A/N: I am so sorry that it has taken this long to get this chapter out. School has been extremely hectic and I have had this ready for a while but only just finished the revision. I really hope that you enjoy this chapter and I hope to get the next one out within the month. For all of those that have been reading this since the summer I want to thank you for sticking with me through the giant time lapses between chapters. Reviews are always welcome as always. Have a great week!


Amon's demonstration at the rally shook the very core of every citizen living in Republic City. Within the week, the entire city knew that the rumors of Amon's alleged ability was indeed fact. The benders acted as if nothing had happened, but Karin noticed small changes in their behavior. People who had normally walked alone and with confidence began to wander in packs and frequently looked over their shoulders as if they believed they were being followed.

The nonbenders were a different story. Some of them, those that believed in the revolution, became more outspoken in public, preaching for equality and berating benders. Others assumed that the revolution would be quashed before it started, or believed that there wasn't a problem to begin with. Those individuals went about their business as usual and made it a point to show people that they did not agree with the views of the rebels.

It was at the end of that week that Karin sent her first official report to the Order of the White Lotus. She attempted to make the report as thorough as possible, noting the unrest within the city as well as everything she knew about the hierarchy within the Equalist camp.

It was daunting to realize the task ahead of her. The movement was gaining momentum and it was only a matter of time before more people got involved. After seeing the amount of supporters that had shown up for the rally, she realized that this may be too big of a job for one person alone. So, within her report, she asked to have the council discuss sending in more agents to help her.

She highly doubted that Grand Master Kuzon would send anyone to help her, but perhaps her father could get him to see reason. One young woman among this entire organization was not going to be enough and if she was caught it would be much harder for the Order to infiltrate the camp afterwards.

The possibilities of what could happen at this point seemed endless and it made Karin weary. She didn't get much sleep after the rally, partly due to her anxiety and partly because most of her nights consisted of training and preparation at the Equalist Headquarters.

Though Karin had been accepted as an Equalist, she was still considered low among the chain of command. She was a grunt instead of a trainee at this point, and in order to rise within the organization she knew that she would have to become very involved and she would have to prove herself as vital to not only Lieutenant, but to Amon.

Karin lay in bed pondering everything that had happened in Republic City so far and tried to determine whether the citizens would follow Amon blindly into a revolution that could possibly become a war. Suddenly, the music playing on her radio crackled before going out completely and an ominous voice took its place.

"Good evening my fellow Equalists. This is your leader, Amon." Karin jolted up in bed as that familiar voice rang through her room above Narook's.

"As you have heard, the republic council has voted to make me public enemy number one." She ran a hand hurriedly through her hair, recalling a conversation that she had heard between a couple that had come in for lunch.

Apparently, after the rally, the council of Republic City had finally determined that Amon was too dangerous to stay within the general population. Rumor was that Councilman Tarrlok was attempting to build a task force in order to capture people that openly supported the revolution and all law enforcement officers were asked to actively seek out Amon. It was also rumored that he had asked Avatar Korra to help him head up the task force, but she had refused.

Amon continued, "Proving once again that the bending oppressors of this city will stop at nothing to quash our revolution. But we cannot be stopped. Our numbers grow stronger by the day. You no longer have to live in fear. The time has come for benders to experience fear." The radio signal crackled again and returned to the music that had previously been playing.

Karin's anxiety mounted higher, forcing her to get out of bed and walk to her window. Amon was right in saying that their numbers grew stronger every day, she had witnessed as much at the rally and since then more and more people had come pouring into the training camps hidden around the city. She could feel in her gut that Amon would soon give another public display of his influence in Republic City.

"How does Kuzon just expect me to sit around and wait for innocent people to get hurt while everyone else twiddles their thumbs?" She shook her head in frustration. Her mind whirred furiously, thinking of how foolish the Order was being for sending one person to infiltrate the Equalists on her own. "They should've had people in Republic City long before now."

She paced around the room for a while, thinking of what she could do to slow down the momentum of the Equalists. She even prayed to Tui and La, asking them for guidance. Suddenly, Karin stopped and looked at the ceiling, realization finally dawning on her.

"If I can get word anonymously to this task force, I can shut down the training camps one by one. How can Amon perform a revolution without an army?" She smiled slightly to herself, her muscles bunching together in anticipation.

She took a deep breath and nodded in order to reassure herself that this was the right course of action before bending to retrieve a large wooden case from underneath her bed. Inside the case was a set of regular civilian clothes and make-up.

She put the new set of clothes on and smudged a bit of dark brown make-up on various parts of her face and neck. She then wrapped her side braid around itself, creating a bun on the crown of her head. She picked up the simple brown cap at the bottom of the case and placed it strategically on her head so that the shadow created by the rim would cast her face in shadow.

No one would get a good look at her face this way and then no one would be able to tell who had actually been the tipster.

Karin quickly headed down the stairs and out the back entrance of Narook's, making sure that no one was around before heading to the square. A bag of coins jingled at her side.

There's bound to be someone in the square that will take my little bit of information to the police... For the right price. Karin placed a hand over her money in an attempt to keep quite before disappearing completely into the darkness.

It wasn't long before Karin was walking out of the alleyways and into Central City Station. During the day the Station was packed, but at this time of night the lights from the surrounding buildings shrouded the few remaining stragglers in an eerie halo. Most of the people that remained were vagrants or perhaps a couple walking home after an evening out. Karin clung to the shadows and observed, looking for the perfect candidate to be her messenger.

Her gaze fell on a young boy leaning smugly against the railing at the base of Fire Lord Zuko's statue. She observed him for a few more moments, noting his mannerisms and his clothing and concluded that he was probably living on the streets. He probably too young to have been picked up by one of the Republic City gangs, so it was likely that he was a pickpocket or a messenger.

Karin stuck her hands into her pockets and walked quickly across the street towards the square.

The young boy didn't look in her direction as she made her way towards him, but she saw him tense and wouldn't have been surprised if he had spotted her in much the same way that she had spotted him.

He kept his gaze on the small cluster of kids playing near a street lamp and only looked towards Karin when she was a couple of feet away.

"Hey kid." Karin began, nodding her head towards the boy. He shifted his body slightly so that he was better able to see her, but kept the railing at his back. He returned the nod, and Karin took this as permission to speak. "Want to make some cash?" She asked, turning to look up at the statue, so that any passerby wouldn't see their interaction.

He tilted his head forward, his cap casting a dark shadow over most of his face, but she could see him grinning. "Depends on the job."

"I need a message delivered." She replied. She took note of his ragged clothing and how it hung loosely on his body and sighed inwardly.

Back at the compound there weren't many orphans and there definitely weren't any homeless orphans living on the street. Now that she was in the city, she saw them everywhere. At first her heart had squeezed painfully and she would give a yuan to those kids that looked like they most needed it, but she understood now that this was just life in the city. If kids were going to survive on the streets, they needed to earn it, and most of the time it was through crime.

At least he'll be earning this money honestly. Karin thought to herself as she turned her gaze back to the statue.

"What kind of message?" He asked, turning to look at the other children again.

"I need you to deliver the location of some Equalist training camps to the police." She saw the kids head jerk around as he stared at her. His expression showed her that she would be paying a lot for this message to be sent. Underneath his need for money was fear of the Equalists. He assumed that if they discovered he had given a message to the police that he would disappear. Karin knew that his assumptions were probably right, but hoped that he was skillful enough to get the job done.

"You must be crazy lady. Nobody crosses Amon." He shook his head and began to walk away from her.

"I'll make it worth your while." Karin said a little bit louder as she turned to stare after him, all pretenses gone.

"It'll take a lot of dough for that to happen." He replied, turning to look at her again, rubbing his thumb across his nose.

"Fifteen yuans sound good to you?" She asked, pulling the bills out of her bag and counting them slowly.

She looked up at the young boy to see that his eyes had widened considerably. He probably hadn't gotten this much money at one time in a while. He rubbed his stomach absent-mindedly and Karin imagined that she heard his stomach rumbling at the thought of a good hot meal.

"What's the message?" He asked, coming closer and attempting to snatch the money out of her grip.

She yanked her arm back quickly and tsked at him, shaking her finger back and forth at his sneakiness. She pulled a strip of paper out of the same pouch and wrapped it within the wad of cash. "There is a slip of paper within these yuans with the location of three Equalist training camps. You are to hand this slip of paper to a member of the police that is on this new task force. If you do not do as I have asked and take my money anyway, I will know and I will find you. Understand?"

"Gee lady, you strike a hard bargain. The name is Skoochy." The boy stuck out his hand and Karin returned the gesture and could feel the money slip from her grasp as she released his hand. No one was the wiser for their cash exchange.

"Well Skoochy, if you do well with this message I may have more work for you in the future. Don't spend it all in one place." She put her hands back into her pockets as he nodded, placing the money under his cap.

"Who are you, my mom?" He replied with a harsh chuckle before walking off.

Karin leaned tiredly against the front counter of Narook's the next evening, wishing that she had slept last night instead of gallivanting off to the city square.


The entire trip had taken her three hours and by the time she reached her rooms above Narook's it was almost three in the morning. Even once she had climbed into bed, it took her a great deal of time to actually fall asleep.

That morning, Chihiro sent word to Narook that she wouldn't be able to come in for her night shift and Karin was asked to work a double. She secretly hoped that it would be slow enough to close early, and that she could use work as an excuse for not showing up at the Equalist Headquarters two nights in a row. Now that night had fallen, Karin dreamed of climbing into her small bed upstairs and sleeping for the next week.

Slowly the dinner rush trickled out and the restaurant grew quiet. Karin eyelids began to feel extremely heavy, and her head jerked multiple times as she nodded off.

Even in her haze, she noticed a young man enter the restaurant, making a beeline for the booth across from the front counter. She smiled tiredly as Bolin gave her a friendly grin, motioning for her to come over. Her smile grew wider as she sat down opposite him, noting the sparkle in his eyes. She didn't know what it was about Bolin, but he just exuded this sense of happiness and innocence. Whenever he walked into Narook's, he seemed to bring the sun in with him. The room became brighter and warmer whenever he entered it.

"Haku, we're going to need an order of noodles for Bolin." Karin called back to the cook, who stuck his head out from the kitchen window to say hello to Bolin.

"Make that two please!" Bolin shouted back as Haku disappeared behind the divide.

"You must have a bottomless stomach." Karin said with a laugh. "I can never make it through one bowl of noodles without getting full."

"I'm surprised that you even question it at this point after watching me eat three bowls the other week." He replied with a chuckle, placing his elbows on the table and leaning a bit closer to her.

"I don't know, it just amazes me every time someone orders more than one bowl." Karin looked up at him, noting the dark bags beneath his eyes from lack of sleep. "So, I haven't seen you here in a while. The last I heard Mako and Korra were looking for you."

She hated to admit it, but she had been a bit worried about him ever since she had seen him on that stage at the Equalist rally. She knew that he had gotten out safely thanks to his brother and Avatar Korra, but she had worried all the same.

Out of all the people that she had met in Republic City, he was the kindest and most genuine of all. It would have been hard for her to accept doing nothing to save him if Amon had succeeded in taking his bending away that evening.

It was quite clear from his appearance and his body language that the rally had affected him greatly. She hoped that he would be able to recover from it, but she knew that so long as he was affiliated with the Avatar that he would always be caught in the crossfire.

"Well, they found me." Bolin replied with a chuckle, the laughter lighting up his green eyes once again. Karin felt her smile broaden slightly as he laughed.

Bolin was so carefree, happy, and optimistic. These traits were the exact opposite of what Karin had felt since she entered Republic City. Despite the illusions created by fantasy books, spy work was hard and often left the spy feeling paranoid, pessimistic, stressed, and alone. She envied Bolin for his innocence, but she felt the knot in her stomach ease slightly in his presence. It was only then that she realized how much she had missed seeing him.

Once both of them had finished laughing Bolin continued, "I would've come around sooner for some food, but Mako has had us training like crazy for the Pro-Bending Tournament. I only got tonight off because Korra is having dinner on Air Temple Island and Mako is on some fancy date at Kuang's."

Karin widened her eyes, remembering how he had told her that the Fire Ferrets didn't have enough money for the championship pot for the Pro-Bending Tournament. It was a mystery as to how Mako could afford to take a girl to Kuang's Cuisine, and the even bigger mystery was what girl he had taken. As far as Karin knew, Mako's life revolved completely around Bolin and the Fire Ferrets. She had never seen him with a girl besides Korra, and Bolin had never mentioned one. "Wow, that is fancy. Who's the lucky lady?"

"No idea. He just came home from work today all googly eyed talking about some girl that had run him over with her moped." He shrugged his shoulders and gave Karin a look that said What can you do?

"Well, if she hit him with her moped, I would hope she's paying." Karin joked, getting another chuckle out of Bolin.

"Order up." Haku called, drawing Karin's attention back to the restaurant. Thankfully, no one else had come in or Narook would have chewed her hide.

"That must be yours. I'll be right back." Karin pushed herself out of the booth and headed over to the kitchen, quickly placing the two steaming hot bowls of noodles on a tray and making her way back over to his table.

She placed the two bowls in front of him side-by-side and began to make her way back over to the counter.

"Aw, now you're just going to leave me to eat alone? I'm hurt." Karin turned to look at him and rolled her eyes. He was pouting and making moose-lion cub eyes at her, his hand placed over his heart. She had to admit that he looked adorable.

"Well I am working you know. I'm not just here to boost your ego and entertain you." She joked back as she walked over towards his booth, taking the seat opposite him once again.

She sat with Bolin throughout the entirety of his meal and he stayed to talk for a while afterwards as well. Despite the restaurant being closed, Narook did not ask Bolin to leave. It was one of the perks that Bolin received for being Narook's best customer.

It was quite late when he finally stood up to leave and Karin walked him over to the curtain that served as the front door.

"Try not to get into any trouble on your way home." Karin said with a smile as Bolin exited the restaurant.

"But I love getting into trouble." He replied as he lifted the curtain and stepped outside. Karin followed him and held the flap up with her arm.

"Well I don't want to worry about you every time you leave the restaurant." She felt her gut clench tightly and regretted saying it the minute it left her mouth. Karin wasn't in the habit of saying things out loud without thinking about it first. She fought the urge to clap her hand over her mouth or to smack the heel of her hand against her forehead.

"You worry about me?" He asked, his smile lighting up his face. His entire body changed and she shook her head.

"Don't let it go to your head. You have enough fan girls and I am not one of them. Got that?" She replied poking him in the chest.

He nodded before flashing her a grin. Suddenly the happy spark in his eyes dimmed and he enveloped her in a warm hug. She felt her body grow tense as she hesitated. Then she relaxed completely and returned it. She felt her stomach tighten pleasantly and was a bit disappointed when he released her.

"Thank you for sitting with me through dinner. I'll see you soon." He patted one of her shoulders and flashed her another smile.

"Y-Yeah, see you soon." Karin stammered, and she could feel her cheeks getting hot.

What is wrong with me? I'm acting like some love-struck village girl mooning over some boy. She looked down at the ground and hoped that the shadows would hide her blush.

Then, as if the moment hadn't happened, Bolin replied "And don't worry about me. I'm a Pro-Bender and an amazing earthbender, no one would dare fight me!" He laughed before turning around to begin his walk home. She could hear him whistling as he rounded the corner.

"I don't think Amon would be too keen if he heard that one of his new members was seen flirting with a bender. And not just any bender, a Pro-Bender from the Fire Ferrets." Karin turned around to find were the voice had come from, though she knew very well who it was.

Chen emerged from the darkness of an alley-way a cigarette perched precariously between his lips. His eyes glimmered with malice as he sauntered out of the darkness.

"What I do is none of your concern, Chen. Who's to say that I'm not getting close to him in order to get information on the Avatar for Amon?" Karin asked, her voice sounding confident despite her insides being a jumble of nerves. She hadn't thought that someone might see her with Bolin. She silently cursed herself for being too comfortable with him and in her surroundings. It was incidences like this that blew spy's cover.

"Amon doesn't need some grunt to gather intelligence on the Avatar for him. He's already got eyes everywhere." He took a drag from the cigarette and blew the smoke in her face as he walked towards her.

Karin continued to play her part, sighing before directing a scowl in his direction. "He's just a customer, not that it's any of your business. He gives good tips when he gets good service."

"Oh, I bet he does. Are you providing some special services for our young earth bender, Karin?" Chen's hands reached out to grab Karin and she quickly sidestepped before getting into a fighting stance.

"Try to touch me again, I dare you." She threatened, her blood boiling in her veins. She had never felt such anger towards a person in her life and though the emotions scared her slightly, the anger was too great to ignore. Chen shook his head before tossing his cigarette to the ground and stomping it out.

He tsked at her as he looked up to see her still ready for a fight. "You better watch your back Karin. I may feel the need to tell Lieutenant that one of his new fighters isn't quite who she pretends to be."

Karin felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. He can't possibly know about who I am. If he had found out he would've gone straight to Amon instead of teasing me with the information.

Still her mind whirred crazily as the idea that he might know who she really was sunk in. If he knew about what she was there for she would have to get rid of him, and discreetly. Her stomach was knotted and her heart began to pound. Though this situation had been handled in her training, she didn't know if she was prepared to "get rid" of anyone.

"A rebel in love with an earth bender, what a joke." He spit at her feet and sneered before turning around and disappearing into the darkness of the alley way.

She felt her heart beat slow down slightly as she realized that he didn't know anything, except that she was friends with Bolin.

Thank Tui and La, he doesn't know anything. But I'll have to take care of him before he digs any deeper.

She surveyed the streets before heading back inside and up the stairs to her room. She retrieved the case from under her bed and dressed in her disguise and then headed to the city square.

She found Skoochy standing in the same spot that he had been in the night before.

"I've got another location for you to take to the police." She told him in a gruff voice. Skoochy swiped his thumb against his nose and held out his hand. She placed another fifteen yuans into his hand and he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "The Dragon Flats borough underneath a book shop, if they look through the basement windows they'll find the training camp."

Skoochy nodded and headed off as he had the night before.

Tui and La, let Chen be in that building when they raid it. She felt her heart burning with hatred as she thought back to his empty threats. All of this revenge because a young woman had beat him in his own house. She hoped with every fiber of her being that he would be caught and smiled at the thought that he would be put in prison because of her.

She took the windy path back to Narook's and climbed into bed. She was sound asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.