A/N: Thank you again for your overwhelming response to this story, everyone. Seriously, it means SO MUCH to me! Here's the next chapter. I rushed this one out a bit without doing my usual 23.5 proofreads, so I apologize in advance if it's a bit rough in patches. (Note: This chapter was written before viewing episode 1.10)

.*.*.*.

XI
Avatar

Amon tightened the last leather strap on his bracer, flexing his hand. His eyes slid closed and he listened to the heavy drone of the airship motor, searching for peace in its constancy. A knock at the door interrupted his concentration; his third-in-command poked her head into the room, dressed in combat garb.

"The lieutenant has the teams assembled, Amon. They're waiting for you."

Wordlessly, he followed her to the cargo hold. The Equalist forces stood at attention, split into three platoons. The lieutenant stood in front of the first, and his third-in-command moved to the head of the third platoon as Amon strode into the hold. He stepped onto the podium at the head of the room, a slight thrill tumbling in its stomach as it always did before he addressed his brothers and sisters. As his eyes travelled across the faces of his forces, each of them ready to put their lives on the line for the cause, pride swelled in his chest. He channelled his pride into his words, opening his hands to the crowd:

"My brothers and sisters, Councilman Tarrlok has taken this city from us and placed it squarely in the corrupt hands of the benders, pretending that he acts in the name of justice. He has taken our friends, our families, our freedom. Today, we remind him that this city cannot be taken from us. Today, we remind him that we will neither be intimidated nor bullied." His voice crescendoed. "Today, we teach Tarrlok that the Equalists are the true keepers of justice in Republic City."

The hold erupted into applause, and adrenaline began to course through Amon's veins. Tarrlok truly did not know what was in store.

The airship began a gentle descent as Amon stepped aside; the lieutenant took the podium.

"Strike Force, this will be your stop, so prepare to disembark," said the lieutenant. "That includes you, Amon."

Amon moved to the head of the second platoon and fell into line with the others. His muscles vibrated with anticipation.

"Support Force," continued the lieutenant, "eyes on me: we'll be landing in the shipyards to prepare the mechs. Liberation Force, you'll be the third and final stop. Ensign Midori will be your leader. We'll keep the majority of the police force busy while you empty the jails." Never one to bother trying to end on a high note, he left the podium to return to his troops.

A voice buzzed over the speakers: "Strike Force, prepare for drop."

Amon stepped onto the drop platform and closed his eyes, setting his hands in front of his chest to centre himself. The sounds around him muted until all he could hear were his breaths, slow and even against the inside of his mask.

Your breath is the core of all the physical skills that you will master.

He arced his fingers, focusing his chi.

This is how you will control them, little one. This is how you will bring balance.

The platform beneath him shuddered, then began to lower.

Amon's eyes opened to seek his target.

.*.*.*.

Korra groaned. "Go away, Naga." She pushed away the polar bear dog's face and burrowed under the pillow where her companion's tongue couldn't reach her face. Naga whined, and Korra groaned again. "Just a few more minutes." Maybe if she tried hard enough, she could return to the pleasant dream, the one where a half-naked Amon had been-

She sat bolt upright. Amon! What time was it? The sun was high in the sky, and she could smell cooking vegetables from the kitchen.

Cursing, she awkwardly tugged on her clothes as she ran to the kitchen. "What time is it?" she demanded of the acolytes, tying her waist-cape into place.

"Good morning, Korra," said Pema, appearing from behind her with a friendly smile. "You certainly slept late today. It's nearly noon."

Korra bit her tongue to stifle an expletive. "I have to go!" She turned and bolted for the door.

Behind her, Pema called, "Be safe, Korra. The others are outside waiting for you."

Waiting for her? Korra flew through the temple entrance and then skidded to a halt. Bolin, Mako and Asami sat on the grass by the stairs; they looked up at her as she approached.

"Going somewhere?" asked Bolin, hastily standing. The others stood beside him.

Korra sighed. "Yes, but alone."
"You forget," said Asami, flexing the fingers of her lightning glove. "We're Team Avatar now."

"No." Korra shook her head. "It's too dangerous. Both Tarrlok's forces and the Equalists will be there."

"All the more reason that you need our help," said Mako.

She swallowed against the sudden lump in her throat. "I'm not going to be able to talk you guys out of this, am I?"

"Not a chance," said Bolin.

"And you'll need a fast way to get to the docks," said Tenzin's voice above them. Korra looked up as a shadow passed over them: his sky bison. The enormous beast landed beside them, and Tenzin waved them on. "Hurry."

Korra patted Naga's nose, sad to be leaving the polar bear dog behind, but there was no time to sail her across. "Take care of Pema and the kids, Naga." After a final affectionate scratch of the animal's ears, she took her place on the sky bison. "Tenzin, you don't have to do this."

"Of course I do," he said. "My father built this city. What kind of son would I be if I didn't help defend it from two of the most threatening forces it has ever seen?"

The lump in Korra's throat swelled. "Thank you. All of you." She pulled Mako, Asami and Bolin in for a group hug, ruffling Bolin's hair.

Tenzin cleared his throat, never one for sentiment. "Everyone aboard?"

"Yes, sir," said Bolin.

"Good. Hang on tightly. Yip, yip!"

.*.*.*.

Amon's eyes locked onto Tarrlok as the drop platform hit the docks. The councilman stood in the centre of the dock, neatly groomed, his arms folded behind his back and a smirk on his face. Behind him stood the police force – just over two dozen, Amon estimated, though a quick scan suggested that a few police boats might be stationed nearby. He had nearly forty Equalists at his back, not including the lieutenant's platoon that would be aiding from the ships. Perhaps this was winnable yet.

As the Equalists fell into formation behind him, Amon walked forward, eyes always locked on Tarrlok. The floating dock creaked beneath him; the logs were old, almost rotten, and he kept his balance carefully guarded in case any of them should give way. Once he was about twenty feet away from Tarrlok, he stopped and held his ground.

They stared one another down, silent. A breeze wafted between them, and Amon wrinkled his nose at the heavy perfumes coming off of his opponent.

"You asked," said Tarrlok, "and I came. I should warn you that if I win this fight, you and your supporters are going to prison for a very, very long time." Craning his neck to look past Amon, he added, "Do they all know that?"

"My brothers and sisters are united. There is no punishment you can threaten that is worse than your tyranny." He studied the councilman. "And what of your forces, Tarrlok? Do they believe in your cause, or are they obeying you out of a blind sense of lawful duty?"

Tarrlok held up a hand. "Please, Amon. I'm not done yet. I want to make absolutely sure that your followers know what the stakes really are...and who they are following."

"Tarrlok!" yelled a voice from the sky. Korra. Amon's pulse surged, but he kept his eyes on Tarrlok until the councilman looked up; only then did Amon look as well. She was riding a sky bison, accompanied by her friends. He studied her with the guarded eyes of battle, carefully packaging away his feelings for her.

The sky bison landed at the edge of the dock and Korra leaped off, her friends following.

Behind Amon, the Equalists began to stir, but he held up a hand to stop them.

"I told you stay away, Avatar," he said.

She ignored him, her jaw set as she took several strides forward, forming a triangle with them. "Tarrlok, you have nowhere to run."

"Korra? Are you siding with the Equalists over me?" Tarrlok folded his arms over his chest. "Over the Council, the police force?"

"The Equalists will get their turn, but this is about you. You're destroying the city far more quickly than they ever did. You've arrested thousands of innocent people, and manipulated the police force to follow your own corrupt ideals." Her glare deepened. "And you attacked me and blamed it on the Equalists."

Surprised murmurs sounded among the police force. Tarrlok's grin twisted. Amon tried to track the conversation forward to figure out what ace the man had up his sleeve. Had they left any loose ends? Suddenly, his eyes widened.

The letter to Midori.

"It's convenient that both Amon and the Avatar are here at the same time, isn't it?" said Tarrlok. "Almost as if they are working together. Or more."

Amon began to close the space between them. Behind him, the whirr of Equalist weapons sounded.

Noticing their advance, the councilman's hand darted into the front of his coat. He fanned out three photos, holding them high.

"Equalists and friends of the Avatar, I present to you your leaders."

.*.*.*.

Korra yelled and sent a bolt of fire at the photos. Startled, Tarrlok dropped them on the damp surface of the dock, where they smouldered and then disintegrated. He cocked a brow at her, smirking.

"Seems I hit a nerve."

The compulsive movement did seem like an admission of guilt, she realized with regret. She had been too slow, anyway; they were already engraved in her mind, and probably everyone else's as well. Three photos, all from the night that Amon had seen movement in the bushes. They were grainy and dark, but their silhouettes were unmistakable. In the first, she had been gripping his collar, their noses practically touching. In the second, he had been gripping her wrists – pulling them away from his throat, she remembered, but the movement looked far more tender in the moment the photographer had captured. In the third, she had been peering suspiciously outside her room, Amon clearly visible in the background.

"What are you trying to do, Tarrlok?" yelled Tenzin from behind her. "That was libel!"

"I only present the facts, Tenzin. Aside from those photos, my surveillance officers have transcripts of two separate meetings between Amon and Avatar Korra, incontrovertible evidence that they are romantically involved." Tarrlok arched a brow. "Right under your roof, Tenzin."

Two separate meetings? Which was the second? Korra's head spun. She could feel the stunned gazes of her friends boring into her from behind.

"Preposterous," intoned Amon. He had stopped his advance, and he stood tall, staring down his opponent once again. "Brothers and sisters, Councilman Tarrlok knows he cannot beat us, so he seeks to erode us with lies."

"I wasn't finished." The councilman folded his hands behind his back. "Equalists, I give you a choice. Take a good long look at Amon, at the man who claims to hate all benders, yet has spent sordid nights in the embrace of the Avatar herself. Is this the man you want to follow into battle against your Council, your police force? Is this a man for whom you would risk arrest and imprisonment?" His eyes trailed across them. "Join me now, and you will receive a full pardon for any prior involvement with the Equalists."

"He is lying, manipulating you. Do not play into his hand." There was a frustrated growl to Amon's voice that Korra had not heard before.

"And Avatar Korra." The councilman's eyes honed in on her. "You are required to submit to interrogation regarding your involvement with the Equalists, effective immediately. Should you resist, you will be arrested. Should anyone aid her, they will be arrested as well."

Her jaw quivered as she turned back to her friends and mentor. "You heard him. Leave."

"Korra," said Tenzin. She met his eyes and immediately wished she hadn't; he looked betrayed. Crushed. "Please tell me that Tarrlok is lying."

She tried to escape his gaze by looking away, but instead only found the hurt gazes of her other friends. Fatigue settled on her shoulders, weighed her down, and she realized that she didn't have the energy to continue the lie. "I must face the consequences for my choices."

"Oh, Korra," whispered Asami, the words drawn out with disappointment.

"You lied to me," said Bolin, his eyes watering. "I gave you several opportunities to tell me, and you didn't."

"What the hell, Korra?" Mako stepped forward, his teeth bared. "Amon is a monster! He tried to take Bolin's bending, and look what he has done to the city."

"I know! Please, leave. All of you. You'll get arrested if you don't." She turned her back to them so that she didn't have to see their faces, but guilt still clawed at her stomach.

"Last chance," announced Tarrlok from the centre of the dock. "Full amnesty to anyone who sees reason now."

Behind Amon, the Equalists began to stir. Korra counted ten that stepped forward, pulling off their masks and crossing the dock. Amon's stance was rigid, his eyes locked on his enemy, not even flinching as the defectors passed him.

"Your lies will not be my end, Tarrlok," said Amon, his voice deep. "But I will be yours." He dashed toward him, his troops moving forward as well.

Tarrlok grinned. His hands rose.

The dock vibrated, then groaned. Korra stumbled, barely righting herself in time to see the back logs of the deck explode. One by one, they burst, a shower of ice crystals fluttering in the air behind them. The Equalists stopped their advance, looking behind them in confusion as their ground began to disappear.

He was bending the waterlogged wood, realized Korra – swelling the water into ice to shatter it. She fell into stance and focused her energy into her hands, trying to counteract the bending, but the compartmentalized structure of the wood confused her and she only managed to slow it. The back line of Equalists fell into the water, the others panicking as they tried to push forward.

"On it," yelled Bolin behind Korra, and she turned to see him drop into a low stance and thrust his arms into the air. A platform of soil rose from the depths; he was lifting the sea floor. He moved the earth into place where the docks had been. The fallen Equalists began to clamber onto it.

Korra grinned in spite of herself. "I thought I told you to leave."

"I don't trust Amon," said Bolin solemnly. "But I trust you enough to stay by your side."

"And we want to see Tarrlok stopped before he ruins the city beyond repair." Mako stepped beside him, followed by Asami. "We'll keep the police forces off your hands so you can focus on him."

Korra's heart swelled. "I'm so sorry. I should have told you that-"

"We'll talk about it later," said Bolin. "Go get Tarrlok."

.*.*.*.

Amon ignored the sound of splintering wood behind him, honing in on Tarrlok. He leaped, fingers drawn and ready to strike the man's neck.

The councilman blasted a wall of ice between them. Time slowed. Amon's eyes sought its weakest point: there. Still mid-leap, he drove his fingers into the ice; it splintered and then shattered, barely slowing him down. He landed at Tarrlok's feet and immediately swung underneath the councilman's follow-up ice bolts, sweeping out the councilman's legs.

Metal cables appeared in his periphery. Amon flipped high into the air, avoiding them. He landed behind the group of charging officers and jabbed his fingertips up the backs of two of them before they could turn. They sagged, their bending temporarily removed, but the others turned on him. Behind them, Tarrlok stood, recovered from his fall.

Amon's eyes ticked between them. Seven. He should be able to handle seven.

An unmasked Equalist, one of the traitors, came up on Amon's left, trying to chi-block him. Pathetic. Amon caught his wrist and wrenched it. More metal cables shot at him, and he used the traitor as a shield, spinning harmlessly away behind him. Other officers had joined in the fray now; he counted ten advancing enemies. Ten might be a challenge.

A glint in the corner of his eye attracted his attention; he turned his head just in time to see an enormous wave crashing toward him. He ducked and barrelled through the smallest two officers, barely making it out of the wave's path; it pulled several officers off of the dock instead.

Now he had stumbled into the thick of the fray. Around him, officers and the Avatar's friends were locked in combat. A cable wrapped around his wrist. Amon caught it and tugged the officer toward him, stabbing a finger into the officer's neck to knock him out. Another cable wrapped around his feet, and Amon fell.

The officers crushed in around him, each eager to be the one to capture him. All four of his limbs were caught now; the officers pulled the cables taught, suspending him a couple feet above the dock. Amon wrenched at the bonds, but his captors were too strong to yield.

"An admirable attempt," said Tarrlok, and Amon turned his head to see the man approach.

Behind him, Korra was stalking her prey, an army of dripping wet Equalists following behind her.

"The law recommends that I give you a trial," said Tarrlok, leaning over him to gloat. "But you've caused so many problems that I can't help but think that if you accidentally died in battle, no one would bat an eye."

Amon focussed on Korra's approach out of the corner of his eye. He subtly tested the tension against all four of his limbs. Right leg was weakest.

Korra yelled and thrust her arm forward, her flaming fist aiming for Tarrlok's head. He turned and summoned a shield of water to douse it.

The officers that held Amon captive turned as well.

It was all the distraction that Amon needed.

He drove his right knee toward his body, breaking the weakest of the bonds, and twisted. Using the momentum of the spin, he jerked his left arm, yanking the metal out of the hands of the distracted officers. He landed on his feet and drilled his fingertips along the arm of the officer who still held his right hand, then ricocheted in the opposite direction to do the same to his final captor. The metal slid from his body. The officer who had held his left leg lunged forward to attack, but Amon caught his arm, redirecting him, and dodged out of the fray...

...just as the Equalist forces pushed into it.

Afforded a moment to survey the battle, Amon focused on Tarrlok. The councilman and the Avatar were locked in combat. He had formed a shield of water around himself and was shooting ice crystals at Korra; she was blasting flame at him, melting the crystals as they approached. Tarrlok was gaining ground.

His back was open.

Amon lunged for him, bursting through the shield of water and jabbing his fingers into Tarrlok's spine. The councilman yelled and arched his back, sinking to his knees. The water shield fell to the dock around him, useless. The councilman turned, his teeth bared, but Amon had already rolled around to his front.

"Leave the Avatar, Tarrlok. This fight is between you and me." Amon waited, standing in his fighting stance. There was no honour in equalizing the man after attacking from behind. Head-on, with Tarrlok at full power, was the only proper way.

"You do not know who you are dealing with," said Tarrlok, flexing his arms and standing.

"Amon," said Korra, but he didn't look back at her.

"Leave, Avatar. This is not your fight." His eyes traced the councilman's figure, looking for the slightest of movements that would indicate that his bending had returned.

There. A flex of his hand. By the time Tarrlok had raised it and manipulated a bolt of ice, Amon was already on the move, weaving toward him. He lunged and then thrust up beneath the man's arm. The ice bolt flew wide. Amon spun Tarrlok to his knees and fell into place behind him. His hand dropped toward the man's neck.

Suddenly, Amon's muscles seized, and his body flew backwards as if kicked. He landed in a heap several feet away. He sat up just in time to see a barrage of ice plummeting toward him. He tried to roll out of the way, but his seizing muscles would not respond...

The ice shards halted. They hung mid-air, inches from his body.

"Tarrlok," yelled Korra. She leaped over Amon, landing in front of him, and dropped her arms. The ice shards clattered harmlessly to the dock. She blasted flame at the councilman, pressing the assault. Amon stared, realizing that she had yet again saved his life.

A whistle filled the air.

The mechs.

"Korra, get down!" Amon flattened against the dock.

She barely dropped in time, and Tarrlok managed to as well, but the group of Equalists and officers behind them weren't so lucky. A metal claw on a chain plowed into the troops, sending them flying into the water. Around them, the ships closed in on the dock, Equalist mechs lining the decks. More claws launched at the battlefield. Korra rolled to him, barely avoiding one.

"More weapons? Are you trying to start all-out war?"

"One way or another, we're going to win this," he said. "Stay down until I stand." He counted three claws. Four. Several of his own forces were being pushed into the water along with the police, and he saw the earthbending friend of Korra's fall in as well, but the strikes were generally accurate. By the time the eighth had fired, only Tarrlok and a handful of other fighters remained, most of them Equalist allies.

Amon stood, and Korra stood beside him. Tarrlok was already on his feet and advancing. The councilman's face was twisted with genuine rage now, his lips curled in a sneer. Amon recognized that look well, for he had caused it on many occasions. The look of a man about to break.

"Enough!" Tarrlok held up clawed hands.

Amon felt his muscles seize again, cramps shooting up and down his limbs. Beside him, Korra groaned and crumpled, her body quivering against the dock. Around them, the Equalists forces sank to the dock as Tarrlok held them fast.

Though his body shuddered, Amon stood tall, a smirk on his face behind his mask.

Little one, I will not let bloodbending be your end.

Tarrlok's eyes widened. "How are you-"

Not giving him time to finish, Amon reached into his pocket and pulled out a smoke bomb. It exploded in front of Tarrlok, engulfing him in a cloud of smoke.

All at once, the bloodbending released its hold on everyone around him.

"He needs line of sight," said Amon for Korra's benefit, and he sprinted into the smoke. Bolts of fire whizzed past his head and shoulders, and he realized Korra was covering him. He arced his hands in front of himself to fan the smoke, clearing a path at its centre – and revealing a surprised Tarrlok. A fresh burn mark scored his cheek; one of Korra's bolts must have hit its mark.

The councilman bared his teeth and clawed the air, bloodbending with so much effort that sweat trailed down his temples. Stiffness rippled through Amon's body, but he felt the spirit's energy flowing through his veins, protecting him, and he used that to push through the pain. He caught Tarrlok's wrist and twisted, forcing the man yet again to his knees. His hand clamped onto the back of the councilman's neck.

"Why isn't it working?" Tarrlok's lips twisted.

Amon felt the bloodbending intensify. Struggling, he raised his hand in the air, then began to lower it against the resistance. He poured all of his focus into the movement, his hand shaking as it approached Tarrlok's forehead. A few more inches, and the battle would be over.

"Amon," yelled Korra behind him, her voice strained by the bloodbending. "His hand!"

He looked down just in time to see Tarrlok's fist, encased in a solid ice spike, driving for his throat. He jerked his head out of the way, but the bloodbending slowed him, and he couldn't quite clear it.

The crack of the contact exploded in his ears, reverberated through his body. He staggered backwards, hands outstretched to try to regain his balance.

A small, white shard was spinning through the air in front of his eyes, then dropped. It fell into his open palm.

Porcelain.

He sank to one knee and brought a hand to his face. The bottom left corner of his mask was missing. Shorn off. His ears rang, dulling his senses.

Above the haze that fogged his mind he saw Tarrlok diving at him, ice spike bared, looking to finish the job. Amon did not move, his hand coiling protectively around the shard of his mask.

Korra barrelled into Tarrlok, knocking him aside. Her yells were audible even above the ringing in Amon's ears. Behind the raging battle, officers and Equalists alike stared with open mouths as Tarrlok bloodbent the Avatar into submission.

All but one.

"Korra!" yelled the earthbender boy, and a chunk of earth burst from the water and dropped in front of her. Tarrlok's control broke and she slumped against the rock, breathing hard.

A whistle sounded from one of the ships, and Amon realized that another round was due to fire. Barely in control of his body, he rushed toward Korra and slid, landing beside her just in time to pull her flat to the ground.

The weapons began to fire around them.

"Thanks, Amon. We make a good team, don't we?" Korra rolled her cheek along the ground to look at him, and her smirk faded. "Your mask!"

He could see in the reflection of her eyes what he had already felt: the mask was all white. No markings.

Six, he counted. Seven. When the eighth weapon fired, he sat back up and released Korra. He pressed against the rock and peered around the corner. Tarrlok was on all fours, gasping, the exertion of bloodbending catching up to him. They had maybe a minute before he recovered, he estimated. Behind him, the officers and Equalists had forgotten their shock and were once more engaged in combat.

"Listen carefully, Korra," he said, turning to her. "My connection with the spirit has been severed. I won't be able to energybend or resist his bloodbending anymore."

"You don't know that."

"I do. I can feel it. But Tarrlok doesn't know it. He perceives me to be the greater threat. I can provide the perfect opening for you to catch him off guard."

"No, Amon," she said, and he could tell she already knew where he was headed. He gripped her hands, staring intently at her.

"Listen! We have to keep him off of you long enough for you to surprise him. His eyes will leave me once my weakness is revealed, so your window will be short. You must succeed where I failed: you must take his bending."

"I don't know how!"

"Then kill him. Do not let him get away, whatever happens." His eyes searched hers. "History must remember this as a heroic sacrifice, or it will have no meaning."

"Sacrifice! No, you don't have to do this." A tear trailed down her cheek.

His throat tightened. He slid his thumb across her cheek to wipe the tear. "My gifts are gone. This is the greatest thing I can do for my cause now, Korra." His voice caught as he realized that the only thing that scared him about dying was never seeing her again. "My soul will find yours again one day. I promise."

She swallowed hard. "If there's a war going on next time our souls meet, then let's reincarnate on the same side of it, okay? I don't think my soul is strong enough to take all of this a second time." She tried to give a smile, but it wobbled and then crumpled as her tears overflowed.

A rush of air left him, something close to a sob. He lifted his mask and pulled her in, breathing in her scent and warmth as their mouths met. His eyes closed as he savoured her taste, as he poured all that had been left unsaid into his hands, his lips. A tear surprised him, trailing down his cheek.

Movement sounded on the other side of the wall; they were out of time.

Amon broke the kiss and stood, pulling his mask back into place.

"Goodbye, Korra," he whispered.

"Goodbye, Amon." Her jaw quivered.

Their hands met, palm to palm, one last contact.

Then he turned away and stepped around the barrier.

.*.*.*.

Korra swallowed a sob and swabbed at her eyes, trying to centre herself. She was a warrior. The Avatar. She must not waste this opportunity to set things right. Edging close to the opposite edge of the boulder, she peered around it.

Amon and Tarrlok faced one another, their positions matching the ones they had taken at the beginning of the fight.

The councilman's damp hair hung in his face, and his face was twisted into a sneer. "I see you changed masks," he called. "Did I break the old one?"

"You are delaying your inevitable defeat with banter, Tarrlok."

Korra's mind swam. How was she supposed to energybend Tarrlok? Her fingers flexed and curled into fists. She would have to kill him instead.

Amon began to circle the councilman and gestured at the battling officers around them. "Your confidence is foolish. Even if you are to best me, they have all seen your bloodbending. Do you think that will go unpunished?"

Tarrlok circled as well, matching his pace. "They will forgive me when I take down the biggest threat that Republic City has ever seen."

Heart beating in her throat, Korra realized that Amon was herding Tarrlok to turn his back to her. Once he had succeeded, she darted out from behind the barrier and fell into place behind the councilman. Slowly, she circled with him, trying to keep her movements undetectable. Be the leaf, she thought, and she was surprised to feel herself moving like an airbender. A dizzying pride flooded her mind. She was a hawk, circling its unsuspecting prey.

The circling halted, and she eased into stance, still at Tarrlok's back. Over his shoulder, Amon's eyes caught hers.

She nodded.

Amon charged at his foe, but his movements were slower than usual, less fluid. Tarrlok shot shards of ice, and one tore into Amon's bicep, blood streaming behind him like a flag as he ran. He was almost upon him now.

Korra began to close in from behind.

Tarrlok's hand rose and clenched.

There was a loud crunch as Amon's body seized. His yell of agony shot through Korra, hurting her more than she had expected. She froze, rooted in place.

"Not so immune anymore? Intriguing." Tarrlok jerked his hand upward. Puppet-like, Amon's body hovered in the air, his breaths harsh enough that Korra could hear them. From behind the mask, his eyes locked with hers one last time, white all the way around the irises. A man staring down his own death.

A scream caught in her throat, its pain choking her. Flames erupted around her fist and she charged. Her fist drove into the back of Tarrlok's head, knocking him sprawling. Amon fell to the ground, limp. Rage clouded her vision, and she leaped at Tarrlok, screaming and driving her fists into his back.

Suddenly, her muscles seized as Tarrlok took control. She grunted, trying to free herself. A sphere of water blossomed around them as a shield. Outside of it, she saw Mako and Bolin realize what was happening; their attacks bounced off the shield, harmlessly deflected.

Slowly, painfully, she felt herself lifted, suspended in the air just as Amon had been. Tarrlok grunted and struggled to his feet.

"Traitor," he spat. "Everything I ever did was for the good of this city. You were supposed to be her protector, Korra. You are a disgrace of an Avatar." He floated her so that she faced Amon. "First, you will watch your lover's end, and then I will rid the world of you so that a proper Avatar will be born."

Outside the water shield, Korra saw Mako, Bolin and Tenzin try to break through. Tarrlok saw it, too; the three fell to the ground, unconscious, and her rage deepened.

"Listen to yourself, Tarrlok," she managed through clenched teeth. "You've gone mad."

"I am the only one making sense!" He twisted his hand.

Amon's body writhed, then was horribly still. Blood burbled from his nose and mouth at first, pooling around him. Then it stopped pulsing.

But now she could hear the pulse in her ears. It was loud enough to hear even over the sob that left her lips.

Korra closed her eyes. Beneath her lids, her eyes began to twitch.

"It is your turn next," she heard Tarrlok's voice say, very far away. Wind was rushing into her body, every inch of her skin vibrating with raw energy. She heard snippets of voices, hundreds of them, all familiar and new at the same time. The raw energy sank below the surface and she withdrew deep inside her body, condensing, a glowing white spark, as the energy began to take over.

Her eyes opened, and her body was hers to control again.

She turned to face her attacker, ethereal wind whipping her clothes and hair. Tarrlok shrank away from her, his eyes wide. Reflected in his irises, she could see her own eyes, glowing white.

"You must be stopped," she said, her voice echoing with hundreds of others.

Her hands rose, calling the earthen boulder that Bolin had dropped for her earlier. It snapped into place around Tarrlok's body, holding him fast. He yelled and writhed, but she felt nothing. No pity, no anger. All she felt was the knowledge that he had to be stopped.

One hand pressed to his heart, the other to his forehead as she sent tendrils of energy into his body. They sought his bending abilities and, finding them, coiled around them and ripped them out by the root.

It was done.

She released Tarrlok from the earthen hold and he sank to all fours, gasping. Behind him, all fighting had stopped; all eyes were on her.

Turning her back to them, she knelt beside Amon's fallen form. Her hands waved and crested, pulling in water to encase his body in a blue glow. As her eyes slipped closed, she could feel generations of Avatars guiding her healing. Muscles knit back together, blood vessels rejoined and nerves began to fire. His heart began to beat. His lungs began to breathe.

But his chi would not flow.

No. She ran her hands over his chest and felt only stagnation. Her fingers trailed up to the sharp edge of the shorn mask and her heart sank. The broken mask had something to do with this. She was sure of it.

Please! What do I do? she asked her former selves, but there was no answer.

A howl of anguish left her lips. She heard voices calling her name behind her, felt hands trying to pull her away, trying to talk her down, but no, she would not let them take him from her! Whirling, she blasted air at everyone around her, blowing them back with such force that the docks cleared.

Then she shot a path of ice to the shore, gathered Amon in her arms and began to run.

.*.*.*.

To be continued in Chapter 12...