Avatar (n.): an incarnation, embodiment, or manifestation of a person or idea.

1 minute later

Republic City

2 years, 7 months after the fall of the Red Lotus

Lin and her sister ascended the height of the suit unhindered, detaching from their cables once they found the appropriate passage to the right arm and landing on a small metal platform gracefully. The pair strode through the unblocked doorway, stopping at the edge to look down at several rotating gears and axles keeping the arm's servos in motion. Several sharp whirs sounded from behind, and Lin instinctively jerked to one end of the circular doorway while her sister did the same on the opposite side as six fast-moving metal strips flew past them in rapid succession, three burying themselves in the ceiling of the gap.

They whirled around to see a single fully-suited metalbender throwing a hailstorm of strips at them from below. Lin reached over to a nearby wall and tore a sheet of riveted metal off, using it as a shield to block the next five.

"I'll deal with this guy!" she shouted at the younger woman before tearing the shield apart and dashing toward her opponent. "Disable the weapon!"

Lin landed in a kneeling position, both her gauntlets extending with metal blades designed by Cisco as she deflected one metal projectile after another with effortless ease. Evidently, this soldier knew to fear her, since he backed up by the step until she twirled counterclockwise in a double-deflect, then turned her right blade into a lash she shot in his direction. The moment she launched, he snapped a metal plate below him to send him flipping over her head. Lin turned to catch movement from above and roll away as a metal panel crushed the space she was last standing.

He bent the door-sized panel into the air and sent it at her flat-face first. Lin responded with a flying 360 back-kick that sent it rocketing toward the far wall and forced her opponent to readjust his strategy. Extending his arms, metal from the floor and his own armor shifted to form a steel-cabled bow, floating metal around him dropping to the drawstring with his bending. Lin arched an eyebrow and snorted derisively as her left blade switched to its shield mode, deflecting one arrow after the next until she got within six feet. Catching his firing hand dropping to the side, just out of her sight, Lin lunged forward in a feint, forcing him to show his hand and overextend himself with a long dagger thrust that sent him completely off-balance.

Her back foot stomped down hard, sending the plate on his back foot flying upward and him into a cable that wrapped around his midsection and slammed him into a nearby wall headfirst. He was out cold on contact, and Lin took a moment to stare at his unmoving body with a contemptuous glare as a large rumble vibrated through the entire suit.

"You're no Oliver Queen."

Seconds later, she was landing next to her sister on the platform from earlier, looking over the opposite side to see the magazine of spirit vine shots missing. She turned to Suyin with an approving look.

"Nice work."

Su just smirked. "The outside may be platinum, but we can do a lot of damage in here."

As one, both sisters reached out and pulled back, tearing the supports of the geared axles into jagged shreds and continuing on to jam both the loading mechanism and servos. It was barely ten seconds later when both sisters froze in alarm, then held on for dear life as the arm's body began to shake violently around them. Feeling the sheer vibrational force beginning to render them unconscious, Lin instinctively reached out and peeled the sides of the doorway to enclose her and her sister as fading sunlight and wind flew past their faces. The last thing she saw before everything went black was the rushing skyline of Republic City as the suit's right arm was torn off and discarded like worthless flotsam.

The one thing she failed to notice was the cannon itself, which flew off ominously into the Spirit Wilds.

Clang!

Kuvira's head whipped around in alarm as the entrance hatch of the cockpit shook with a devastating impact. Three more sharp dents appeared in rapid succession, the metal buckling under the strain and flying off entirely when a massive blast of air sent it rocketing toward the ceiling. A burst of flame sent a familiar blue-clad figure flying into the cockpit, two bursts of air slamming Kuvira's copilots into their respective consoles as they slumped over unconscious. Korra landed on the side of the room opposite the entrance with a firm, determined stance not even vaguely reminiscent of her form on the plains of Zaofu.

Kuvira was so stunned by her appearance and the strength of her entrance that she almost didn't dodge her first blast of fire in time, or duck the second one. Within the movement of her duck, she spun counterclockwise and bent the metal of the suit's track ball controls into liquid form, sending the entire stream flying at Korra like a liquid spear. The Avatar took a single step back, a fluid movement splitting the stream into a spherical skeleton that flowed around her. Within the same motion, Korra clenched her right fist and lunged the appendage in Kuvira's direction, sending the stream right back at her in an arc.

Unable to dodge in time, Kuvira grunted with the impact of the metal hitting her lower chest. Her back slammed into a nearby console, and she grit her teeth, pushing herself upright and running at Korra with a flying axe kick the Avatar dodged with an effortless one-handed handspring. Metal strips flew at the Avatar in pairs before Kuvira sent the top half of a control panel her way, a quick airbending maneuver repelling it. Korra's left hand flared with fiery orange as she flung a blazing hot stream of flame in the commander's direction, Kuvira flipping over it to land on the freely-moving control platform hard.

The sudden movement sent Korra upward with a startled yelp, her back impacting the metal ceiling hard. Kuvira pressed her advantage, bending the rest of the ceiling around her midsection tightly, then sending her dragging across the curved metal surface and sending her crashing into a console, caving it in completely. Shards of metal and meteorite pounded Korra's position as she rolled away, then planted her feet in place. The two women scowled at each other for a moment before Kuvira levitated three meteorite chunks around her and flung them in her direction all at once.

2 minutes earlier

A mecha suit, much smaller than the giant one currently terrorizing the city, turned to face a red-suited figure that had slid to a stop just seconds ago.

"Changed your wardrobe, I see," said the Flash rather teasingly.

Behind the metal and glass plate of the suit's helmet, Vandal Savage grinned malevolently. "After your little bit of thievery, and learning that my own people had turned on me, I figured you'd be coming to finish the job sooner or later."

The Flash snarled. "If you think a little extra metal is gonna stop me, you're in for a rude awakening."

Savage smirked. "Am I?"

The speedster charged toward him, body vibrating rapidly, only to rebound with a scream when he felt electricity course through his nerves. A metal hand closed around his flying body a split-second later, clenching hard and making his bones give little by little as he was thrust into the wall of a nearby building.

"Did you think I would not expect your interference?" Savage snarled. "That I would be blind to your methods?" He squeezed harder, sending another pained yell from Barry's throat. "In this world or any other, you and the rest of your ilk stand in the way of man's glorious evolution. No more."

Barry felt the suit squeeze harder, unable to attempt phasing or even breathe due to the constant and increasing pressure on his rib cage.

Twang.

A sudden explosion on the shoulder of Savage's grasping arm sent a section of the armor slipping loose, exposing a few of the controlling wires within. They both snapped to see the Green Arrow standing on a pile of rubble some fifteen feet away, another explosive arrow drawn back threateningly.

Oliver lowered his voice to a growl. "Let. Him. Go." He gave Barry a slight, discreet nod.

"Ah…Mr. Queen. You're already far too late. Beat me, or don't—I'm immortal. One day, this world will belong to Vandal…Savage."

Green Arrow's eyes flickered to Barry briefly before locking onto Savage's faceplate with a smirk. "That so?"

A split-second later, Savage turned down to see the Flash's right arm vibrating massively with gold lightning sparking off it madly. When the second ended, his arm swung toward the suit's exposed shoulder, a lance of electricity instantaneously shorting out the servos controlling the arm's grip and causing Savage's suit to drop him. His other arm, still fully operational, fired a stream of flame toward the speedster and his archer companion. The Flash immediately sped toward Green Arrow, snatching him up and running them both behind a half-destroyed wall of concrete as the fire slowly dissipated.

Oliver turned to Barry. "I've sent enough explosive arrows at those suits today to know the ones I have on hand won't do the trick. Ideas?"

Barry frowned. "He's got the same electric field as Kuvira, so I can't phase through to yank him out."

Oliver shrugged. "I'm open to suggestions."

The speedster's eyes narrowed as he glanced around the concrete wall. "That suit's not run on spirit vines; it doesn't have enough power to keep the field up indefinitely."

"He has to activate it manually."

Barry nodded. "If I can blindside him, I can get through."

Oliver glanced around his end and drew back an arrow. "Sounds like a plan."

"Ready?"

He nodded. "Go!"

They both ran from their cover in opposite directions, Green Arrow letting loose one projectile after another in fire that targeted the suit's joints with high-density carbon polymer and arrowheads coated in a highly conductive solution. One managed to make it through the same gap Barry's lightning had hit, sticking in solidly as Savage smiled from behind the faceplate.

"Really?"

Oliver smirked. "Wait for it."

A massive shock of electricity ran throughout the suit's internal wiring, sending Savage's machine crashing to its knees. Savage's left arm clawed at the dirt and gravel, dragging the rest of the suit toward Oliver, who was running toward its head and stabbing an explosive arrow into a joint at its neck. A gold-rimmed red blur attempted to enter the prone suit, but rebounded when a barely-visible spark of electricity flared off its armor. In a surprising show of flexibility, Savage's left arm managed to grab Oliver's quiver, but a quick set of hands snatched him away before it could fling him off. Once again, they took cover from a blast, this time electric in nature.

Barry's lips pursed hard as the shockwave from Oliver's detonated arrow threw dust their way. "Blindsiding him doesn't seem to be working. It's like he's got eyes in the back of his head."

"Then we blind him on all sides." Oliver turned to him. "Think you can give me some cover?"

The Flash smirked confidently. "Oh yeah."

"On my mark. Three, two, one…go!"

Barry took off in a gold-rimmed circle around Savage's now-recovered suit, kicking massive quantities of dust and gravel into a mini-twister around the mech. Savage swung toward his lightning several times, missing wide, then triggered a massive burst of electricity from both arm cannons, the fast-moving ionized particles in the maelstrom tracing a line of displaced electrons straight to the source of the disturbance. The explosion of energy sent Barry yelling off his feet and into a pile of rubble, Savage following with a blast of fire that missed due to the Flash's quick dash.

A dull thud impacted the back of the suit, and its pilot whirled around and swiped in a diagonal motion in the same movement. Green Arrow cartwheeled away from the strike, firing a high-tensile cable arrow to trap the arm on its downswing, then running up the appendage. He executed a handless cartwheel off the suit's front while slapping a specialized thermite breaching charge on its neck. On his way down, he yelled in pain when Savage's left arm swept through his exact falling path, knocking him fifteen feet through the air and into Barry's waiting arms. The two heroes watched in mute frustration as Savage reached up with his now-freed arm and clenched the suit's fist around the bomb, a section of the hand shattering, but otherwise doing no damage.

"I am Vandal Savage, immortal destroyer of empires. What exactly makes you think you can win?!"

The Flash and Green Arrow exchanged a look, the latter drawing back an arrow as his partner coiled up.

"Because you're alone," Oliver answered in a confident growl. "And we're not."

Korra threw several flame punches, ducking under and away from two metal strikes, both aimed at her head, then pivoting to her right and throwing a blast of air at a charging Kuvira. The commander and Avatar circled around each other, tossing numerous elements at each other. Kuvira had the same three meteorite masses from before in liquid form, floating by her shoulders, and was throwing shards of them at Korra one after the other in a rapid fire of ebony bullets. She dodged every last one of them, countering with two gouts of flame Kuvira blocked by bending two metal orbs into a shield.

Korra twirled her body midair as Kuvira pulled all three spheres into a giant metal barrier, her motion sending a double-legged blast of air erupting from her body and smashing the shield into Kuvira. The metalbender slammed back-first into the metal-webbed glass at her back, sliding to the ground and slingshotting the metal plate toward Korra. The Avatar charged toward Kuvira, ducking under the incoming projectile and leaping for the tyrant legs-first. Her legs curled around Kuvira's upper torso, arms around her neck, and she used her lower center of gravity to throw the metalbender across the room, her body ricocheting and rolling across the control platform.

Before she could even come to a stop, Korra stomped and snapped the metal floor beneath Kuvira up, knocking her into the air, then leapt and charged up for a massive air blast. The moment her arm extended, she saw the incoming metal projectile, moving too fast for her to do anything but grit her teeth against the impact. Korra yelped when her back hit the far wall, black dust flying everywhere and obscuring her vision for a moment. When it started to clear, the two master benders glared at each other, hesitating for just a moment before lunging once more.

The Green Arrow let loose a flurry of arrows, impact, explosive, and electrical, all aimed at Savage's faceplate in an attempt to either blind him or shatter the glass. Fire and electricity were sent Oliver's way, the archer rolling away and leaping sideways for cover while firing another two arrows into the suit's shoulders. Upon getting to his feet, he jumped back when his cover was shattered by two platinum-plated arms, Savage raining down hammer-fisted strikes as he steadily backpedaled. Green Arrow dashed for the space under his next swinging arm, sliding on his shins and putting a thermite arrow into its vulnerable armpit.

He rolled away from a backhanded strike in the same motion as the slide, grunting in pain again when he moved too slow to avoid a glancing blow from one of the suit's legs. He barrel-rolled to a stop some ten feet away, Savage rapidly closing the distance and leaping for a double-fisted smash. Oliver dove under the suit's legs, coming out the other side and landing in a kneeling crouch as the mech turned around, its right arm flaring with flame. The Green Arrow just smirked and clicked a control built into his vest, a large eruption of heat and concussive force blowing off a good section of the suit's left shoulder joint.

Growling in fury, Savage made to charge Oliver again, but was waylaid when a red blur slammed the suit from the side, the sheer force enough to send him staggering in the direction of the impact. Barry slid to a stop on that side, looping around the suit and running off to keep hitting it from several directions, each impact sending Savage stumbling a few steps. The mech spewed flames in a wide arc around itself, the Flash sliding under it and leaping to take another shot at phasing, but failing when the electrical field repelled him once again. Before Savage could incinerate him with the suit's flamethrowers, a metallic twang was heard and the end of a long cable wrapped itself around Barry's wrist.

A sudden reeling movement yanked the Flash from the suit's line of fire, giving him enough time to get back on his feet and spot Oliver, who was firing more arrows. He grabbed them midair, adding his own speed to send them flying into Savage's suit with ten times the force. One arrow got through that Barry didn't manage to speed up, and the immortal madman caught it midair, then threw it back at the sender. Eyes wide in alarm, the Flash took off and beat it to him, snatching his partner up to bring him to a stop atop some nearby rubble.

Oliver frowned. "Running out of arrows here."

Barry's lips pursed. "If we can't blind him, then I need to hide in plain sight."

Arrow glanced at him.

"Aim for his faceplate, and whatever you do…don't—stop—firing."

Oliver nodded and drew back one arrow after the next as Barry took off running, not in circles this time, but back and forth, rapidly enough to begin confusing his opponent. Barry couldn't really blame him, and by the look of mild shock on his face, neither could Oliver. Especially since they were both looking at around twenty copies of the Flash. True to his word, Green Arrow never stopped firing at the suit, sending washes of light and fire over Savage's main viewport and half-blinding him. In a bout of fury, the immortal activated both his flamethrowers and swept the streams in a cross-over motion, over the entire crowd of speed mirages.

He didn't realize the true purpose of the maneuver until one mirage solidified into a gold-rimmed form that vibrated straight through his armor. The entangled pair hit the ground an instant later, Savage going back-first, but immediately kicking Barry off and rolling to his feet as he drew his Nth-metal knife. The weapon barely had time to start glowing before a pair of arrows flew toward Savage from the side, one knocking the knife from his hand, the other imbedding itself in his shoulder. The immortal snarled and whipped toward the archer, but was stopped from doing anything more when a flurry of impossibly fast punches rained down on him from every angle.

About a dozen or two blows in, Savage spotted a green-clad form rushing for him and felt the impact of a bow on his head knock him back a step. One after another, the Scarlet Speedster and Emerald Archer tag-teamed him from either side, Green Arrow swinging his fists and bow while Savage was on the receiving end of several lightning-fast haymakers. Oliver spun clockwise and slammed the arm of his bow into Savage's face, the immortal finally able to draw another dagger, but feeling two hard impacts to the head when Barry came to his front and gave him an uppercut with his right hand, followed by a hip-driver top-down punch with his left.

Savage thrust his knife at the speedster, but the Flash looped around behind him and swept his legs, sending him into the air and setting him up for a cable arrow from Green Arrow. The cords slammed into and wrapped around the immortal tyrant, Savage growling and roaring in fury as he managed to shift himself to a kneeling position.

"Is that it?! Is that all you have?!"

Barry and Oliver approached him side-by-side, exchanging a look with each other before the former answered.

"You don't ever want to see all we have."

Without another word, the Flash and Green Arrow charged for the restrained supervillain and slammed him with simultaneous blows from opposite sides. Savage was out long before he hit the ground. Breathing heavily, the two heroes looked from Savage, to the suit, to each other, and then broke out in relieved laughter.

Barry clapped Oliver on the shoulder. "Gotta say, I really missed watching you work."

Ollie grinned. "Likewise." He huffed. "Sorry I came so late, by the way." He tapped his quiver. "Had to…restock arrows."

Barry slowly shook his head. "Far as I'm concerned, you were right on time. As usual."

Oliver took a look around and sighed hard. "I need a vacation."

The younger man groaned. "That makes two of us."

They exchanged a look, a comfortable silence falling over the ruined square.

"I wonder how the others are—"

Boom!

Both heroes immediately snapped their vision toward the source of the blast, Barry's eyes widening when he saw the Colossus—some two miles off—flare with violet energy for a moment as it fell, torn apart at the midsection. Two massive clouds of dark smoke erupted from the impact points of either half, the both sections having fallen just two blocks from the Spirit Wilds.

Barry turned to his partner. "Oliver—"

"Go," he interrupted. "I've got Savage."

He didn't need any more encouragement, taking off immediately and finding the top half in less than a minute. Barry looked around feverishly, then phased through the depowered suit, speeding through one demolished hall after the next until he found something that send his eyes widening and heart lurching in his chest.

"Mako! Bolin!"

The Flash touched down next to their immobile bodies, furiously shaking them and managing to get Bolin conscious. The lavabender looked up at him with owlishly blinking eyes. Barry sent him a deadpan look, then gave Mako a pointed nod and threw his hands up in question.

Bolin coughed and cleared his throat. "Couldn't shut down the suit with the machinery, so the idiot decided it would be a good idea to blow up the power source." He loomed over his brother, checking his injuries and wincing at his badly burnt left arm. "My big bro. Always tryin' to be the hero." He arched a teasing eyebrow at Barry. "I blame you, man." He pointed an accusing finger. "You're a bad influence."

Barry grinned and helped Bolin get his brother slung over their shoulders. "Let's get him outta here."

Several chunks of rock were forcibly jettisoned from a newly formed hole in the head of the toppled Colossus. Two figures, one in blue, the other in green and silver metal, stepped from the rubble, the former heaving a sigh as she carried the other from the wreckage. Korra laid Kuvira on the ground, stumbling back a few steps and sitting down heavily as the other woman let out a pained groan.

"It's over," Korra said firmly, taking a few heavy breaths and pinning Kuvira with a piercing gaze. "You're gonna call off your army and surrender to President Raiko."

She watched as the other woman's eyes slid open, loose, disheveled hair slipping off the stones as she began to roll upright.

"Then you and—"

Korra grunted and yelped as a large chunk of earth slammed into her chest and flung her twenty feet back, her bruised, battered body rolling and bouncing off the partially demolished pavement. When she finally came to a stop, an aching groan came from her half-conscious lips, sore muscles straining to push her upright. Her head tilted up to see Kuvira approach and turn toward the Avatar, glaring hard. Korra clambered to her feet, legs shaking slightly, but only partially in exhaustion.

"Every time," Kuvira said in a near-whisper. "Every time you appear, you assert your stupid, self-righteous, moralistic viewpoint over everyone you touch, consequences be damned." Her teeth bared and hands fisted at her sides as she marched toward the Avatar. "What do you know?! The world isn't some storybook land with heroes and villains, where everyone gets a happy ending!"

Korra snorted, jaw tightening. "You think I'm not aware of that? I spent almost three years recovering from injuries that should've taken six months to heal."

"Yet you learned nothing," Kuvira hissed.

She sent another shard of concrete flying at Korra, the projectile impacting her outstretched forearm and sending her stumbling away. Shards of Kuvira's armor were detached and thrown at Korra, two of them latching onto her wrists and dragging her back, heels sliding against the rubble-strewn pavement. Then Korra's eyes opened, fury blazing in their cerulean depths, and she put her foot down.

Literally.

"Enough," she growled.

The Avatar's left foot smashed into the asphalt, creating an anchor point that stopped her backwards movement and gave her time to anchor herself further with an earthbending maneuver that encased her forward right foot in pavement as well. Korra snapped both her arms to the side, and Kuvira's metal cuffs shattered, the metalbending master gasping with wide eyes and gaping in shock. Korra launched off on a pillar of earth, arcing through the air and flipping over an earth projectile on the way down. She twisted around a second, shunting it aside with one hand while twirling her body in a spiral and charging up power for a falling air strike that impacted the crown of Kuvira's head and sent her tumbling backward.

Korra landed in a smooth roll, ignoring the aches and stiffness of her muscles with surprising ease, and stood in a solid fighting stance. "I've learned a lot more than you think."

Kuvira snarled and yelled, charging at Korra with more flying bursts of earth. Korra pirouetted in place, her chi focusing and redirecting the first barrage before she lunged forward. Korra turned her body in a twist-flip when she closed to around eight feet, then handsprung backward into Kuvira's chest with a double-legged mule kick. Kuvira sluggishly rolled to her feet, green eyes widening at the sight of a dashing Korra.

"Like the fact that I am sick—"

Korra's right fist impacted the side of her left jaw solidly, followed by two diagonal uppercuts to her unarmored lower ribs and lower jaw.

"—and tired—"

Kuvira attempted to counterattack with bending, but between the pain and her own exhaustion, was too sluggish to do anything but take Korra's unarmed beating as she was driven back a step with every blow.

"—of being tossed around!"

Korra seized Kuvira's shoulders and kneed her in the chest, knocking her back a step, then charged up and brought both her fists forward. In a combination of blunt force and both air and fire, Korra sent a yelling Kuvira flying nearly thirty feet back, including the stretch where she dragged and rolled across the pavement. Korra was breathing heavily at this point, stalking toward her opponent with hard, measured steps. Kuvira scrambled to her feet, eyes wild and fearful, then took off toward the Wilds at her back.

Korra's eyes widened slightly as she ran after her. "Stop!"

Kuvira vanished from sight, lost in a tangle of vines and twisted streets, but Korra kept up her pursuit, feeling her legs protest but pushing through anyway. Her cerulean eyes darted from one dark corner to another, searching like a hawk as she kept moving forward.

"Kuvira!" she called. "Give up!" Slowing down, Korra took a deep breath and calmed herself. "Please, stop this madness! It has to end now!" She leapt atop a boulder to get a better view of her surroundings.

"If you really want to end it, then come and get me!"

Korra's head snapped to her right, and she broke off in a run, pushing through a thick cluster of bushes, then coming to an abrupt, gasping halt. In a clearing, suspended by spirit vines and surrounded by trees, was Kuvira.

And the spirit energy cannon she was currently pointing at the Avatar.

Kuvira scowled, her left hand on the weapon's firing controls. "Now it's over."

Korra's hand outstretched in alarm, eyes wide and darting to the vines surrounding them. "Don't!"

Like the bullheaded woman Korra knew her to be, Kuvira didn't listen, and shoved the firing lever forward, sending a massive violet glow that made the weapon's beam seem all the larger for its close proximity. Time slowed to a near crawl as adrenaline crammed into the Avatar's bloodstream, her battered legs propelling her to the left as the cannon fired. The sheer concussive force of the impact threw her clear, her body bouncing on the ground and sliding to a stop at the edge of the clearing. Looking up, Korra saw the cannon drilling into the ground, the beam not having dissipated yet.

She saw why a moment later, when the vines suspending the cannon began to glow violet. As point of fact, every vine in the Wilds lit up, and the beam erupted with even greater destructive force and breadth, the sheer kickback sending the cannon spinning. Kuvira held on for dear life as the beam sliced through trees, vines, and undoubtedly the buildings outside the Wilds.

"Shut it down!" Korra shouted, barely hearing herself above the din.

Kuvira pulled back on the lever, Korra managing to catch her alarmed expression when she replied, "I can't!"

Evidently, the rotational motion of the cannon was too much for her grip, because Kuvira fell off and came to a rolling stop some twenty feet from Korra. Her face was more than expressive enough to show the extent of her fear when she saw the beam heading straight for her.

The moment the first shot went off, Barry and the pro-bending brothers had heard, but seeing as how Mako was stable for the moment, and they weren't in any imminent danger, the Flash left them without even asking. His lightning trail streaked toward the source of the glowing beam currently busy demolishing half of Republic City, speeding through vines and thick brush to come to a skidding halt at the edge of a large clearing. The first two things he was aware of upon stopping were the locations of two women, one in blue, the other in green. The third? That the green-clad one was currently in the path of the haywire weapon.

Barry didn't hesitate. He took off toward Kuvira like a storm, racing against the beam and seeming to win—until the massive vibrations it sent through the ground made him stumble and slow down. He looked up, judged the distance, measured the space between Kuvira and the beam. He could still make it—if he pushed. So he did. He pushed his steps and sore body to the limit and past it, lightning dancing all around him. It was only when he caught sight of a second figure leaping in front of the first that he began to panic. When her eyes went pure-white, his hands were mere feet from them both.

That's when the beam hit.

The concussive force of the impact sent Barry flying to the far edge of the clearing, rolling to a stop and sluggishly pushing himself upright. What he saw sent his jaw dropping to the ground. Korra, standing between Kuvira and a beam that could destroy entire buildings in one shot. A bubble was formed around them, as if the weapon's energy itself was being bent aside. Belatedly, Barry realized that was exactly what was happening. A mixed feeling of terror and awe filled him at the sight of his girlfriend, the love of his life, singlehandedly battling a superweapon, with only her strength and power keeping both of them from harm.

Mere seconds after the impact, Barry became aware of something else, that the energy from the cannon was not only massing around the bubble, but expanding from it in a gigantic eruption. His eyes widened as the violet glow filled every inch of his vision, holding one hand up to keep from being blinded, then taking off toward the edge of the Wilds as the built-up energy exploded. The result was…not quite as destructive as Blackout's overcharged vest, but close enough that Barry was glad he ran when he did.

All the same, he didn't move fast enough to avoid being catapulted off his feet and through the air. The sheer noise of the explosion deafened him briefly, so he felt more than heard glass break as his body was thrown into an abandoned car, leaving behind a considerable dent in the metal as he slumped to the ground. The last thing he saw before passing out was an eruption of golden light from the direction of the Wilds.

It's said that when you're about to die, your life flashes before your eyes. Avatar Korra had experienced this phenomenon once before, when she was nearly assassinated by the Red Lotus. When the cannon had fired, and she'd leapt between Kuvira and death, there was no repeat incident. No pain, no fear, no hesitation, only a strong sense of duty and the warmth of supreme confidence. As consciousness slowly began to return to her, her eyes slid open, gazing through what looked like a sheet of glass, or in her case, a mirror. On the other side was an exact replica of her, radiating dark purple, like the tendrils of energy Vaatu had used to extract Raava all those years ago.

An intense blue glow was coming from her own body, and she wondered at the mirror image for a while until it started to shift, broken apart like ripples in water to reveal—Kuvira. Her eyes widened and jaw dropped partway as realization hit her like a freight train, and together, they floated into a meadow of purple flowers, a blindingly bright golden light emanating from her right. Deciding to deal with that later, she caught Kuvira as the other woman collapsed to the ground, holding her across her lap and cradling her head to prevent further damage.

Korra winced when she saw the angry purple bruising over the entirety of her left jaw. Kuvira blinked several times, slowly coming back to herself, then looking up and shouting in alarm when she realized exactly who she was with. Kuvira pushed her off and scrambled away, eyes wild and scared as she breathed heavily. Eventually, she turned back to Korra.

"What happened? Are we…dead?"

Internally sighing, Korra pushed herself upright and faced the other woman. "No. We're okay, but we're in the Spirit World." She lifted her arms out to indicate their surroundings. "All the energy from your weapon tore open a new portal and blasted us in here."

Kuvira looked at her for a moment before looking down in—was that shame? "Why would you save my life?" she demanded. "After everything I did to you…"

Korra thought for a moment, brows creased. "I guess…I see a lot of myself in you."

Kuvira looked surprised for only a moment, then snorted derisively. "We are nothing alike."

"Yes we are. We're both fierce and determined to succeed…sometimes without thinking things through."

The dictator's voice began to crack as she fell to her knees, arms clutched over her abdomen—no doubt cradling a few broken ribs. "This wasn't how I wanted things to end. If you had all just surrendered, none of this would've happened."

Korra's tone never wavered. "You brought this on yourself." She strode toward Kuvira. "Messing with the spirit vines, acting like a dictator over your people—you had to know what you were doing wasn't right."

Kuvira's eyes flashed. "I was trying to help my people. Su turned her back on the Earth Kingdom, you were gone. I had to do something."

Korra softened a bit. "I think I get it now."

Kuvira turned away angrily. "You don't understand anything about me."

"I do. Su told me how she took you in when you were younger. It must have been so hard being an orphan."

Kuvira swiped a hand in her direction, hissing, "Don't pretend you know what it felt like. The Avatar is adored by millions!" Steadily, her voice wavered to a greater and greater degree. "I was cast aside by my own parents, like I meant nothing to them!" She looked down, tears welling in her eyes. "How could I just stand by and watch the same thing happen to my nation when it needed someone to guide it?"

"You wanted to create a place where you and your people would never be vulnerable again."

Kuvira's head tipped up to look at her through disheveled hair.

"I understand what it's like to be afraid, Kuvira." Korra approached and sat down in front of her. "After I was poisoned, I would've done anything to feel in control. So I did everything, everything I could think of...except the one thing that worked." She smiled at the ground. "I may not have been an orphan, but I know someone who was, for a good portion of his life. You know him too. He spent seven years without his parents, without even the smallest consolation of knowing that his parents' killers were brought to justice. He could've easily turned out like the man responsible, allowed himself to become cold and bitter and merciless…but he didn't. Want to know why?"

Kuvira arched a raven eyebrow and muttered, "Do I have a choice?"

Korra ignored her. "Because he uncovered the solution to that fear long before I did. He didn't know it then, didn't understand it, even ignored it a few times, but without that way, he would've been lost to his pain forever." She took a deep breath. "The solution…is people. And not just any people, but…people that truly love you. People who matter. It takes being around them and helping them, and—when it's necessary—letting them help you. It means you listen to them, really listen, and don't just dismiss what they're saying because you think you're right."

Kuvira's eyes widened slightly. "But I didn't—"

"You did."

She crossed her arms and looked sideways.

"Su, Raiko, me. You never stopped to think about what might happen if you were wrong. Refused to even accept the possibility. And now, look what happened. Your army's in shambles, half of Republic City is rubble, and apart from a few loyal stragglers, you're alone in the world." Korra frowned and looked down. "After experiencing that for the last eighteen months…I can say for certain that that's not something I'd wish on anyone."

A few moments of silence passed before Kuvira's voice was heard. "You're right."

Korra looked up to see tears freely flowing down her cheeks.

"I'm alone in this world." Kuvira's lips trembled. "No mother. No father." Her eyes slid shut, liquid spilling from them. "Even Baatar…" her voice dropped to a broken whisper, "oh spirits, what have I done?" She tilted her head back, shoulders shaking, as she stared into the infinite sky. "He'll never forgive me." Kuvira nearly jumped when Korra gently grasped her hand, opting instead to look at her with wide eyes.

Korra's eyes softened in sympathy. "Don't count yourself out just yet. Believe me when I say that love can do some…amazing things. And…even if he doesn't…I do."

Kuvira stared at her in shock. "You would—why?"

Korra sighed and smiled a little. "Because if I can forgive the man who destroyed me and did more damage to this world than you ever could—just for the sheer hell of causing chaos—I think I can forgive a misguided young woman who was trying to do a noble thing." She shrugged. "So it got away from you." She smiled wider. "Happens to the best of us. Trust me."

Kuvira stared back at her for a few moments, then turned her hand over to grasp the Avatar's firmly.

"No matter what happens next," Korra continued, "you won't have to face it alone. I promise."

Kuvira looked at her for a few more seconds, fearful eyes searching her face for any hesitation or signs of deception, but relaxing when they found none. "Thank you," she said softly.

Korra tightened her grip around her hand. "You're welcome." She released Kuvira's hand and grunted as she pushed herself upright and outstretched her hand. "Now come on."

Kuvira looked up at the appendage, one eyebrow arched, and sighed as she took it. "Time to face the music, I guess."

"'Fraid so."

She looped Kuvira's arm around her shoulders, both of them ambling toward the portal in the distance in silence. At least, for a while.

"Do you think…Barry will forgive me as well?"

Korra smirked. "If I know Barry, he already has. And if not, then, well…he'll come around." They took a few more silent steps. "You know…he would've saved you too. If he'd been there."

Kuvira sighed. "I know. Just…difficult to trust, after…"

"Yeah. I know. But it's over now. It's over."

"Barry. Barry!"

A hard thwack rang through the air in a mostly deserted street as a feminine palm slapped across the face of a slumbering speedster. Barry shot upright with a pained gasp, hand immediately going to his face and eyes blinking owlishly as he looked up at Caitlin in shock.

"Seriously?!"

"You weren't waking up."

Barry groaned and let her and Ronnie help him up. "Smelling salts work too. Geez."

Cate snorted. "Baby."

Barry rolled his eyes and took a few more breaths, eyes widening when he caught sight of the golden light from before, right in the smack middle of the Spirit Wilds. "Korra—"

"No sign of her yet," Ronnie said. "Given the strength of that blast…"

He didn't wait for Firestorm to finish before he took off in the direction of the portal, coming to an abrupt stop halfway there, then streaking around a few familiar faces, no doubt members of a search party with the same goal.

No. Nonononononono, this is not happening. Not to her. It can't be—

Rather abruptly, ethereal figures began to appear all around the Wilds.

To his left, Tenzin spoke in a semi-awed tone. "The spirits…have returned."

Seconds later, a familiar surge of light came from the portal, and Barry snapped to face it, heart nearly dropping through his stomach in relief when he caught sight of two figures. One blue. One green.

Safe. They're both safe.

Barry distantly heard Asami say something, opting to run to them in an instant, taking Kuvira's other arm and slinging it over his shoulder. They made their way toward the rest of the group, a jubilant Bolin leaping forward first.

"Ha-ha! You're okay!"

The tension returned when sounds of mechanized troops were heard all around them, several mecha suits surrounding the group.

"Release Kuvira," one said, "or we will attack."

Giving Korra a slight nod, Kuvira pulled away from them both and stood erect, one hand across her abdomen. "Stand down," she ordered. "This battle…is over. I owe the Avatar my life. Her power is beyond anything I could ever hope to achieve." She turned her eyes down, refusing to meet Suyin's gaze. "I'll accept whatever punishment the World sees fit."

The mecha exchanged surprised looks before lowering their weapon and obeying their orders. Moments later, Lin stepped forward and clicked a pair of platinum handcuffs around her wrists.

Kuvira finally gained the courage to look Su in the eye. "And Su, I'm sorry for all the anguish I've caused you and your family."

The younger Beifong sister followed the older as they escorted her away. "You're going to answer for everything you've done."

It wasn't long before another familiar figure was seen being escorted next to her, though this one was far from quiet.

"Unhand me, you imbeciles! What do you think you're doing?!"

Barry and Korra exchanged a look, then looked toward a furious Vandal Savage, who was being restrained by a rather vexed-looking Green Arrow. They sent him a sympathetic expression.

"Kuvira," Savage hissed, "what is the meaning of this? You would surrender? To them? Now? When we are so close to victory?!"

"Yes," she answered firmly, facing him as they came to a stop. "You have a problem with that?"

Savage snarled. "Don't be coy with me, commander. I know your history from my studies on Earth-One. I should've known you wouldn't have the stomach to complete your conquest."

Kuvira turned toward him sharply, eyes hard. "This was never about conquest. It was about order, peace." She looked down briefly, then turned her eyes toward Korra. "I have…confidence that the Avatar and her allies will continue that mission…in ways that I never could."

"You would trust those incompetent cowards with your vision? With the future of your nation?" Savage slowly shook his head, looking genuinely disappointed. "I knew you were many things, Kuvira, but I never took you for a fool."

Kuvira's eyes narrowed in a steely look. "Maybe I just have a little more faith in my fellow man."

Savage shrugged. "Maybe." His eyes flashed with fury. "Or maybe you're just weak."

It happened fast, faster than anyone could've predicted. Savage slipped free of his cuffs, elbowed Green Arrow in the face, and snatched up one of his flechettes to throw straight at Kuvira's neck. Given that there were a scant eight feet between Savage and his target, Lin and Su were forced to try and bend it away, but ever since Oliver had fought the chief, he'd eliminated all metal from his arsenal. The dart streaked death toward the once-commander of the Earth Empire, her green eyes slammed tightly shut as she threw her cuffed hands up to protect her face. She didn't make it even halfway.

A second later, Oliver put three of his arrows into Savage, one in the back, two in his knees, and got some help from Su when she matron bent a section of her armor to encase his hands in seamless restraints. Kuvira, for her part, still had her eyes squeezed shut, at least until she realized there was no pain or sudden lightheadedness. When her eyes opened, they opened all the way—as did her mouth. In front of her, scant inches from piercing her throat, was a razor-sharp green flechette.

Caught in the grasp of a red-gloved hand.

Her eyes stared at it, slowly shifting to see the Flash smirking behind his mask with a knowing look in his eyes. He stayed there for a second, then sighed hard and held the flechette in front of his face. Barry frowned and chewed his lower lip, then turned to Korra, who had approached the group to help Oliver restrain Savage.

"You know," he said, holding up the weapon, "these guys don't seem to get the whole, 'fastest man alive' thing, do they?"

Korra sidled up next to him and crossed her arms, both heroes facing Savage with a critical eye. "No, they don't."

Barry nodded slowly, eyes flickering to the side. "You mind if I—"

"Oh, by all means."

Kuvira stood and watched in muted shock as Barry sprinted toward Savage, snatched him up by the collar, and carried him to a space some twenty feet off. They started spinning a moment later, gold lightning and the dark blur of Savage's form blending together after a few seconds. Barry released him on the fifteenth or so rotation, and the immortal tyrant went flying with a yell.

"He shoots," began Korra rather excitedly.

Vandal Savage arced toward a strange point in the air, a disturbance like exhaust from a flame, and was enveloped in an amorphous mass of blue light once he hit. He, and the light, vanished a second later.

"—he scores!"

Barry ran back over and together, he and Korra engaged in an empatic—and improvised—"secret handshake," the ending of which was an explosive fist-pump. At this point, everyone was staring and/or gaping at them in mild shock, but only Kuvira chose to comment on it.

"How…on Earth…did I lose to you two?"

The couple just grinned.

2 hours later

The battle was over, and night had fallen as every loose end was tied off. Kuvira's mecha soldiers had quickly spread word of their surrender to the rest of the army, and the other soldiers had followed suit without protest. Task Force X had officially been disbanded, and its members taken into police custody until they could figure out what to do with them. As for Bette and Hiroshi, once President Raiko had learned of their integral roles in the salvation of Republic City, he'd agreed (with some pressure from Lin and Tenzin) to grant them probationary status in the form of monitored parole.

Everyone silently agreed that there would be no more necessary action on the matter.

As for Barry and Korra, after a great deal of mini celebrations and cleanup, they finally got a moment to themselves. Or, rather, Barry stole one, to Korra's weak and ineffective protests. He knew she needed the break same as him. At present, they were sitting atop the Yue Bay lighthouse, hair down, mask off, with Korra sitting between his legs, leaning back against his chest. Both stared out into the lights and bustle of the city and its varied cleanup crews, one light above all capturing their attention quite well. Barry's arms looped around her midsection, holding her closer, and she sighed into his touch, pressing her cheek against his arm.

"Is it the nature of our work to open portals to other worlds…or is it just us?"

Korra looked up at him, seeing a surprisingly serious expression.

Barry looked back down at her. "I'm just sayin', 'cause if this is gonna become a regular thing…we might want to invest in some better security for the Wilds."

Korra turned toward the portal and shrugged, conceding the point. "I'm sure that'll be yet another line item on a long list of things Raiko plans to change about this city."

Barry pressed a gentle kiss to the crown of her head, sending a gentle spark of warmth through her entire body. "You did it, Korra. After almost three years, I finally saw you do the impossible." He chuckled. "Totally worth the wait."

Korra snorted. "It wasn't actually that difficult, you know. Energybending, just…on a massive scale."

"I don't just mean the portal. Getting Kuvira to back down, to…accept her mistakes. That woman has a head harder than platinum."

She arched an eyebrow. "She's not the only one."

"Nope," he muttered into her ear, lips grazing over the lobe and sending little shocks through her system.

Korra craned her neck and sighed softly, eyes closed. He stopped suddenly, and she almost grabbed his head to make him continue before he spoke again.

"Korra…I'm tired."

The older girl chuckled and groaned a little. "Yeah. Me too." She turned around and gently pulled his head to rest on her shoulder. "But that's okay. The world's back in balance now, and for the first time in years, I feel…at peace." She pressed her lips to his neck and nuzzled his shoulder, feeling her eyes droop. Korra opened them before they could close completely. "Barry?"

"Hm?" he asked rather drowsily.

"I love you."

His arms tightened around her. "Mmm..love you tuhhzzzzz…"

Korra smiled and enjoyed the moment, the warmth of his embrace. She froze abruptly when a rumble sounded through his chest. Pulled away when it repeated more intensely. Threw her head back in a gut-busting laugh when she realized he was snoring.


Musical Inspirations:

The Flash vs Arrow – The Flash vs Arrow: start-0:53—the Flash confronts Savage/Twang, 0:53-1:10—Savage and Oliver/lightning strike/cover, 1:10-1:35—plan of attack/Go!, 1:35-2:18—arrow barrage/electric attack/failed entry/blind on all sides/go!, 2:18-2:47—dust storm/second assault/"Because you're alone…", 2:47-3:35—third assault/retreat, 3:35-3:51—"Running out of arrows"/"don't stop firing"/speed mirages/phase grab, 3:51-4:14—super powered beatdown/tag team/cable arrow, 4:14-end—"don't ever want to see…"/"need a vacation"

AN: Just one more chapter now. Unbelievable. So…in case it wasn't obvious, the next chapter will comprise Varrick and Zhu Li's wedding, which will get more time than it did in the show, for a variety of reasons—mainly because they had time constraints and I don't. Not really all that much to say on this chapter, except that obviously, the latter half of Korra and Kuvira's conversation was all original. I didn't feel like the show had them communicating enough to really resolve Kuvira's inner conflict—again, time constraints. So, there's my take on it.

Otherwise, keep reviewing. I'll have the last chapter up soon.

Oya, vode.

- CDrake