1:

He was seated in the back of one of the police's steel lined vans. He rested his arms on his knees and buried his face in his hands. World-weary was an easy emotion to fake, since he had felt it often. He touched the smooth skin of his face without the gritty, smudging makeup that formed his scar. He picked at the corners of his eyes, remembering how the red paint sometimes stuck there. He let out a sigh and sat back to face his companion.

She was staring at him with a small smile playing at the corner of her lips and concern in her eyes. It wasn't something he had ever expected to see. "You're younger than I thought," he said. He pitched his voice up and got rid of his affected accent that he used for speeches.

She grinned, and some of the worry left her expression. "Yeah, seventeen," she said.

Seventeen. She was still a child, even if she didn't know it. For a brief moment, he wished that she was a little older. It would help to get rid of the little glimmer of guilt he still felt. "You sounded older over the radio," he said. He sighed and rested on his knees again, a picture of defeat.

"I'm sorry," said the girl. He didn't look up. "I'm sorry I didn't make it in time. What kind of bender are you?"

"I was a waterbender," he said. "Couldn't you tell?"

"You do look like you're from the water tribe," she said. "But someone told me recently not to assume, now that the four nations are starting to come together. Are you from the north or the south?"

"The north," he said, knowing she was more familiar with the southern water tribe.

"Nice to meet a cousin," she said. "What's your name?"

"Temur," said Amon. Every word he said was filled with bitterness. He wanted her to feel her failure.

"I'm Korra," she said. Her voice had deflated a little, and he knew he had succeeded. "If you don't mind me asking, how long were you in there?"

He had come up with a believable timeline before executing his plan. The little details mattered in a deception like this. "Three weeks," he said.

He wasn't looking at her, but he heard the shift of water in her body. She was nervous. "When did he take your bending?" she asked.

"Just yesterday," he said. With two simple words he could imply that she was too slow, too unsure of herself. If only she had acted the day before, he might still have his bending.

Again, an uncomfortable shift occurred in her body. "Why did he wait?" she asked. "Why didn't he want to use you in the demonstration two weeks ago?"

Clever girl. Luckily, he had an excuse ready for this as well. In fact, his explanation was the crux of his plan. He met her eye with a new expression. Now, it was his turn to be nervous. "I don't know," he said in a very unconvincing way.

She noticed. "It's alright," she said. "You can tell me."

His eyes flicked over to the window looking into the driver's compartment. It was so obvious that he knew she would understand. Her head twisted towards the little window before standing. She balanced herself against the movement of the van, took one quick step over to his bench, and sat next to him, leaning in an appropriate distance, but still close enough for him to whisper his secret.

She was right there. He could forgo the rest of his plan and snap her neck without a second thought. The cycle would continue, but it would take years for a new Avatar to emerge and develop. He might even be able to intercept the child and sway it to his will. How perfect would that be? He played around with the thought for a second but decided his original course was better.

"I…" he said with a planned hesitation. "I'm not just a waterbender. I'm a bloodbender."

As expected, she jumped away from him, sliding down the bench towards the door. "You're a bloodbender?" she asked.

He put on his best look of contrition. "I'm not dangerous!" he said. "I wasn't. I mean, you didn't even know my name. I never used it on anyone or got into trouble with it."

Her sympathy had disappeared. "How did you get to be a bloodbender then?" she asked. "Without practicing?"

From their previous interactions, he had pegged her as a rash, impulsive, stupid sort of person. It seemed that she was more thoughtful than that. Still, he had his plan, and it accounted for any twist or turn. He looked away from her, as if looking into the past. His story wasn't too far from the truth, but he omitted the more important details.

"I found out when I was a kid that I was a little more in tune with water than most of my friends," he said. "Not more than you, I'm sure, but I started noticing it during the full moon as I was growing up. When I told my father, he realized what it meant, and he was scared of it. He knew the law Master Katara put in place, but he also thought that I shouldn't just ignore my ability.

"We started out on moonlight fishing trips, and made me catch fish using bloodbending. I got pretty good. Enough to be able to control a turtle seal, but I've never used it on a human being. Ever."

The final part was the key. He would see if she was intuitive enough to take the bait he was offering. "I haven't used it once for the past twenty years since I left the north pole. Then when the Equalists caught me, they told me what they were going to do to me, and I panicked. It was close enough to the full moon that I was able to take hold of some of them, but then Amon showed up." He paused for effect, and felt the girl's heartbeat. "For a second, I could feel his fear. He wouldn't get close to me. But I was distracted enough not to notice the chi-blocking net they shot at me.

"The last thing I heard from him was that no one was supposed to get close to me for the next three weeks. They locked me in that cell with enough food and water to pass the time, and then Amon showed up yesterday to take my bending away. I couldn't bloodbend, or do anything to stop him."

"Yesterday was the new moon," she said. Another thoughtful connection. He had underestimated her.

The silence passed between them for a long time, and he wondered what she was thinking. Her heart was beating fast enough to indicate anxiety or fear, but it could also mean excitement. Would she understand the implications of his story?

"You're sure he was afraid?" she asked. "How could you tell?"

He had to fight hard to hide a smile. "I could feel it in his heartbeat," he said. "It's just something I can do. Could do," he clarified.

Again, there was a long pause, during which his heart settled into a slow thudding pace. He needed to remain calm, no matter what.

"How good were you?" she asked. "Really?"

"Good enough," he said, trying not to let too much pride enter his voice. He needed to appear ashamed of his talent.

"Is it something you would be able to teach?" she asked.

Hook, line, and sinker. "You want to learn?" he asked. His voice spoke of incredulity. Anything to make her think he was on her side.

Her eyes didn't blink as she stared at him, sizing him up. "Do you really think Amon would be afraid of it?" she asked. "Do you think it could stop him?"

"I don't know if it could stop him," he said. "But I know he was afraid."

He could see his victory in her eyes, but she remained silent for the remainder of their trip. The van stopped at the Republic City main police station, and doors at the back of the van flung open to reveal a harsh orange glow of the electric streetlamps. He shielded his eyes until they became accustomed to the sudden brightness and followed the Avatar into the building.

He was interviewed by the chief of police, Lin Beifong, so the atmosphere in the room was more like an interrogation. The Avatar was allowed to stand in on the session, but she didn't say a single thing, opting to stare at him for signs of uncertainty. He made sure not to scare her off while answering all of the chief's questions sufficiently. He told the same story that he had told the Avatar, except omitting the detail of his bloodbending and the part about scaring Amon. He told Beifong that he didn't know why the equalists had waited to take his bending, and she seemed to believe him. He needed to be careful with her. The chief of police was a decent investigator. She would be able to see through a half-hearted, unprepared lie. Uncertainty was more difficult to see through than dishonesty.

In the end, Beifong's sympathy came out, and she let go of her interrogation facade. She shook his hand and wished him well, promising to bring justice to the equalists. That was when the Avatar cut in.

"Chief, I was going to follow up with Temur," she said.

Beifong shot the girl a chilly look. "Why is that?" she asked.

"Well, as long as you don't need him for further investigation, I kinda wanted to experiment on him," said the Avatar. "So far, he's the only non-criminal whose bending has been taken away, and if anyone deserves to get his bending back right away, it's him. I want to take him to Tenzin and try to work some spiritual mumbo-jumbo on him to get his bending back."

The chief looked sceptical, but nodded. "That's probably the most rational thing you've done since you got here, Avatar," she said. Then she turned her back on both of them and made her way down the hall, leaving him and the Avatar alone to watch her departure.

He opened his mouth to speak, but she held a finger up to her mouth. They made their way back to the entrance in silence, only their footsteps making a sound. He watched her move. In a way, her progression was similar to that of a fox antelope: elegant, smooth and determined. In others, she reminded him of that polar bear dog he had heard so much about, lopping and awkward in her own strength and confidence. Such self-assuredness would be easy for him to challenge, especially physically. He was tall enough to see the crown of her head from above, and his hands were big enough to wrap a stranglehold around her neck. That would have to wait, though.

Outside the air was cool and refreshing. Once they were out of sight of the police station, hidden away from the orange light of the streetlamps, she finally spoke. "I figure, since you told such a convincing lie, that you're agreeing to try this with me?" she asked.

"If you think it's for the best," he said. "I'd like to get back at those equalists. Plus, it's hard to refuse the Avatar."

He could feel the muscles in her face fall into a frown. "Are you going to keep calling me 'Avatar', like everyone else?"

For a second, he felt genuine surprise. He had assumed that she enjoyed her title. "I'm sorry," he said. "That's just what everyone calls you."

"Not my bending instructors," she said, with an affected bow one would perform for a teacher. "Please, call me Korra."

He nodded. "Alright, Korra," he said. "What do we do now?"

"We head to air temple island," she said. "I want to tell Tenzin about this before we begin. Do you need to let anyone know where you'll be?"

Telling the airbender had not been a part of his plan. He was hoping to keep his presence in the Avatar's life a secret. He could fool Beifong for one brief interrogation, and he could fool a child like Korra for an extended period of time, but an enlightened adult airbender would be different. He had planned to work on this operation for a month. He had made all the proper arrangements with his lieutenant and the rest of the equalists. Their plans would be put on hold for a while, during which he would be able to manipulate and destroy the Avatar for good. With Tenzin around, his time was either halved or doubled, and he couldn't be sure which at the moment.

Still, he kept up his act. "No," he said. "My job's gone with my bending, and my family is still in the North Pole." He hesitated on purpose. "Do you think maybe, you might actually be able to bring my bending back?" He added a twinge of pleading into his voice and she ate it up.

"Of course," she said. "It's my number one focus. For everyone."

He tried to look her in the eye, but the shadows were too prevalent, and her face was nothing more than an obscure, round figure. "Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome. Now, let's head over to the island."

He wished he could use some of his bending to help out with their trip across the bay. She was good, but still young, and yet to achieve her full power. It was one of his advantages, for which he was very grateful, but the pace of their progress in the boat left something to be desired. Besides that, being out on the open water made him wish he could join in and feel the thrill of bending. He had been hiding it for so long now, that even the smallest act of waterbending made him feel good. It was like physical training for the first time after a long injury. Even the pain in the muscles was somehow ecstatic.

When they finally touched down at the dock of Air Temple Island, they were greeted by a statue holding a lantern at the edge of the pier. Only it wasn't a statue, it was the airbender: Tenzin was the picture of dignity. Dressed in his airbender finery and well groomed, even in the middle of the night, he made a very stoic, respectable figure. When the Avatar leapt onto the dock, however, the image was destroyed. He welcomed her with open arms and a kind word.

"We were so worried about you tonight," he said. Then he set her back a step, holding her by the shoulders. "Didn't you say you would be home early?"

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm so sorry. We got caught up in a raid of an equalist base. I managed to save one." The way she said the word 'save' made it clear that she did not believe she had saved anyone.

"And who is this?" asked Tenzin, finally turning to the newcomer.

Amon climbed out of the boat with an appropriate clumsiness for someone who had just lost their connection with the water and the sea. He kept his distance from the airbender, but met his eye and introduced himself. "My name's Temur," he said.

"Temur," repeated the airbender. "I'm Tenzin. Korra's guardian in Republic City."

Amon didn't know how to proceed, but the Avatar saved him the trouble. "They took his bending away," she said. "Just like at the demonstration two weeks ago."

"I'm so sorry," said Tenzin. "I can't begin to understand what you're feeling, but I hope you know that we're all trying to find a solution to the current tensions in our city."

Amon nodded, allowing himself a private smile in his subconscious. How futile were their efforts. "I hope it'll be over soon," he said.

Tenzin nodded. "But why are you here tonight?" he asked. "Surely, you would like to go home to your family after being freed?"

"I don't really have fam-," he began. The Avatar cut him off.

"We need to talk about him," she said. "Can we go to the tearoom?"

"Of course," said Tenzin. With a sweep of his orange and yellow robes, he lead the way up the sloping land of the island to one of the houses. Korra and Amon walked side by side, like co-conspirators. She gave him a thumbs up and a playful smile. It was odd seeing her so relaxed and childish around him. He preferred it to her usual loudmouth, boasting attempts to seem older than she was.

Tenzin made them tea and lit a multitude of candles to provide enough light to make it seem like daytime. Amon liked the atmosphere of the place. It was very calm and natural, sort of like a fire-lit hut in the North Pole, but warmer as well. He drank a quick sip of the hot tea and waited for Korra to take the lead.

"So what's this about?" asked Tenzin.

The Avatar took a long, deep breath. "What I'm going to tell you is going to make you mad," she said. Tenzin's expression turned to one of exasperation that Amon guessed he wore very often. "Temur is...was a waterbender before the equalists got him. But he was also a bloodbender."

Tenzin sucked in a quick breath and stared at Amon as if he had some sort of plague. "You were a bloodbender? That's illegal."

"I know," said Amon.

"Let him explain," said the Avatar. "Please, Tenzin, you need to hear this."

The airbender looked stern and skeptical, but he nodded. "Alright, explain yourself."

Amon, as Temur, went through the exact same story he had told the Avatar in the police van: everything about his proclivity for the perverse talent, the details of his 'humane' training, his capture by the equalists, and Amon's fear of bloodbending. By the end of it, Tenzin seemed to be lost in the same sea of thoughts that the Avatar had experienced.

Amon and Korra waited in silence while the airbender processed everything. "So, you believe that bloodbending could be a key to stopping Amon?" asked Tenzin. He directed his question at Amon.

"I don't," he said. He feigned fear of the airbender. "I mean, I didn't think that until she did. I have nothing to do with this plan."

"Yes, he does," said Korra. Her stubborn, forceful voice had returned. "Tenzin, if Amon himself was terrified of bloodbending, maybe it's because he knows it can stop him. Temur said he felt that fear."

Again, Tenzin looked at Amon, who nodded. "I could feel it in his heartbeat," he said.

"So what do you propose?" asked Tenzin.

"That he Temur teaches me bloodbending," said the Avatar. A forced silence fell between the girl and her guardian. It only lasted a few seconds, but Amon could feel the tension.

"You want to learn something so vile that it can control another human being," said Tenzin. "Something that gets rid of free will. Do you really think you understand the gravity of that? Do you Temur?"

Amon put on an expression of shame. "I know," he said. "That's why I never use it."

"Never?" asked Tenzin. The airbender was testing him. "Not even once? Subconsciously? What about when you lost your temper with someone. After a crossed-line or a last straw?"

"Never," said Amon. "I only used it on animals, and that was only because my father wanted me to know what I could do."

"And why was that?" asked Tenzin.

"Because he was afraid that if I didn't know, I might use it the wrong way."

The airbender stared at him with hard black eyes. Amon met his unwavering look without blinking or faltering. He made his expression into one of grave understanding and reluctance at the curse he had been blessed with.

Tenzin turned his gaze on Korra after a while. "I want to make sure you understand what you're getting into," he said. "It would be a bad day for the world if the Avatar were to fall to the corrupting force of absolute power."

"I understand Tenzin," she said. "I'm only doing this because I think it can put an end to Amon's power."

Amon looked at her, hiding a smile. He wanted to laugh his lungs to bursting.

Tenzin seemed to be on her side. "Alright," he said. "I trust your judgement and your intentions. Tell me, Temur, how would she proceed with training this particular skill?"

Amon gathered himself and put on a show of being an inexperienced teacher. If he were not keeping up an act, he would have the Avatar undergo a similar, brutal training to the one he had experience with his father. "Well, we would have to work at night to start with," he said. "Not for a few days because the moon isn't out. But it'll be easier to teach you at night in the beginning. That is, if you have the talent for it. It might not work for you until the full moon." In fact, he was sure of it.

"You mean you can do it at any time?" asked Tenzin. The fear had returned to his eyes.

"Well, I used to be able to," he said. "I don't know how other waterbenders do it, but my dad said he thought almost anyone could learn it as long as they were young enough and pushed hard enough. I don't think it'll be easy for you Ava-I mean Korra, but if you want, we can try to get it to the point where you can do it whenever."

She seemed as nervous about it as her guardian. "Maybe we can just stick to the moonlight thing for now," she said. "I'm not expecting to face Amon in broad daylight anyway."

It was a dumb attitude in his opinion. One had to use every advantage over an enemy, no matter how immoral the world deemed it or how reprehensible it was supposed to be. He continued to smile though. "That sounds good to me," he said.

"It's decided then," said Tenzin. "You'll continue with your airbending training during the day, and start this other thing in the evenings."

"And probending," she said.

Tenzin and Amon had the same reaction, though only the former showed it on his face. "Korra, I wish you'd give up on that silly endeavor," said the airbender. "Even after all you've seen, you still don't seem to understand that his needs your full attention. A lot of people are counting on you." He cast a not-so-subtle glance at Amon.

"I know," said Korra. "But I can't give up on it now. Mako and Bolin are counting on me."

"So when will you sleep?" asked Tenzin. "If you're up all day with me and those boys and spending your nights with waterbending training?"

"Maybe we can start a bit later in the day," said Korra with a smile. "Then I won't have to be so sleep deprived."

Amon stayed out of it while the Avatar argued with her guardian about training times. Clearly, the airbender was not the same sort of teacher that Amon would be if he wasn't acting as the timid Temur. He supposed he would have to work around the girl's whims. At the end of it all, she wasn't really supposed to learn bloodbending. It could make her a risk.

"Alright, well, it's late enough," said Tenzin. "Let's let our new houseguest get some sleep. Would you like to stay with us while you help Korra?"

"It'd be more convenient," said Amon. "If you have room."

"We have more than enough room," said Korra. She jumped to her feet as if it weren't four hours past midnight. Amon picked himself up and felt the weight of the day. "Follow me. I'll show you to one of the spare rooms. Maybe we should dress him up as one of the acolytes so the White Lotus guards don't get suspicious."

Tenzin nodded. "That would be prudent," he said. "I don't know what the consequences would be for teaching bloodbending to the Avatar, but they probably aren't good."

Amon wasn't looking forward to wearing the orange and yellow clothing, but he had no choice but to go along with it. He followed the Avatar to a different building, separate from the main house, but far larger. The hallways wound endlessly, but he committed the route to memory. It turned out to be unnecessary since his room was on the second floor and had a window that was easy to climb out of. At least he would be by himself.

She had found some clothes along the way and handed them over to him. "They'll try to wake you up early tomorrow, but I'll get it sorted out so that they don't bother you after that," she said. There was a small smile on her face. "You should come meet the family at breakfast. It'll be after my early morning training session in the main house."

"That sounds nice," he said. "Thank you, Korra."

The sound of her name instead of her title brought a bigger grin to her face. "No, thank you," she said. "If everything works out, we'll be the ones to put an end to all this."

He nodded and managed a smile before she left. "Goodnight," she said as his door closed behind her.

"Goodnight, Avatar," he whispered to himself. A manic grin stretched over his unburnt face, and Amon allowed himself a soft chuckle before preparing for sleep.