For a long moment, the room is a frozen tableau.

Abruptly the man makes a sudden motion for his belt.

Chief Beifong's arm snaps out, sending a whip of cable to wrap around the intruder, pinning his arms to his sides.

The man drops to his knees. "Help! Help!" He shouts, clearly fighting off laughter. "I'm being kidnapped! Help!"

The door bursts open, and several officers rush in to find Chief Beifong and Mako standing over the bound intruder, who is lying on the ground chuckling quietly.

"What's going on?"

"This man is under arrest for breaking and entering." Cheif Beifong snapped. "Lock him up."

"Yes Chief!"

The newly arrived officers shot out cables, keeping the intruder bound as Beifong retracted her cable, and escorted the still chuckling intruder out of the room.

"What do you think that was about?" Mako asked, raising an eyebrow as he and Beifong relaxed their stances.

"I don't know, but I intend to find out."

A couple hours later, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Mako entered. "Chief, we processed our mystery man."

"And? Who is he?"

"We don't know. There's no record of him anywhere. No pictures, no travel records, nothing. We even checked with the guards at the spirit portal, to see if he'd come through there. None of them remember seeing him. It's like this guy just dropped out of the sky. Also, funny thing. You remember how he went for a weapon when he was in here?"

"I remember. What of it?"

"Well, that's the thing. We searched him thoroughly. We wasn't carrying anything, weapon or otherwise. Not even son much as a wallet."

"Hmm." Lin considered this for a moment, then looked back at Mako."Has he said anything?"

"Nothing we didn't already know. He says he'll talk to you though. Says it's something about Korra."

Lin sighed and got up from her desk. "Then I suppose I don't have much choice. Where is he?"

"Interrogation room 2."

Lin headed up to the interrogation room. Once Mako was in the observation booth, she entered the room.

The silver-haired intruder got to his feet as she entered, hunching a little because of the handcuffs that held him to the arms of his chair. "Lin! How very nice to see you! If I'd known you were coming, I would have baked a cake!"

"Save it. You're going to answer two questions for me." Lin sat down across the table from the prisoner. "Who are you, and what do you want with Korra?"

The man sat down slowly, still smiling, and lounged back in his chair. "Is there a particular order you want your answers in?"

"So long as you answer my questions, I don't care what order you do it in."

The man's smiled got a little broader. Lin had the sensation that she'd lost a point,in a game she hadn't known she was playing.

"Very well then. My name is...that's funny. It's been so long since I thought about it that I've almost forgot. Taimu! That was it. My name is Taimu."

Lin leaned forward. "Alright Taimu, if that is your name, are you going to cut the funny business and start being serious?"

Taimu's smile abruptly vanished. "Certainly." He said, all humor abruptly gone from his voice. "But you'll soon wish I hadn't. As to your second question, I will say this; Korra is going to the eastern air temple. I'm going after her. If you don't get to her before she reaches the temple, she will die."

Lin allowed herself a small smirk. "How were you planning to do that? You're a little stuck at the moment."

Taimu's smile returned, more smug than cheerful. "Lin, after everything that you've done, you really think that I could be just another common criminal?"

Lin started to get up. "Common or not, you are still a criminal, and you'll be staying here, in police custody until Korra returns."

"Bet?"

Something in Taimu's voice made Lin look up at him-

To find him gone, the cuffs that had been holding him shattered, and the window of the observation room crashing to the floor in pieces.

Lin bolted to the empty window to find Mako getting up off the floor, and the door to the hall standing ajar.

"What happened?" Lin asked, vaulting in to the room.

"I don't know." Mako said, rubbing his head. "One moment he was in his chair, the next I was on the floor with the window exploding above me. Where did he go?"

"He got out, but he won't get far. There are officers all over-"

There was a crash of shattered glass.

By the time Mako and Beifong reached the scene, there were already several officers present.

"What happened?" Beifong demanded of the nearest officer.

"That silver-haired guy was in running down the hall. When I wold him to stop, he jumped out the window." The officer's eyes betrayed his mounting confusion. "But when I got to the window, he was gone."