Presidential Suite, Night…

Bara and Hong Li where wearing their normal clothes except Hong Li had forgone his armor opting only to wear his cable belt. Opal and Jinora exited their room wearing their glider suits.

"I hope it's okay to show up in our normal clothes." Opal worriedly stated.

Bara shrugged. "I don't see why it wouldn't be. I mean we wore our normal clothes to your farewell party."

"Either way, they're waiting for us…" Hong Li began before the windows to the room were shattered and 10 men in old Dai Li uniforms appeared surrounding the four of them.

Everyone instantly grouped up and got into their stances as a man jumped into the room last. He had short, black hair, a blue tank top and black pants with blue boots. His arms were covered with black metal. He looked at Opal, Jinora, and Hong li. His gaze lingered on the policeman before shifting to Bara.

"Avatar Bara, it is a treat to see you back in the world once more." The man stated.

"Bara, you know this guy?" Hong Li asked.

Before Bara could answer, the guy said. "You know me as well officer, but I don't much feel like giving you my original name. You probably know me by the name Metal."

"What do you want?" Bara asked.

Metal replied, "My employer wants you." He shrugged. "For what? I cannot say because I do not ask."

Bara looked at the man skeptically. "Why reveal yourself?"

Metal smiled. "Isn't obvious." A black metal box crashed through the roof going over Bara and crashing through the rest of the floors. "You're already captured."

He hoped into the hole after the box. The Other Benders were stunned as the Dai Li used that shooting out their hands catching them all before jumping into the hold themselves.

Hong Li broke the cuffs off and removed the ones from the two Air Benders. "Jinora, go get Tenzin and tell him what's happening. Opal, you're with me."

He and Opal then jumped into the hole.

Mako and Wu's room

Wu was reading a book depicting Kyoshi's long life, 230 years, as a black metal box crashed through the room followed by a blue tank topped man and 10 Dai Li agents.

"Mako!" Wu worriedly shouted.

Mako had run from the bedroom having heard the destruction and saw Hong Li and Opal for the briefest of seconds as they fell through the hole.

"What the heck is going on?" Mako asked.

Wu frantically said. "I don't know, but those guys were following after a black metal box and I think eleven other people."

Mako thought about it. "That must have been Bara." He grabbed Wu and ran outside the door. "Stay behind me. We're going to go see just what's going on."

Ground Floor, Sukka's Room

She'd gotten her weapons as she heard something quickly approaching her floor. She then jumped back as a metal box crashed through her roof followed by a man with a blue tank top.

Metal then bent the box and shoved it through her wall as the Dai Li agents crashed to the ground. "Take the box to the drop off location. I'll handle…" He stopped as a water tribe short sword pressed against his neck. "…anyone who would come after us."

The Dai Li ran out of the resort as Opal and Hong Li appeared. Metal kicked Sukka away before jumping in front of the hole he made

"I didn't know your room was below theirs." Metal blocked her sword with one arm. "Ah well, at least it prevents you from chasing them."

Sukka shouted, "You two, leave this guy to me and get after that box that I assume contains Bara." She ran at Metal tackling him outside. "I'll take him."

Metal grinned and kicked Sukka off before jumping to his feet as Opal and Hong Li ran out the hole after the Dai Li and Bara who were already a fair distance away and had just turned a corner.

Metal moved to slam his palm on the ground until the fans came at him. He managed to avoid them as one of the fans cut his cheek and another cut into his pants leaving a scratch on his black metal covered legs.

Metal stood and faced Sukka who caught her fan holding them in front of her. "You're fight is with me."

Metal nodded. "Very well. I suppose my men don't need my help for the drop off anyways."

Inside the Metal Box

Any time Bara came to, he was immediately knocked back out by the Dai Li shaking the box.

Streets of Roku City

Hong Li shot his cables onto two nearby buildings as the Dai Li turned the corner. "Grab onto me. I'm going to get us on top of the buildings."

Opal did as he said, and Hong Li shot into the air. He rapidly took the two up and landed on a building. They then quickly searched the area.

"You see them?" Hong Li asked.

"I see them." She got ready to glide. "Let's go."

They both leapt from the buildings with Hong Li using his cables to secure to buildings. Four Dai Li appeared on the roofs shooting out multiple Earth Hands and catching Opal's foot. They took her out of the sky slamming her into a building.

Opal hopped to her hand spinning and generating air pushing the Dai Li away. "Keep going!"

Hong Li nodded and increased his speed still hot on the trail of the black box.

Resort

Metal used his Metal Bending catching the fans and crushing them. Sukka then charged forward quickly slashing her water tribe blade, but the mercenary blocked every attack using his arms and legs. His pants became torn fully revealing that his legs were either incased in metal or replaced.

"A similar set up to his arms. I'll just have to aim for the torso." Sukka thought going for body shots.

Metal sprang back on his hands as a blast of air hit where he'd been. Tenzin landed next to Sukka facing the mercenary.

"Tenzin, the Air Bending Master." He began firing rocks off that Tenzin blasted away while Sukka dodged them. "Here I was beginning to get bored." He launched his own earth hands up catching Meelo and Ikki before slamming them into the ground. "Your kids are here to. What a fun day this is."

Sukka was panting. "You're wasting your time here. Hong Li and Opal gave chase to a metal box containing Bara."

Tenzin blasted away at the mercenary sending him back against a wall. "I know. Jinora has already gone after them."

Mako jumped in front of Tenzin blasting the mercenary with fire as he covered himself in Earth Armor from the building. "Then you get going to. Me, Sukka, and your other children will take care of him."

Tenzin nodded and took to the skies. Metal aimed a rock at him, but Sukka slammed her foot into the earth covering his chest. That caused the rock to fall harmlessly to the ground.

She shot her blade forward, but Metal slammed the earth into her torso sending her away. The mercenary then walked forward dropping the earth armor as he came to face Mako, Ikki, Meelo, and Sukka who joined them. She was also the most injured.

"This has been fun." He brought up a wall of earth blocking Mako's lightning strike. "I must really be going now." Meelo and Ikki appeared around the wall launching their air at him. "I need to collect my groups reward."

He brought up a dome stopping the air as it harmlessly hit the earth. Mako ran to the earth and bombarded it with fire until it cracked open revealing a collapsed hole in the ground.

Mako hit his hand against what remained of the dome. "He got away, and they have Bara."

Sukka walked over to him. "It's not over, we can find them."

"How?" Mako quickly asked.

Sukka looked at the glass above. "Something about this. The abduction has stirred something in my memories. I'm not sure what it is, but I think I know where they've taken Bara."

Mako turned to Ikki and Meelo. "You two stay here. Wu's in the lobby, and he's going to need protection."

Meelo nodded. "You can count on this soldier to succeed, sir."

Ikki sighed. "We'll do it. Just get Bara back."

The children left and Mako scowled at her. "I swear if this is some trap…"

"Then you can kill me on the spot. What's important now is that we hurry." Sukka stated quickly before running off.

Mako followed her.

Streets

The Dai Li opened the ground and jumped in sealing it over head. Hong Li landed and opened the ground following them. He didn't see them as he slid down the hole propelling himself faster with his Earth Bending.

"There must have been two tunnels designed in this place." He forged on ahead. "It doesn't matter. I'll get to Bara and stop whatever they have planned for him."

Resort

Wu was freaking out. First there was a metal box crashing through his ceiling and floor. Then there were two Air Bender kids that said his body guard took off after the Avatar. He understood, but it didn't help his nerves.

"Don't worry sir. I can protect you." Meelo declared. "I am a soldier of the Air Nation. I just don't know about Ikki."

Ikki angrily shouted. "Meelo, this is not the time! Bara has been taken! Plus, the Air Nation is peaceful! We don't have soldiers."

They weren't helping his nerves at all. Then a group of men, in gray uniforms, entered the building approaching the man behind the desk who'd been staring at them for a while now. Before the uniformed man could get a word in, the man behind the desk began gesturing to them and talking fast.

Eventually one of the men came over. "This man says you two Air Benders fought a man with black metal on his arms trashing the resort. We'll need to take you in for questioning."

"He didn't tell it right. We were fighting, but we didn't trash his business. It was all the guy we were fighting." Ikki frantically explained.

Meelo did not help the situation. "You'll never take us alive."

Wu couldn't let the officers do this. These kids had fought hard to try and save the Avatar. Even though they hadn't succeeded, at least they'd tried to reassure him.

Wu took a deep breath and smiled in his usually way. "Look, I know you are doing your job, but your men are wasting your time here. Kura Sho, is a huge admirer of the Avatar, right?"

The man raised an eye brow. "She is, but why does that matter?"

"The guy that these two and many others fought made off with the Avatar. Not to mention he had 10 others with him. You need to decide if questioning them is worth losing the Earth Avatar to whatever they have planned." Wu stated calmly.

The man was thinking over what Wu said as he searched through a report that had been given to everyone at the station earlier.

He eventually turned to his fellow police member. "The Earth Avatar is missing. Tell everyone to ignore the activities of his friends, as they are likely looking for him, and focus solely on finding him."

The men left the building and Ikki turned to Wu. "How'd you do that?"

Wu closed his eyes. "Lots of experience with people, I guess, but I've never spoken like that with someone in charge. Usually it's different, I guess."

With Opal

Opal was blasting air every which way and avoiding the Earth Hands the Dai Li sent her way. They were constantly moving never staying in one place for too long. Appearing a disappearing on a whim.

She soon saw her chance jumping at the nearest Dai Li agent only for him to jump to the ground, with his fellow agents, and burrow inside it collapsing the tunnels after them. Jinora then landed next to her as the police force stopped to look at the holes.

"Opal…" Jinora began.

"Jinora, the Dai Li got away. You have to find Bara." Opal begged.

Jinora looked at the police members as they ran off leaving the two of them alone. "They're looking for Bara as well." Jinora nodded. "Right. I'll find him."

She sat down and began meditating as Tenzin landed next to the girls. "What's going on?"

"The Dai Li grounded me here while Hong Li continued chasing after them. The agents left collapsing the tunnels. Jinora is trying to find him." Opal explained quickly.

Tenzin sighed. "Opal, I know you are worried about Bara. He just got back, it hasn't even been a month, and he's already been taken. This time, we can track him. We will find him. Bara is a capable young man who can look after himself."

Opal closed her eyes and took a deep breathe. "Thank you, Master Tenzin."

The two waited to see what Jinora would find.

With Mako and Sukka

The two had arrived at a farm and now stood before a hatch hidden among some corn.

"Remind me again how you know of this?" Mako asked.

Sukka replied, "I already told you detective. This all seemed to familiar and the metal box was the last straw. I saw more of my past that I had forgotten, and it led me to this. If we go down there, then we likely find Bara."

Mako closed his eyes thinking. "Alright, let's go."

They opened the hatch and jumped in sliding into the darkness.

Lab

Metal found his man standing before a large, metal door with the metal box. "Good work men."

The door opened and out walked Seph and Ling. Seph was bending a metal trolley filled with boxes of gold.

Seph said, "You got him here, but you've attracted to much attention."

Metal said, "We can get a good scope on a target fairly fast. Trust me, what we did was the best option."

Seph sighed and nodded. "Then have another job for you and your men. I wish for you to defend my lab and ensure none of his friends get inside."

Metal chuckled. "Do you know what you ask lady?" She bent two more trolleys out loaded like the 1st. "This is half the payment for the current. You'll get the other half upon the completion of my work."

Metal smiled. "Clearly you know exactly what you ask and know how to asks it." He turned to his men. "Alright, you all remember the map. I want 6 of you to go back the way we came. Break into two groups with each group going up the two paths. The other 4 are to go to the second entrance. I'll remain here and guard the door. Lethal force is approved and encouraged."

The men nodded. "Sir!"

They took off as Seph shook the box making sure Bara was out and taking him into the lab. "Ling, you stay here with Cheng. No one is to get in before this door opens. Understood?"

Ling grinned. "Understood."

She walked in and sealed the door behind her with Metal Bending.


Savoxgut: that Seph does not give me much confidence, although sometimes appearances are deceiving, so I better hope to see what happens in next chapters

Quillion9000: Nope, you were right on the money about Seph

Dark Green Demon:
it seems that there are already a couple of suspects, interesting, I wonder what Bara is waiting for now, especially with the suspicion of the influence left by Kou.

I got a doubt, if Bara has already about three weeks or so returned and they gave him letters that Korra sent, maybe he already communicated with her or at least he wrote, I say before going to Roku City had time to do it.

Dark Blue Wing: Ling and Seph are the most obvious suspects at this moment, to have been influenced by Kou, at least for me, but it is too early to draw conclusions