4).The Silent in the Night(part 5)
.
.
.
"What do you think happened?"Mako asked his brother after councilman Tenzin left the gala with his three children, one of which just broke into the hall without any explanation. Even councilman Tarrlok wasn't fast enough to catch up with the airbenders, and now just explain to other guests that the Air family had an...emergency.
"Don't know, bro," Bolin replied while scooping jade noodles into his small plate. Somehow he still managed to continue eating after his and Meelo's eating contest. "Maybe they realized they left a stove on?"
"That... isn't impossible." Mako scratched his neck. He caught a glimpse of chief Beifong's panicked expression, and that didn't sit well with him.
"Good evening, Bolin," a melodic voice called from behind, making both brothers turn around to see a smiling Asami Sato standing behind them. For some reason, unlike the other guests, she seemed unfazed by the Air family commotion.
"Ood-eve-ing..." Bolin swallowed his noodle before spoke again. "Good evening, Asami. Nice to see you here."
"Yeah, sorry I didn't greet you earlier. My father is in a little bit of a bad mood tonight. It's really hard to slip away from him." The heiress then turned to Mako who looked hesitant to join the conversation. "Good evening to you too, Mako."
"G...Good evening, Miss Sato." The firebender almost went stiff when talking to Asami. The fact that she looked absolutely gorgeous in her red evening dress didn't help.
"Please, you can call me Asami." The girl extended her hand, which Mako reluctantly accepted. Shaking hands, Mako was surprised that Asami had a firmer grip than he expected.
"So, you're a Task Squad. That's very impressive."
"It's nothing, ma'am...I mean Asami! I'm...just...doing what I can to help this city." Mako knew that he must look like a fool right now. Asami staring directly at him made him feel nervous for some reason, it must have been her beautiful eyes.
"Any interesting stories to share? Fighting the Equalists must have been thrilling."
" 'Thrilling' wouldn't be my choice of words..." the firebender replied. "We were just doing our job. I'm just glad they surrendered when they did..."
"Yeah! You taught those good-for-nothing Equalists what for!" Bolin jumped in, under the impression that he's helping his brother impress the girl. "You should have seen him! Mako could beat those Equalist with one hand behind his back!" he said even though he wasn't there, and Mako never told him any details about the raid.
"Really? Now you really need to tell me, Mako." Asami insisted curiously.
Mako was about to correct her and his brother that he never fought anyone with a hand behind his back, and that the details about the operation were classified, but all of sudden, Hiroshi Sato approached the trio with a stern look on his face. He put his hand on Asami's shoulder from behind, startling her a little.
"Asami, let's go. We're leaving."
"Father..."
The older man ignored his daughter as he looked at Mako and Bolin with...not a downright hostile, but clearly an unfriendly look.
"If you'll excuse us," Hiroshi nodded before taking Asami's hand and guide her out of the gala hall. The heiress gave them an apologetic look but still followed her father.
"What's up with him?" Bolin asked, not understanding the cold treatment he gave them.
"I'm not sure, but maybe he wasn't entirely on board with the Task Squad project."
"What? Why wouldn't he want anyone to fight the Equalists?" Bolin then used all his brain power to come to the conclusion that he thought was completely mind-blowing. "You think Mister Sato is in cahoots with the Equalist?"
"You can't just go around accusing people like that, Bolin!" Mako warned his brother. It was bad enough that the Equalists used the subject of discrimination to justify their wrong-doing, the worse it would be that any benders would prove the Equalists were right. "And by the way, the congressional already finished. If you're done eating, I think we should go home too."
"Wait! There's still another desert section I haven't tried!" Bolin took a new empty plate and resumed his unfinished supper around the hall. Mako could only sigh, thinking maybe he should get himself another glass of wine, too bad there wasn't anything stronger.
.
.
The ground beneath the two fighters shook before a pillar of earth shot up to separate them. Amon released his captive and backed away, letting Korra fell forward on the ground. She used what little strength she had left to look up and saw the chief of police on the other side of the garden, in her earthbending stance that still looked intimidating, even without her armor.
Amon tried rushing back to Korra, but Lin stomped the ground to create a wall of earth around the teenage girl. She then levitated a garden boulder and kicked it at Amon. The masked man dodged the attack easily, before fully turning his attention to the newcomer.
"Chief Beifong, I've been expecting you," Amon half lied, he knew that letting the little girl escape meant she would likely get help for the Avatar. What he didn't expect was Avatar Korra's ability to used bloodbending, and that it took him longer to deal with her than he thought.
"You are under arrest."
Lin summoned another set of pillars from the ground beneath Amon, but he stepped around with minimal movement, avoiding all her attacks before dashing at her.
As the two fighters engaged, Korra, while still lying on the ground, grabbed a piece of rock that fell off from when Lin summoned an earth wall. The rock piece had a sharp enough edge to use as a shiv...
Korra rolled onto her back, then stabbed the rock into her upper arm. Her blood splashed out while the pain slowly regained the control of the body that the chi-blocking stole. The Avatar twisted the rock inside her arm, more pain, faster recovery.
Lin threw the biggest boulder in the garden at Amon. A boulder the size of half a car not only missed the target, but the Equalist did a black flip into the air and landed standing on the boulder that sunk one-third into the ground.
"I thought you said you're arresting me, Chief Beifong." Amon said, stood now twice higher than his opponent. "This rock could've killed me."
"Never said I'd arrest you in one piece." Lin panted, slightly worried that this man could dodge everything she threw at him. Without her armor or gadgets, capturing him would prove difficult.
"Police brutality, as to be expected."
"Don't play a victim with me." She kept the conversation going to catch her breath."You intrude into my home. You can spin the story all you want, but we both know my aggression is justified."
"I suppose hiding the Avatar in your house isn't a crime?"
"It isn't."
Amon let out a chuckle as he jumped down from the boulder. "For an officer, you do speak like a politician." He lift one hand up, moving his fingers in the way that made cracking noise. "Guess that happens when you married one."
A vein popped on Lin's forehead, she was about to attack again, to Amon's delight that he managed to make her lose her composure.
Before he could made his move however, Korra jumped out from behind the boulder and got Amon in her choke hold, similar to how she capture his lieutenant. Amon was taken by surprise, and even flinched a bit when the blood on Korra's arm splashed on his mask.
"Lin, now!" the Avatar shouted. She's yet to regain her bending, and even if she can move, her muscles are still tense from the chi-blocking. Choking Amon was the only thing she could do the restrain him.
"Korra!?-"
"Just do it!"
Lin understood Korra's intentions, either with the lack of attachment to the teenage girl, or just being pragmatic in a fight, Lin stomped up a piece of earth and kicked it at the restrained Amon, knowing Korra was in the crossfire.
Despite the surprise, the Equalist recovered his focus fast. When seeing the attack coming, Amon spun around to used the Avatar on his back as a human shield. The piece of earth struck the teenage girl and sent them flying in separate directions, both taking a hit, but Korra got the worse of it.
"Korra!"
Lin went to the Avatar. She lay on the ground, groaning from the pain on her back. Korra was bracing herself, but not for a direct hit.
Amon stood up slowly, prepared to attack both his enemies now that they let their guard down, but his attention was pulled when he saw a light from two powerboats coming toward the island, metal police boats.
"It seems I'll have to excuse myself."
Lin noticed the boats too, and part of her want to stop Amon from getting away, but the other part didn't want to leave the injured Korra lying here alone while she gave chase.
"You...can't...let him...get away." The Avatar spoke through her pain loud enough for even Amon to hear. "He knows I'm-"
"Your secret is safe with me."
The Equalist's words surprised them both. Amon wondered if he should explain his decided that if he didn't, they might do something rash that could alter his grand plan for the city.
"The last thing I want is for people to know that the Avatar has returned."
With that, Amon ran to the cliff side and jumped off. Both Lin and Korra thought he had lost his mind, but when Lin followed and looked down from the cliff, beneath her was nothing but a silent ocean full of reefs. No climbing gear, no boat, not even a water splash to be heard.
Amon just...disappeared.
.
.
At the Republic City's empty old dock near the sewer tunnel that lead to the ocean, a figure stepped out of the water onto a rusty ladder that was covered in seaweeds and barnacles. The man was soaked from head to toe, but with one swift move of his arms, all the dripping water left his body, leaving his clothes completely dry. He then bent a small portion of water to heal the cutting wound on his hand.
Amon found a secluded spot to rest and remove his white mask. The man behind the mask let out a long sigh, tonight was more trouble than he thought, and the result of confronting the Avatar was...unexpected.
He beat her, that much he knew. Avatar Korra was stronger then he thought, even dangerous with her bloodbending, but that didn't matter to him. When the full moon faded, he'd pay her a visit again, and finish what he started.
Amon inspected his mask, there's still a bit of her blood inside the eyes holes...
Blood...
The thought of red substance drew on him, as his logical side celebrated a small victory he had tonight, the emotional side lingered on something...not so positive.
He had been down this path to equality since before the news of the Avatar's disappearance, before that, he thought the Avatar would be nothing more than a spoiled brat, a child prodigy growing up with all the praise of people around her. A chosen one, who knew nothing of reality, only the delusion she was raised by. Someone he'd break as soon as they crossed path, and he might even enjoy doing it.
But after her disappearance, after she was just...gone. Dropping off the face of the earth. Some even thought she was already dead, that the White Lotus tried to cover up the Avatar's death until they could find the next one. Amon didn't care much for any conspiracy theories, but he did wonder from time to time that, if the Avatar wasn't already dead, what kind of person she had become?
The way she bloodbent him.
The way she was ready to slit his throat, and considering that a mercy.
The way she injured herself just so she could get back up and continue fighting.
The way her blood splashed on his mask.
She reminded him of a feral wolf that would bite its own leg off to escape a trap, and still attack the hunter because it was hungry.
The emotional side made Amon's passive face shift into a frown expression. In hindsight, he would rather fight a toothless mutt the Avatar could have been.
After all, he never saw a wild animal he was sure could never bite back.
.
.
"Korra, these wounds?-"
"These were my doing." Korra told Lin when she saw a stabbing wound on both her arms and legs. "A lot of people didn't know, but you can lessen the effect of chi-blocking by stabbing or cutting yourself to regain muscles control. It hurts, but it works."
Lin helped Korra back on her feet. The bleeding wounds looked scary but it wasn't that bad, and the impact of getting hit by the boulder didn't leave any permanent damage. Korra insisted that she would be fine after she regained her bending and could heal herself. It seem the stabbing technique regain muscle control, but not bending power.
"You're crazy."
"Stop with the compliments, officer. I'm blushing."
Seeing how the girl went back to sarcastic remarks this fast, Lin slightly regretted not leaving the girl to chase after Amon.
The pair went to check on the unconscious air acolytes around the temple, and Naga who could stand but can barely walk, Korra told her to sit a and wait for them in the garden.
"By the way, were you the one that sent Jinora to the city hall to call for help?" Lin asked as they went down to the dock.
"Oh, so she got there safely then? Thanks Spirits." Korra replied with a rare smile of genuine relief. "I just told her to leave the island while I fought Amon. She was the who insisted on bringing back help. Thanks for coming by the way. You saved my ass back there, I owe you one."
"No...Thanks...for protecting her." Lin stumbled on her words a bit. At first she thought Jinora might have escaped on her own, but if it was Korra who stayed to fight Amon and let her daughter get away, that's a different story. "We're even."
"If you say so."
The two powerboats approached the Air Temple Island. Lin stood on the dock while Korra sat on a bench near a lamppost. Six figures stepped on land as soon as the boats docked. Five of them were Lin's officers at the gala.
"Chief!" they all called out to her with worry. "We saw you suddenly left the gala, and councilman Tenzin didn't tell us anything. Is something wrong?"
While she appreciated her subordinates' concern, Lin focus was more on the sixth person who came with them, the one who's now giving her fake concern expression. And she knew it was fake because...she just knew it.(Years of policing had given her a sixth sense)
"What are you doing here, Tarrlok?"
"Chief Beifong! You left in a hurry after your daughter came to you at the hall. Tenzin refused to answer me anything, so I was worry. What happened?"
Lin looked at the six people in front of her. It wasn't like she could keep this a secret anyway. Too many acolytes got attacked by Amon. Granted it, none of them were injured, but she couldn't just ask all of them to keep quiet about what happened.
"Amon was here."
"What!?" all of them answered in unison, before Tarrlok noticed Korra sitting alone not too far. He walked past Lin to the teenage girl.
"By Aang! What happen to you!?"
Tarrlok shouted when he saw Korra with blood-soaked clothes, drawing attention of the others.
"Oh, these? It was me-"
"Did Amon do this to you!? That monster! Even non-bender isn't safe from him!"
Korra knew that the man's emotional outcry wasn't sincere, but the five officers didn't seem to share her opinion. They looked horrified when they saw the wounds on her arms, and many stains of blood on her clothes.
"It's not what it looks like. All of these wounds were my doing. I stabbed myself with a rock."
"And why did you do that?" One of the officers asked.
"I was...chi-blocked by Amon."
"Then my point still stands. These so call 'Equalists' would even attack their fellow non-bender just because she wasn't agreeing with them!" Tarrlok turned to speak with the five officers. "This is what we have been fighting, my fellow Task Squad. If you still have any doubt about this duty, then have it no more."
Korra was amazed that Tarrlok, after seeing her as a victim, the first thing he did was making a rousing speech for his own agenda. The guy didn't even ask if she was alright. Councilman Tarrlok was truly born to be a politician.
"We have first aid kit in our boat. I'll go get it," one of the officers said, and Korra saw no reason to refuse him, her wounds were starting to get itchy anyway. The rest of the police turned to Lin, seemingly none of them took what Tarrlok said that seriously, at least until it was confirmed by their respected Chief of Police.
"You want us to do anything, chief? Are there other casualties?"
"Many air acolytes were rendered unconscious by Amon. I checked on them and found no injuries, but let's call med-team in just in case."
"Yes, ma'am."
"And since Amon was here, the island is considered a crime scene. Call in a team to investigate and collect any evidence too."
"Yes, ma'am."
They all saluted Lin and went to work. Tarrlok huffed with annoyance that he got ignored. Guess there's still some people that wouldn't fall for him, but that only meant he had to choose a right audience.
Lin walked up to Korra who got her wounds treated by one of her officer, and after a close inspection, he too agree that the wounds weren't as serious as they looked.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, your boy has a very gentle touch, Chief."
"You're welcome." The male officer replied while warping Korra's upper arm in bandage.
"I'm gonna go back to the city to get Tenzin and the kids."
"Tell Ikki Naga is fine. She's probably worried."
Lin nodded, she turned and walked back to Tarrlok, asking him if he could accompany her back to the city, really she just wanted him off her island.
"It was brave of you to face Amon by yourself." The officer spoke to Korra, thinking he could distract her from the pain when he cleaned her other arm.
"I didn't get a chance to run, so I don't know if you can call that bravery. Still, the guy lived up to his reputation. You guys are gonna have a hard time dealing with him and his goons."
"Don't worry, the metalbending police is doing everything in its power to bring Amon and the Equalists to justice. You can count on us."
"...Sure. You'll get them..."
While the officer was focusing on her other wound, Korra slipped a drop of blood from her leg on her finger. With a bit of concentration, she levitated the blood and swirled it around her finger. She flicked the red drop away before anyone could notice her bloodbending. She thought, while watching the blood splash on the concrete dock floor, leaving a tiny barely visible red stain in the full moonlight.
'...if I don't get a rematch with him first, that is.'
.
.
.
The end.
