyes shining with pride. He ran an eye over me, from the suede navy shoes to the knee-length sky-blue overcoat, to the braid that began on one side of my head and curved around the back. Beneath the coat were brown pants and a cream sweater that was so soft I could have slept in it. Knitted gloves that matched my shoes had already been stuffed into the coat's deep pockets.
"When did you get here?" Korra asked.
"Just in time to see you kick the guy right over the edge." I smiled.
"Awesome. Now time for the finals."
"We still have a lot of training to do with you before we're even close to ready for the finals," Mako muttered, hanging his equipment up in the closet.
"Oh, relax, Mako," I said. "She'll be ready."
"Let's hope." I saw Korra roll her blue eyes as we followed Mako out of the changing room.
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The weight landed with a thump as it crashed into Korra's chest and she slapped her palms on both sides of it to catch it as she glared at Mako who threw it.
"What's the big idea with making me train this early in the morning?" Korra questioned Mako. "The morning is evil."
"We're the rookies so we get the worst time slot in the gym," Bolin explained as Korra passed the ball to him and he passed it to Mako.
"And you're the rookiest of us all." Mako reminded Korra. "We got to get you up to speed if we want to survive in the tournament. So, deal with it." Mako threw the ball at Korra with great force.
"You deal with it." Korra retorted as she threw the ball back at him with greater force, causing the ball to hit Mako in the chest and making him fall to the ground.
"There's my little hard-working street urchins." A deep voice sounded from the gym entrance and I turned my head to the right from where I was sitting on the stairs to see Boo Taka, a chubby man that my father hired to run the arena's money. "It's an honor to finally meet you, Avatar."
"And you are?"
"Boo Taka!" I exclaimed, hopping off the stairs and running to him to give him a hug. He hugged me back and laughed.
"Good to see you, Nazita." He laughed. I stepped away from him as he turned his attention back to Korra. "I run this whole pro-bending shabang."
"With the help of my father of course."
"Of course. I would never forget the man who put me here. Now, here's your winnings from your last match." Boo pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket and handed it to Mako, who had a smile on his face. Mako was about to put the money in his pocket but Boo stopped him. "Not so fast. First, you owe me for the Avatar's new gear, gym and equipment rental for last month, rent on your apartment, and a personal loan for groceries." Mako glared at Bolin when Boo took all his money.
"What?" Bolin questioned him. "I'm a growing boy."
"Oh, and one more small item of business. The Fire Ferrets need to dig up thirty thousand euons for the finals."
"Thirty thousand euons?!"
"Sorry, kids, you've got till the end of the week to come up with the dough or else you're out of the tournament." Boo started to walk away from us, but I called out after him.
"Hey, Boo!" I yelled. He stopped and turned to me. "Let me see that stack of money that you just took from Mako again." He looked at me questioningly and reluctantly took the money from his pocket and held it out in front of him. "Ok, first, Korra's new gear was a gift from my father, so I'll just take that back." I grabbed a handful of money from the stack and handed it to Mako. "I allowed the Fire Ferrets to use the gym and equipment for free. So, you can't charge them for that." I took another five thousand euons from the stack and handed it to Mako.
"You can't do that!"
"My father owns the gym. I can do whatever I want. I can ask him to fire you and he will." I turned around as Boo sighed and walked out of the gym in defeat.
"Thank you, Nazita," Mako muttered as he put the ten thousand euons in his pocket. "But that still leaves twenty thousand euons to come up with."
"I'm sorry. I can talk to my father, but I don't see him a lot anymore."
"You wouldn't happen to have a secret Avatar bank account filled with gold, would you?" Bolin asked Korra.
"I got nothing," Korra said, turning her pockets inside out to prove that they were empty. "I never really needed money. I've always had people taking care of me."
"Then I wouldn't say that you have nothing." Mako murmured, bending over to pick up his equipment.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean."
"No, it's alright. It's just, ever since we lost our parents, we've been on our own."
"I'm so sorry. I didn't know."
"So anyway, how are we gonna come up with the money?" Mako asked, changing the subject.
"Ooo, Ooo, I got it, I got!" Bolin exclaimed. "I've been training Pabu to do circus tricks now people would pay good money to see that."
"Come on, Bolin, we need serious ideas."
"I was serious."
"Don't worry about it. I'll figure something out. I always do."
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I waved my hand over the candle on my nightstand and ignited the wick with what little power I had. Pulling the covers to my bed, I climbed in and snuggled under all my blankets, laying on my left side to face the candle. I watched the flame flicker and dance, causing shadows against the back wall. I focused on the tiny speck. I tried to observe how it moved. I tried to remember how food tasted like when it stayed on the fire too long. I tried to remember how the heat felt so warm and comforting against my skin. I smiled as I remember the sweet scent of burning wood. Focusing on all my senses, I held my hand out in front of the flame just close enough where I can feel the heat. Without trying, the small flame jumped to my palm and ignited my hand.
I smiled and laughed with pride but when the flame flickered in my hand, the laughter stopped as I tried to regain my focus. A heavy knock on my door made me lose my concentration and I was left in the dark as the flame went out. Groaning, I pushed the covers off me and padded over to the bedroom, stumbling through the darkness. Feeling for the doorknob, I finally found and opened the door just enough to peer out into the dark hallway. From the tall, lean silhouette, I could tell that it was Mako standing in the hallway.
"It's a little dark in here." His gruff voice cut through the darkness. Half a second later, a bright burning ball of flame formed in his palm lighting the space between us.
"Show off." I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest. "Is there something you need, Mako?" He shifted his weight to his left foot and peered down at me.
"I'm looking for Bolin. I haven't seen him all day."
"I haven't seen him either. Not since you guys were training this morning." Silence fell between us. "Have you tried Korra? Maybe he went to the island to see her. I see the way he looks at her." He let out a heavy sigh.
"No, I'm about to go there. I just was hoping he was here. Thanks, Na." He turned to leave and after a second of thinking, I called after him.
"Mako! Wait!" He half-turned to look back at me. "Let me change and I'll help you look for him."
"You don't have to, Nazita."
"He's my friend so if he's missing, I'll help look for him. Just give me a minute." I raced back inside my room and quickly changed into something warm and joined Mako back out in the hallway, closing my bedroom door behind me. "Come on. Let's go find your brother." We walked down the hallway side by side.
"Thank you, Nazita."
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Mako and I walked up the steps to the training area for the airbenders on the island where Tenzin's daughters and Korra were training. Korra turned away from the giggling sisters and faced us.
"Oh, hey, Mako, Nazita." She greeted us, placing her hands on her hips and putting her weight on her left foot. She wore her traditional Southern Water Tribe clothes with a sleeveless top, obviously use to the cold.
"Have you seen Bolin?" Mako cut to the chase.
"Nice to see you too. And no, I haven't seen him since practice. Think something's wrong?"
"I don't know. Bolin has a knack for getting into stupid situations." Mako sighed and turned to leave. "See you later."
"Wait! I could, uh, help you look for him."
"Nah, Nazita and I got it."
"Republic City is a big city, Mako." I reminded him. "We could use the help."
"Hey, Cool Guy, let me help you. We can take Naga."
"Who's Naga?" Mako and I questioned her at the same time.
"My best friend, and a great tracker."
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About an hour later, we were making our way downtown on the back of a polar bear dog. Korra sat up front, steering Naga with Mako behind her and me resting just behind the saddle.
"Your best friend is a. . . polar bear dog." Mako breathed. "Somehow that makes perfect sense."
"I'll take that as a compliment, City Boy." Korra laughed. We pushed further into downtown until we got to a firebender statue and stopped.
"Well, this is his usual hangout." Children were laughing and wrestling around as we slid off Naga's back. Mako began to walk over to the group of children. "You guys see my brother around here today?"
"Perhaps." A boy sneered with a smug look at his face as he turned to face Mako. "My memory's a little. . . foggy. Maybe you can help clear it up."
"You're good, Skoochy. A real pro." Mako reached into his pocket to pull some money out but I placed my hand on his arm to stop him. I knew Mako had little money and he didn't deserve to be giving it away to this little con-artist. I reached into my own pocket and handed the weasel some money.
"Yeah, I've seen him."
"When?"
"About noon."
"What was he doing?"
"He was performing some kind of monkey-rat circus. And then. . ." Skoochy's voice trailed off as he held out his hand for some more money.
"You're a real piece of work, kid." I grumbled as I stuffed more money into his hand.
"And then what?" Mako pressed on. "Why'd he leave?"
"Shady Shin showed up and flashed some serious cash. Bo took off with him in his hot rod." I felt heat pour off Mako as the fire in his veins began to boil. "Triple Threats, The Red Monsoons, The Agni Kais. . . all the triads are muscling up for something real big. Now that's all you're getting out of me. The boy took off away from us, the group of other children following close behind him.
"What's he talking about?" Korra asked Mako.
"Sounds like there's a turf war brewing, and Bolin's about to get caught right in the middle of it."
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Back on Naga, Korra broke the polar bear dog out into a run as we raced down the seats. Mako gripped the sides of the saddle to keep himself steady while I clung to his coat, my heart racing with each leap Naga took.
"So where are we headed?" Korra called over her shoulder to Mako.
"The Triple Threat Triad's Headquarters." He answered. "Hopefully Bolin's there and nothing's gone down yet."
"Triple Threat Triad? I beat up some of those yahoos when I got into town. Why would Bolin get tangled up with—" Korra's words were cut off as Naga growled and made a hard left, throwing us all off balance. "Whoa, Naga." My grip on Mako's jacket got tighter to where my knuckles turned white. Korra lost control over her polar bear dog and Naga began to take her own course as she chased something squeaking in front of her. A flash of red scurried up a lamppost away from the creature that was chasing it. I immediately recognized the furry friend.
"Pabu!" I exclaimed, and Naga barked at it.
"No, Naga. Pabu's a friend, not a snack." Pabu cautiously leaned down and stretched his nose out to sniff Naga and Naga did the same. After making the choice that Naga was no longer a threat, Pabu chittered and jumped on her head before scurrying down her neck and climbing over Korra and Mako before nestling himself inside my coat.
"We gotta hurry." Mako told Korra. It was a couple more blocks before Korra pulled Naga to a stop in front of the headquarters. The entire street was dead and quiet as we climbed off. Pabu climbed out of my jacket and jumped onto Mako, perching on his right shoulder. "Something's not right. There are usually thugs posted out front. We better be cautious." Mako moved up the steps first, silently moving forward toward the door. After peering through the door's windows, he motioned Korra and I forward. With no signs of being stealthy, Korra walked up the porch, past Mako, and kicked down the doors with ease. Mako stared at her in disbelief. We followed her inside and looked around the room to see overturned tables and broken furniture. "Bolin? You in here?" An engine revved up outside and we hurried out to see four uniformed men on motorcycles and one truck pulling out of an alley. The truck doors on the back were flapping in the wind and it was just a glimpse that was needed to see Bolin restrained in the back. "Bolin!" Without a second thought, Mako took off towards the truck that held his brother but two of the men on the motorcycles threw smoke bombs at us and we were blinded in a green cloud of smoke. Wheels screeched as they left the alley. I started coughing as the burn from the smell of the smoke clouded my nostrils and invaded my lungs.
"Naga, come!" Korra called out. Naga panted as she ran up to her master. Climbing on Naga, Korra pushed her to follow Bolin's captors. Mako leaned to the side of saddle and shot a stream of flames at the cyclists. Each of one them dodged the attack with ease. With quick and sudden movements of her arms, Korra summoned up the earth and the pavement in front of the motorcycles rumbled as it began to crumble. But once again, they had no problem avoiding the distraction and keeping up with the truck. As we broke out into the middle of an open courtyard, three motorcycles swerved around to face us. A rope whirled in the air as one of the men threw a restraint at us. The restraint wrapped around Naga's legs causing her to trip and fall forward, knocking the three of us off her back. I groaned as I collided with the brick road and skidded to a halt. One of the men jumped off his bike and ran towards me. He was fast and nimble, very agile. I quickly scrambled to my feet and took a few steps, trying to put some distance between me and my assailant. I spread my fingers and using all the concentration, I could muster up, I tried so hard to summon flames to my palms but all I received was a spit of fire before it went out. Putting some more distance between us, I resorted to my next form of defense. I firmly stood my ground and watched for his next move. He moved like the wind, but I caught the movement of his flying arm just out of the corner of my eye and duck beneath it. Crouching low to the ground, I swiped my leg towards his, trying to knock him off balance but he was quicker. He jumped in the air, so my leg caught nothing and before I could stand back up and make another move, he jabbed his fists several times up my leg. I tried to pull my leg back to me but felt no movement in my limb. Fear clutched my lungs as I became short of breath when his fists moved up my body, hitting several different spots on each of my limbs, rendering me motionless. He pulled out a piece of rope and it swished in the air as he twirled it in the air. I tightly closed my eyes, waiting for what was about to come next but a growling to my left had me open my eyes. Naga, who had managed to get free from her restraints, charged at my assailant. All three attackers danced out of the polar bear dog's reach as she roared at them. Pabu scurried off Naga's back and gave little squeaky roar himself. Throwing more smoke bombs down to cover their escape, they took off in the green cloud of smoke and disappeared. I let out a sigh of relief. I tried to sit up, but my body felt heavy and tired.
"Mako." I groaned as I slowly and painfully ease my elbows underneath to push myself up. Footsteps sounded behind me and a firm grip closed around my upper arms as I was lifted to my feet.
"Are you okay?" He asked me as he allowed me to lean on him for support as my knees wobbled with weakness.
"I'm not hurt. It's just hard to move my body. I don't know what I did." A frustrated groan came from Korra and we looked over at her to see her trying to firebend.
"Ugh!" She growled. "I can't bend!" She grunted as she tried to bend again but failed once more. "I can't bend!"
"Calm down, it'll wear off." Mako assured her. "Those guys were chi-blockers. They're Amon's henchmen."
"Amon? That anti-bending guy with the mask?"
"Yeah, he's the leader of the Equalists."
"What do they want with the Triple Threats?" I inquired.
"Whatever it is, it can't be good." Mako sighed in defeat and buried his face in the hand that wasn't supporting me. "I can't believe Bolin got himself into this mess." Taking a cautious step to the side, still holding onto Mako's arm for support, I looked up at him.
"Mako, we are going to save your brother. I promise you that." He stared down at me, his eyes full of worry for his little brother but I saw a little sparkle of hope stir in his amber eyes.
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
We searched for hours on Naga's back as she tried to track down Bolin's scent. It was well into the night when Naga began to pant, and her paws dragged across the ground with exhaustion. With each block that we covered and no luck of finding Bolin, I felt Mako's hope devolve more and more.
"We've been out all night." Korra said in defeat as she pulled her tired friend to a stop. "There's no sign of him."
"We gotta keep looking." Mako pleaded. "But where?" We sat in silence for a moment before Korra gasped and turned to Mako wide-eyed.
"I have an idea!" Korra steered Naga to the heart of downtown to a park where a fountain sat. After everyone got off her back, Naga walked over to the fountain and began to drink from it. Pabu sat on her head and leaned down over her nose to drink the water as well. Mako and Korra leaned up against the stone wall of the fountain while I stayed a good distance away from it. I hated water and tried to avoid it at all cost unless it was to take a steaming hot bath or shower. "The first day I got into town, I ran into an Equalist protestor over there." She nodded her head towards the edge of the park.
"And you think they'll know where Bolin is?"
"It's our only lead right now." Mako sighed and stood back up, flexing his fingers as if feeling for the fire in his veins. He looked over at me before looking around and then walking over to an open stone-covered area.
"Nazita, come over here." I stared at his back for a second before following him. "Have you been doing the exercises that I told you to do?" Mako had been trying to help me get a grip on my bending but it seemed he was getting more frustrated about it than I was which was throwing me off.
"Of course." I said. He turned to face me and gave me a look of disbelief. I sighed and gave in. "Ok, fine, maybe I don't do them as often as I should." He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, sighing deeply. "They're hard, Mako!" He looked back at me, his eyes blazing.
"They're just breathing exercises, Na!"
"Yes, and they're hard and pointless! Ok, maybe just pointless, but still!"
"They're not pointless. Proper breathing is essential for firebending. I can't help you if you're not willing to do what I tell you." He moved to turn away from me, but I caught him by the arm. I savored the warmth that seeped through his clothing and wandered if my skin would ever feel like that.
"I'm sorry, Mako. Please. I'll do them." I looked around and saw that the park was still empty. Naga and Pabu had moved to the grassy area underneath a shaded tree with Korra on the ground, leaning up against Naga's side. "The place is still empty. It looks like we have some time. So, please, tell me again how to do it. Please." The experienced firebender let out another sigh and walked over to Korra, motioning me to follow him. He sat down beside the avatar and I sat down in front of him, crossing my legs.
"Firebending comes from the breath, not the muscle. It becomes energy within the body and is released in the form of fire. Inhale through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth." I nodded and sat up straighter, cupping my knees in my hands and closing my eyes. Inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly, I could feel Mako and Korra's burning gazes. My eyes snapped open and I glared at both.
"I can't concentrate with you two staring at me."
"You're going to have to deal with distractions, Nazita."
"Fine but do something other than just staring at me in silence." I tightly closed my eyes and returned to breathing in through my nose and breathing out through my mouth.
"So, why is Bolin running around with the Triple Threat Triad anyway?" Korra asked Mako.
"Well, we—we used to do some work for them back in the day."
"What?" Korra exclaimed loudly. I glared at her, digging my fingernails into my kneecaps but when Mako cut his gaze to me, giving me the silent command to return to my exercise, I closed my eyes and resumed my breathing. "Are you some kind of criminal?"
"No. You don't know what you're talking about. I just ran numbers for them and stuff. We were orphans out on the street." With each word Mako spoke, his tone got harsher and harsher. "I did what I had to do to survive and protect my little brother."
"I'm sorry." Korra said softly, her voice full of regret and sympathy. "It must have been really hard. Can I ask what happened to your parents?" I heard Mako sigh in exasperation.
"They were mugged by a firebender. He cut them down right in front of me. I was eight." Forgetting my breathing exercise, I opened my eyes to stare at him in shock, sharing the same expression with Korra.
"Mako. . ." Mako tilted his head down to nestle his nose into the red scarf around his neck, gripping the fabric between his index and thumb.
"Bolin's the only family I got left. If anything happened to him. . ." I leaned forward and placed my hand on his knee to offer him a comforting touch.
"Nothing is going to happen to him." I vowed and prayed that I could keep that vow.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
I had laid down by Mako's legs and stared up at the gold and red leaves whispering in the wind. I must have fell asleep because it was a loud speaker that jolted me to alertness.
"Equality now!" A man's voice rang out. "Equality now! We want equality now!" Warmth flooded into my right cheek as I stirred awake. When my eyes finally fluttered open and my vision became focused, I realized that the warmth I was feeling was coming from Mako's leg that I was using as a pillow. Korra was leaning against Mako and his head was resting on top of hers. As they both begun to wake up and saw the positions, we each had fallen asleep in, we jolted away from each other. My heart raced as I scrambled to my feet and waved my hands in front of me as I gained my balance on my feet who were still trying to wake up. I let out a shaky breath and as I did, flames ignited from my fists and shot towards Korra and Mako and quickly used their bending to dissipate it from them before glaring at me.
"Sorry!" I pleaded as I grinded my fists together and bowed my head, getting my breathing under control and felt the warmth in my hands disappear. Embarrassment showed on Korra and Mako's face and I was sure it showed on mine as well, so I turned my back to them and looked for the source of the man who woke me up.
"Non-benders of Republic City."
"That's the guy." Korra confirmed. A guy with the biggest sideburns I have ever seen stood on a podium with a loudspeaker and a banner of Amon behind him. A crowd slowly started to form around him as he continued to preach.
"Amon calls you to action. Take back your city." All three of us began walking towards the speaker. "It's time for you—" His words were cut off with a gasp as his eyes landed on Korra and stared at her with fear and shock. "It's you again. You cannot silence me, Avatar." He yelped as Korra walked up to him and slapped the loudspeaker out of his hand. It clattered against the stone ground and shattered into pieces.
"Shut your yapper and listen up. My friend got kidnapped by some chi-blockers. Where'd they take him?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." His voice quivered with the lie he told to the avatar's face.
"That sounded convincing." I muttered to Mako.
"Oh, I think you do." Korra growled. She slammed her right foot down on the ground, causing a slab of stone to erect underneath the podium and sent it flying into the air. The speaker was able to jump off it with a yelp before it could take him with it. Pamphlets scattered about, and the speaker groaned as he crawled around to collect as many of them as he could. Mako snatched one of the pamphlets out of the air and I leaned over to scan it.
"Witness the Revelation Tonight, 9:00." Mako read out loud before looking down at the speaker who was still picking up pamphlets by his feet. "What's this revelation?"
"Nothing that concerns the likes of you three." The old man snapped. He shrieked as Korra grabbed him by the collar his shirt and dragged him up towards her till her face was about three inches away from his.
"You better believe it concerns us." Korra retorted. "Spill it."
"No one knows what the revelation is. And I have no idea what happened to your friend. But if he's a bender, then my bet is he's getting what's coming to him."
"Where's it happening?" I questioned him. Someone blew a whistle to the left of us on the other side of the water fountain and we all turned our heads in that direction to see a man running towards us.
"Hey, what's going on over there?" The man yelled.
"The avatar's oppressing us!" The equality speaker shouted. "Help!"
"Let's scram." Korra suggested, throwing the man away from her before running back over to Naga with Mako and me on her heels. After snatching a few more flyers from the ground, Mako hopped on Naga behind Korra and I followed him.
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"Why didn't the equalists put a location on this?" Korra groaned as Mako laid the flyers out in front of him. We sat on a bench just outside the train station trying to figure out the location to Amon's revelation.
"Probably because they don't want just anyone waltzing into their big revelation." Mako muttered. "Whatever that is. I bet the information is hidden on here somewhere. Look at the backs. They're four different images." He held two different images in each hand.
"So, it's a puzzle?" I asked him, trying to keep up with whatever was going on inside his head.
"Yeah. . . of a map." He stood up and walked over to the map that was posted on the side of the booth and held the images up to it, moving them in different positions, trying to find a match. "Bingo. That must be where it's going down."
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
Where nine o'clock rolled around, Korra, Mako and I made our way to an old rundown factory just on the edge of town.
"This is the place." Mako whispered to us as he peered around the corner while groups of people poured into the entranceway of the building.
"You two go through the front." I mumbled. "I'll find a way through the back." Mako looked at me.
"Na—"
"I may not be able to firebend, Mako, but I can sneak around. I'll be fine. Now go." I waited until Korra and Mako blended in with the crowd before moving down a dark alley that led to the back of the factory. Peering around to each corner to check for guards I made my way up a fire escape stairwell to the top floor where a window had been busted out. Climbing through the window, careful not to cut myself on the shards of glass jutting out, I stood in the darkness for a moment, allowing my vision to come into focus. Walking on the balls of my feet, I made my way across the room to the doorway. The room led to then open main floor where it was packed with people in front of a stage that held a poster of Amon. I spotted Korra and Mako on the other side and I moved around the wrapped around bridge to meet them.
"I knew a lot of people hated benders, but I've never seen so many in one place. Keep your eyes out for Bolin." Lights turned on the stage as we walked down and mingled within the crowd, slowly making our way towards the front.
"Please welcome your hero, your savior, Amon!" An invisible speaker announced as an opening from the stage emerged and Amon rose up from underneath the stage. Several chi-blockers showed up and lined up behind him. The crowd cheered and applauded, deafening me.
"My quest for equality began many years ago." Amon spoke into the microphone in front of him. "When I was a boy, my family and I lived on a small farm. We weren't rich, and none of us were benders. This made us very easy targets for the firebender who extorted my father. One day, my father confronted this man, but when he did. . .that firebender took my family from me. . .then he took my face." The crowd gasped. "I've been forced to hide behind a mask ever since. As you know, the avatar has recently arrived in Republic City." I forced myself not to look over at Korra in fear for giving her away. The crowd started booing loudly. Mako pulled off his scarf and wrapped it around her neck and she pulled it up to cover half her face. To any bystander, it would look like a boyfriend giving his girlfriend a scarf to keep her warm but in reality, it was to help conceal her identity. "And if she were here, she would tell you that bending brings balance to the world, but she is wrong. The only thing bending has brought to the world is suffering. It has been the cause of every war in every era, but that is about to change. I know you have been wondering what is the revelation? You are about to get your answer. Since the beginning of time, the spirits have acted as guardians of our world, and they have spoken to me. They say the avatar has failed humanity, that is why the spirits have chosen me to usher in a new era of balance. They have granted me a power that will make equality a reality—the power to take a person's bending away. . .permanently."
"That's impossible." Korra quietly gasped, Mako and I matching her reaction. "There's no way."
"This guy's insane." Mako muttered.
"Now for a demonstration." Amon continued. "Please welcome Lightning Bolt Zolt, leader of the Tripe Threat Triad, and one of the most notorious criminals in Republic City." A couple of chi-blockers escorted an older man, restrained with ropes, onto the stage. The crowd booed once more.
"Oh, boo yourself." Zolt growled. The chi-blockers led more people onto the stage and my breath hitched in my throat when I saw the one person in line.
"There's Bolin." I whispered to Mako. Korra began to move forward but Mako yanked her back.
"Wait." He said. "We can't fight them all. We need to be smart about this."
"Then come up with a game plan, Team Captain." Korra growled at him.
"Zolt has amassed a fortune by extorting and abusing non-benders, but his reign of terror is about to come to an end. Now, in the interest of fairness, I will give Zolt the chance to fight to keep his bending." A chi-blocker untied Zolt and stepped back.
"You're going to regret doing that, pal." Zolt snapped. A fireball exploded from Zolt's hand as he aimed for Amon. Fireball after fireball, Amon dodged each one with ease as he quickly made his way down the stage towards Zolt. Electricity crackled as Zolt desperately tried to switch tactics on Amon. Amon disappeared within the light of the lightning bolt, but he reappeared just in front of Zolt, pushing his arm to the side. Amon spun him around and brought him down to his knees, lightning still flashing from Zolt's fingers. Zolt groaned as Amon pressed his fingertips to his forehead. Electricity turned to fire and soon that fire was gone. Amon let go of Zolt, allowing him to fall forward. Zolt groaned and then grunted as he groggily pushed himself off the ground and swung his fist towards Amon, trying to firebend but nothing happened. The audience murmured in awe. "What—what did you do to me?"
"Your firebending is gone. . .forever." The audience gasped. "The era for bending is over. A new era of equality has begun!" The crowd cheered as a chi-blocker grabbed what looked to be a waterbender from the line-up and pushed him to be in front of Amon.
"Any ideas yet?" Korra asked Mako.
"I think so." He murmured. "See those machines?" He cocked his head towards the two boilers that hung up on the wall to the left of us. "They're powered by water and steam. If you create some cover, Nazita and I can grab Bolin without anyone seeing. Then we duck out of here."
"Works for me. Mako, good luck."
"You too." Korra disappeared into the crowd and I stayed close to Mako's side as I followed towards the stage. The waterbender on the stage groaned as Amon took his bending away. The crowd applauded and the guy next to Bolin was presented to Amon. Mako looked around nervously, anxiously waiting for Korra's signal. He grew more antsy when the chi-blocker walked up to Bolin and began to untie him and shoved him forward just as Amon took the bending away from the previous man. Amon slowly turned to face Bolin who looked terrified and the audience cheered Amon on.
"Uh, hello." Bolin managed to squeak out, pressing his fingertips together. "Amon, sir. I think there's been a big misunderstanding. Amon began to walk towards him but before Amon could reach him, there was a loud explosion to the left of us as one of the boilers blew and steam began to fill the room, clouding everyone's vision. The audience screamed and began to scatter. Mako and I rushed forward, running blindly through the steam and up the steps of the stage. We ran towards the sound of the gasps and Mako disappeared into the steam to pull a chi-blocker off Bolin and threw him off the stage.
"Bolin, you all right?" Mako asked his little brother.
"Yes, Mako! I love you." Mako grabbed him by the arm and led us through the smoke to the back door of the factory and climbed down the fire escaped ladder. We were all half way down the ladder when a chi-blocker appeared above us and pulled out his two electrical prods and zapped the metal ladder. My muscles tensed and contrasted and I gritted my teeth as the current entered my body. My breath hitched in my throat, a scream building in my chest as I was jolted from the ladder along with Bolin and Mako. I hit the ground with my back with a hard thud, groaning as my muscles felt like they could snap like rubber bands if I tried to move them. Mako and Bolin landed beside me. A blur of movement came from above and I knew the chi-blocker had jumped down to finish us off. Static blue flashed in my movement and I waited for the electric current again but something grabbed me by the arm and yanked me up to my feet in the nick of time. Mako had pulled me back out of the chi-blockers range. He shot a stream of fire at the assailant but of course, it didn't hit its mark. He charged at Mako and quick as lightning, disabled him, knocking him to the ground and electrocuting him before turning to me. A wall of stone formed in front of me as Bolin blocked the chi-blocker's advance on me. Mako groaned and I rushed over to him and helped him to his feet as a groan came from Bolin on the other side of the wall. Mako rushed around the wall but was quickly knocked back down to the ground by the chi-blocker. Without a second thought, I came around the bend and tried to firebend but failed miserably and it cost me. The chi-blocker slammed his prods down on my extended arms and I groaned in pain before he swept my feet out from under me causing me to land on my back. I yelled out when he electrocuted me in the chest.
"You benders need to understand there's no place in the world for you anymore." The chi-blocker growled. The pavement loudly cracked as a slab of earth launched the chi-blocker into the air, making him hit the wall behind him and falling to the ground. He struggled to push himself up to look at Korra who was in an earthbending fighting stance.
"I wouldn't count us out just yet." She retorted just as the chi-blocked lost consciousness. Korra whistled. "Naga!" Naga barked as she rounded the corner and raced to her owner. Korra helped Mako and me to our feet and assisted us to climb on Naga's back. She got the polar dog moving and Naga picked Bolin up by the scruff of his shirt with her mouth and she carried us to safety.