A/N: This is the last chapter of When Lightning Strikes. I'm really excited to share the intense ending of this book, and the beginning of Part Three (Pyromaniac), which will also be about fifteen chapters. Thank you for reading this far and I hope you're enjoying the show.

Chapter Fifteen
The Sky is Falling

Let the sky fall
When it crumbles
We will stand tall
Face it all together
"Skyfall" — Adele

A fruitless fight with the careers turns violent when the same creatures that attacked Katara when she was with Kya, Korra and Azula appear out of nowhere and divide them. They chase the trio of Katara, Mai and Zuko through the cold desert tundra of the 60th Harmony Games, separating the two groups and ending the battle.

"Don't let them get you!" screams Katara, dodging the teeth of one beast with a battle roll.

"I wasn't planning on it," smoothly replies Mai as she jumps away from one of them.

The creatures continue the violet pursuit towards the outer wall of the Arena and Mai stumbles forward. Zuko lunges, pushing her back into Katara's arms and slamming against the forcefield. He screams, but the quick shock is nothing compared to the creature sinking its teeth into Zuko's arm.

Katara lets Mai go, falls beside him with tears swelling in her cobalt eyes and tries to do what she can for the grisly wounds.

Mai cannot stomach it and vomits all over the foliage, which does not help the situation in the slightest. Katara fails to heal him and sits down for the night.

"We have to be watching him, at least one of us," Katara says as soon as she lifts the water from his skin. "There's a venom in their teeth."

Mai gives a single, queasy nod and lies down against a tree.

Zuko closes his eyes, still hissing and wincing from the burning pain.

[X]

The next morning, in the 68th Games, Korra sits with her arms around her legs and her knees pressed to her lips. Azula sleeps in front of her, or perhaps lies unconscious. When the elder girl's eyes open slightly, Korra sits up straight.

"Azula," Korra hastily says, trying to catch her before she falls back to sleep, "can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Why not?" asks her district partner, waking at the sound of the Avatar's words. She feels numb, which is either a bad thing or a good thing. Azula does not want to guess either way.

Korra inquires, looming over her former mentor, "If you made these Games, did you plan on volunteering the whole time?"

"Yes," Azula whispers, closing her eyes again. She does not drift back to dreamland because Korra keeps speaking.

"Do you think you secretly wanted to die?" breathes the Avatar.

"I am hoping to survive these Games." Azula fully opens her eyes. "Is it morning or evening?"

"Morning," Korra replies.

Azula asks, "Did anyone die yesterday?"

"Hyunara," is Korra's blunt, swift answer.

"I didn't expect that," Azula murmurs, struggling to stay awake.

Korra drops a silver package. "We got food too. I tried to get you up but you were out cold."

"I feel cold," Azula says, eyeing the food soup in a silver thermos. "And I'm nauseous."

"You should eat," Korra insists, and Azula would slap her if she had the energy in her limbs. "You've lost a lot of blood and I don't want you to die. Those wounds aren't… Hama didn't send any medicine. It might be too expensive."

"Fine. Just…" Azula groans. She cannot bear this humiliation. "Never mind."

"You want me to help you?" Korra asks. The question is not mocking, which makes it somewhat more tolerable.

"Yes," hisses Azula.

Korra cannot hide her pleased smirk as she props up Azula's head on her knee and lifts the thermos to her lips.

[X]

Meanwhile, at the edge of the 60th Games, freezing cold in the night but warm from Bolin's feverish skin, Opal finishes bandaging her bleeding wrist. She feels a surging pain inside of it and knows the plant she nicked it on was poisonous. What she thought was a tree branch had teeth and the skin around the scratch on her wrist is already looking gangrenous after a single night.

Opal jumps when trumpets blare and Bolin jolts awake.

The voice of Hiroshi Sato declares, "I have the honor of inviting you all to a Feast. Now, before you decline my invitation, I want you to know that, like these are no ordinary Games, this is no ordinary Feast. Each of you needs something desperately: the antidote to the Arena's venom."

Opal looks at her own wrist and the bloody bandages. She has to keep hiding it from Bolin. Why do they not offer medicine for his leg? Why have they been forsaken? Azula has evidently not recovered from Mai's attempt on her life. She does not know about anyone else, but she imagines at least a few of them are in poor shape, if not all.

Hiroshi Sato continues, "Each of you will find that antidote in a backpack, marked with your district number, at the Sanctuary Square at dawn. Think hard about refusing to show up. For all of you, this is a matter of life and death."

It certainly is life and death; they are trying to make a second bloodbath.

Bolin startles Opal when he speaks, "Opal," he croaks, "is your wrist still bad?"

"Not really. It's nothing that can't get patched up later," Opal says, wiping the sweat from his brow. "I don't think that antidote will help much with your leg, and that's what matters right now."

"I could go get the antidote for you. My leg is beyond repair," says Bolin, and tears blossom in Opal's eyes.

"I don't want to leave you, but I…" Opal shakes her head.

Her wrist does not matter as much as his life.

[X]

Azula thinks she heard the message about the Feast, but maybe it was a hallucination. Then Korra looks down at her, sapphire eyes wide.

"I'm going to the feast. I bet you anything the antidote is all that bad wound of yours needs," Korra says, wiping her face.

Azula forces herself to nod. "You should go get that backpack," she whispers.

"I want you to come with me," says Korra.

"Why?"

"Because I don't like the idea of getting separated."

"I'm not in any condition to walk."

"I'm in perfect condition to carry you."

"Just support my arm," Azula snarls as Korra helps her up. "I have no desire to be flaunted as the Avatar's backpack."

"I could go for bridal style," Korra teases, laughing as she speaks.

"You would look like an ape that abducted a princess," spits Azula as she wraps her arm around the Avatar. Korra snickers even if the joke is at her own expense.

"I'm calling you princess from now on. I hope you know that."

"Well, then you're Gorilla Girl."

"Okay, we're Princess Trustworthy and Gorilla Girl. They could make comic books about us!"

"I like it better than the Phoenix and the Avatar." Azula smiles, just a little bit. Korra grins at her. "Oh, stop flattering yourself. I have lost a lot of blood and so everything seems clever and funny to me. Once we get that antidote I will be back to hating you."

"Welp, I prefer it that way." Korra starts walking and Azula hurries along with her.

They have to get to the Sanctuary Square before everyone else to even stand a chance.

[X]

Katara has been unofficially elected as leader, which means she must make the decision about the Feast. She sighs and shakes her head.

"Zuko will die without it. I know it'll be another bloodbath but we have to go. He can't die."

Mai says nothing.

Zuko groans. "I'll go with you. It's just my arm and I can bend with my feet and left hand."

"Good plan. I don't want to lose you." Katara turns to Mai. "Are you coming or do you want to go rogue again?"

"I'm coming," Mai says, standing up. She wavers on her feet.

Katara swiftly stands up. "Let me examine you first. I'm concerned about your state."

"I haven't been poisoned."

"That's not what I'm worried about. Please sit down again."

"Katara, we don't have time for this."

"The Feast isn't for another hour. Just humor me, will you?"

Mai does a favor for her friend. She leans back against the tree. Katara leaves Zuko's side—he currently focuses on sitting up and getting ready to fight—and touches Mai's forehead first. That was the first concern of hers. Fevers are not good.

"Are you in pain?" Katara asks.

"Yes. My legs are killing me and I'm covered in bruises and scratches and my chest hurts for no damned reason and my stomach hurts and—"

"How's your breathing?"

"We should go to that Feast. I can worry when I get out of this place," Mai says, standing up.

Katara purses her lips but does not protest.

She can get Mai properly analyzed once they get rescued.

[X]

Before the Feast, Bolin looks up at Opal. "Please come back."

"I'll see you at sunset," she says, kissing his cheek.

"I'll see you at sunset," he repeats to comfort himself.

They meet eyes for a few long moments. Opal kisses him on the lips and then straightens her back. She forces herself to run away, but cannot stop herself from looking over her shoulder. He gives her a thumbs up, she shakes her head, and then resumes her race towards the Sanctuary Square.

This is the most painful thing Opal has ever done.

[X]

The Gamemakers beat the tributes by making them all arrive at the same time despite varying departures. Every remaining tribute emerges from the black mist and sees a table with four backpacks on it. The district number of the poisoned tribute has been painted on each one.

Korra releases Azula. Mai pushes Zuko back towards the mist. Opal tries to blend in and be overlooked. Sokka sets Suki down on the ground, while Izumi confidently begins her walk to the Sanctuary Square.

She goes down by way of lightning. A cannon fires as the electricity surging from a half-dead tribute crashes.

Korra glances down, "Nice aim, Princess Trustworthy."

When the battle begins, every tribute imagines the Capitol salivating over such a show. No one will escape uninjured. Korra punches Sokka square in the jaw as she grabs her bag and starts weaving backwards away from the battle.

Zuko earns a stab in the shoulder from Sokka. Mai pushes him into the water, but it is his element and does nothing but briefly subdue him. Opal grabs her bag and sneaks away, using the chaos as cover.

Azula stumbles towards the Sanctuary Square and makes a second kill. Sokka.

Suki throws Mai to the ground with ease, knocking the winds out of her. She disables Katara, twisting her arm and pushing her down. Zuko falls prey to her as well as she pushes him by his injured arm onto the wall of the Sanctuary Square.

Korra imprisons her in metal.

"Let's go!" the Avatar exclaims, glancing at her allies. She does not know what they will do, if they will separate again, if they will fight, but she knows she wants to get away from here.

Another cannon fires when Mai fires her penultimate arrow between the bars of Korra's trap.

Now they run. Korra seizes Opal and Katara grabs Mai. Zuko runs, Korra supports Azula's arm and their flight leads them directly into the 60th Harmony Games. Zuko shivers, and not from the cold.

They glance around at each other. Only rebels remain. That sinks in deeply and painfully.

The group takes the time to open the backpacks. They are empty. Mai hurls Zuko's at a tree, Azula burns hers to a crisp and Opal crumples hers in her hands. The latter rebel looks up, then looks around at Zuko's Arena. She remembers who waits for her.

"I have to go back for Bolin!" Opal shouts, leaping to her feet.

Katara lunges to grab her, to stop her, but she soars between her fingertips on the breath of the wind. Opal runs away and vanishes as the sun sets in the Arena.

"Well, we all fell for that one," Azula whispers. She is not trying to be quiet; the weakness has just become apparent again. "Given the poison in some of our bloodstreams, I suggest we hurry."

"To my Games?" Mai asks, somehow keeping her emotions controlled.

"You two can resolve this later. We need to get going," Katara snarls, taking charge.

No one argues with her. Korra picks up Azula again and they all begin the frantic rush to the edge of Zuko's hologram.

They run and run and run until they enter the vibrant paradise of the 65th Games.

"Keep going," says Azula, and they listen.

They race down the trees that Mai finds very familiar, towards the mountain. Yet, as they reach the point where Mai said her last goodbyes to her district partner, the hologram vanishes, leaving only metal beneath their feet, black mist to either side and an infinite storm above.

"I'm alive," says Mai, touching her arm just to be sure.

"I know," retorts Azula. "Now let's start climbing, shall we?"

She nods at the structure recreated from Mai's Games.

[X]

At the top of the ladder, Mai gazes intently at the small, red, flickering light on the dome of the Arena. There is no mountain, but she knows she is supposed to trigger something akin to an avalanche. She takes her final arrow and places it on the bow. Her fingers rest there for a moment. No one knows why she freezes.

"Save the best shot for last," Zuko prods. It is the first thing that comes to mind, and someone needed to say something to her to make sure all is well.

"Yes," Mai softly says. "Save the best shot for last."

What happens next is a blur. She pivots on her heel, the arrow sings and pierces its target.

Azula screams when the arrow punctures her chest… and plummets off of the edge of the platform.

Korra vaults over the railing to follow her as Zuko pulls Mai to the metal floor and pins her there. Katara thinks fast and steadies her stance before pulling the water in the dam as hard as she can. It bursts, the metal screeching and groaning.

The flood begins like a tsunami.

Zuko barely has time to look up as he sees the water hurtling towards them, an all-consuming tsunami. The platform snaps and Zuko thinks he is going to die, thinks that all of the bones in his body have just broken; his nose burns and his insides feel like they are exploding. But as the flood spreads, he collects himself and realizes Mai's wrist is slipping out of his hand.

He chokes, looks up and starts swimming towards the small shreds of light that mark the surface. Mai is with him, and he is pulling on her, and then he hits a dead end. His back smashes against one of the huge metal fixtures of the arena and he pushes off with one foot to get to air at all costs.

Mai's wrist slips away.

When he surfaces, he gasps and coughs and now is certain that he is going to drown. He hears five cannons go off and thinks one of them is his own before he realizes he is breathing. But there is no way he will last long.

He gazes up at the eternal storm.

Korra rises, eyes glowing brighter than the lightning.

The storm stops raging when the Arena shatters.

Water pulls at Zuko, dragging him down as the world erupts and burns and floods around him. Glass pours down from the sky. The sky is falling, the sky is falling, the sky is falling. He does not have the energy left to fight, and so he begins sinking further and further.

His eyes close as his lips and nose disappear beneath the surface.

Korra wakes up on a hovercraft. Her whole body hurts, but the side pressing against the cold metal floor aches the worst.

She doesn't remember a thing after throwing herself off of a railing. Azula can't have made it. Korra can't have made it. Did she just get lucky? Is she waking up on one of the hovercrafts they use to remove the dead?

No, she hears…

"Hama?" Korra croaks. She pushes herself to her feet and sees Zuko still lying unconscious. His arm looks much better and he is still breathing, but something knocked him out cold.

"In here!" calls out her mentor.

Korra walks – well, limps – towards the sound of Hama's voice.

"Hama?" she repeats.

She steps into the central room of the hovercraft and sees four people standing around a glowing map. Hama is directly across from her with Katara on one side and Azula on the other.

"Korra?" asks a voice that is not Hama's.

It is Azula.

Korra's eyes flash wide. "You got shot. And fell. Did I save you?"

"You jumped after me, I hear. You're as stupid as ever," Azula remarks. She looks the worst out of everyone here, but she is still breathing and standing.

"Well, you owe me one for jumping off that thing to save you." Pause. "What happened? We were…" Korra does not even know where to begin.

"You went into the Avatar State and broke the arena. It was more impressive than my water trick, I must say," Azula remarks.

"Mai?" No one says a word. Korra frowns. Then it hits her. "Asami?"

Azula licks her lips. "Asami is in the Capitol."

Hama adds. "They took her and Ty Lee prisoner, as well as Bolin and Opal from the Arena and June on our way to the hovercraft. I have sources on the inside after decades as rebel, and they all are alive as of now to be used as leverage, but I can't imagine they will be permanently. If they are alive, we will save them as soon as possible."

"Where are we going?" Korra demands.

Katara gently answers, "We're on our way to District 10. To Zaofu."

Korra sits down on the floor.

Her head spins too hard to make sense of this.

END BOOK TWO