Reiko stayed as busy as she could, walking around City Hall with her fellow Metalbending police cops, looking for more clues. She didn't want to think too much about what had just happened.
"As I told Chief Saikhan, Korra came to my office late last night," Councilman Tarrlok's voice floated down the corridor from the main hall, as Reiko's green eyes searched every corner of the building. "She was upset that I arrested her friends. She asked me to release them and... that's when the Equalists attacked." Reiko couldn't help noticing the attack had been pretty centralised, only in the main hall. "I tried to protect Korra, but we were outnumbered. Then, I was electrocuted. When I came to, the police had arrived. But Korra was gone."
"Looks like the glove and bola are the only evidence we could find," said a Metalbending cop, as three of them, including Reiko walked back to the main hall.
"We found nothing else, chief," Reiko reported to Saikhan. And that's a little strange, she couldn't help thinking to herself. That, and the fact that Tarrlok had forbidden the police from checking his office, claiming it was private.
"The entire police force will be mobilized. Head back to the headquarters and await further instructions." Reiko and her colleagues nodded. Before she left the hall, Reiko glanced one last time at the damage, frowning slightly.
#
Mari tuned the radio, wincing at the occasional bursts of static. The early morning broadcast was playing, and Mari loved listening to the various radio personalities. She hummed along as she settled down with a storybook, keeping an eye on Nicole as the child played with earth blocks which she had gotten from their earthbender neighbour for her birthday. Though Nicole was a waterbender, Mari wanted her to know that each element was special in its own way, and powerful when mastered. The recent generation of kids always reveled in their own element. It was bad enough they now had non-benders vs benders, they didn't really need another Hundred Year War involving the different elements, did they?
The door flew open and slammed against the wall. Nicole jumped a little, before turning and breaking into a smile. "Daddy!" she called. Mari grimaced. Oh no.
John came into sight. He was a mess, with strands of straggly hair and yellowing teeth. He hadn't come home the night before, and Mari didn't need to be a genius to know where he went. His entire body reeked of the cactus juice special they offered at the pub that often catered to triad members. It tasted just like cactus juice, but had much more lethal effects.
John marched into the kitchen, straight past a beaming Nicole, whose face fell. "Where's breakfast?" he roared. Nicole's eyes widened and her bottom lip started trembling.
As John made his way out, Mari, heart racing, hurried over to Nicole and urged her to go to her room. "Momma will be right along. Go on." John emerged into the living room just as Nicole set her foot on the bottom stair.
"How useless are you? There isn't even breakfast! Why don't you do something else rather than pore over those pathetic books of yours?"
Mari's eyes stayed on her book, her grip around the edges tightening. She listened to the music playing on the radio, trying to stay calm. She did not notice Nicole slipping into the shadow of the stairs to watch her parents.
"I guess this rubbish is more important than me, eh?" John spat, before turning to a cabinet in a corner, in which Mari kept her most precious books on healing, history and the best fiction stories the Avatarverse had to offer. Mari looked up and gasped, but before she could do anything, in one swift motion, John had toppled the cabinet. The glass smashed.
"John!" Mari cried, leaping to her feet. John grabbed book by book and began ripping their pages. If he had been a firebender, he would've set them on fire immediately. Tears streaming down her face, Mari slapped him across the face with a jet of water she summoned from a nearby plant vase.
"You dare?" John sputtered, his face growing red. He looked around for a weapon, and snatched up the earth blocks Nicole had left on the floor, aiming them at Mari.
"Daddy, no!" Nicole ran out from her cover.
"Nicole! I told you..." Mari began, her hazel eyes widening in horror.
Nicole went up to her father and hugged his knees, reaching up for the earth blocks. "Daddy, please. Those are my favourite."
John stared at her like she was garbage he happened to cross in a dark Republic City alley. He lashed out, causing Nicole to lose her grip on his knees and stumbled backwards before sitting down hard on the floor.
"Your favourite, eh?" he snarled, before flinging the blocks to the ground and crushing them beneath his heel. "Not anymore!"
The look on her daughter's face was like a stimulus, and Mari acted on impulse. A wave of water flew from various sources around the house into Mari's hands, and she redirected them at John, encasing him a block of ice, all the way up to his neck. John yelled and lashed out, but despite his non-bender strength, he couldn't break free of the ice.
Mari hurried up the stairs and into her bedroom, where she gathered various essential items for her and Nicole and threw them into a bag. She returned and scooped Nicole up in her free arm, and faced John one last time.
"I've had enough of you," she spat. It wasn't like Mari to get aggressive or lose her temper, but this was the last straw. John could do anything he wanted, except hurt Nicole in any way. "I'm leaving and finding a better home for me and Nicole. Have fun paying off the mortgage."
With that, Mari marched out of the house, leaving her yelling husband who was still encased in ice that Mari hoped would take hours to thaw. Mari did not hear as the radio announcer delivered news of Avatar Korra's disappearance.
#
Shui checked his bags one last time. He liked travelling light, but this was a trip to the poles. He wasn't a big fan of cold climates but the poles were the best place to go to further his healing training in his journey to becoming a doctor, and thus warm clothing was in order.
Checking to make sure he had his pass, Shui gathered up his bags and left the house, after saying goodbye to each of his family members. The ship was to leave the harbour in 2 hours, so he still had plenty of time to kill.
A newspaper vendor was waving wildly, yelling out the day's headlines, cradling a stack of papers in one arm. "Avatar Korra's abduction! Get your copy now!"
"Avatar Korra?" the people around Shui began murmuring and whispering among each other. They crowded round the newspaper vendor. Shui, out of curiosity, stepped closer to listen.
"Apparently it was an Equalist attack!" said the vendor, holding out newspapers and collecting yuans. Get the full scoop here!"
Shui walked away, frowning slightly. The Avatar had gone missing? Shui didn't care much about politics, so he didn't know too much about the type of person Councilman Tarrlok was. He did support the Avatar, however, and if the Equalists had gotten the Avatar- things were not going to be good.
"We're doomed! Our Avatar's captured!" cried man clad in Fire Nation robes as he ran past Shui.
Shui shook his head slightly. Was it that easy to capture the Avatar?
Shui pushed it to the back of his mind. He was leaving for the poles to learn to heal, he had to be calm and focused. He started observing his surroundings, checking out the various vendors as they vocally marketed their goods to passers-by, entertained regular customers and speculated about Avatar Korra's disappearance. The street urchins darting about, looking for the opportunity for a small daylight robbery. Shui frowned as his azure eyes landed on a sketchy-looking man speaking and smiling to a familiar woman with a young toddler. Shui knew that guy, he was always tricking people with his master schemes and gaining a fortune of yuans through them, but no one had any proof to send him to prison. Only the most desperate went to see him.
Shui had half-a thought to warn the mother and toddler. Then he realised who it was, and crossed over immediately.
#
Mari felt someone tap her shoulder. Turning, she came face to face with Shui Yao.
"Shui!"
Mari had never been happier in her life to see a familiar face. Shui turned to the shady guy. "Sorry, but whatever deal you just made, it's off." The man scowled, before turning and disappearing down an alley. He would usually ignore or scare off anyone who tried to interfere with his business, but he didn't mess with Shui. They both had a history, in which Shui had nearly gotten him into Chief Bei Fong's office.
"But..." Mari began.
Shui held up a hand. "Sorry, but you don't want to make any deals with that guy. What are you doing in these parts anyway? And with Nicole?"
Mari sighed, as they walked along the side of the street. "I'm looking for a fresh start somewhere."
"A fresh start?" Shui asked.
Mari shrugged. "Nicole and I need a new home. For the time being, at least."
Shui's eyebrows drew together. "What did John do now?"
"He frightened Nicole. I decided to leave. Do you know of anyone around here who's renting? Anyone who needs any help with their store? Perhaps they need an extra waterbender? Healing huts?"
"I don't really know. But I do have a better idea. What do you think of the idea of... going to the poles?"
Mari's eyes widened. "The poles?" she exclaimed. "They are far, aren't they?" She paused a moment, considering. "I have always wanted to go there anyway, they have the best healing schools. But..." She half-glanced at Nicole, but the toddler was wearing a large beam on her face.
"North Pole! South Pole! Let's go, momma!"
"I'm going there to train as a doctor as well. You told me you wanted to be a doctor as well, didn't you? Now's the perfect chance. Besides, Republic City will soon face some unrest. It would not be a good place for Nicole."
Mari glanced at her daughter's hopeful face, and she knew Shui was right. When the Equalists attack, there will be much worse things to worry about than an obnoxious husband. Besides, both she and her daughter were benders.
"Though it will be a little cowardly to flee the city at this moment," Shui said. "But we are training to be healers."
"I see your point," Mari said. She glanced one more time at her daughter, and took a deep breath. "Okay. I hope they still have tickets available."
#
Naomi was tired.
Amon was probably with his own group of handpicked Equalists in some private hideout which Naomi knew nothing about. Even though the Equalists all worked for Amon and she, Naomi, was part of a special force that personally followed the Lieutenant on his most daring missions, no one could get an audience with Amon unless he wished to see them.
"Can you believe it?" snapped one of the Equalists. Naomi watched from afar, loading the supplies onto the tram. Normally she wouldn't care about metalbender police officers but these ones had had their bending removed. Perhaps they would repent...
"They actually think it was us Equalists who took Avatar Korra!" the Equalist said, gesturing violently. "Boy, do we wish that had actually happened!"
"That's all, Naomi," an Equalist said, turning to her. Naomi nodded, and climbed onto the tram.
Naomi listened to the sound of the tram speeding through the dimly-lit tunnel through her Equalist mask, her mind reeling. She wanted to see Amon, and confess. She was tired of pretending. She wanted to be rid of her bending forever. Recently, Naomi had had recurring dreams of her father's death, almost as if the spirits were trying to tell her something. Naomi sighed.
The tram slowed to a stop. Naomi hopped off, and began unloading the supplies. Several Equalists came up to help. As soon as all the supplies were off, Naomi climbed back on to the tram.
I do want to have my bending removed, don't I? Naomi thought to herself. I do have a tendency to make bad decisions, but this... this has to be one of the best decisions I've ever made. But what... what is the problem?
The tram came to a halt once more. The traffic director was just sending a tram off to the training camp as Naomi alighted. "Everything was delivered to the prison, sir," she said.
The traffic director gave the briefest of nods, and they both walked off. Naomi headed back to her team of Equalists.
"So what do we do about this Avatar Korra situation?" asked one Equalist.
"We do not strike anywhere today, except in small, less-concentrated areas," the Lieutenant said. "Everyone will be on high alert."
Just then, an alarm echoed throughout the tunnels. Naomi and the other Equalists leaped to their feet, grabbed an assortment of weapons immediately and hurried to the exit.
"Someone has infiltrated our tunnels," the Lieutenant reported. "Follow me!"
Naomi joined the other Equalists, hurrying after the lieutenant to one of the tram stations. "The tram with the trespassers will be passing this way," the Lieutenant said. "Be ready."
Naomi stood with the other Equalists behind the Lieutenant, and were accompanied by several mecha tanks. Despite being an Equalist, Naomi still couldn't comprehend the genius of Hiroshi Sato.
A loud crash sounded somewhere in the tunnel, and a moment later, a tram came speeding up. Naomi balled her fists, preparing for a fight. In one split second, she captured the image of Lin Bei Fong, Councilman Tenzin, Asami Sato, and Mako and Bolin of the Fire Ferrets. The new Team Avatar. Naomi grinded her teeth. How did she ever had a crush on that Bolin? She felt stupid.
Before the Equalists could do anything, Lin Bei Fong metalbended a rail from the ceiling onto the track. The tram sped up the rail as the former chief earthbended a hole in the ceiling and the tram flew through the gap.
Normally, most Equalists would stop and gape in surprise, but not Naomi and her team. There was a reason the Lieutenant and Amon had handpicked and grouped them into a special squad. They immediately leaped onto the tram rail, looking for a way into the street above.
"Stop!"
Naomi and the Equalists turned, startled by the Lieutenant's sudden order. He was smirking. "Forget them. I've just gotten a message from Amon. We've got a better mission."
"To where?" Naomi asked, unable to conceal her excitement. She could finally meet Amon. This had to end, now.
"Oh, somewhere far from Republic City," the Lieutenant merely replied. "And cold, so put on your thickest uniforms."
#
Haizi ran a finger along the blade of her pocket knife, as she stood in a dark corner of her restaurant, from which she could watch the customers, and they wouldn't spot her too easily. Ever since they had gotten the news of Avatar Korra's disappearance that morning, Haizi's family had insisted she learned to fight a little. But Haizi hated fighting.
A teenage boy stepped into the restaurant. Haizi tilted her head slightly, observing him. She was pretty sure she had seen him around somewhere, before... but where? He was toned and well-built (but heck, most of Republic City's teenage boys were toned and well-built from all that bending training). His skin tone scared Haizi a little- it was pale white, like he was a child of Death or something. Haizi almost thought he was an escaped spirit. He had medium length straight black hair. He wore a black hooded jacket, black pants and white shoes.
He took a quick look around the restaurant, and his eyes came to rest on Haizi's hiding spot in the corner. He cocked an eyebrow, and Haizi tried to sink further into the shadows. A look crossed the boy's face- Haizi thought it was amusement. A small smile crept onto his face, and he walked over.
Haizi's heart pounded in her chest. She clutched her knife a little tighter, though she doubted this boy would attack her in her own family's restaurant. But he sat down at a table only ten feet away from her, and looked around expectantly for a waiter.
As much as she was suspicious of this boy, Haizi knew she would receive a severe chiding from her mother if she did not entertain him immediately. She took a menu from the counter nearby. She inhaled deeply, convinced herself it was nothing and that he was nobody, and walked up to him.
Up close, his blue eyes were electrifying. Haizi doubted he was a waterbender despite the colour of his eyes- those didn't resemble water at all, but rather, bolts of lightning.
Haizi placed the menu on the table, in front of him. "Hey, thanks," he said, and began flipping through. "Can I just have jook, though?" He hadn't even gotten past the drinks section of the menu. He closed it and set it aside, not taking his eyes off Haizi.
Haizi collected the menu. "One bowl of jook," she said, nodding.
"What's your name?"
Haizi's head jerked up. "Sorry?"
"Your name."
"Haizi."
The boy repeated her name.
"And yours?" Haizi wanted to slap herself for asking, but she decided she didn't want to be at a disadvantage.
The boy hesitated for one moment. Finally, he extended his hand. "Rai Kanda," he said.
They shook. Haizi hurriedly delivered the order, but hung around in the kitchen, not daring to go back to her dark corner.
"Hey, Haizi! The jook's ready!" her father called, setting out a bowl of jook. Haizi swallowed, and brought it back to Rai Kanda.
"Will that be all?" she asked.
Rai picked up his pair of chopsticks, shrugging. "One more thing. You brought me lunch, can I bring you dinner?"
Haizi felt as though someone had punched her in the gut. "Wh- what?"
"You heard me." Rai was wearing a smirk. "Can I take you out to dinner?"
"I don't even know you."
"Yes, you do, you asked for my name earlier!"
"I mean, I don't know you."
"Oh, come on," Rai said. "Give the guy a chance? I'm not an Equalist, promise." A tremor ran through Haizi's body at the word 'Equalist'. "I swear by the spirits, I'm not an Equalist."
"I don't think this is a good idea."
"Aw, come on."
Haizi thought about it. She'd never been asked out by a guy before, and she didn't even know this one. He wasn't even her type. Okay, maybe a little. Haizi may be a little conceited; she liked attractive, funny guys. This one was attractive enough, but if his idea of funny was playing with her, it wasn't going to work.
Rai raised an eyebrow at her silence. "Kuang's Cuisine, seven p.m. tonight? I'll pick you up from here." He pushed his bowl of jook towards her. By the way, can you pack this?"
#
Rai finished the last of his rice congee and threw the wrapper into a bin. He couldn't imagine why he'd asked Haizi of the restaurant out on a date, considering the person he was. If he spent too much time with people, he risked an outburst of insanity. What if he hurt the girl? What would she think of him?
Rai kicked at a stone. He turned down into an alley and sat on the asphalt. He still had time. He could still call it off. Haizi would probably be delighted if he did so.
#
Haizi had finally managed to place Rai Kanda. The Chuckling Reaper of Justice. Wasn't he featured in the papers not too long ago, taking down the notorious Sigil Saibhir with the help of another civilian? If his mission was to defend the innocents, he couldn't be so bad, could he?
#
Naomi was still sore all over from Avatar Korra's sudden attacks.
"I thought I told you not to underestimate her."
Naomi shivered at the sound of Amon's voice which wouldn't stop echoing in her head. Amon wasn't exactly pleased at the moment. Was it a safe time to approach him?
Back at the hideout, Naomi waited outside, alone. The other Equalists had gone home or to other shifts, under the Lieutenant's orders. Naomi had stated she wanted to speak to Amon. The Lieutenant had been a little reluctant to let her stay, but he finally left her there.
Amon stepped out from the prison. Naomi knew that was just a temporary prison for Tarrlok; he would be moved around a lot. They were going to attack Air Temple Island very soon, and there was a special spot reserved for him.
"Naomi."
Naomi, who was already half-asleep, was jerked awake by Amon's voice. She looked up into the masked face, and swallowed hard.
"Amon, sir," she tried her best to keep her voice even and calm as she got to her feet, and inclined her head. "I have... I have..." Naomi sighed. "I have a confession to make."
Amon was silent for a while. "Spit it out, then."
His voice sent chills down her back. "I- I am... I am not a non-bender," Naomi finally said. Quickly, she continued, "But I am truly dedicated to your cause, I promise. My father was killed by benders. I want this tyranny of bending to end just as much as you and the rest of us do. I don't want to wield the same power that killed my father."
Naomi paused, almost breathless. She was slightly surprised she had managed to get it all out and Amon had not even spoken a word.
"Yes, Naomi," he finally said. "Did you not think I wouldn't have had my own suspicions?"
Naomi swallowed. "I am sorry I did not confess this when I first joined the Equalists, as I was afraid you would not take me in. Please, can you take my bending away?"
For one moment, there was only silence from Amon as he faced her. Naomi couldn't see his facial expression, nor his eyes, but her request seemed to stir something in Amon.
Finally, he said. "Alright, then."
Naomi knelt, and took a deep breath. She felt Amon's touch on her forehead, and a moment later, all energy seemed to drain from her body. An internal heat she never knew she possessed dissipated, leaving a cold, empty feeling inside her. Overcome by fatigue, she slumped forwards and lay on the floor.