Published February 18, 2013

Author's Note: I'm really sorry this took so long! I think the length of this update will make up for it. Truthfully, I'm a little nervous about this chapter—at least the second half. Fight scenes aren't my forté, and here I'm trying to balance them with character interactions as well. Let me know whether you think it plays out realistically.


Chapter Seven
"Rescue"

It was chilly in the darkened alleyway. Asami stuffed her hands in the pockets of her overcoat. Tahno had his arms folded. Both were staring at the ground before them, occasionally glancing off to the side. Naga sat on her hind legs, alert and ready to pounce, though for the moment all was quiet—almost deceptively quiet.

Asami's mind was on the triads, on everything she knew or had heard about them. She understood that they were organized crime rings, composed mostly of adult males.

She knew that cooperating with them was the safest thing—not only for Korra, but also for others whom the triads threatened and blackmailed and bullied. Cooperating and giving in to their demands granted immediate safety. But it also allowed them to continue doing what they did. It put off short-term problems while perpetuating the long-term one.

Asami glanced again at the building Bolin and Korra had entered, where Mako probably was. She wondered if there was anything inside that could help the police better track the criminals. Would they keep financial records of the crimes they committed? They must have some kind of ledger, a record of people or profits, something that could be turned over to the police. But Korra had made it clear that their only objective was to get Mako out safely.

Asami sighed. She hated not knowing, being left out. She had felt that way the night they discovered the tunnel under her father's workshop. One couldn't wait around forever.

"I wish we knew what's going on in there," she said, if only to break the silence.

Tahno shrugged. "It's only been five minutes. If they don't come out in another five, we'll go."

A sad, ironic smile tugged at the corners of Asami's mouth. "If my father saw me now, he'd either die from shame, or have a heart attack from worrying about me."

Tahno glanced sideways at her. "Your dad's Hiroshi Sato?"

The fact that he asked the question meant that he knew the answer. But Asami nodded anyway. "Yeah. Entrepreneur, Future Industries founder, Equalist collaborator."

Earlier, Tahno had questioned Bolin about the Satos to be contrary and hint that trusting him wasn't as questionable as trusting some others. But Bolin's answer had made him curious. "So, how come your dad joined the Equalists, and you didn't?"

Asami looked at him, frowning a little. Her mouth opened slightly, but she didn't answer right away. Then she sighed, bowing her head.

"My father said he joined them because of what happened to my mother. When I was about six years old, the Agni Kai triad broke into our house. My mom was killed by a firebender."

Tahno glanced up to look at her. "I'm sorry." He couldn't remember the last time he'd said those words; Tahno never apologized, because he never regretted anything he did, much less tried to make up for it.

"Thanks," Asami said, the now almost automatic response to that phrase. "You know, after my mom died, my dad enrolled me in self-defense classes, so I'd be able to take care of myself even though I'm not a bender. But I never had anything against benders in general. I only recently found out that he did, for a long time." She laughed humorlessly. "When I confronted him about it, you should have heard the way he talked—it was like weird, twisted idealism. Then he asked me to join him, right there, in front of Korra and the boys."

There was a moment of silence, which Tahno broke to get her going again. "So, he invited you to join them. Why didn't you?"

"I just … never agreed with what they did. And there was no way I was going to help him hurt my friends, and other good people who just happened to be benders." She looked sideways at him. "I was there, the day you lost your bending. I was so afraid for Korra and the boys—and you and your teammates—I started to get out of my seat, thinking maybe I could help, but my dad pulled me back and told me not to get involved." She snorted a little. "And it turned out, he was the one who manufactured the electric gloves they used at the Arena. Motivations aside, I couldn't help anyone who used methods like theirs. So I joined Korra instead."

Tahno was silent, thinking about that. It all sounded reasonable; she'd probably had plenty of time, both before and after the fact, to think about where she stood.

"Can I ask you something? About you and them?" Tahno asked.

"Sure," Asami replied.

"Do you ever get the feeling that, even though you're working with these guys, you aren't really part of the group?"

"No." Her answer was simple, unhesitating, and free of doubt.

"Really?"

Asami paused, considering. "Maybe when they were just a Pro-Bending team," she admitted. "Mako was my boyfriend, my only real connection to them. Bolin and Korra were my friends by default. Then when the Arena shut down, I invited the boys to stay at my house. But I think they really started to include me after I turned against my father, and the boys and I moved to Air Temple Island with Korra." She smiled a little, remembering. "That was when we formed the new Team Avatar. It was like, we weren't going to sit around and see what the Equalists would do next. We were going to do something about it. And since we were living with the Avatar, it only made sense that we should help her do her job."

She stopped, realizing that she was doing most of the talking in this conversation. "Sorry, I'm rambling," she said apologetically.

"No, that makes sense."

Asami peered at him, trying to see behind the locks of hair that covered half of his face. "Was there a purpose behind your question?"

Tahno was silent for a moment; Asami thought she saw him flex his fingers around his folded arms. Finally he spoke. "I'm not a part of 'Team Avatar'. Am I?"

Asami blinked at him, and found that she wasn't able to answer. Tahno nodded. "Exactly."

"Maybe you could be," Asami offered. "I mean, you don't have to move into the Air Temple, but if you want to help us out whenever we have a problem—a crisis, an attack, a rescue—I don't think they'd turn you down."

"I'm not so sure. They don't like me, Asami." It was the first time he had spoken her name aloud.

"I'm not so sure that's true," Asami said thoughtfully. "I think Korra, at least, is warming up to you."

A smile tugged at the corners of Tahno's mouth. "And you?"

Asami shrugged. "I haven't known you for as long as they have. But I can't deny that you're a skilled fighter." She had seen him fight in the Arena more than once. "I think you're valuable to us. You just have to show that you are. And you're already on your way to doing that—you're helping us rescue Mako. Thank you, by the way," she said suddenly.

"You're welcome," Tahno said automatically, though his eyes were slightly confused.

Asami smiled, with some quality or emotion that he couldn't identify. "Mako's still my friend, and teammate. I'd hate to lose—"

Suddenly a shrill whistle pierced the air. Tahno recognized it, from the night he first met Korra. And now he knew what it meant, what she was doing.

Naga leapt to her feet, and before they could stop her, she ran out of the alley, turning the corner and charging at the double doors.

"Come on!" Asami pounded the pavement, chasing after the polar-bear dog. Tahno swiftly bended some water from the snowy sidewalk and rushed after them.


"What was that for?" Zolt demanded after Korra whistled. Viper started to tackle her; Korra didn't resist, since that would probably spur them to hurt Mako and Bolin.

Then they heard Kentaro pound on the door. "We got company!" That was all he had time to say, before Naga charged at the door, breaking it down in her run.

Bolin was able to break free and pull Mako to the side as Naga all but pounced on the Triple Threats. The men screamed, cursed, and scattered as she ran around the wide room, knocking over what little furniture there was. Korra took advantage of their surprise to turn on Viper, initiating a hand-to-hand fight. Two-Toed Ping tried to throw some fire at Naga, but Tahno doused it quickly as he followed in after her.

"Tahno?" Mako said in disbelief.

His former rival smiled smugly and saluted him with two fingers. "Good to see you, too."

"Nice of you to show up," Korra said wryly, before resuming her fight with Viper and two non-benders.

Asami came over and knelt down next to the brothers. "Asami?" Mako looked surprised and slightly dismayed.

"Go help them," she said to Bolin, who stood up and went to Korra's side to fight. Asami pulled a pin out of her hair. "I'll have you free in a second," she promised, as she started to pick the lock on the chains around Mako's hands.

"You all shouldn't be here—especially you, Asami—"

She cut him off as the chains finally gave way. "I lost one family member to a triad." She grasped his arm and helped him stand. "I'm not going to lose another," she said, looking at him with something like fierceness.

Naga knocked Shady Shin down on his hands and knees behind the table on which he had left the magazine. He picked up the tabloid, studied the picture, and then lowered it to look at Asami. "The Sato heiress?" he said, looking incredulous but almost happy. "One would think you'd know better than to come here."

Asami turned, narrowing her eyes at the man. Tahno had never seen the sweet-tempered girl look so dangerous. It was almost alluring.

Before either Asami or Mako could turn on Shady Shin, an earth disc hit him in the back, knocking him forward so he landed flat on his face. "And one would think you'd know better than to mess with Team Avatar," Bolin said.

Mako couldn't help smiling as he stood and joined his brother. The polar-bear dog and the five teenagers clashed against the seven Triple Threats. Even though four of the latter didn't have bending, they were desperate, and it showed in how hard they fought.

It had been too long, Tahno thought, since he'd had such a real, intense fight. He'd become reacquainted with the feeling of bending, but he had forgotten the sensation of adrenaline in his veins, having to anticipate the next movement and think how to stop it. It was harder than Pro-Bending, where you were bound by rules and limits, some of which no amount of bribes could ink out.

One of the windows broke as Viper bended some water in from the snow outside. "Careful!" Korra shouted as the glass rained down on one side. Naga stayed away from the front entrance then, limiting where she could move in the room.

Asami found herself facing the firebender, Two-Toed Ping. There was a moment when fear almost seized her, remembering how her mother had stood against a firebender. Asami could defend herself against attackers, but there was little she could do against the elements.

That was why Tahno threw his water across the room, blocking Ping's attack. Asami would have smiled if she weren't so anxious and focused. "Thanks. I owe you."

No, you don't, Tahno thought but didn't have time to say as he fended off Ping and Viper's attacks.

When it seemed each of her friends were holding out against their opponents, Asami slid off to the side and ventured up the stairs to the second floor. If there was anything of value, anything like evidence, it would probably be kept upstairs.

She looked into every room on the second floor. The space wasn't abandoned, but it didn't look recently lived-in either. The Triple Threats who sometimes stayed here probably lived like invalids. The last room held an unmade bed, a table with a glass-covered electric lamp, and a bookcase—empty.

Just then she heard someone coming up the stairs at the other end of the hallway. Rather than hide further inside the room, she stood in the threshold as he came up and found her.

His pale orange jacket suggested Fire Nation; but if he were a firebender, he would have shown it already. His eyes had something like pent-up hatred in them. But he didn't attack her right away; he seemed to be weighing whether or not she was worth fighting. "So you're the Avatar's Equalist friend?"

"I am not an—"

"Here to make sure we don't get our bending back?"

Asami didn't know what he was talking about, except that he was accusing her. That only made her more defensive than she already was. "I'm here to make sure my friends don't get hurt. I don't care, whether someone has bending; if they threaten people—specifically the ones I care about—I'll fight them with everything I have."

"Oh, that's beautiful." With that he dove at her, but Asami met him with a fist in the pit of his stomach.

As they exchanged blows, one thing became apparent: this guy was a fighter, but he didn't know the first thing about hand-to-hand combat. He managed to grab her wrist once, but Asami ducked and twisted out of his grip, forcing his arm behind his back and pushing him onto his knees.

"Where do you guys keep records?" she demanded.

"I wouldn't know."

Asami shook him roughly, twisting his arm even more. "Tell me!"

"We're moving headquarters! Zolt took out anything important. What's it to you?" As he finished, he jabbed the elbow of his free arm into her stomach, hard, almost knocking the wind out of Asami. She gasped, and responded by pushing him forward onto the floor; now he was facing her again, and she was practically on top of him. The man grabbed a fistful of her hair, causing Asami to cry out, though it was almost more from anger than from pain. He let go when she punched him forcefully in the jaw; she doubted that she broke anything, but it caused him enough pain to stun him momentarily. Her fist hurt, but she didn't care.

"That's for my mother," Asami said harshly, before punching him again, this time between the stomach and his ribcage. "That's for Mako." She was going to add Korra and Bolin to the list, when she felt a hand on her arm. She looked over her shoulder and saw Tahno standing behind her, looking at her with a serious intensity she hadn't seen him direct at her until now. In his eyes there was something like a warning, or an admonition.

Asami faltered under that gaze, and then let her hands fall limply to her sides. Tahno nodded, and then turned back toward the stairs. "They need us."

Asami stood and followed him without a word.

While this was happening, Kentaro had come in and joined the fray, facing off against Bolin. Viper kept trying to corner the Avatar, but she was more elusive now (as a result of her airbending training), and Naga continued to get in the way. Mako was sore from being tied up and not getting any sleep, but he fought Ping and the non-benders as best he could, though he had to be careful not to set anything on fire in the building. The triad's former earthbender produced a set of throwing knives, practically antiques, which he attempted to use in combat. Bolin yelped and threw up a slab of earth to block them. At one point Korra was knocked down by a particularly hard double attack from Viper and Kentaro.

"Don't kill her!" Zolt exclaimed. "If you kill the Avatar, our bending's gone for good! Not to mention what the cops would do."

"What about the others?" Kentaro asked between blows.

"If they die, it's no loss to us."

Mako heard this and tried to dodge Ping's flames to get to Korra. She had to understand, the goal needed to be for their team to escape, not to bring each man down. But as he tried to navigate across the chaotic room, the mustached knife-thrower turned on him. Mako had to duck quickly to avoid the star-shaped dagger thrown at him.

"You know what your mistake was?" When Mako didn't answer, he said, "You thought you could walk out and forget that you were ever one of us. It doesn't work like that."

Tahno and Asami came down the stairs, just in time to see the non-bender's dagger fly toward Mako, whose fire couldn't deflect the projectile.

Mako shouted and bent over, his arms pressed over his stomach.

"Mako!" Korra screamed, rushing to him.

Bolin was shocked for a moment, before he saw Kentaro and the knife-thrower about to strike Mako and Korra again; then he came to his senses and met them halfway, knocking the knife-thrower unconscious and putting the earthbender on the defensive.

Korra was kneeling next to Mako, who had just pulled the dagger out of his side. Blood started to soak slowly but steadily through his clothes. "Come on," Korra said, putting his left arm over her shoulder. Asami went to Mako's other side, so both she and Korra were supporting him as he stood.

"Go! I'll hold 'em off!" Bolin said, stomping on the ground and causing the floor to rise up under the Triple Threats.

"I got your back." Tahno summoned the water back to him, looking and feeling every inch the elite Pro-Bender.

"Don't let her get away!" Zolt roared. Naga, Bolin, and Tahno stood in his way, ready to defend for all they were worth.

Korra kicked open the back door, and they exited into the wide alley. Mako groaned in pain, even though most of his weight was on the girls.

"Set him down here." They lowered Mako so he was sitting up with his back against the wall. Korra waterbended some snow from the sidewalk, melted it to water, and rested it on Mako's stomach.

"How painful is it?" Korra asked, trying to feel out the wound and stanch the blood that was soaking through his shirt.

Mako grunted. "It hurts … but I'll live."

Asami wiped her hand across her eyes, then stood and turned her back to them, facing the entrance in case anyone should follow them.

Korra bowed her head, her hands not pausing as she did her best to heal him. "I'm so sorry, Mako." She was sorry he had been kidnapped because of her, and even more sorry that he'd gotten hurt.

"Come on, we're not out of the woods yet." Asami urged them, glancing between them and the door.

"Korra." Mako grabbed her wrist, stopping her in the middle of healing him. "You have to get out of here. It's you they want."

"What?" Asami looked between them in confusion, but they didn't have time to explain.

"You're the one who's hurt," Korra said stubbornly. "You're the reason we came here."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

There was a sound like glass breaking inside. Korra and Asami exchanged worried glances. Korra wondered if they needed help, and knew she was the best one to help them.

She rose, facing the building, and whistled with two fingers. "Naga, come!" Then she turned back to Mako. "Can you stand?"

Each of the girls took one of his arms and helped him stand up; Mako grimaced and clutched his injured side. Naga came out through the back door and stood next to them. Korra looked over at her teammates. "Asami, I need you to take Mako back to Tahno's apartment."

Mako started to protest. "Korra—"

"There's no time to argue!" Korra retorted as Asami mounted Naga's saddle. "We need to get out of here. Naga can't carry the five of us." Asami bent down to help Mako. Korra pushed him onto the saddle. "You guys can get a head start." She squeezed Mako's hand, meeting his eyes with reassurance. "I'll make sure Bolin gets away."

"Don't forget Tahno!" Those were the last words Asami called to her as they sped away on the polar-bear dog. Mako glanced behind at Korra; then they turned the corner and were separated.

With Naga no longer guarding the back entrance, the Triple Threats were able to fight their way out. "There she is!"

Korra turned to see Viper and Two-Toed Ping enter the alley. She smiled darkly. "Looking for me?"

Ping's answer was to throw a torrent of fire at her. Korra did a back handspring to avoid it, then landed on her feet and took a defensive stance. "I think we're overdue for a rematch," Viper said venomously, holding up his water weapon.

Bolin tumbled out the door into the alley. "Leave her alone!" he shouted, launching a block of earth at Viper. Tahno came out next, with Zolt on his heel. Shady Shin and the man Asami had left upstairs remained standing in the doorway, unsure whether or not they needed in this fight. The three remaining teenagers faced off against the two benders and former firebender.

Tahno tried to send a jet of water at Ping, but the firebender sent an equally powerful blast, evaporating the water before them. Tahno's eyes widened as Ping drew back his hands, which crackled with electricity.

Korra glanced at them between blows, and gasped as she realized what was happening. She knew what Ping was doing, and she knew what had to be done to stop it. She even knew how to do it—she just didn't know if she could do it. But she had to try. At least as a firebender she had a chance of succeeding; Tahno had no chance at all.

She turned sideways as she leapt in between Tahno and Ping, extending two pointed fingers toward the lightning that Ping produced. Tahno's mouth dropped open, watching her.

Korra cringed, feeling a strain similar to the time she had to hold herself up by an armband to avoid being electrocuted; only now she was willingly conducting—or at least trying to redirect—the electricity. She couldn't hold it much longer, though. She pushed forward with her left arm, sending the lightning back towards Ping. There was something like a small explosion, and the backlash sent Korra flying backwards. She landed hard, skidding on the pavement before she came to a stop. She didn't move.

"KORRA!" Bolin dropped the earth he'd been bending and rushed over, kneeling down next to her. "No, no, no, no, no …"

Tahno and the Triple Threats stared, all of them shocked or incredulous. "Is she …?"

Their voices were tainted with fear. "Dude, if you've killed the Avatar …"

Tahno turned slowly, and looked at the Triple Threats with anger that he hadn't displayed since the Tournament. He spoke slowly, his words laced with venom. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"I didn't think she'd do that!" Ping protested. "It was meant for you!"

Tahno flexed his hands, summoning snow from just outside the alley. "Let's scram!" Shady Shin exclaimed, pulling Ping after him. If the Avatar was dead, they had lost their chance of getting their bending back anyway.

Tahno swung his arm in the air, sending a jet of water after them for good measure. "Cowards!" He watched, panting and snarling, as the criminals disappeared around the bend. He wanted to chase after them and give them what they deserved; but right now he had to focus on helping Korra.

Bolin looked slightly confused by what had just occurred. Then he looked back down at Korra, checking for vital signs of life. "Tahno—I think she's alive!" Bolin informed him.

Tahno turned to look at him, with something like hope in his eyes. He came over and knelt down next to Bolin. He tilted her head back and felt her neck for a pulse; there it was, faint but distinct. He let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.

Bolin shook her shoulder gently. "Korra? Can you hear me?" Korra's head turned; she seemed semi-conscious. "Korra? Mako will flip if we carry you home like this."

"Oh, for the love of Yue," Tahno cursed under his breath. He raised his hand, hesitated, then went ahead and tried slapping her face.

"Hey!" Bolin exclaimed, at the same moment Korra jerked awake from the impact.

Korra squinted up, confused and irritated. "Tahno?"

The waterbender smirked, just like he always did. "Did I ever tell you how cute you look when you're mad at me?"

"Korra." Bolin could breathe more easily now.

She tried to sit up slowly, wincing as she did so. She craned her neck, trying to look around. "They're gone," Tahno said. "They got scared when they thought you were dead. We left one or two unconscious inside."

Bolin reached around and hugged her. For a moment Korra was reminded of Tenzin comforting her after an ambush. It was a reassuring hug, and she held on, grateful to have a friend with her.

Bolin pulled away and held her at arm's length, looking fearful again. "What happened to Mako?"

"He and Asami got away—they'll be at your apartment," she said, looking to Tahno.

He glanced down the alley. "We need to get out of here," he said.

"Right." They stood up together, Bolin helping Korra up. "Are you okay to walk?" he asked.

"I think so." He let go, and Korra managed a few tentative steps before she started to sway. Her body ached, and her head felt heavy and foggy from the impact of her fall. Bolin reached out to help, but Tahno was quicker and caught her. Korra flushed, obviously embarrassed; but Tahno just smiled and looped her arm over his neck to support her as they started walking.

"We never speak of this again," Korra said sternly, addressing both of the boys.

"Whatever you say, Avatar."

"Least he's not carrying you," Bolin muttered under his breath.

"You know, it wasn't supposed to happen like this," Tahno informed her.

"What?"

"I wanted to help so I could settle my debt with you. But you just saved my life—actually took a blow meant for me—so I'm back where I started, indebted to you again."

Korra laughed a little, but then winced from the action. "Well, is it okay if we crash at your place?"

"Seeing as you already invited yourself and your friends—sure. Then we'll be even."

Bolin couldn't stop casting glances at Korra. "You okay?" he asked, still concerned for his friend.

"I'm fine," she answered automatically.

"No, you're not," Tahno said. "But you will be."


Illustrations: "I'm So Sorry, Mako" by justixoxo, and "Holding you Up" by Yuki119, on DeviantArt.