Hello FF. I realize that this is long overdue, but life tends to get in the way. I hope that it was worth the wait.

On the Rise

Chapter 2: An Imminent Threat

Korra woke with a start, the blaring sound of sirens echoing around Mako and Bolin's loft. She sighed and flopped back down on the cot she was sleeping on. It had been like this ever since she had gotten back from helping Lin and the police stop the infinite crime sprees rampaging throughout the city. The culprits all seemed to be petty crooks, but it was too organized to be a coincidence. The minute that she and the police stopped one robbery, two acts of arson and a break-in would crop up halfway across the city. It was too much to handle. Exhausted, Korra managed to stumble back to Mako and Bolin's newly repaired loft. They let her in at once. Asami was staying there as well. Korra sighed again and got up; there was no way she could get any more sleep, no matter how tired she was. The constant sound of sirens had kept her awake most of the night. She walked over to the window, past Mako, who was sleeping peacefully. The sun had just begun to rise, casting Aang's memorial in shadow. Korra heard soft footfalls and turned to see a tired looking Asami walking towards her. Asami gave her a small smile.

"Hey. Couldn't sleep either?"

Korra shook her head. "No. Those sirens made sure I couldn't."

Asami joined Korra next to the window. There was a long silence. Asami spoke softly.

"I still can't believe last night happened."

Korra sighed. "I know, me neither…I know being the Avatar means that I need to keep the peace, but…I mean, first Amon, and now this…"

"Hey, at least you're not alone. And…" Asami's voice became quieter. "…You have someone to be with…"

Korra gave Asami a puzzled look. "What are you talking about?"

"…I know about you and Mako."

Korra's eyes widened and she quickly looked back out of the window.

"What do you mean?"

Asami leaned on the window sill, still looking out over the ocean.

"I saw what happened after you got your bending back. I followed you because I was concerned. I guess I didn't need to be."

Korra looked at Asami, a sense of overwhelming guilt invading her sleepy mind.

"Look, Asami, it's not like that. He told me that you already talked about it and that everything was fine."

Asami glared at Korra.

"You really believed that? Do you really think that I would just let him go without wanting some sort of explanation from him? He didn't say a damn word to me."

She looked away and her irritation gave way to sadness.

"I admit that I had my suspicions, but I didn't want to believe it. Everything became clear after you were kidnapped."

She shook her head quickly.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I'm glad it happened or anything. I mean, I was worried sick too. But Mako…he just dropped everything and didn't rest until he found you. All of his thoughts were about you, finding you, making sure you were safe. It was like I was invisible…"

Korra didn't know what to say. All she could do was listen to her as Asami poured out all of her feelings. Asami chuckled dryly.

"I know that everything I just said sounds extremely selfish. But I can't help it. I love him."

She turned and looked Korra in the eye.

"And as much as I love him, I can't change his heart. He loves you, Korra. And there is nothing I can do about it."

How could she have been so stupid? Korra had no idea that Asami was suffering this much. She finally realized all of the pain, sadness and hurt that Asami had felt all this time. Asami's eyes filled with tears as Korra grabbed her hand gently.

"Asami…I…"

Asami pulled her hand away. She saw the hurt look on Korra's face, and gave her a sad smile.

"It's ok…I'm just glad I was able to be honest with you."

Asami wiped her eyes and took Korra's hand in hers. "Take good care of him for me, okay?"

Korra returned her smile. The two of them looked out of the window at the sunrise. The faint sound of water sloshing against the break walls harmonized with the distant calls of gulls.

A loud snore interrupted the tender moment. Jolted out of their reverie, the girls looked around just in time to see Bolin roll right out of bed. He hit the floor with a loud thud, waking immediately.

"But it's a friendly mushroom….Wait…"

Bolin stared up at the girls, groggy eyed.

"You're not a mushroom…"

And with that, he slumped back down and fell asleep again.

Korra blinked and looked at Asami. Asami stared back. Both girls burst out in fits of laughter. Asami doubled over while Korra was clutching the windowsill for support. Their laughter was enough to jar Mako from his sleep. He woke so suddenly that he fell out of his bed and landed on the floor in a crumpled heap. He sat up, his undershirt over his head.

"Whut happened?" he said, groggily.

This just made the girls laugh all the harder.

Once they were all dressed and had a hastily eaten breakfast, the four of them made their way to the police station. The condition of the city had improved, but not by much. The raids on shops and businesses had slowed, but the evidence was still there. The walls of the ruined shops were covered in graffiti, the most common was a red crescent moon flanked by a violent storm. They passed few citizens on their way. Most of the citizens of Republic City seemed to have barricaded themselves in their homes. The citizens they did see were constantly on edge. The non-benders of Republic City were starting to eye any bender as a potential threat. The group received many glares from passerby. Korra knew she needed to stop this soon before what little peace there was shattered. The four of them finally reached the station. They were waved though security and led to the atrium. The normally quiet atrium was a confused mass of rushing policemen, the constant sound of phones ringing, and citizens either reporting a crime or being led away in chains. Sergeant Saikhan was waiting for them among the chaos. He looked immensely relived to see them.

"I'm glad you are here, Avatar. The Chief would like to see you immediately."

He led the four down a long and confusing series of hallways until they reached the control room. The control room was not as big as Korra expected it to be. A medium sized room that could fit about 20 people comfortably, the control room was, for all purposes, a giant metal box. Tables topped with phone line connectors lined one wall. Twelve women worked quickly, relaying orders given to them by higher ranked officers. In the center of the room was a large metal table with a map of the city on it. Leaning over the map, brow furrowed as she barked out orders was Chief Beifong. Sergeant Saikhan hurried toward her.

"Chief-"

Chief Beifong furiously held up a hand, silencing him.

"Not now!"

She turned her attention back to the map and addressed the waiting captain.

"I want 3 units down to handle the situation at Central Station and I want a dirigible by Central Avenue and I want this done five minutes ago. Move!"

The captain saluted her. "Ma'am!"

He then hurried off. Only when he left did Chief Beifong look up from the table. She looked tired and weary. For the first time since Korra had known her, her age reflected in every line in her face as she sighed and looked over at them.

"Glad you could make it."

Korra straightened up and walked over to Chief Beifong.

"What do you need us to do?"

Chief Beifong gave Korra a wry smile.

"For starters, you could get me a stiff drink." She shook her head.

"For the most part, we've got the situation under control. Right now, we're dealing with cleaning up, rounding up the stragglers, and calming the general public down." She grimaced.

"I've already heard rumors that the citizens believe that all of this is benders are taking revenge for Amon."

Mako stepped forward, a look of anger and disbelief on his face.

"How can they even think that?! That's one of the stupidest things I've ever heard! It's completely irrational! How could they possibly justify this?! We risked our lives to bring him down!"

Asami put a calming hand on Mako's shoulder, but he shrugged it off. Korra glanced back and saw the look of hurt on Asami's face. Cheif Beifong sighed and put her hands on her hips.

"I know. But it's what they think, and getting angry about it is only going to make things worse."

Sergeant Saikhan appeared before them again with two officers in tow.

"Chief Beifong, there's someone here who wants to see you."

Chief Beifong turned to Saikhan, an eyebrow raised.

"And they don't think I have more important things to do right now? Tell them to go see a desk clerk."

Sergeant Saikhan shook his head and moved to talk in Chief Beifong's ear. Chief Beifong's expression hardened. She nodded to Saikhan.

"Tell him I'll meet with him shortly."

Sergeant Saikhan bowed then left, taking the officers with him. Chief Beifong lowered her head and exhaled sharply.

"Great…first my city breaks out in riots, now this…"

Chief Beifong walked around the meeting table and headed for the stars that led up to the main floor. She stopped at the bottom and looked back at the group.

"I need to take care of this. I hate to do this but, I need your help…All of you. I need you to go help my officers try to regain control of the city."

Korra straightened and nodded. She looked around at the others. Mako tightened his scarf around his neck. Bolin was cracked his knuckles, a small smile on his face. Asami had already donned her electrified gauntlet and flipped her hair back over her shoulder. Without saying a word, the four of them rushed up and out if the police station, ready to take on a city at war.

Sergeant Saikhan was waiting for Lin when she reached the top of the stairs. He bowed to her slightly when she walked by him on her way to the interrogation chamber. She glanced at him sideways as they walked down the winding hall.

"Who is he?"

Saikhan handed her his report.

"We found him in an alley by the docks. He was about to sell some Cactus Juice to another man."

Chief Beifong scoffed in disgust. Another C.J. dealer. Cactus Juice, or C.J. on the street, was the fermented water that was contained by the cacti of the desert outside Ba Sing Se. It was a very powerful hallucinogen and it was extremely addicting. Gangs made a fortune by dealing the stuff on the street. Chief Beifong sighed and looked down at the file. The I.D. read; Xin "Creed" Liang, age 32.

"Did you catch the junkie as well?"

Saikhan spoke in a regretful tone.

"Unfortunately, no. He managed to slip away as we dealt with the suspect in question."

By that time, they pair had reached the interrogation room in which the addict was held. The guard stationed there stood at attention as Lin and Saikhan approached. He bowed to the pair.

"Chief, Sergeant."

Lin nodded her greeting as she slid the metal door aside with a wave of her arm. She walked into the dimly lit metal room. Xin sat in the interrogation chair, his hands chained to the table. He was shaking, his eyes full of fear. Lin threw the file down on the table as the door slid shut behind her. She folded her arms across her chest and looked down at the man before her.

"Xin Liang. My Sergeant tells me that you're into dealing C.J. Now, why would a fine, upstanding worker at Masao Shipping Company partake in such a slight against the law?"

She glared at Xin, who was trying to look everywhere else in the room but at Lin.

"I-I…It was my first time. I just wanted to try it once, I swear! I will never do it again, I promise! I just needed a little extra money this month, that's all!"

Lin held back a scoff. If she had a yuan for every time she heard that…

"I would be inclined to believe you if you didn't have a previous record here 'Creed'."

At the mention of his street name, Xin's personality changed instantly. He stopped his frantic shivering and leaned back in his chair, a scowl on his face. When he spoke, even has voice had changed. He went from a frightened civilian to a hardened criminal in the blink of an eye.

"Damnit…I thought I finally got away from you."

He sighed.

"You already know I won't say a thing until I talk to my lawyer."

Lin smirked at him.

"Actually, not even your lawyer will be able to get you out of this one."

There was a knock at the door. With a stomp of her foot, the door slid open to reveal an officer standing outside with an envelope. He handed the envelope to Lin then stepped back outside. He bowed before closing the door behind him. Lin opened the envelopes and tossed the pictures onto the table. They showed Xin making several deals with multiple people. Xin glared down at them. Lin smirked as she saw him grinding his teeth. Sweat began to bead his forehead.

"Like I said, your lawyer is going to have a tough time getting you out of this one."

Xin swore softly and looked Lin in the eye for the first time. "What do you want from me?"

Lin took out the last photo in the envelope and placed it in front of Xin. It depicted Xin kneeling in front of a cloaked and hooded figure. Lin placed her finger on top of the hooded figure. "Tell me who your boss is. Who is the Grey Lotus?"

Xin turned pale. He started sweating more profusely. His eyes went wide and he began to tremble. His voice was filled with fear.

"No….No….I can't."

Lin slammed her hand down on the table and leaned in close. "You'd better change that to 'can' or else I'm leaving you to the mercy of all the criminals in this tank, now tell me! Who. Is. The Grey Lotus?"

Xin became even more frantic. "I can't!"

Lin felt her frustration boil over.

"WHO IS HE!?"

Xin strained against his bonds as he yelled back.

"I CAN'T OR HE'LL KILL ME!"

Lin was taken aback by the intensity of Xin's fear. She decided that she should handle this a little more delicately. She backed off and managed to calm her frustration. "If you cooperate with us, we can guarantee your protection"

Before she even finished, Xin began to shake his head furiously.

"No, you can't save me from him. No one can save me from him."

Xin leaned forward suddenly, his eyes wide with fear.

"He is ruthless. He has no regard for human life. He just does what the boss wants him to do. We get our orders from him, but if we don't follow them to the letter…" He trailed off and swallowed.

"…He does inhumane things to keep us in line."

Xin slumped back in his chair and said no more. Lin waited a few moments before walking back to the door and giving it a sharp rap. It opened and she walked through it. The officer standing outside stood at attention when she addressed him.

"No one comes or goes into this room. This room is on lockdown until I figure out who this 'Grey Lotus' is."

She didn't see the officer nod as she turned and walked back toward the control room. It worried her that there was someone who could inspire so much fear in a person. First the crime sprees and now this. Her city was at war again. And it was losing.

Korra was beginning to get frustrated. She, Mako, Asami, and Bolin had been chasing a pair of vandals for what seemed like an eternity. The three of them had been rounding up criminals all day. They found two thugs looting and defiling a clock shop when they gave chase.

"Oh for the love of….I SAID STOP!"

She threw a stream of fire at the two, hoping to slow them, but the vandals flung their arms out behind them, creating a wall of earth between them and Korra. Bolin rushed ahead of the others.

"Don't worry! I got this!"

With a mighty shove, Bolin brought the wall crumbling down. Mako shot his brother a proud smile. "Nice one, bro!"

Bolin grinned back, flexing his muscles. "Too easy!"

Korra, irritated with how long they've been chasing, decided to get these brothers in line. "Would you both knock it off?! They're getting away!"

The vandals had turned a corner and vanished from sight. The four rounded the corner…And stopped dead in their tracks. The vandals were waiting for them, along with at least a dozen other men. They were all carrying a weapon of some sort. Clubs, swords, bricks, stones, even a few crossbows. Korra heard Bolin gulp loudly. This was the last thing that she expected. Asami took a defensive stance and hissed to Korra. "Well? Got any bright ideas?"

Korra hissed back at her, her eyes glancing everywhere.

"Umm…Still working on it."

The makeshift platoon raised their weapons and charged. The four did what they could only think to do; run. They turned and ran hard. Bolin raised a giant wall of earth behind them, aiding in their escape. Korra heard the wall crumble as the rabble's own earth benders took it down. She heard the crowd coming after them. It sounded like a lot more than they originally saw. Luckily, she spotted a sewer up ahead. She quickly formulated a plan and told the others.

"Asami! Sewer ahead! We'll shock 'em!"

Asami nodded and shouted "Ok!"

When she reached the sewer, Korra focused as hard as she could. She felt the water flowing beneath her as it coursed through the tunnels under the city. She heaved a gigantic wave and shoved it at her pursuers, drenching them in the dirty water. Her plan worked. The initial shock had surprised most of the militia. The others ran into those who had stopped and caused some confusion. Asami pulled a palm-sized orb from her pouch and tossed it at the wet crowed. The ball popped open and hundreds of volts of electricity flowed through the water, shocking the militia. Korra began to celebrate, but caught herself as the militia began to recover. Mako stepped forward, his hands full of lightening.

"Careful, stand back!"

Mako unleashed the lightening at the standing militia members and they fell. Korra let out a sigh of relief. Things couldn't get any worse than this. The universe seemed determined to prove her wrong. Asami's radio let out a burst of static, signaling that there was an incoming transmission. Asami grasped it and held it up, gesturing to the group to come closer.

"Asami here. What's going on?"

At first there was no reply. Then Sergeant Saikhan's voice came over the receiver. It kept cutting out, making it difficult to hear him.

"Asami! We're pinned down by…station! Fire….Too many….Need help now! Can you-"

His last words were drowned out by a piercing scream of agony. Korra grabbed the radio from Asami and shouted into the receiver.

"Saikhan, hey! Hello? You there?! Hello!"

She was only answered by more static. She gripped the radio hard. A feeling of dread began creeping down her spine. She looked at her companions. Mako and Bolin held matching expressions of worry. Korra gave the radio back to Asami and started towards the car.

"Come on. We have to get to the station, and fast."

When the four of them reached the station, they were not prepared for what they found. The station looked as if it had been decimated by a bomb. Piles of earth and metal lay everywhere. To the Avatar's horror, among these piles lay the bodies of metalbenders. They lay, bloodied and broken, covered in burn scars. Korra felt her stomach roll as the stench of burnt flesh hit her nostrils. Asami let out a small gasp and hurried toward a pile of rocks at the base of Zuko's statue. Lying there, his armor all but melted away, was Saikhan. He looked bad. Really bad. Hoping that she wasn't too late, Korra grabbed a couple of waterskins from the car and rushed to the fallen Sergeant. She was relieved to find that he was still breathing. She willed the water around her hands and pressed it against Saikhan's chest, evoking the healing powers of her craft. She muttered to Saikhan, her voice strained by concentration.

"Just hold on…I got you."

Saikhan gasped loudly and attempted to speak. The words were faint and Korra bent down to hear.

"Behind…You…"

Mako's worried voice called out from behind her.

"Korra, whatever you're doing, you'd better hurry. We got company."

Korra cursed softly under her breath. "How many?"

"One."

Confused, Korra glanced over her shoulder. What she saw caused an unexplainable fear to rise up inside her. Just as Mako said, there was just one man. He was dressed in a warrior's robe, held together by a silk sash. His pure white hair was drawn back in a ponytail that flowed down to his waist. He carried a blade the like of which Korra had never seen before. It was his eyes that made him so frightening. His eyes were a deep black and seemed lifeless. He carried an aura of such cold certainty, that Korra couldn't look at him for long. When he spoke, his voice carried that cold certainty, exemplifying his detachment from emotion.

"If you would kindly step away from Sergeant Saikhan, I would like to complete my task."

Mako clenched his fists, his voice furious. "Are you telling me that this is your fault?"

The man stared at him blankly. "You could say that, yes. All I wanted was the Sergeant. The others got in my way. They were…expendable."

The usually brave Mako faltered. This man just described killing several people with the nonchalance of taking about the weather. This guy was psycho. Mako's eyes met Korra's and saw the same fear he felt reflected in her eyes. The man sighed and took a step forward. Mako, Bolin, and Asami placed themselves in between the man and Korra. The man's eyes narrowed and he raised his blade. White hot flames burst forth and surrounded the blade. Korra felt the searing heat from where she stood. He was strong. Very strong. The man bent his legs, preparing to strike.

"So be it."

His movement was faster than Mako anticipated. He barely managed to avoid the blade as it came for his throat. The flames licked at his eyebrows, singing them. He flipped backwards and tried to get his bearings as his brother charged forward to cover him. Bolin sent solid bricks of earth at the stranger who dodged them with a dancer's grace. Every movement put him closer to Bolin until eventually he drove the heel of his foot into Bolin's chin, sending him flying. He hit the ground hard and was still. Before the stranger even had time to recover, both Mako and Asami flung themselves at him. The two worked in unison, striking and dodging, poking for holes in the stranger's defenses. The stranger held his own against the pair, parrying Asami's glove with his blade while blocking Mako's blows with his body. Asami threw a left hook at him while Mako threw flames at his legs. With agility that could only belong to a master at martial arts, the stranger twisted Asami's arm around, forcing her to intercept Mako's flames. Asami cried out in surprise and pain, passing out almost instantly from the heat. Mako cried out her name, taking his eyes off the stranger for a fraction of a second. That was all he needed and he plunged his knee into Mako's stomach. Mako's eyes went wide with surprise as the wind left him. With one last sharp blow to the back of his neck, Mako went down and lay still. Korra stood, having stabilized Saikhan, and turned to face the stranger. Her hands shook with anger and guild, knowing her friends were hurt because she had to keep Saikhan alive.

"Who are you…" Her voice shook with fury. Her eyes began to glow a bluish white as she allowed herself to fall into the Avatar state. "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!"

The stranger simply stared. "I did this to follow orders. No more, no less." He glanced around at the bodies of the fallen metalbenders. "They got in my way. They needn't have died."

Korra felt hot tears of remorse stain her cheeks. If only she'd been faster…Her voice carried the power of the past Avatars when she spoke.

"I won't let you kill Sergeant Saikhan. You will be stopped here."

If the stranger was surprised by the fact that he was facing the Avatar, he did not show it. "So you are the Avatar. A worthy opponent."

He slid into a fighting stance, the flames around his blade dancing.

"I am known as the Grey Lotus. It will be a great honor to kill you." With that, he lunged.

To be continued.

End Chapter 2

(Please let me know what you think. I promise I will get the next chapter done within the next decade.)