Hello my lovely readers! I meant to post this chapter earlier in the night, but guess who played the "let's see if she'll actually wake up from her alarms or not" game when they took their nap and had their ASS handed to them? That's right, me!

But, never fear, for I am in a spectacular mood! Why? Because I've started writing the third installment of the Elements series! And all I can say is that the first two chapters (one of which I think is going to be a prelude but I'm not sure) are preeettyyy awesome, if I do say so myself!

Anyway, here is the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it!

(-)

Chapter 21

Hurt or dead

Asami navigated the busy streets of Republic City like the professional driver that she was as her passengers fidgeted with their seat belts. Her split second timing allowed for quick advances through the Downtown District, all while managing to make the vehicle dance under her fingers. Her passengers – on the other hand – didn't agree as much as she did when it came to her skill, judging by their death grips on any and all parts of the interior that they could get a firm handle on.

"You weren't kidding when you said you could drive, kid, but Spirits, you're going to get us killed!" Lin gritted her teeth, uneasy in the other front seat.

"You have nothing to worry about," Asami called over the pound of the motor as she shifted and took a corner at breakneck speed with a grace that couldn't be rivaled.

"So who are these people," Tonraq questioned just as a yell of panic penetrated the windows. He spun around in the back to see Naga on their tail and a Cabbage Car stopped much further behind them, its driver shaking an angry fist out the window. "Are they the ones I've been hearing reports about from the Council?"

Lin growled in frustration and flicked the switch in the center of the dashboard. Police lights and a siren alarmed. She gave Asami a condescending glare.

Asami continued onward, ignoring the 'you forgot something pretty obvious' look that the Chief of Police was shooting her. She shifted again and slipped through the intersection without a hitch.

"Most likely." Lin replied to Tonraq's question. "They call themselves Strikers. They've been on the rise for a few weeks now in the City."

The Satomobile rounded another curve, prompting all of the passengers to hold their breaths as they were forced to the side of the interior from the centrifugal force. When their bodies returned to their seats upon completion of the turn, they all let out an audible sigh.

"Do you know anything about them? Why they rose up or what their goals are?" Tonraq shouted ahead, discomfort apparent in his voice.

She shook her head. "We have very little intel on them. All we know is that they've been targeting Benders around the City, and they've been successful in capturing and killing them."

"But why would they do something like that?" There was a mixture of sadness and complete uneasiness in Senna's tone from both the subject matter and the horrifying first-experience in the Satomobile.

Asami gripped the steering wheel, thinking of many reasons why Benders would be targeted with violence. The reports of the Bending Triads she had read in the Republic City News and heard on the radio were shadowed by the more prominent image of her mother and that horrid night when she was taken away. She shook it off and dashed along the road, eager to focus on something – anything – that wasn't about her mother dying under her fingertips.

"I don't know," Lin continued, the trio in the cab oblivious to the turmoil inside their driver, "we believe they might be responding to the violence of the Triads – since they're all Benders and the Strikers appear to be Non-Benders. It would make sense. They wear masks when they strike, though, so it's hard to ID them without taking them into custody. We've captured a few of them, but they haven't budged when it comes to interrogation. We were able to track a few names, but there are still prisoners that we have no information on whatsoever. Even their prints don't match to any in our database, though some of them went so far as to sand or burn theirs off with some sort of chemical. Once they grow in, we are going to try again."

"But that doesn't explain why they would attack the police –"

"What makes you think they're Non-Benders?" Asami interrupted Tonraq's reply, the question escaping through a set jaw.

"Based on the ones we've taken into custody so far. And the way they attack. They don't Bend when they fight. They use electric gloves and staffs to incapacitate – and sometimes kill – people."

Electric gloves and staffs? Where have I heard that before?

The question pierced her mind until her memories clicked into place.

"I don't know who they were, but they wore masks and had electric gloves and glowing green eyes. One of them had an electric stick."

Asami's heart dropped – so much so that she almost lost control of the Satomobile raging at top speed under her hands. She swerved and missed a halted vehicle by mere inches. The screams of the others in the automobile worsened the gravity of their near-death.

Get it together, Sato.

They – they were the ones who killed –

Get it toge – look out!

Her mind hollered as she approached a road blockage. She forced the Satomobile into a sharp turn and slammed on the brakes to avoid the construction workers. They stopped just a few feet from the frightened and scattering employees.

Tonraq shouted from the back, fear in his eyes.

"What the hell!?" Lin was just as vicious.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Senna held her stomach, unaccustomed to the volatile driving under the hands of the engineer.

Asami set her jaw and ignored them. She stomped on the gas and detoured around the construction.

Maybe we're close to the bridge if they're working here.

She sped through the few blocks standing between them and Cabbage Corp. She scanned the area as she rounded another corner, realizing that there wasn't a soul in sight. Hollers and screams of pain from a block away called to her.

The bridge!

She got them as close to the stable section of the bridge's base as she could and brought the Satomobile to another screeching, spinning halt.

Asami: calm down. Focus.

She burst from the driver's side before her passengers could even unbuckle themselves and sprinted towards the group of aggressors near the end of the broken bridge. There were twenty of them, all in dark grey and red outfits. Black masks covered their entire head and neck, part of which was hidden under maroon fabric around the base. The eyes of their head gear glowed green, though the luster of the green was quite dull to combat the sunlight. Several of them wore rather large metal gloves on one hand, with a circular emerald piece on the back. Others had no weapons at all, but were still holding their own against the two Metal Benders they attacked. A single man wielded an electrified baton. His wardrobe was unlike his comrades: his clothing consisted of multiple layers of grey instead of the red. His mask still covered most of his head and held faint green eyes, but the mouth of the Striker was visible.

Asami watched as he closed in on one of the distracted officers, still too far away to assist. He brought the rod up to the man's throat and shocked him, a small amount of blood dripping down his neck. The smell of burning flesh was carried on the wind and the ringing of excruciating screeches surrounded her. The man fell to his knees, unable to control his limbs under the electrifying pulse; the current was too strong and the shock twisted the energy inside of him. The metal cables he used to Bend with dropped at his sides. His lifeless body slumped into the pavement, producing an all-too-familiar sound for the engineer.

She stopped in her tracks, frozen from head to toe.

"Get back!" Lin called from behind her as she shot metal cables into the sides of the bridge. She latched onto two opposing pillars and Bent herself upward so that she was sailing over the Strikers. She landed on the opposite side of the group and lured some of the assailants away from the remaining Metal Bender.

Tonraq sprinted past her left side, determination in his eyes. He spun his torso counter-clockwise, his arms outstretched in front of him towards the edge of the bridge. When he completed his rotation, a large wave of water – pulled from the Bay – followed around his right side. He directed the stream towards five of the Strikers, three of which dodged the blast. Two of them were propelled off of the bridge and plummeted into the waves below.

The aggressors who missed Tonraq's attack advanced on him with incredible speed. Two of them charged and sent a pulse to their gloves, generating sparks which wrapped around the entirety of their palm. Tonraq shifted his stance backwards and moved his arms in a somewhat-circular and upwards motion. He crossed his wrists in front of him and two giant waves from each side of the bridge followed. Most of the Strikers were washed away as the water rushed across the abandoned street.

Senna came up from Asami's right, using some of the water her husband Bent to propel herself forward. She balanced on the fluid under her, riding the current she directed towards the fallen Metal Bender. She crouched down beside him and dragged him to safety while Tonraq and Lin continued fighting off the Strikers from a distance.

Asami scanned the area in complete awe of everything that was happening. She had never experienced combat like this. She was used to precise strikes and counters in close range, not huge sweeps that could take out dozens when there was liquid water around and the wave was either strong enough to knock them over or large enough to be unable to dodge. This was the first time she had ever seen Water Bending – and even Metal Bending – to such a degree. She grew flustered in the commotion, if just for a moment. Then her eyes locked onto the man with the baton, the man she just witnessed potentially murder the officer in Senna's care. He stared her down atop a large pile of earth before fleeing.

"One of them had an electric stick."

She acted on impulse alone and sprinted towards the man. He ducked and slipped away from the other Benders, who were too distracted with the remaining Strikers. He threw his hand in the air, his first two fingers pointed, as he ran. Several of his comrades saw the signal and leapt over the sides of the bridge to escape. Asami ignored this and pursued the baton-wielding man, red rage crawling into the corners of her sight. He approached the center of the bridge – which was once again damaged and separated from the other side for the second time in the past few weeks. She was on his heels, eager to make him pay for what he did. He didn't slow down as he reached the edge; if anything, he sped up. He clipped his baton onto his back just before diving off of the bridge, arms extended outwards as he fell.

Stop!

She kept going.

Asami, what are you doing?!

A splash echoed in her ears.

STOP!

Asami halted dead in her tracks, her toes hanging over the side of the ledge. She dug her heels to stop her momentum. Several pieces of cement fell from under her feet and clashed with the water below. She observed the drop as she fought for balance and gasped, distraught over the fact that she almost jumped after the man. Her limbs failed and she fell backwards, scurrying away from the broken bridge. Another chunk of it – the same bit that she had just stopped herself on before retreating – cracked and plummeted into the Bay. Her heart raced.

I could have died. That could have been it.

She peered over the edge from her position. The baton-wielding man was nowhere to be found, along with several other Strikers who had either used their plunge into the Bay during Tonraq's attack as a means of escape or had just jumped from the bridge on their own. She spun around on her hands and knees to see Tonraq freeze three of the remaining Strikers in place, surrounding their entire bodies with ice except for their extremities and head. Lin had captured two more of the masked assailants, one of which was in an earth prison and the other was wrapped in a loose metal cable, writhing against the cement. She held the shoulder of the standing police officer – inspecting him – while Senna was crouched over the injured Metal Bender, scanning his body with glowing hands. Asami's sight was cut off by white when Naga ran up to her. She pushed Asami onto her back and licked her face, happy to see her unharmed.

"Naga: let me up." Asami forced her snout away and sat upright, wiping the saliva from her cheeks with the back of her gloved hands. She twisted her torso and surveyed the calm waters of the Bay below her, searching for those glowing green eyes with a fierce determination whose origins she couldn't decipher; she didn't know why she was so obsessed with this man, all she knew was that she wanted justice for what he did.

"Let him go." Lin was beside her with the other officer at her heels. She offered her a hand.

Asami accepted it and allowed the Metal Bender to pull her to her feet. "Thanks," she muttered, eyes still on the base of the bridge, which was kissed again and again by the waves. Naga moved to her side and nudged her. "I'm fine, Naga," she replied in monotone, sending an emotionless arm behind her to scratch the animal's ear.

"Asami." Lin called to her with a stern voice.

"He's dead, isn't he?"

"I doubt that. He's eluded us before –"

"Not him." Asami turned to her and locked onto her eyes. "The officer."

Lin rotated and left the engineer. She approached Senna and the fallen Metal Bender. Senna met her with sorrowful blue irises. Lin lowered her head and shut her lids. "I'm sorry, Lee," she whispered to herself. She knelt down and closed the man's frozen lids with gentle fingers.

Tonraq, Asami, Naga, and the living police officer joined the two women, sadness in their expressions.

"He was one of my best officers." Lin spoke under her breath as she rose. She turned to the group and hardened her stature. "Thank-you, for your help." She scanned the area and locked onto each of the apprehended Strikers. "We need to get them to the station for interrogation. We will get to the bottom of this." She faced her remaining Metal Bender as she spoke. Her tone and eyes held a ferocity that could not be matched.

"I'm – I'm sorry, Lin." Senna addressed the Police Chief, who walked through the others and stared out over the Bay. The sky was darkening with the onset of the falling sun and the movement of the grey clouds across the horizon. They were different from the ones they had seen earlier that day – even going so far as to come from a completely opposite direction towards the eastern end of the City – but their color and severity were the same.

"Get them in the Satomobiles, would you Zhang," she asked just before she was out of earshot.

"Of course, Chief." The officer scurried off and Bent separate metal cables around the rest of the Strikers, with the help of Tonraq releasing them from their ice prisons.

Senna led Naga away from the scene back to the base of the bridge, where the mainland of the City touched the damaged structure. Asami gazed at the Chief of Police before joining her side.

"I'm sorry that I can't take you back to wherever it is you need to go, but my vehicles will be full with these criminals." Lin crossed her arms behind her back and continued gazing out over the Bay. A gusty wind ruffled their hair. Asami peered in the same direction that the Chief was.

"It's okay. We'll find our way. We don't even know where we're going yet, to be honest. We've already lost Korra's trail. Now…" She sighed. "We're running out of leads. She could be anywhere and we have no idea where that is or what condition she's in with everything that's going on."

Lin nodded. "This City is going to hell, fast. I've been doing everything I can to stop the Triads and the Strikers, but it seems like each week that passes is another officer that I've lost. It's a dangerous place out there." She turned to Asami and met her green eyes. "I'll have my force keep a look out for your friend. If anyone sees her, we'll convince her to come to the station and contact you so that you know she's safe."

A gracious smile covered Asami's face. "Thank-you."

"Let's just hope that my officers don't find her hurt or dead." Lin walked away from Asami after her statement, her thoughts focused more on the Metal Bender she'd lost than the effect of her words on the raven that she left behind.

Asami looked on with anxiety coursing through her. She stared at the water below and took a deep breath, recalling her conversation with Naga on the bridge. The memory was replaced with everything she'd been hearing about the Strikers and the Triads and Kuru's letter, about how much danger Korra was in right now, from them and from herself.

Please be okay, Korra. Please.

(-)

Hey everyone! I realized the other day that, although I've been replying to the people who leave reviews on my fic via private message, I haven't been addressing the guests. So this little blurb at the end of this chapter is for you, lovely guests!

Guest on July 24: Thank-you so much for loving my fic series! I love YOU (if you're okay with that!).

Guest on August 1: I understand the missing of the Korrasami moments. They need to find Korra first! Hahaha. (Hang in there!)

Guest on August 8: Thank-you so much for the birthday wishes! I really appreciate it! I'm glad you have been enjoying the updates! I know I need to go back to my original schedule but I don't wanna! *pout*

Thedude: Hey thedude!

I read your review and I wanted to address some of your notes/concerns about History.

Korra is a top priority to them, but consider this: they have lost the trail and don't have any leads. They go to the police, hoping to get some help, and they are shut down by Lin. Then the opportunity to help Lin out comes up. Asami can do one of two things in this situation: she can help Lin to try to get on her good side and maybe get her to help on their search for Korra, or she can say "screw it" and go back to having no trail to follow. There's another component to Asami's thinking as well; she doesn't like innocent people dying. The officers and Kazoku's family being killed certainly doesn't rub right in her book, and while Korra /is/ missing, this opportunity for her to help save some lives at least gives her some aspect of control that she's been searching for in this seemingly hopeless situation. So there are a few different hands at play here. Yes, Korra is missing, and yes, she should be a priority (as Tonraq pointed out), but Korra isn't going to be any less missing whether they help or not, and by helping the police, they can get on Lin's good side and maybe get some more eyes out there to look for Korra.

As for Korra getting lost in the City: she doesn't have much experience in Republic City in my fic. Yes, she's been there a few times with Asami, but it's still a bit overwhelming for her. I would like to point out that this /is/ different from the show, so her journey is going to be a bit different. She's been trying to get to Future Industries throughout many of the past few chapters, which is a bit more difficult to find than an Island (all you have to do is find Yue Bay to find an Island haha). I was using a map as a reference for where Future Industries is (which is pretty much on the opposite side of where Korra started from the college campus) and I used the Book 1 Satomobile manufacturing facility as the headquarters of Future Industries near the river, not the tall sky scraper seen in Book 4 (so there's a bit of difference there).

I will point out that Korra did ask three different people for directions (Yezi, Yomka, and Gommu), each of which tried to point her in the right direction. Korra isn't quite familiar with the City, so she doesn't really know where the police station is or that there is a Water Tribe embassy. She didn't purposefully head to the Cultural center; she just happened to stumble upon it. Korra /could/ have asked more of the strangers that passed her on the streets where to go, so I'll give you that one. But I think there were a few internal factors that came into play with that one. She hasn't exactly had the best of luck with strangers who haven't opened up to her first. Her mental state isn't the best. That constant fear is in the back of her mind. The only time she spends the night on the streets is after the Triple Threats attack, and I feel like fatigue and fear played a pretty big role in her decision to stay in that alley. It wasn't the best decision (as we see in the next chapter). She /did/ go to Urkoma's place and was waiting there for her when she heard Kazoku cry for help. Like I said, she doesn't know where some of those places are and while she could have asked strangers for help, she just didn't.

I think another thing that got lost in translation is the time frame. I tried to leave hints and details as to when things were occurring with references to day/night and dialogue. But I am definitely okay with taking some time to note when things occur.

Korra's journey from leaving her dorm at the university to staying the night at the Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center is one whole day. Her leaving the Cultural Center, going Downtown and to Urkoma's, saving Kazoku, and getting attacked and trapped in an earth prison by the Triple Threats is day two. She leaves Republic City the next morning and goes to Aang Memorial Island. The most recent chapter (I was there) occurs that night. So, Korra is only in the City for maybe two-ish days before she heads off shore. I know with the split timelines, it can get a bit confusing, and I don't mind explaining that in the slightest.

I'm not saying that the story isn't flawed, because every story has a flaw. I'm just trying to explain where Korra and Asami are coming from. On a side note, I really appreciate you reading my fic and liking chemistry! I know this is a really long winded response, but I wanted to make sure I hit all of your points the best I could!

Thank-you again, readers, for taking part in my story. I really appreciate all of you and I hope you continue to enjoy the updates!