A Cog in the Machine

by Masterdramon

Harmonic Convergence is but a year away. Korra has spent her life training with the Red Lotus, preparing for the day she will restore balance to the world. But a dawning revolution, forged in the name of equality, could spoil their plans. To learn more, Korra takes on a new name and infiltrates Future Industries...but what else awaits her in this brave new city? Eventual Korrasami.

10. Book One, Ch 7: The Prelude

A Cog in the Machine – Book One, Chapter Seven: The Prelude

Disclaimer: In case you haven't figured it out yet, I don't own The Legend of Korra. All Avatar-related characters, settings, etc. are the intellectual property of Viacom, Bryan Konietzko, and Michael Dante DiMartino.

[-]

Ping was not a remarkable man, in any respect.

It was, more than anything else, why he'd joined the Equalists in the first place. Oh, sure, he believed in the cause itself. He'd been looked down on by just about everyone his entire life, in a way he knew they wouldn't dare if he could toss fire or earth around.

But apart from that, the Equalist movement gave him a place where he could feel he belonged. He'd lost his father a few years back, and his mother was constantly harping on him to settle down and get married.

He'd grown up completely alone – friendless, unloved, and unwanted. He wasn't particularly smart or good-looking; he was certainly no good at sports or any kind of talent. He had no family trade or craft to fall back on, and he couldn't tell a joke to save his life.

There was, in short, nothing special about him.

And the children he'd grown up with hadn't been shy to remind him of it. The shy, gangly, awkward-looking kid was an easy target, and he'd been picked on and bullied so many times he'd all but lost count.

Those bullies, of course, hadn't hesitated to "enhance" his torment with their sick bending. Over the years he'd been set aflame, pelted with rocks, and nearly drowned on dry land. One particular earthbender had done it daily for a while.

Sure, there were non-benders among the bullies too, sometimes. But they simply couldn't hurt him nearly as much as their counterparts.

A bad encounter with a non-bender might leave him with a black eye. A bad encounter with a firebender might leave him dead.

He'd tried to come to his parents about this, over and over, but they'd never listened. Not really. They'd given him meaningless platitudes about "finding inner peace" and "being the bigger man."

The only practical advice they'd ever doled out was talking to a teacher about it, and that wasn't likely to happen. Most of his teachers had been benders themselves. How could they be trusted to take his side?

As the years went by, the rift between them only widened. His parents, despite being non-benders themselves, were practically worshippers of Avatar Aang. Their home was decked out ceiling to floor with unofficial merchandise, from posters to teacups to disturbingly accurate figurines.

And accordingly, they'd also seen fit to mindlessly parrot his philosophy. Peace and love between non-benders and benders of all stripes, and other such garbage. It was enough to make Ping want to puke.

Because it was absurd. He'd studied economics at Republic City University, and any way you crunched the numbers, they all told the same story.

Despite making up only about thirty-five percent of the population, benders held approximately eighty percent of the world's wealth. And that was hardly surprising, wasn't it? All the world's modern nations were either bending-based aristocracies, or had grown out of the same.

The same was true in the world of politics. The United Republic's governing council was composed entirely of benders, and had been for over three decades now. Even the airbenders, who numbered at most four people, got more representation than the nation's millions of non-benders.

The Chieftain of the Water Tribes was a waterbender of legendary ability. It was doubtful whether the Fire Nation's royal family had ever produced a child who wasn't a firebender. And the Earth Queen…okay, fine, she was the exception that proved the rule.

Especially considering she stayed in power largely because of the elite earthbenders she could send to crush opposition at a moment's notice.

But his parents refused to listen, no matter how many times they argued. And they argued about it a lot.

Eventually, he'd gotten fed up. Stormed out of their house, and rented a cruddy apartment with what meager savings he had left after college.

He was still technically a graduate student with RCU, though he'd been stalled on his thesis for nearly five years now. Big surprise, his firebending professor wasn't fond of his long, detailed, heavily cited paper that made it clear the only remedy for the injustices of the world was to ban all bending forever.

His mother still called, practically every day, if only for the sake of the whole "why are you still single" thing. Ping humored her, but that was it. With every passing day, he felt less and less connected to them and their fanatical devotion to the status quo.

When she told him his father had died in a Satomobile accident, he'd barely felt a thing. He'd put in his appearance at the funeral, acted the dutiful son, but inside meant none of it. It was as if a perfect stranger had passed.

And the reason for all that was the Equalists.

To make ends meet, he'd been working part-time at a bookstore for a while now. One day, distracted by the latest row with his mom, he'd accidentally placed a draft of his thesis in a pile of books for purchase.

Initially, he'd been distraught. It was his only copy, and the idea of writing out those one-hundred-thirteen pages all over again was enough to make him nauseous.

Imagine his surprise, then, when the pretty girl who'd inadvertently taken his masterwork returned it the next day…along with a note.

Contrary to his mother's hopes, however, the note hadn't been an invitation for a date. But it had been an invitation. One for a rally, held in secret.

That night, for the first time, he'd met Amon.

There were no words to describe that moment. Amon was everything Ping had ever wanted in a leader – someone who understood how brutally cruel and unfair the world was, and who was willing to do something about it. Who had the power to do something about it.

In the Equalists, at long last, Ping found allies and kindred souls. By the spirits, he'd even found friends.

No one in the movement insulted him, or hurt him, or made him feel like his feelings didn't matter. They listened with interest as he shared the statistics he'd put together over the years. Some of it'd even gotten worked into a few of Amon's speeches, and needless to say that was an honor which he could scarcely describe.

Ever since then, he'd tried hard to do his part. Every day without fail, he could be found in Republic City Park with his megaphone, calling for the downfall of the bending establishment. Recruitment was the most vital objective for the Equalists right now, if they wanted their revolution to be more than just idle talk.

And they were certainly succeeding. With each rally that Ping attended – he never missed a single one – he watched as the audience swelled, from a few hundred to several thousand. Clearly, he and his fellow protesters were doing the job of spreading the word.

Still, Ping couldn't help but be a little disappointed. What he was doing was important, in the general sense, but it didn't feel like he was striking at the heart of the bending regime.

That's why he'd started taking chi-blocking classes.

The trainings were held in secret, and never in the same place for too long. Technically, they were open to all Equalists, but usually only their most militant members actually stuck with it. The regiment was grueling, the techniques complicated and intricate, and even those most devoted to the cause tended not to be eager to physically fight their oppressors.

But Ping had practiced long, and hard, for months now. Drilled the forms and stances so many times he could practically do them in his sleep. He might not be the strongest or most agile Equalist around, but these days he could at least hold his own.

And now, tonight…finally, finally, he'd gotten his wish. Every single chi-blocker, whatever their level of mastery, had been called upon to serve.

He wouldn't be anywhere near their glorious leader, whose own mission was a carefully guarded secret to all but a few. But that was okay. He'd still get to participate in the most important night the non-benders of the world had ever seen.

Plus, the chi-blocker uniform didn't hurt. He'd never gotten to wear one before, but the heavily insulated and padded bodysuit gave him an incredible feeling of invincibility. And the mask…

Well, the mask was just plain cool.

That's more or less what Ping was thinking about when a figure seized him from behind and dragged him into a dark alleyway.

A few minutes later, the poor graduate student was slumped over against a garbage can, out cold and stripped down to his underwear.

At the same time, his attacker finished pulling his mask onto their own face, tugging it down so that it fit smugly over their thick hair.

Then, as quickly as they'd struck, they were gone.

[-]

It became exceedingly clear, within moments of arriving at the pro-bending arena, that bringing Asami here had been a mistake.

This wasn't to say, of course, that either the heiress or the other Fire Ferrets were having trouble getting along – far from it. Asami was clearly ecstatic at getting to meet two of her pro-bending heroes, and Bolin just seemed happy to have a fan around, period.

The problem was Mako. And not for the reason Korra would've expected.

On the contrary, the two of them seemed to be getting on a little too well.

Ever since the start of practice, the pair had been chatting animatedly during every single break and pause in the action, laughing and joking and discussing at length all sorts of pro-bending minutiae. For Asami, this game was evidently far more than a casual hobby, and Mako was the only other person with the knowledge base to keep up.

"The Zebra Frogs are an interesting one, that's for sure," said the firebender, leaning casually against a railing while his brother ran off to use the restroom. "Not a lot of waterbending captains out there. Except the Wolfbats, of course."

"Did you know they weren't Xiao Yao's first team?" Asami asked conversationally. "They're the ones who made it big, sure, but for the first couple years it was the…"

"Flying Fishopotami! Yeah, I know," he finished for her. "Big surprise they didn't go anywhere."

Asami giggled. Honest-to-the-spirits, she giggled. Korra suppressed a deep pang of…something as she looked on at the pair, utterly lost.

"Hey, to be fair, they have been riding those things for centuries. No wonder they'd make it their official animal," said Asami. "Not their fault the name just doesn't roll off the tongue."

"I…err…don't see how 'zebra frogs' sounds much better," Korra suddenly blurted out, desperate to insert herself into the conversation. For some reason.

Asami blinked in surprise, as if she'd temporarily forgotten Korra was there. It certainly didn't make her feel any better.

Mako was the one who answered. "Probably because they're poisonous," he told her with a shrug. "Small, camouflaged, could kill a man if they stepped on it with bare feet. It's a decent name for a team that hits hard and fast."

"Speaking of, how'd you come up with the 'Fire Ferrets,' anyway?" asked Asami.

The firebender was saved from having to explain by the timely return of Bolin, who was carrying Pabu across his shoulders. The furry creature immediately leaped over to Asami, poking around her long hair with his small, wet nose.

"Well I guess that answers that," she said, chuckling as the fire ferret experimentally licked her ear. "This little guy just screams mascot. What's his name?"

"His Most Esteemed Lord of All Things Cute, Pabu…the Grrrrreat and Poooowerful!" answered the earthbender, his voice vibrating overdramatically. "Or…just Pabu. For short."

"Hey, Pabu," Asami whispered to the creature, petting him across the head with two fingers and eliciting a purr. "Y'know, I can watch him, if you want. You three probably wanna get back to training."

"Gee, thanks! Just make sure to keep a good eye on him," replied Bolin. "He's got a secret stash of fire-flakes around here I've never been able to find, and they are a nightmare on his constitution."

Pabu chirruped, possibly in indignity, or possibly just because his owner had stated the name of a food item. Either way, he folded up in Asami's lap as she took her seat once more.

"Alright, team. We're gonna try that River Formation one more time," said Mako as they all refastened their helmets. "Mizore, your positioning was off when we did it earlier. You wanna be to Bolin's left, not his right. That way the other team can't block you off at the sides."

Korra nodded dimly, but she was barely listening to what he had to say. She couldn't help it; every few seconds, her eyes invariably drifted back to Asami.

She knew she should be focusing now – if not on the practice, then certainly on what she was planning to do after – but no matter how hard she tried, the image of Asami and Mako smiling and laughing together kept popping into her head.

And she wasn't even sure why.

She'd felt the same thing, just for the briefest moment, when Asami had walked off with that Kinzoku woman. There was only one thing that both situations really had in common, and it was that Asami happened to be paying attention to someone who wasn't her.

Someone who was a great deal better-looking than her.

Korra did a mental double-take. Where had that thought come from? It was entirely accurate, sure, but what did it have to do with anything?

Asami was her friend, sure…probably the first and last one Korra would ever get a chance to make. But she was perfectly at liberty to talk to whoever she liked. People who were a great deal prettier (or handsomer) than she could ever be. People who could talk back to her easily, without constantly dissolving into an awkward mess of nerves.

That shouldn't in any way make her feel…well, anything. But specifically, whatever you called this emotion.

The Avatar was kidding herself, of course. She knew exactly what she was feeling, or at least she was pretty sure. She just couldn't bear to admit it.

To admit that she was jealous.

Because that opened up a whole new can of beetle-worms that she really shouldn't be going anywhere near. Especially right now. This was quite possibly the most important day of her mission since coming to this city. She couldn't afford distractions.

Unfortunately, thinking that and actually acting on it were two entirely separate things.

"C'mon, Mizore! Get your head in the game!" growled Mako, gritting his teeth as she tripped over her own feet for the third time. "What's with you today? You were picking this sorta stuff up in one or two tries yesterday."

"Sorry…I've just…" Korra murmured, flushing with embarrassment as she stumbled back to a standing position. Her eyes flicked back to Asami, who was still watching intently; that only made her feel worse. "I've just…got a lot on my mind right now."

"Well then, clear it. At least until we're done here," said the firebender with a shake of his head. "None of us can afford to slip up right now. Not if we wanna make it anywhere in this tournament."

Korra gritted her teeth, but nodded. He was entirely in the right here, which only made things harder.

The practice continued to grow more and more intense, as minutes stretched into hours. With less than a week remaining until the first round, Mako seemed borderline obsessed with making as much as possible out of the limited time available.

One upside to this was that the more serious their team captain grew, the more Korra's body defaulted to what might be called "training mode." She'd spent so many years in near-daily drills and practice runs that she barely even needed to think, once that switch was flipped. Distractions to her thought process became a moot point if she didn't have one.

Of course, she couldn't completely shut off her brain in a situation like this. Otherwise she might instinctively grasp for one of the other elements, and that would be…

Difficult to explain.

Regardless, their practice went on straight through sundown, and a good ways into the evening. When they finally stopped, it was only because Bolin loudly declared that his uniform was starting to look mighty tasty right about now.

"Alright, I guess we can call it a day," his brother said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "I'm gonna take this guy out for noodles, and then we've got some, err…errands to run after. But we'll see you same time tomorrow?"

"Uh…sure," Korra replied, sounding somewhat queasy from all she'd just put her body through.

"Kay. It's a plan, then," stated Mako, picking his nearly collapsed brother off the floor with one hand and waving goodbye with the other. "Night, Mizore. And it was nice to meet you, Asami. Feel free to swing by whenever you like."

Korra's eyes snapped back at the young woman watching from the stands, whom she'd managed to avoid glancing at for the last half-hour. The look she shared with the firebender caused Korra's stomach to turn over even more.

"That was incredible, Mizore!" she exclaimed, after returning Pabu to the arms of a sagging Bolin.

The Avatar took one last look at the departing boys, and released a great sigh.

"You mean Mako, right?" she asked miserably. "I mean, if you're into that sorta thing, then I guess…"

"No, no. I'm talking about you," said Asami, placing one hand on the other girl's shoulder.

Korra made a scoffing noise with her tongue and looked askance, incredulous. "You've gotta be kidding me," she responded in a low voice. "I was a mess out there. A total trainwreck."

"Maybe at first. But you weren't watching yourself," the non-bender told her insistently. "Halfway through, your technique changed completely. I guess instinct took over, or something. Because you were doing things with water I've never even seen."

The Avatar's blood chilled slightly. Had she gone too far without realizing it? Using some of the techniques Ming-Hua had taught her, to their fullest extent, might draw undue suspicion…

"Anyway, my point is…you were good. Really good. I couldn't take my eyes off," added Asami after a moment, her cheeks turning a slight tinge of pink.

"Off of me…or off of him?" Korra whispered aloud, without even thinking about it. The moment she realized she'd vocalized that thought, however, her hands snapped over her mouth.

She hoped, for the slimmest moment, that Asami might not've heard her. She'd been speaking very quietly, after all. But the look the heiress was giving her now left little room for doubt.

For the first time since meeting her, Asami actually looked hurt.

"I dunno what you think is going on," said Asami, very carefully. "But let me make something clear: I'm not interested in Mako. I mean, he's hot, don't get me wrong. Smart, seems like a nice guy. If I was in a different place, I might go for it. But I'm…well, I'm not, alright? Let's just leave it at that."

Her face was burning now, and Korra wasn't sure whether that meant she should or shouldn't believe her story.

If she took her words at face-value, however…well, what the heck did "if I was in a different place" mean, anyway? Did that indicate that she was already seeing someone else? Or just interested in someone else? Could…Could it possibly be that…

Korra stamped that stray thought into the ground, utterly terrified that she'd even had it. Obviously, Asami was talking about some other person. Kinzoku, maybe. Or someone Korra had never even met. They hadn't exactly known each other long, after all.

It wasn't her. That was the point.

Not that she wanted it to be, of course.

She didn't.

She didn't.

[-]

"What the flameo are you doing here?" demanded Lin, as her ex-boyfriend dismounted his glider and touched down onto her disguised police boat.

She hadn't needed to turn around. Despite his virtually silent landing – or perhaps because of it – she recognized him immediately. Those were the second-lightest footsteps she'd ever felt in her life.

Just behind his father.

Tenzin, for his part, smoothed out his robes and nodded curtly. "I was wondering if I could participate in tonight's sting. Or at least sit in," he said. "I promise, I won't get in the way."

"Little late for that. You're just lucky none of the triads have shown up yet. A councilmember gliding onto a catering boat is a bit of a red flag," she replied with a frown. "How'd you figure out this one was our cover, anyway?"

She chanced a glance back at him, and he at least had the courtesy to look somewhat embarrassed.

"I guess 'The Eel-Hound Express' works fine as a fake name for a caterer," he told her, shifting uncomfortably. "But it was also…the restaurant we used to pretend we ran together. You know. When we were kids."

Lin's eyebrows scrunched together. "That's right…I'd forgotten," she muttered, turning away from him again. "I don't like to dwell on the past much."

"A good philosophy. But sometimes, the past seems to have other ideas," Tenzin said quietly, moving up to join her as she leaned over the railing of the nondescript boat.

They stayed like that for several long, deeply uncomfortable moments, before Lin broke the silence by declaring, "You do know this is only gonna make it worse when Tarrlok finds out."

"I'm not afraid of him," responded the airbender. "And besides, he would've made a big stink just for authorizing this behind his back, whether I was part of it or not. At least this way I can keep an eye out for that bloodbender mother sensed."

"You think they're a triad member?" asked Lin.

Tenzin stroked his beard thoughtfully. "The last known bloodbender in Republic City ran the Red Monsoon for fifteen years," he answered. "It's not a guarantee they're connected, but it's certainly the best lead we've got right now."

"I guess, if we make as many arrests tonight as I'm hoping…we'll have plenty of opportunity to sit 'em down and grill 'em," said the police chief. "Just…stay back until Saikhan or I say otherwise, alright? We don't wanna give them a reason to disperse early."

The airbending master nodded again. "This is your operation, I'm just observing," he told her. "It's no business of mine, to go around and tell you how to do your job."

Lin let out a brief, humorless laugh. "Wow. That's rich," she murmured under her breath.

"What?" he asked. She was uncertain whether he'd actually heard her or not, and wasn't going to bother to check.

Instead she chuckles bitterly again, even more quietly, and said, "Nothing."

Then she left to get the latest update from Saikhan, desperate to be anywhere but here.

[-]

"You can't possibly still be hungry after that," said Mako, his right hand cradling his forehead as he gestured to a half-dozen empty noodle bowls with his left.

Bolin, who was currently perusing the dessert menu, took on a tone of subdued offense. "Everyone knows growing boys have two stomachs. One for noodles, and one for…err…everything else," he explained to his brother.

Mako just groaned.

"Don't worry, we'll be out of here before you know it!" Bolin assured him, as he passed back the menu to the waiter with three separate items circled. "I haven't forgotten about the you-know-what that we're doing at the you-know-where, tonight at you-know-when."

He said that last part in a carrying whisper that was somehow even louder than speaking normally.

"Gee, bro, I think there might've been some guys in Ba Sing Se who didn't catch that," replied the firebender with a roll of his eyes. "C'mon, could you be any more suspicious if you tried?"

Bolin took on a thoughtful expression. "Hmm…probably. But I'd need Pabu. And about fifteen gallons of whipped cream," he said.

His face broke out into a cheeky grin, and a moment later, so did his brother's.

"You're just messing with me now, aren't you?" asked Mako, sounding almost impressed.

"Hey, hey. Turnabout is, indeed, fair play," the earthbender responded, one finger held up in the air to emphasize the point. "Besides, you deserve a little ribbing. After hogging all the beautiful ladies to yourself like that."

"Oh, come off it. I did not," the older brother protested. "Mizore's a teammate, and Asami was just someone I could swap pro-bending trivia with. We weren't flirting or anything."

"Yeeeeeeeah. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight," said Bolin, winking exaggeratedly. "C'mon, you didn't see the way they were making eyes at you?"

Mako couldn't help it. He broke out into a burst of full, unreserved laughter, to the point where several of the other patrons in the restaurant began to stare.

"I love you, bro, but sometimes…sometimes you are so dense," he told the earthbender. "They weren't making eyes at me, they were making eyes at each other. I just happened to sometimes be in the way."

"Huh…really?" asked Bolin, trying to recall the exact details of their training. As he'd spent the last hour or so of it in a sweaty, starving, exhausted stupor, however, his memories were far from perfect. "I guess I never pegged Mizore as, err…well, y'know…"

"A lesbian? Or bisexual, maybe. You can say the words, bro," said Mako. "Anyway, it's not as rare as you might think, nowadays. Heck, I might be willing to give it a shot, if it was the right guy. And no, before you ask, whichever dude just popped into your head does not qualify."

Bolin deflated slightly, taken aback by the preemptive rebuke, but he rebounded quickly.

"I'm not saying anything against it!" he exclaimed, throwing up his hands to make his position clear. "Hey, love is love, right? I just thought…eh, I dunno. I thought maybe I was getting somewhere with her, but I guess I was kidding myself. I should've never…"

The earthbender immediately stopped talking, his eyes going wide, but the damage was done.

"Bolin…what did you do…?" demanded Mako, just as the desserts his brother had ordered were slid between them.

Bolin chuckled nervously, shrunk back into his seat, and then immediately began wolfing down the nearest dish, trying to stall for time. Mako didn't let up his glare, however.

Finally, the younger brother let out a squeaking yelp and asked, "Promise you won't get mad?"

Mako crossed his arms. "No promises until I hear it," he said.

Pressing the tips of his forefingers together and swallowing hard, Bolin finally answered, "I, uh…may have told Mizore. Y'know. About…tonight…?"

"You what?!" shouted the firebender, and this time, virtually everyone else in the restaurant turned to them. He scowled and lowered his voice to a harsh whisper. "Maybe this is pointless to ask, but what the heck were you thinking?"

"Hey, she works for Future Industries, doesn't she?" Bolin pointed out. "I didn't know whether she works night shifts or weekends or whatever! All I told her was the place and time. I just didn't want her to go near there and risk getting hurt, alright?"

He then cast his eyes downward, before adding, very quietly, "And…okay, yeah. I'll admit. I also was trying to sound all impressive and important and stuff. It was a stupid idea, I know."

Mako let out another very long, very frustrated sigh…but ultimately nodded.

"I guess if that's all you said to her, that's not so bad," he said, his brow furrowed intensely. "But next time you get the urge to do something this stupid, try thinking it over with your head, alright? Not with, err…anything else."

Bolin's face sunk even further, but eventually he nodded back. Shoveling the remainder of his dessert into his mouth without much enthusiasm, he asked between bites, "So is it time for us to get going, then?"

His brother glanced at a clock on the wall nearby. "Just about," he replied. "Shady Shin wants us there in about an hour, and it'll take us nearly that long to get there on foot."

"We can't take a cab?" muttered Bolin, looking even more dejected as he stared down at his nearly finished meal. It was clear he wasn't looking forward to walking it off.

Mako shook his head. "Unfortunately, somebody just blew the last of the cash Tarrlok gave us on enough food for a small village," he said, one eyebrow raised slightly. "And I doubt he'll give us any more upfront. Not until we get this done."

"Alright, geez, sorry. I get the picture," the earthbender declared, just as he finished off the last of the desserts. "Hey, waiter dude! Check, please!"

Mako looked upon this scene, and let out one last sigh for good measure. He loved his brother dearly, there was no doubt of that. Would do anything for him. Lay down his own life, if it came down to that.

But not for the first time, he reconsidered the wisdom of choosing him as a partner for a covert spying mission.

Still…it was a little late to do anything about that now.

He'd just have to trust Bolin to come through in the end.

[-]

"Asami, look, I'm sorry!" Korra called after the other girl, her tone pleading. "It was a stupid thing to say. I don't…I mean…"

The two of them were walking hurriedly along the Republic City docks, Korra struggling to keep up due to her slightly shorter stride.

She knew, though she didn't have a watch or anything to check for sure, that time was wasting for her to catch up to the brothers and get into position for the summit. But she just couldn't leave things like this.

Finally, she managed to grab onto Asami's wrist. Instinctively, the non-bender wrenched out of her grip…but she also finally stopped moving, and turned back to face her.

The look in her eyes made Korra's stomach do a turn.

"Look…I'm not mad, alright?" she said, exhaling deeply. "I just wanna know why you're acting this way all of a sudden. I thought we were having a really nice day together."

"We were!" exclaimed Korra, more loudly than she'd been intending. Reflexively, her eyes darted around the area, but it looked like they were the only ones out here right now. "I…I just…well…"

Asami crossed her arms, but said nothing, waiting for her to continue.

"I guess it's…it's just that…" she went on after a moment, averting her eyes toward the safety of the harbor. "Since last night, you've been showing me how…well, how incredible you are. You have this huge house, you can cook, you drive like a wild saber-toothed moose-lion…"

The Avatar let out a long, deep breath of her own before finishing, "Compared to that? All I could do in front of you is suck at the one thing I'm good at. Bending…it's all I've ever been good for."

Asami's response to this wasn't anything Korra expected. A sudden burst of absolute, unmistakable fury flared up in her eyes.

"Don't you ever say that!" she shouted, and Korra actually found herself taking a step back. "Don't you ever…reduce yourself like that! You're so much more than any one side of you. I can see it, even if you can't!"

Again, Korra found it hard to meet her gaze. It was with her eyes firmly pressed toward the water that she said, very quietly, "You don't really know me."

Asami blinked, twice, and that look of impassioned anger faded from her deep-green eyes. They remained just as piercing, however.

"Maybe I don't," the non-bender admitted in a low voice. "But I want to. I want to know what's going on with you right now – the good and the bad. Because you…you mean something to me. I know we haven't known each other long, but it's true."

"You don't get it," Korra found herself responding, her mouth moving faster than her brain. She knew this wasn't material it was smart to broach – especially not now – but she couldn't help herself. "If you knew who I really am…what I really am…"

The other girl placed a hand on her arm, stopping her.

"It wouldn't change a thing," Asami declared confidently. "Mizore…I know there're things you don't feel comfortable telling me. That's okay. I bet you've been bottling stuff up so long that it's natural to you. But I'm here, now. You don't have to feel like you're alone anymore."

For one brief, terrifying moment, Korra felt on the verge of doing it. Of telling her. Of telling her everything.

But the moment passed as quickly as it came. Whatever Asami claimed, it was only because she was picturing secrets she might imagine. Things within the realm of possibility.

"I'm the Avatar, and I'm on a secret mission to end the world" wasn't going to factor into it.

Korra clenched her fists, her teeth gritted. Though she knew Asami meant well – she'd fully and completely abandoned any suspicions of ulterior motives last night – all this was only making her feel worse.

"I've…I've gotta go," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "I'm sorry, Asami."

"Mizore, please," pleaded Asami, and for the first time, the alias sounded like a stab through the heart. "Don't leave things like this. Wherever you're going…maybe I can come too? And we can…talk, a little more?"

A cold chill ran down Korra's spine. "That…wouldn't be a good idea," she replied evasively.

"Why not?" asked the non-bender. There was nothing accusatory in her tone, but it was equally clear she wasn't leaving without an answer.

Unable to think up a suitable lie on the spot, Korra ultimately decided on the truth…or part of it, at least.

"I think Bolin and Mako are getting up to something…shady tonight," she explained, biting her lip. "I'm following them, making sure they don't get in trouble. But it could be dangerous, so I'm going alone."

"That seems like a good reason not to go alone," said Asami pointedly. "Look, Mizore. We may have just met today, but I'd call those two my friends – and before we get started again, just friends. Point is, I don't want them getting hurt any more than you do. So I'm going."

Korra fumbled through her brain, trying to think of some excuse; any reason Asami's logic didn't make sense. But she'd never been able to think well on her feet, even at the top of her game, and she was far from that tonight.

"If you come…you've gotta promise to do what I say," Korra finally told her, even as half of her brain screamed that she was insane just for considering this. "Stay close to me, and don't make any noise if you don't have to."

"Got it," answered Asami, nodding firmly. "So where are we going?"

Korra grimaced. This was, she suspected, going to go down as one of her stupidest ideas ever.

And, needless to say, that was a tough list to crack.

"To…well, to work," she eventually said, signaling for the non-bender to follow.

[-]

"You're late," said Shady Shin, his mouth curled into a tight frown.

"Only by a couple minutes!" exclaimed Bolin, as he and his brother arrived onto the scene, huffing and puffing from all the walking they'd just done.

Shin shook his head, his expression uncharacteristically serious.

"You boys should know by now that 'a couple minutes' can be the difference between life an' death in this biz," he told them both. "You're just lucky none of the big bosses are here yet. I'll let it slide, but they probably wouldn't be so generous, ya feel me?"

Mako frowned as well, but nodded all the same. They couldn't afford to be antagonistic right now.

So instead, he took to regarding the small group that'd been waiting for them, all of whom were staring straight at the brothers.

Gathered in front of Future Industries warehouse twelve, along with the waterbending gangster, were three others he assumed were rounding out the security staff. One wore the emblem of the Red Monsoon, another the Agni Kais, while the last – a thin, mustached man – wore none at all.

Assuming he and Bolin counted as part of the Triple Threats, only the Terras lacked representation. He rather doubted that was a coincidence.

"Anyway, first things first. We're gonna split up and case the joint. Make double an' triple sure there ain't no…uh, surprises left by one triad for the others," said Shin after a little while. "Zolt wants this one clean an' fair. Only way we're ever gonna get anythin' done."

He pointed to the Red Monsoon member and the man with the mustache.

"Eki, Zihu, you check out the area 'round the rear exits," he ordered, before gesturing to the boyish-faced representative of the Agni Kais. "Ketto, you're with me. We'll take the front."

Finally, he turned to Mako and Bolin, his trademark smug grin returned to his face.

"And as for the wonder bros…I want you to take a look at some of the boats in the bay. 'Specially that one," he added, sticking out his arm toward a nondescript ship with The Eel-Hound Express printed in white paint. "It's been hangin' here for a couple hours now, not doin' anything. It's probably nothin', but better to be safe than sorry, am I right?"

Mako nodded again, before Bolin could say anything. The sooner they finished this, the sooner they'd be able listen in on the summit itself. Which was what they were getting paid for, after all.

"Come on," he whispered to his brother, eager to get this over with.

Most of the ships betrayed little of interest, beyond what must've been some crewman's stash of long expired cabbages. Mako deliberately left "The Eel-Hound Express" for last. They couldn't afford any complications at this stage, so in the very unlikely event it did contain spies, he wanted to give them a chance to flee.

At first, the catering boat seemed as empty and unremarkable as the others. No one above deck, and nothing back around the stern save a few barrels of fish.

The moment they stepped below deck, however, that story changed rather abruptly.

First off, the metal hatch they'd used to access the inner hull slammed shut behind them, seemingly on its own, and left them stranded in total darkness. Then, before Mako could firebend a light, something thick and heavy wound its way around them both, binding their arms and forcing them to the ground.

A lamp was switched on, and the brothers got their first glimpse at their captors: no less than a dozen uniformed police officers, and the Chief of Police herself.

"I hope you boys have a really good story," she said, her eyes narrowed in irritation.

[-]

"So when am I gonna get some thanks, huh?" asked Eki, a smug grin across her heavily lined face as she walked with her compatriot. "If I hadn't put in a good word for you with Shin, there's no way you'd have gotten in on this gig."

Her boyfriend grunted his ascent, and her smirk widened.

The man who called himself "Zihu" was at least twenty years her junior, had a sour disposition, and generally granted her very little interest or affection beyond the physical. They'd been dating for a couple weeks now, and it was very obvious the relationship wasn't going anywhere.

Still, she could admit her weakness for the attentions of a much younger man. Particularly such an attractive one. While lean, his body was incredibly well-toned and muscular, and she found the mustache a particular turn-on. Very "manly."

And that voice…oh, it still gave her shivers, late at night.

The fact was that she wasn't getting any younger. The Red Monsoons prized waterbending prowess beyond everything else, and her own skills – once quite formidable – were beginning to wane. They weren't sending her out on the streets anymore, and she knew the days before she was "quietly asked" to retire were numbered.

If she had to endure a bit of growling to keep this guy around, and stave off the creeping march of age a little while longer, that was fine by her.

Case in point: he was leaning into her now, out of the blue, holding her close by the small of her back. Eki was somewhat puzzled by his timing, but nonetheless, she yielded easily. Her eyes fluttered closed, her lips ready.

Then he shoved an electrified rod into her stomach, and with a single pulse, stunned her into unconsciousness.

"Alright, we're clear. Move in," said the Lieutenant, pulling on his mask and wiping his hands on his pants, eager to cleanse them.

This particular mission couldn't possibly have ended quick enough. But at least he'd gotten what he needed.

A couple of chi-blockers appeared from the shadows at their field leader's call, carrying off the unconscious Eki to a waiting truck. By this time tomorrow, she'd be purified.

And with any luck, she wouldn't be alone.

More chi-blockers followed shortly afterward, a much larger group – twenty or so in all. They moved with the utmost silence and precision, the result of drilling for this night for weeks. Each knowing (well, in one case, guessing) their roles by heart, they funneled into the warehouse through the back entrance, and took up position in each and every one of its dark corners.

Bringing up the rear of the group, however, was one individual who elected to hold back; one individual who, unlike the rest, was dressed rather distinctly.

"Hold any action until I give the signal," ordered Amon, standing alongside his Lieutenant rather than turning to face him. "They've all been taught it, I trust?"

"Of course, sir," replied the other man, his rumbling tones blending seamlessly with the night wind around them. "Only our most elite and experienced forces have been permitted to join us here. The rest are at the other sites."

"Then I take it things are proceeding according to schedule?" Amon asked, in a tone that implied there was only one correct answer.

Mercifully then, for his own sake, the Lieutenant nodded. "Let's get into position as well," he said, and both of the masked men proceeded into Future Industries warehouse twelve, closing the door softly behind them.

Meanwhile, the two young women who'd been watching this entire scene play out took one last look at each other and then, by silent agreement, moved to follow.

[-]

"What do you suggest we do with them, Chief?" asked Captain Saikhan, crossing his arms and glaring at their tied-up prisoners. His own metalbending ensured that their iron cords didn't budge.

"Well first off, you could stop talking like we aren't right here!" Mako exclaimed irritably, before once again attempting to struggle out of the bindings. He did not succeed.

Lin scowled, and after a few seconds' thought, adopted a similar stance to her second-in-command.

"Quite the mouth on this one," she said, her voice terse and impatient. "But we don't have a choice. Leave a couple officers here to guard these two. We'll take them into custody in the morning."

"You don't understand, ma'am!" responded Bolin, who'd been reaching back to scratch his neck when they'd been captured and, therefore, was stuck in a rather uncomfortable position. "We need to get back to that summit! The fate of the city – nay, the whole world – depends on it!"

The Chief of Police groaned and pinched her brow. "Like I don't hear that five times a day," she muttered. "Look, kid. Are you going to tell me you aren't associated with the triads?"

"Well…I guess technically, we got hired by the Triple Threats…" answered the earthbender. Mako would've slapped himself if his hands were free. "Wait, no, no, don't get the wrong idea! We only did it 'cuz that Tarrlok guy asked us to!"

"Tarrlok?" asked Tenzin, speaking up for the first time since their capture. Mako did a double-take; he'd missed the airbender entirely. "What's he got to do with this?"

"Wait a minute, I know you," the firebender said after a moment. "You're on the council too, right? The airbender guy. Sorry…I'm blanking on your name."

"Tenzin," he told the younger man, frowning slightly. "But let's not change the subject. You're saying Chairman Tarrlok sent you here?"

Seeing no other choice, Mako took a deep breath…and began to explain.

He left out a few details – namely his blackmailing them about their past with the triads – but laid out the rest of their deal as plainly as he could.

"So all this time, we've been worried about Tarrlok cracking down for doing this sting under the table…" Lin began, shaking her head wearily.

"While all along, he was planning to bribe civilians to do the same thing," finished Tenzin, a low groan layered over his voice. "I guess this explains that 'proof' he was planning to show us tomorrow."

The Chief of Police beckoned him over to a corner so they could conference privately. Then, her lips barely moving, she whispered, "Can we really trust this story of theirs? Not that I have any trouble believing Tarrlok is capable of it, of course. But we still need to consider the source."

"I doubt anyone could, or would, make something like this up. It's too crazy to be fiction," said Tenzin, just as quietly. "Besides, whether it's the truth or not, can we afford not to act on it?"

Lin sighed, but eventually nodded. "So what exactly are we supposed to do with them?" she asked.

The airbender chanced a brief glance back at their captives, mulling the question over for a moment, before replying, "I think we should let them go."

"What?!" growled the Chief, more loudly than she'd been intending. "Are you even more out of your mind than usual?"

"Think about it, Lin. If these two don't come back, the triads might begin to suspect something's up," Tenzin explained. "You said it yourself: we can't afford to spook them yet. What if they decide to send more people to search the area?"

"Or, we let them return, they blab everything to Zolt, and thus guarantee they send more people to search," hissed Lin, her eyes narrowed. "You're discounting that very likely possibility."

"Look, we've got nothing against the police. You wanna arrest everyone in that warehouse tonight, fine by us," said Mako, interrupting their whispered conversation. Every eye in the room immediately snapped to him. "Err…sorry for overhearing, but you should know: we just wanna get paid so we can stay in the tournament. That's all we're here for."

"And Tarrlok is offering us way more money than Shady Shin is," added Bolin, trying to be helpful. "So we've got no reason to tell him anything. Badgermole Scout's honor."

"You were never in the Badgermole Scouts," Mako couldn't keep himself from pointing out.

"It's an expression, bro," the earthbender declared exasperatedly, as if that should've been obvious.

Lin clenched her teeth and let out another deep, rattling breath. It'd almost be worth it to go along with Tenzin's plan, just so she wouldn't have to listen to these two.

Finally, and already half-regretting the words the moment they left her mouth, she said, "If we do let you go – and I'm not saying we will – you need to follow my instructions exactly. Is that clear?"

"It is," responded Mako, though his tone was mildly skeptical. "But which instructions do you mean?"

"Mostly, you should just do what you would've done normally. Tenzin's right, any deviation in your behavior could tip off the triads," she told them. "But if and when we decide to move in, I want you kids to stay out of it. Back off, put your heads down, and wait it out. Can you at least do that much?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Bolin called out exuberantly. He attempted to snap a salute as well, before remembering that he couldn't move his arms. "That is one thing we are really good at! Like…reeeeeeally good. Point is, you can count on us."

Lin continued to glare daggers at the brothers, still all but certain this was a terrible idea…but nonetheless, gave a single, firm nod to Saikhan. The intent was clear, and the police captain released his captives in one smooth, fluid motion.

"Don't make me regret this more than I already do," she said, gazing down at them with all the respect an exterminator might afford a spider-rat.

[-]

The hiding spot Korra and Asami were currently wedged in was very tight, which presented something of a conundrum for the young Avatar.

It couldn't be helped; spread everywhere throughout the warehouse were those mysterious masked men, who – given that their leader was a dead ringer for the flyer Zaheer had shown her – could only be the Equalists. Sneaking in and sequestering themselves in a small crawlspace of their own, without being seen, had been difficult enough on its own.

They certainly hadn't had a lot of other options, was the point.

Still, the gap between a couple large crates was just large enough to hold the two of them, with no more than an inch or two to spare. Meaning that her bare arm was pressed right up against Asami's own.

And oh-there-were-no-words for how little she needed that right now.

She couldn't afford the slightest distraction right now, and Asami was a constant one. Their faces mere inches from each other, lying down on their stomachs side-by-side, Korra could feel every breath the non-bender took in, every last twitch or shiver of her lithe body. And with each of her own breaths, the Avatar inhaled a bit more of Asami's perfume, subtle and delicate and by the spirits why was she thinking about the way the other girl smelled?!

Furthermore, the physical closeness made it all but impossible to push their earlier confrontation out of her mind, despite how much she knew she needed to. Over and over again it played out in her mind, Korra's subconscious running wild with alternative ways it could've ended, had she decided to tell Asami the truth.

Most of them went along the lines of the most likely scenario: the rich girl storming away from her in disgust, furious at how she'd been used and betrayed. Several even involved them coming to blows. Certainly, at minimum, she'd call the police.

But…a few others…

Korra tried to clamp down on it, but it was too late – her imagination was fully out of her control. Vague and…not so vague images swam through her mind, each more impossible than the last, and it took all her willpower to remain focused on the mission at hand.

Because really and truly, she could not afford for her head to be anywhere but in the moment, right now. With unseen enemies surrounding them in every direction, dozens of hardened criminals liable to arrive at any moment, and an all-out brawl certain to erupt the moment they did…

Well, this was not a time for daydreaming.

No matter how wonderful those dreams might happen to be.

Korra had little time to dissect that stray thought, however, before the warehouse's main door slid open, and a handful of figures stepped into the dark room. Several lights flickered on lazily at their arrival, but the lighting here clearly hadn't been maintained well, as most of the warehouse remained shrouded in shadow.

Good news for them…and for all the Equalists presently lying in wait.

Having entered through the back and picked the first hiding spot they could find, the two girls were some distance away from the entrance, but the warehouse was so quiet otherwise that they had no trouble picking up the group's conversation.

One man, a sleazy-looking guy in a blue suit, was lecturing the others about the schedule for the evening. It took Korra a few seconds to realize, with a slight jolt, that two of them were Bolin and Mako. She'd barely seen them out of their Fire Ferret uniforms before.

"The summit don't start for another twenty minutes, but you should be ready any second. Zolt likes to come, uh…fashionably early," he said, his voice so oily that Korra was half-convinced you could power a Satomobile with it. "Anyway, where the heck have you been? And where's Eki?"

These words were directed at the man they'd seen knock out his partner. Another jolt, this one far more pronounced, went down Korra's spine. The box to their right constituted a large blind spot, so she'd completely missed his near-silent approach.

Whoever the man was, he lied easily. "Afraid she hasn't been feeling well lately. Thought she could push through it, but she had an attack as soon as we reached the door," answered the spy. "Sorry, but I had to look out for my girl."

Rather than be annoyed, however, the blue-clad gangster's face twisted in sympathy.

"Hey, if she's sick, she's sick. Ain't nobody's fault," he declared. "Eki was like a mother to me, back when I rolled with the Monsoons. So you just make sure to treat her right, ya feel me?"

"Of course," Amon's lackey replied deftly. If the other man's voice was like the oil in a machine, this guy was like two gears grinding against each other – smooth, yet almost terrifyingly resonant.

"Anyway, like I was sayin' earlier, you should all get into position 'round the table," the blue-suited man said after a moment, indicating a large, round meeting table near the center of the room. "Oh, and first rule for tonight: you folks don't speak. Consider yourselves pieces of furniture. Big pieces of furniture that can bend."

"What if someone gets outta hand?" asked the one remaining stranger, a young man in red. "At what point are we allowed to step in?"

"Look to your boss for that, Ketto. He or she gives you the nod, you got permission to beat the crud outta whoever you like," replied the first man with a wink. "Unless the guy's a Terra, of course. Then you can skip straight to the last part."

It was almost comical how every single person in the room – from Bolin and Mako, to Korra and Asami, to even the mustached Equalist – simultaneously raised an eyebrow in response to this, though none of them said anything about it.

None of them had a chance to say anything about it, because in that same moment, the warehouse door exploded.

Instinctively, Korra felt her body ready itself for a fight – at least, as much as it could from her current position – and she could see that she was far from the only one to do so. But no attack followed.

Instead, an older man in finely crafted, maroon-and-gold robes strode in, passing through the smoke as if it didn't exist. Flanking him were a half-dozen other men and a single woman, their own clothing a mix of subdued blues, greens, and reds.

"Ah, sorry 'bout that. You know how I love to make an entrance," he said, smirking smugly. "And hey…didn't expect ol' Moneybags Sato to cheap out on lightning-proofin' this place. Baaaad call in this part o' town."

Korra felt a shudder course through Asami's body at the mention of her father.

"Lightning Bolt Zolt! It's an honor, sir!" exclaimed the man in blue, bowing so low it was almost pathetic. "I just finished makin' sure the meetin' place you picked out is all tight and secure. You'll be happy to know there ain't not one peep outta order."

Once you parsed the truly atrocious grammar, Korra thought ruefully, you might arrive at something resembling the truth. There were, after all, a great many "peeps outta order" right now.

In any event, Zolt didn't seem particularly impressed. "Shady Shin," he responded, with a tone someone might use to describe a fire gummy stuck to their shoe. "I hope you pulled together somethin' better than that sorry lot you had guard my daughter's weddin'."

Instantly, the younger gangster began to sweat bullets, and he swallowed so loudly that the girls could hear it.

"I…uh…know I messed up there, boss," he said, pulling at his collar nervously. "But I promise you, this is different. I got nothin' but the best, see for yourself!"

He gestured at the other four members of his group, already positioned in a circle around the meeting table. Zolt took a couple steps forward, his golden eyes narrowed as he examined each of the "security staff" in turn.

To the man called "Ketto," he gave a stiff nod, which Korra took to mean he had no objections. She wondered idly, given that the colors of their clothing seemed to correspond with their elements, if it was because both were firebenders.

His expression turned more critical as he glared at the Equalist, and he looked to be on the verge of saying something. But just to the man's right, Bolin was being extraordinarily conspicuous in his desire not to be conspicuous, and all matters of the spy in their midst were instantly forgotten.

"Well, well, well…" murmured Zolt, something halfway between a frown and a leer spreading across his face. "Look at what we have here."

Bolin flinched, but the triad boss strode straight past him, and cupped Mako's chin with his beefy hand.

"You got a lotta nerve, Mako. Showin' your face in a place like this, after what you pulled," he said, lifting his fingers and then slapping them lightly across the younger firebender's cheek. Mako didn't react. "You got somethin' to say for yourself?"

"I'm just here to do my job and get paid," the pro-bender answered tersely, still staring straight ahead.

"Always 'bout the yuans with you, ain't it?" asked Zolt, his voice low and dangerous. He took one step closer to the teenager, now fully within his personal space. "You get this far an' your mind's still so small. Sad."

"Umm…no offense, sir, but…" Bolin spoke up timidly. "Isn't that what being a gangster is, like…y'know, about?"

Zolt slowly shook his head, as if he was a schoolteacher and one of his students had just given an embarrassingly stupid answer.

"That's only part of it, kid," he said, frowning. Korra couldn't help but notice that he used Mako's given name, but not his brother's. "The other part's respect. And that's what you're missin', Mako. Respect."

He gestured backward with a flick of the wrist, at the hole he'd blown in the warehouse door.

"When the rest of the big bosses get here in a few minutes, we're all gonna bow and make nice. And that's 'cuz of respect," he continued. "We may not like each other, but we got respect, an' that keeps this city stable."

Then, without warning, Zolt seized Mako by his shirt and, with a single motion, threw him bodily to the ground.

"It was never 'bout you leavin'. It was the way you did it," he explained in a low voice, planting an expensive boot across the teenager's chest to keep him from getting up. "Plenty of people quit the triads, that's okay. This life ain't for everyone. But you? You were my best, Mako."

"I was just an accountant," Mako pointed out, coughing a bit from the pressure on his chest.

"You know what I mean, ya ungrateful little…!" said Zolt, his teeth gritted. "You have any idea how many other people I taught firebendin' personally? You had a gift…still do. Whether or not you stayed with the Triple Threats, I didn't want it goin' to waste."

He released his foot, letting Mako scramble to his feet, but continued to glare furiously all the while.

"I took you in. Gave you somethin', made you somethin'," he told his former protégé. "An' when you left to go shack up with that Toza guy, did I ever hear a 'thanks'? Did I ever get anythin' back for all my trouble? You disrespected me, Mako, and I ain't happy 'bout that."

Mako kept his eyes directed downward, but sighed and asked, very quietly, "What is it that you want from me?"

Again, that expression which was halfway like a sneer.

"Right now? Nothin'. I just wanted you to know where we stand," he responded, finally stepping away from the younger man. "Later, we can talk a little more 'bout, ahem…reparation. But for now…"

He glanced back at the warehouse entrance, where a couple dozen similarly clad individuals were slowly filing through the opening.

"Looks like we got some guests to entertain."

[-]

"Okay, hold up. The heck are you trying to pull, Zolt?" demanded Long Shi, pretty much from the moment the triad leaders took their seats.

Ever since the Terra Triad's founding by escaped criminal Long Feng, the members of his family – adopted, as the disgraced Grand Secretariat had been a eunuch – had always been among its leaders. Long Shi, however, had not been in a position of power long; his older sister had run the triad for twelve long years, before finally being arrested just over a year ago.

Barely out of school and with a temper to match his age, Long Shi had spent that year systematically demolishing his own gang with one stupid decision after another. The Terras had already been in a weak period after a number of police crackdowns, but Long Shi's boneheaded leadership threatened to slide them fully into irrelevance.

Which, all things considered, meant Lightning Bolt Zolt wasn't particularly surprised he'd been the first one to start trouble.

"Not sure what you're talkin' about," he said, staring off to the side; not affording the youngest of their group the honor of eye contact.

That was a lie, of course. At minimum, he had a fairly good idea.

"These spineless lowlifes you got guarding us!" exclaimed the Terra boss, confirming Zolt's suspicions. "I sent over half a dozen names to your guy, and what do I see? The only earthbender here is with you. What, am I supposed to take an insult like that lying down?"

"Yes, you are," stated Gui of the Red Monsoon, his voice harsh despite its natural softness. "There're no waterbenders on the security staff at all, and I'm still whining less than you."

Gui was outside his element, to put it mildly. Normally a bookkeeper, he'd been promoted very quickly thanks to the decimation of the Monsoons' leadership by the Equalists. The oldest member of the summit by far, Zolt nonetheless showed him far more deference than the young earthbender.

"Can we stop with these petty squabbles and get onto the real issue?" asked the Agni Kai boss Niao, her tone severe. "I was under the impression this meeting was somewhat important."

The sole woman at the table, Niao spoke through a half-face mask, hiding the ritual burn-scars that marked initiation into the Agni Kais' upper ranks. Though the majority of the firebending triad were men, its leaders were always women, in reference to the Kemurikage they'd spawned from.

"I agree with Our Esteemed Sister of the Flame," said Gui, using the most formal term of address possible. The lack of bad blood between them, which the Monsoons' previous boss had held in abundance, was an encouraging sign. "No one's suffered from these Equalists worse than the Red Monsoon."

"We've all lost people," retorted Long Shi, still sounding sore at his abrupt dismissal but apparently unwilling to argue the point. "Even if some of us have more to spare than others…"

This was directed, rather pointedly, at Zolt, though he didn't rise to the bait.

Since they accepted all three kinds of benders, the Triple Threats – far and away the youngest of the triads, at only nine years old – had quickly grown to be its largest, by a factor of almost two-to-one. So, although they'd lost more than a dozen of their best enforcers to the Equalists, they'd felt the impact far less than most.

Zolt didn't consider that a reason to grow complacent, however. If the Equalists weren't stopped now, there was no telling how much damage they might eventually do.

"Let's start by getting everythin' we got on these guys out in the open," Zolt told the other triad leaders, rapping the table with his knuckles for emphasis. "Maybe one of us knows somethin' the rest don't."

There was a hint of accusation in his voice, but just a hint – not enough to start anything over.

Niao straightened a set of papers and cleared her throat. As usual, she'd come prepared.

"In point of fact, we actually know quite a bit. Just yesterday, one of my lieutenants returned from their captivity," she said.

Expressions of shock spread across the room – not just on the faces of the other bosses, but their various underlings as well. None of them had ever heard of someone coming back from the Equalists.

Zolt said as much, and Niao nodded gravely. "If I were to hazard a guess…" she replied, her masked head dipped slightly. "Based on what he told me, our people aren't failing to return because they cannot, but because they will not. They're so ashamed of what's become of them, that they'd rather leave the city than face their superiors."

She paused for a moment, letting that declaration hang in the air, before finally adding, "He reports that the Equalists' leader, Amon, has the power to remove people's bending."

The reaction was immediate and dramatic. A general outcry of skepticism and disbelief erupted across the table, though none were nearly as vocal as Long Shi.

"Hippo-bull!" he shouted, sounding incensed even at the suggestion of such a thing. "No one can do that!"

"The Avatar can," said Gui quietly. "I should know, I was there. On the day of Yakone's trial."

"Yeah, but…that Amon guy isn't the Avatar!" sputtered Long Shi. "If the Avatar was reborn after the Southern Massacre, they'd be…what, twelve? That guy sure doesn't look like a freaking kid!"

"I think what our friend is getting at is that if the Avatar could do it, it's possible others could learn, too," explained Niao, shaking her head in impatience. "It wouldn't be the first time. Look at combustionbending. It's an extremely rare talent, sure. But even if Avatar Weng was the first to use it, he's far from the only one."

"Guess you got a point there," admitted Long Shi, albeit somewhat reluctantly. "What the heck can we do against something like that, though?"

Zolt slammed his fist down onto the table, as if he'd been anticipating the question.

"I'll tell you what we gonna do. We gonna bring the fight to them," he said, his voice a low growl. "Amon's only been succeedin' so far 'cuz he's a coward, pickin' off our guys one by one in the dead o' night. Tell me, did your lieutenant say how he does this no-bendin' thing?"

"According to his report, Amon takes hold of the victim and presses fingers to their neck and forehead," Niao read out dispassionately. "What happens to them next is unclear."

"Yeah, I figured it'd be somethin' like that. Point is, he can only do it one at a time," Zolt continued on, baring his teeth toward the other gangsters. "So if we gang up on him all at once…he'll be sleepin' with the skunk-fishies by mornin'."

"That's if we can even get to him," Gui pointed out. "We have no idea how many Equalists there are in the city right now, or what sort of weapons they have. We don't even know where their hideout is. How are we supposed to launch an attack without knowing where to go?"

"Easy. We capture one, and make 'em squeal," said Zolt, punctuating his point by clenching a raised fist. "They're targetin' us, so it's only a matter of time before they show their faces again. Or…well, y'know what I mean."

"Still seems like a bit of a risk to me," responded the Red Monsoon leader, his wrinkled arms crossed sagely. "But I guess I can't think of any better ideas."

"I can," Long Shi declared, crossing his own arms in a direct mirror of his elder rival. On him, however, the gesture came across as immature and petulant.

Niao gave a short, snorting laugh. "Alright, I'll bite. What's your plan, kid?" she asked.

A smug grin spread across the earthbender's face.

"Pretty simple, isn't it?" he answered, adjusting his tinted glasses unnecessarily. "Whoever these guys are, however many are out there, one thing's obvious: they're all non-benders. Useless little nobodies who've forgotten their place. Seems to me the easiest solution would be to…heh heh…remind them."

Zolt frowned and slouched over in his chair slightly, but said nothing. Long Shi took this as an invitation, if an unenthusiastic one, to keep speaking.

"You know…put more pressure on our territories. Step up 'donations' from non-bender businesses. Make an example out of any who refuse," he went on, cracking his knuckles loudly. "Maybe blow up some of the Sokka or Suki statues. Send a message, y'know?"

"Hmmm. I think I gotcha," said Zolt in a low voice. "Why don't I show ya my opinion on that little plan o' yours?"

Then, without any further preamble, he jabbed one fist forward and set the Terra boss' chair on fire.

"What the heck, man?!" screamed Long Shi, raising dirt from the ground and using it to smother the flames on his coat. "You think you can treat a member of the Long family like this?!"

Incensed, his eyes darted around wildly, looking for someone to back him up – but neither Gui nor Niao had even flinched at the attack, and he'd only brought two bodyguards of his own to the summit. With no one on the security staff on his side, he was forced to stand down.

Zolt waited for the younger man to take a seat on another chair before adding, "Look, I ain't no bleedin' heart. But I also ain't gonna stand for stupid ideas. All you'd do is send more non-benders runnin' for the Equalists. Figurin' they might be able to protect 'em."

"Oh, and if we take down Amon, that's suddenly gonna stop?" demanded the earthbender, his hands balled in fists. The sudden assault had clearly evaporated the miniscule amount of goodwill he'd entered the warehouse with. "Think, Zolt! This isn't gonna stop with one guy! We don't push back on this, hard, and we could lose everything!"

The lightningbender's expression hardened even further.

"The Terras are free to do whatever they like," he said. "But you go too far, an' you make an enemy outta every other triad in this town."

The other two leaders nodded their agreement, which only seemed to anger Long Shi further.

"You know, I'm tired of this," he murmured, a dangerous edge to his voice. "You bossing me around…bossing any of us around! Some upstart little hog-monkey whose gang didn't freaking exist ten years ago! And you get off treating me like I'm a kid? Well screw you, pal!"

"Brother of the Stone, please," Gui tried to intercede, switching to the formal term in an effort to calm him down. "We shouldn't let ourselves get sidetracked. The important thing here is…"

"The important thing is doing something about him!" roared Long Shi, jabbing a stubby finger toward Zolt. "As long as we're letting him take the lead on this one, we're finished! The Equalists will eat us for breakfast. And so if no one else'll do anything about it, I will!"

The rock shot forth before anyone had quite realized he'd bent it. It wasn't large, and the damage it inflicted was superficial at most.

But as a single droplet of blood trickled down the Triple Threat boss' cheek, the entire mood of the room shifted noticeably.

"You wanna make a power play, kid?" said Zolt, slowly rising from his chair and cracking his neck, each movement careful and deliberate. "Heckuva time to do it, but alright. If we can't trust ya to watch our backs against Amon, then you're a liability. And liabilities…"

He shrugged off the outer layer of his coat and took a stance, before finishing, "…Get turned to ash."

A number of things happened in the next moment, each so quick it was easy to miss the rest.

In the blink of an eye, Lightning Bolt Zolt brought forth the element that gave him his name, firing it with speed and precision virtually unknown outside of the royal family.

Both Gui and Niao scrambled to get out of the way, as did everyone else surrounding the table – even the two other Terras that Long Shi had brought along. Right now, no one was particularly eager to stick their necks out for him.

At the same time, two quick sounds echoed from the rear of the warehouse, like something metallic being struck. The man called Zihu took a few steps away from the crowd, and returned the signal by tapping his heel against the floor.

The reaction was dramatic and immediate. Long Shi had just barely managed to raise a wall of earth to protect himself in time, and a cloud of dust erupted as the lightning shattered it.

And when that cloud dissipated, only a few seconds later, the gangsters were surrounded by Equalists.

"Amusing as this all has been," said Amon, striding forward purposefully in the wake of the strike. Everyone present was too stunned by his sudden appearance to do anything but stand there agape at his approach.

"It is time to cleanse this city of its filth."

[-]

The next few minutes were utter chaos.

Korra watched on in horror as dozens of the most powerful benders in Republic City were systematically, brutally demolished. They were making a fight of it, of course, but in the long run there was no question.

This wasn't a battle. It was a slaughter.

Long Shi went down first, being closest to the spy the Equalists had inserted into their ranks. The moment Amon made his presence known, the mustached man had drawn some electrified weapons and struck the Terra boss in the back, shocking him into a stupor.

Before he even had time to hit the ground, Amon was already upon him, swooping down like a man-sized wolfbat. A few seconds later, and Long Shi was collapsed upon the floor, soft and limp as a pile of noodles.

And so it was repeated, dozens of times over. The Equalists struck hard and fast, jabbing at joints and pressure points to disable their opponents long enough for Amon to strike. And not one his victims ever got up again after he was through.

The bending criminals would attempt to counterattack, of course, but Amon moved like smoke itself. Every burst of fire, earth, or water touched only air, and the Equalist leader darted in and out of the shadows with the deftness of a carnival acrobat.

First Gui went down; he was far from a trained combat waterbender, after all. Then Niao fell as well, utterly abandoned by her right hand, Ketto, who fled for his life. The various lieutenants and enforcers the bosses had brought with them, meanwhile, were dropping like bumble-flies.

Soon enough, it was only Zolt, backed by four others – Bolin and Mako, Shady Shin, and one of the Triple Threat earthbenders – who were holding their own against the Equalist horde. Their ranks had been thinned somewhat, mostly by Niao, but they still outnumbered the benders by at least three-to-one.

Not for the first time, Korra felt a sharp pang of temptation – to intervene, to run away, to do something. She chanced a glance to the side, at Asami's similarly stricken face, and knew she was feeling the same thing.

But no matter how much she willed it, her body remained frozen firmly in place. She wished she could say it was strategic considerations that were staying her hand…but the truth was far more shameful.

It was fear.

Though she knew it would benefit her none, that it was inessential to her mission, she wanted to help Mako and Bolin, whose fight against the Equalists grew more and more desperate by the moment. She hadn't known them long, but they'd been good to her; taken her in and taught her all they could about their livelihood. Part of her, a large part, felt like she owed them.

Yet right now, Korra found she couldn't move a muscle. She'd just seen, with her own two eyes, that Niao's claims were far from flights of fancy. Several of Amon's victims had attempted to recover from his attack, striking at him from a prone position with unsteady punches or kicks…but no elements had followed their movements.

There was no other explanation. Somehow, some way, this man could remove the bending of his enemies. With nothing but a couple of fingers.

How could she even begin to face him, knowing that? Knowing how easily, how effortlessly, he could rip away everything that made her…well, her. Avatar Korra. The world's last remaining hope for balance.

Still, Asami was staring at her now, silently beseeching her to step in. The meaning of her expression was obvious, even if no words were exchanged: if Korra wasn't willing to step up and help her friends, then she would.

In the next moment, however, all that was rendered moot.

Every single window to the warehouse was shattered in unison, as uniformed police officers descended from all directions on cables of iron. Unlike the bending criminals, they moved as a single unit, raining down upon the Equalists with organization and precision.

As they entered into combat with Equalists and triad members alike without missing a beat, it quickly became obvious that they hadn't just arrived here. Korra supposed they must've been waiting outside for some time now, watching for the perfect moment to strike.

Letting the criminals thin each other's ranks before swooping in wasn't exactly honorable, but she couldn't deny it was sound strategy.

In any event, however, one other thing was clear: their arrival presented the perfect distraction. As soon as Zolt, Shin, and the other earthbender were set upon by Republic City's finest, Mako and Bolin had chosen to slip away into the shadows, and were slowly making their way toward the rear of the warehouse.

Korra glanced over at Asami once again, and the two girls exchanged a single, silent nod. Now was the time to move.

They stayed hunched over as they walked, letting the tall crates block them from view. Without needing to speak, the pair automatically positioned themselves back-to-back, allowing them to stay alert of all three warring parties.

The brothers were maneuvering in a similar fashion, slowly and carefully, so it didn't take long for the girls to catch up to them.

Unsure of how best to approach this, Korra cautiously tapped Bolin on the shoulder. The earthbender very nearly let out a yelp, but his brother slapped a hand across his mouth just in time. Mako's eyes briefly widened in surprise at their presence, but he seemed to decide that any questions he had could wait, and nodded as well.

And so with that, the four of them set off.

The mayhem in the warehouse was growing worse and worse by the second, but the teenagers stayed just out of sight of the fray, with Korra leading them through the winding aisles of oversized crates and boxes. If she remembered correctly from their harried arrival, the backdoor was only a few more rows away…

And indeed, when they turned the next corner, the door that'd be their escape came fully into view. Unfortunately, however, something else stood directly in front of it.

The Equalist spy, three of his masked minions…and…

Amon himself.

"Take them all," he said coldly.

With no more benefit to stealth, all four of them sprung into action against their attackers, bending and – in Asami's case – fighting back with furious punches and kicks as if their lives depended on it. Which, in a certain sense, they absolutely did.

Still, though they put their all into their struggle, it became clear fairly quickly that they were thoroughly outmatched.

The man who went by "Zihu," in particular, fought with the ferocity of a man possessed, and it only took a couple of strikes from his electrified weapons to subdue both Bolin and Mako. With his last bit of strength, Mako managed to knock those weapons away from him with a quick fire blast, but all that meant was that the mustached man and another Equalist had to spend some time holding them down and binding their limbs.

The other two Equalist foot soldiers seemed to be holding back somewhat against Asami, which the first learned to regret very quickly, as she slammed him into the ground hard enough to shatter several bones. The other countered swiftly, however, and soon forced her into a tight hold.

Korra wanted desperately to rush to her side, but Amon had gone after her personally, and it was taking all her focus simply to stay out of his range. The masked man, already fast, was now moving with agility bordering on inhuman, dodging and weaving around every single attack she threw.

Forced to rely solely on the water-skins she always kept at her sides, Korra had never so acutely felt the limitations of a single element. Waterbending depended on the "push and pull" between the bender and their opponent; the ability to turn the positive jing of an attacker against them.

But if Amon was going to rely entirely on negative jing, evading everything she could muster and refusing to counterattack on his own, she simply didn't have anything to work with. Ice, vapor, water "tentacles"…not one of them came even close to their mark.

What Korra really needed right now was earthbending. Amon wasn't an airbender, after all – he couldn't simply stay floating. Though he was incredibly nimble on his feet, those feet still needed to touch the ground eventually.

If she could manage to trap his ankle with a raised bit of rock, even for a second, she was certain she could end this in a single shot. The rest of the Equalists were still occupied holding down her friends or fighting against the police, so if she could just take down their boss…

Then, it hit her. Why couldn't she use a bit of earthbending? Between Bolin, the other Triple Threat earthbender back there, and the dozen or so still-conscious police officers, there was no shortage of earthbenders here.

If she was subtle about it, no one would jump to the conclusion that she was the Avatar. They'd all assume someone else had done it.

Carefully, making sure to maintain her waterbending for the sake of misdirection, she adjusted her stance to get ready for the move. She wouldn't even need her hands for this. A single, strong tap of her foot would be enough.

Calling on all her training with Ghazan, Korra breathed deeply, watching Amon's every movement with the eyes of a messenger hawk. Steadily, patiently, she waited for the right moment to strike.

Finally, it came. Her latest water-whip assault put Amon just slightly off balance, and he touched down firmly upon the ground to right himself. It lasted less than a second, but it was enough.

She brought down her foot, willing the ground to rise and swallow his heel.

And absolutely nothing happened.

Korra's breath caught in her throat. Panicking slightly, she tried it again…but once more, no earth rose to her command. Abandoning all pretense, she repeated the gesture with her hands this time, putting her entire body into the motion…

And still, there was no response.

The water she'd been bending crashed to the floor, drenching her feet completely. Echoes of the booming splash reverberated through her mind.

Amon, too, came to a rest, his arms crossed behind his back and his posture immaculate. So confident, so casual. As if all this had been nothing more than an amusing game.

"I'm afraid that's not going to work," he told her, his voice a deathly, haunting whisper. But it wasn't those words that sent a deep, soul-biting chill directly down her spine.

It was what he said next.

"Isn't that right…Avatar?"