/*Long one. Sorry for the delay. I blame school lol */

/*Edit: Sun doesn't set in the sea - sun sets in west. der

New Edit 5/21: Took out the idea that Spirits are immortal in Spirit World. Sword is powerful bc in can kill Daya, but Spirits are not immortal in Spirit World like i had them before*/

-Metro-

I have a story as well, Oni.
The story of Daya's destruction of our world. The first world.
We wanted to escape, but she refused to let us.
We created a weapon, a powerful weapon.
A weapon capable of killing the most powerful Spirit in the Spirit World.
A weapon capable of killing Daya, capable of unraveling the energy keeping her in existence.
Only the weapon was missing one crucial component, and we were unable to use it.

Korra perched at the top of a rocky cliff. Metro was only a short distance away. A few miles. The environment started to become more urban. They came across walls and streets on the edges of the diminishing forests, indicating their approach toward civilization again. Metro was a port that had grown into a small city, and it was known for its many junctions for trains, boats, and roads. Metro was once a chaotic center of commerce until the rules were enforced by the Republic of Nations in an attempt to suppress unfair trading, blackmailing, smuggling, and monopolies. Korra had never seen the place before.

She stood at the top of the rocky cliff, seeing a last glimpse of nature before venturing into the man-made jungle of Metro. She watched the sun rise, bringing about a new day, a day in which many things could happen, and she was unsure how it would end. She drew her sword and looked at its perfection. It glowed as it reflected the sunlight. The surface was like a flawless mirror. In the light, it did not glow a bright white or silver as she expected. Not even gold, which surprised her given the gold patterns embedded on the blade.

"Quite a nice sword you got there," said a voice behind her. She thought she was alone. "Never seen anything like it."

Korra turned to see the young man in his blue blazer and white button-down shirt now caked with dirt. His hair back in a long ponytail so he could see.

"I wouldn't imagine you would," Korra said.

"Still edgy with me, huh?" O-Ren said. "Nah, I was just saying that I've seen a lot of swords in my time, both in the forces and in Republic City, but never anything like that. It is a beauty, though."

"No, I wasn't trying to be rude. I don't imagine anyone would ever have seen this sword. It is from the first world."

O-Ren never gave up his cool appearance, but inside he was stunned. A sword from an extinct world. He tried not to look amazed by it, but it was difficult. "May I see it?"

Korra handed it to him. Upon touching it, O-Ren's demeanor suddenly changed. He looked confused, and tired, as if he had suddenly lifted a heavy load and placed it on his back. As if gravity had increased. "Whoa, this is…this is not for my hands." He gave it back to her.

"What is it?" Korra asked. O-Ren regained his nonchalant attitude.

"Just heavy. With more than just weight, I mean. That isn't just metal in there. There are…other components, components that I can't really grasp because I'm just a human. Something only an Avatar can wield. Look…look at how it glows in the sunlight."

Korra held up the sword again. She tried to distinguish the general color. Suddenly she saw it distinctly.

"See that?" O-Ren asked. "That glow. It looks like a greenish-blue, doesn't it? Looks like Clasma."

Korra saw the colors now, clearly. She saw the sun's light run over the surface of the blade and illuminate the tiny green speckles of tangible cosmic energy that was embedded into the sword. Embedded by Shoogar. But it was not for his hands to use, just as it was not for O-Ren's hands to use.

But, then I can use it...Korra thought.

Only the weapon was missing one crucial component...

Korra put the sword back in the sheath and looked at O-Ren. "We should start moving out. It is going to be a long day."

The sun continued to rise. The sky was so clear and beautiful. It was hard to believe there was any impending doom in such beautiful weather.
It was starting to get warm, as if winter was finally leaving. Just as Korra felt that it was always dark in Republic City, so too did she feel that it was always cold. The weather warming up was a nice change, even for someone like her from the South Pole.

The team continued toward Metro. Hours later, they could smell the sea. They were close. They heard the sound of automobiles. Large automobiles utilizing the highways that surrounded the small patches of forestry that they traveled through. Oogi was getting more difficult to conceal in the tiny bit of forestry left.

"I'm going to have to leave Oogi behind at some point," Tenzin said. "I don't think he will have any trouble if he is found. He can get pretty aggressive with strangers even if nothing is wrong. I think he will be okay on his own for a short time."

"Uhm, Korra? What will happen to the animals who can bend if we defeat Daya?" Sydney asked. Korra stopped walking and thought deeply about this question as everyone else pressed on.

"You know what? I have no idea. Maybe they will lose their bending, too? Or maybe they get their bending in a way that is different from the way humans do. I mean, they were the original benders before humans were given the ability."

"Will that be bad, though? If bending still exists in them?"

"I don't think so. Animals are different from humans. They live off instinct, not off of reason. they've never known reason. They know love, though...I don't think them maintaining their bending would really affect the human race."

"Oh, I was just wondering. Also, there was something else I wanted to ask you…"

"Korra!" Mako yelled from ahead, "Come on, we've made it. You can see Metro from up ahead." Korra apologized to Sydney, the girl she had barely met, and quickly walked to catch up with the group. They stood on a hill, occluded by the brush of trees, overlooking several highways which fed into the city of Metro. Beyond the city was the sea that they had sensed a few miles back. The town was still some distance away, but they could see what it had become. The roads going in were occupied only by military vehicles carrying soldiers to and from the city. Walls had been constructed around the perimeter of Metro, and sentinels waited constantly on these walls for their target. For Korra and her friends.

The city beyond the walls wasn't like Republic City at all, which was what Korra expected. The largest building was no larger than a few stories. There were no skyscrapers, and it was not a very big city. It sat on the water but only spanned a few miles in each direction. The buildings were all made from some old kind of brick. Very luxurious and beautiful. To the right of the city, there was an area cluttered with old, dilapidated apartment buildings, makeshift homes looking like they were about to fall apart. Away from these buildings, to the left and toward the sea, the city looked very pleasing to the eye. The buildings were very ornately designed. Like a town for only the rich to enjoy. Korra had a feeling where the survivors of the city were staying, as opposed to where the military and Qu were residing.

"There's a better vantage point on that hill over there. We can get a better idea of what we are up against."

The team sneaked through the trees, careful not to give off a signal of their presence to the watchful military down below. They found themselves on top of a much larger hill, closer to the walls of the city. They could see over the walls and see movement on the cobblestone streets. They were still too far to make any kind of judgment about what was going on. It was mid-afternoon by now.

Bolin sat on a rock but suddenly shot up. "Ow," he looked down where had planted himself and saw a pair of binoculars. Behind the rock was y sandwich bag filled with some trash and thermos next to it. Bolin examined the binoculars and ran to the team.

"Hey guys, these things are really good. Have a look, I bet you can see everything going on down there."

"Where did you find those?" Korra asked.

"They were just laying over there by the rock. My old detective mind is telling me that it looks like someone was here before us and left their supplies. I doubt it was the military. Whoever it was left remains of a packed lunch, so I assume they had been here a while watching the city. And they had these binoculars, which are pretty damn good, nothing like I've ever seen. This ain't just some military guard."

Lin looked through the binoculars. The zoom features were incredible. She was taken aback at how clearly she could see the streets of Metro. She could see every detail of brick buildings, of the cobblestone streets. Almost as if she could see each thread in the uniforms of the soldiers that marched through the street. The town's general layout could be seen from the hill. An overall brown color, the city within the metal walls around it. The entire city was built upon a large hill. At the top of the hill was the train station-a larger, taller building with train times and screens. These screens were broadcasting the events going on in the city, Qu's face filling most of them. His smiling face. Qu and his forces had overtaken the train station and made it their new headquarters. Keeping track of everything that went in and out. The metal walls stretched into the sea where they couldn't see where it ended. Korra felt uneasy seeing the walls going into the sea. She knew the evil that was now moving through the depths of the waters. Beyond the train station tower, Lin could almost see the deteriorating tenement homes where they assumed the surplus citizens, the survivors of Republic City, were being kept. Stripped of their rights.

"It looks like a parade," Lin said. Arrays of soldiers walked through the streets, wearing the new black uniforms that Lin had seen the Republic City police forces sporting before they fled the city. The soldiers marched through the cobblestone streets of Metro, guards forcing back any bystanders aggressively just in case they were threats. Bystanders who looked like Pratt Street drug addicts-underfed, terrible clothes, dirty, sleepless. Depressed. The soldiers would yell and push them back if they came even an inch too close. "They are marching toward the train station. That big building at the top of the hill. Looks like Qu's face on their flags."

"The train station is underneath that hill. That is literally why that hill exists at all-room for the tunnels. An artificial hill. A huge network of tunnels rests underneath, and the big building is the station. A city built upon a hill," O-Ren recited.

"A parade held by Qu, in Qu's honor. Not the humblest of men," Mako said. Qu's face could be seen on the screens as he stood on a balcony on the train station building, looking out with his smiling face at his loyal subjects like a tyrannical king.

"How can those people be loyal to him? He's saved them to gain their trust then forces them into that kind of lifestyle? Living in misery and fear of their leader? Beating them up for just standing around? These are the people of the new world, the people we will save?" Korra said.

"These people are scared, Korra," Tenzin said. "Because of their government, they have become fearful and the only thing they know is that they are safe under Qu. That they haven't died yet means they are safe. They don't know otherwise. Even the terrible means of living is not enough to mask the fact that they have an army supposedly around to protect them from terrorists."

"It is nonsense. I'm going to show them what Qu really is," Korra started to walk toward the edge. Lin stood in her way. "Move."

"Korra, you can't just walk up to those walls. They have their eyes on everything. They'll shoot you on sight. You are a terrorist to them. And once you get in, what do you plan to do?"

"I'm the Avatar…"

"That might mean nothing to them, now. Qu has proved his superiority to them, he has established himself as their ruler because of his bending, because of his position and his illusion of peace that he is promising. That is even if you can get in. We need to think about this. We need a plan." Suddenly, the team heard the sound of someone speaking, barely audible, around them.

And…*static…approximately half and hour…*static…speech. Parade is underway here in Metro…*static.

"What is that. Did you guys hear that?" Bolin walked over to where he found the binoculars. The source of the static and occasional speech was coming from within the empty lunch bag. It sounded like a radio. He dumped out the bag's contents and found a radio identical to the one Lin and Tenzin were given. Lin eyed it suspiciously and tuned it slightly to filter out the static. A commentator on the parade in Metro was talking.

Qu looks happy on this beautiful day, folks. He has established his headquarters at the prominent Metro Train Station. His State of the Republic address will address the war on terror against the fascist group, ONI, who have been threatening our citizens and has recently attempted a massive attack on Republic City. Qu was able to bring these survivors to Metro, and today he will speak about the future of the Republic of Nations as he accepts the position of Commander in Chief.

"Wait, what!?" Korra said. "He is the commander now? Who made that decision?"

"I think he did. I think he is the only one left," Lin said. "All the generals it seemed have gone AWOL. What I want to know is why the transmissions for this parade, which seems like it is broadcasting to the citizens of Metro, is being transmitted over the police frequencies. Does everyone have a radio now that can pick up these frequencies?"

"Hey you guys," Asami said from a short distance in the woods. "You should see this."

There was a path going into the woods, made from some kind of machete cutting away branches of the trees. The brush was cleared away and the path led to a small shack not too far from the cliff.

The shack was no taller than Tenzin. They were surprised it was still standing from the look of it. Mako looked through the shattered window to see if there was anything suspicious. Korra just walked in to complete this same task. "There's nothing here. Just a tool shed." She walked outside and examined the woods surrounding the shack. There was no path carved out of the brush leading anywhere like the one they had just walked through to get to this shack. Whoever used it stopped at this shed. "It seems like something important should be here."

Lin walked in to examine the small shed. "I wouldn't conclude things so quickly. I may have lost my metal bending, but I can still detect hollowness just the same." She tapped the wooden floor with her foot, then bent down and ripped off a piece of wood. "Yep, just as I suspected. There is a room under here. Like I said, I'll always be able to detect things like this."

They pulled the remaining tiles off and hopped down into the room underneath the shed. There was a hallway which led to a tunnel. The tunnel ran straight toward Metro.

"What is this?" Syndey asked.

"Maybe an old tunnel?" Mako said.

"Maybe part of the metro system that goes underneath the city. It looks like we can take it into the city," Lin answered.

"How do we know we won't be walking right into a trap or something?" Bolin asked.

"Only one way to find out, right?" Korra said. She made her way toward the long tunnel to the city. The Team followed, not knowing what else to do, keeping their eyes open for any cameras or sentinels, but at the same time feeling as if the enemy was not even smart enough to find this secret tunnel. The tunnel cycled through light and dark stretches. Familiar with secret tunnels, the team held the wall to ensure they always knew the direction they were going as opposed to where they came from. There was a long dark stretch before the light returned and the team saw that the tunnel had grown. There were old train tracks laid on the ground. It looked as if no train had rolled through these tunnels in years.

As they moved on, they began to feel a rumbling in the ground with each step. The walls vibrated from the sounds of passing freight trains nearby.

"We must be close to the city. There are probably tunnels around us where Milan's trains are coming in," O-Ren said.

"Why wouldn't they have this place utilized? Why can we just stroll through this easily?" Korra asked.

"My only guess is they don't know this is here," Lin said. "Most of the soldiers are cops from Republic City. And Qu is their leader. They don't know how these tunnels are organized, and apparently they were never told by the people that did know. This network is very complicated, and its designers know it like the back of their hands. Qu, however, most likely only knows the basic tunnels that go in and out."

"Sounds like he will make a pretty bad commander. Among other things, he has terrible strategy," O-Ren said.

The team continued on. The tunnel became very dark and soon they all bumped into a dead end. There was metal debris and cargo piled up in front of them, blocking their path. Disallowing them from pressing forward.

"Well now what? There is something here," Mako said. "Did we miss a turn or something back there? Whoever took this tunnel before us got somewhere."

"We're underneath the streets now," Korra said. "I can feel the soldiers walking above us now. There must be a way out of here. Look around the walls for a door or something."

They looked in the dim lighting for a passage, which proved to be extremely difficult and frustrating. Eventually, Asami found a door to a hallway jutting out from the tunnel. Korra had gone toofar to have any fear of apprehension at this point. If anyone tried to subdue her, she kept her hand on her sword. Ready to cut down anyone in her way. The hallway felt disorganized. It led in all different directions, and many of the passageways looked like they had been made by knocking down some of the concrete walls. The lights flickered like it was a horror movie. A mess of wet footprints were left on the ground. Water mixed with dirt, mud, oil. Recent footsteps. Someone was moving people through these tunnels. Hopefully out of the city. And hopefully, it wasn't Qu moving them.

They feared this hallway would lead to some torture chamber. The hallways began to ramp up toward the surface. The sounds of the outside world became audible, and soon they found themselves in a cellar of one of the buildings. A window near the ceiling allowed the bright rays of the outdoors to shine through, periodically being blocked by passers-by.

"I'd be careful here, we don't now who took this tunnel and is in this house, right now," Tenzin said.

"There are two here, but I don't think it will be a problem," Korra said.

"Why's that? They just too easy too for us or something?" Bolin asked, smiling.

"Well, not for that reason," Korra walked to the stairs, making sure not to show herself through the windows lest some guard walked by and saw her. She signaled for the rest of the group to do the same as she led them to the third floor. A very faint murmur could be heard coming from the closet. Bolin, Mako, and Sydney peaked through the windows to get a glimpse of the parade going up the street below as Korra opened the closet door to reveal two of Qu's soldiers tied up, gagged, and completely stripped of their uniforms. Wearing nothing but their undergarments. They were bruised and barely tried to move or speak. Out of energy.

Lin quickly drew her sword as Korra removed the gagging device in his mouth. She knew the man. "Feng! What happened to you two? What are you doing here?" Lin knew the man from the force. He was one of the mindless cronies that blindly followed Graft and Qu and took every opportunity to give Lin shit.

Feng looked up at them with eyes of hate and fear at the same time. He looked up at Lin, Tenzin, Asami, and Korra. He struggled to get free. The other man he was tied to was unconscious. The ropes were tied tight. He growled, trying to break the them. Moving his fingers, hoping to come in contact with some metal in the room. Lin could tell what he was doing. She held the sword to his throat, threatening him if he tried to metal bend.

"And don't try and metal bend this sword. Toph refined it to be so pure she could barely bend it," Lin said.

"Tell us what is going on," Asami insisted. "Who was here? Who did this to you?"

"You! It was your people. Your terrorists," Feng yelled. Lin warned him to quiet down. She noticed he had no gun or radio. He could not possibly signal for help other than by yelling really loudly and getting lucky. "You damn people. You just want everything that isn't yours."

"They stole your uniforms? They took them and put them on?" Lin asked.

"You should know. They spoke of you. Of all of you. You're all part of it. What is this operation of yours? You'll have to deal with me should anything happen to Qu. You hear me!?" He continued to try and break free but Lin just smacked him across the face and kicked him back into the closet, shutting the door. Tenzin joined Bolin at the window, looking out at the parade.

"So then," he said, "There are at least two people out there, possibly marching in that parade, that don't belong. That are part of this 'terrorist organization.'"

"Are they part of ONI?" Bolin asked.

"ONI?" Tenzin asked.

"They've been on the radio a few times. They always interrupt Qu's broadcasts and talk about how they are against him. They say they are superior to him," Bolin explained. "It sounded like they had a large following and were planning something."

"Why do they call themselves ONI?" Lin asked. Bolin turned and pointed to Korra.

Lin looked at Korra, and thought about what this meant.

"They think Korra is some kind of savior for them," Asami jumped in. "She's been their inspiration, at least that is how it sounds. But it's different from her being the Avatar. They don't see her like that, I don't think. It didn't sound like it. From what we know, though, we can't tell if this ONI is just a small group of people like us or…something more."

"That must be why Feng thought we were in on this," Lin said. "If Korra is their inspiration it isn't far-fetched that the rest of us, all of Team Avatar, have played some role in the creation of this ONI." Lin thought about the underground tunnel leading to this house, to this meeting place where two soldiers were tied up. The underground tunnel from outside the city where they found a pair of very high-tech binoculars. Where they found a radio that could intercept police transmissions. The same radio that she was given by a group of people on her way back from Tenzin's family. "This organization. ONI. No, I do believe they know us. All of us. That must be why we are terrorists to Qu's regime. We are the indirect creators of this pro-human organization, now fighting against Qu's pro-bending one. I know it. That is how those people knew us when they gave the radio to Tenzin and me. They knew we would need it. They knew we would find others like them, and that we would be known among all the members when we came across them. And now they are here, somewhere out in that march. Something is going to happen soon."

Bolin rubbed his head. Mako was confused as well. "So wait, we are like some sort of idols for this organization that's been broadcasting over the radio?"

"Whenever they formed, our actions in Republic City must have set something in motion. Must have driven them to act," Korra presumed.

"I agree," Lin said. "Today is big day for Qu. I can't imagine ONI won't be doing something to ruin it. To mock it or anything. Maybe we can get an idea of what these people are trying to do. From the sounds of it, they've just made Qu look foolish by jamming his broadcasts. That's why he now transmits on police frequencies. He must have thought he could prevent them from intercepting it if it was on a different frequency band."

"Uhh," Asami said. She was looking out the window. Korra was a few steps behind her reflecting on what Lin had said. "Korra, you might want to see something." Korra looked up. Out the window, she saw the blur of moving soldiers in the parade. Asami looked at her, worried. Korra walked toward the window. The scene through the window came into focus. A section of the parade was not like the ones before - rows of men walking in unison. There was a section where the men marched as usual but at the center was some white, fluffy creature, its leash being pulled by a soldier. The creature carried what appeared to be a large amount of military equipment, and sported some Qu propaganda. A whip cracked against the creatures back when it refused to comply to the soldier forcibly dragging it through the streets.

Korra looked through the window, unable to move, unable to think clearly.

Naga.

Korra slammed her hands against the sill and turned to leave the room. Asami ran and stood in her way. "Korra wait! What are you doing?" Asami asked quickly and anxiously. "Please, don't do anything rash we can fix this we just can't act out of anger." Asami tried to convince Korra but she just walked through her.
Trying to find a way to get outside, onto the rooftops and stealthily make her way toward her beloved polar bear dog. The rest of the team approached to help keep Korra back, but stopped when they saw Asami grab Korra's hand. They suddenly didn't feel they were in the right to intervene.

"Please, Korra," Asami nearly begged. "I don't want you to go down there. I don't want you to get killed," Asami looked down and said, barely audible, "I don't want to lose you."

This stopped Korra. She knew how this was all going to end. It pained her to think that Asami's fear of losing Korra was inevitably going to come true when this was over. She didn't know what to do. She stood still, thinking whether or not to ignore Asami or make her happy. Make Asami happy up until the end, or dismantle the relationship they had formed to make the end easier for her to handle. Korra knew these were both terrible ways of thinking.

Outside, the marching stopped. The Team returned their gaze to the windows. Upon the top of the hill, Qu stood on a newly constructed balcony on the train station tower. The screens which lined the tower and were installed across the city displayed Qu's smiling face. The new commander in chief. He greeted the arrival of the parade in his honor as they reached his doorstep.

The police radio had been simply transmitting sounds of the parade from outside. The commentator spoke again.

Well, folks. It looks like the time has come. Gang Qu will be taking on his position as Commander in Chief, ready to lead this nation into the future just as Graft had promised. Today we honor Qu as the chosen disciple and successor of Graft. Today, he will speak the word of truth to us. It appears as well that the leader of the terrorist faction ONI's polar bear dog has been apprehended and will be presented today as a gift to our savior. Let us go now to Gang Qu in Metro as he begins his speech.

Korra couldn't take it anymore. It was too much for her to hear about this psychopath being the "bearer of truth". The one leading the world into the future. She knew there was no future. But above this, she could not bear to think of this man who she hated so much being the new owner of her best friend. She would never stand by and watch Naga be given to a man so evil.

"I'm sorry Asami," Korra broke free of Asami's grasp. "I'm not just going to let this happen. I would do anything to save Naga. She's been with me my whole life, and I'd gladly risk my life to save her. And I know I can. I've got a reason unlike any reason Qu or his men could even fathom. I love Naga. If it was you down there, I would do the same thing." Korra turned and walked out of the room as Qu began his speech.

My people. The citizens of Metro. Survivors of the terrorist attack on Republic City. Republic of Nations. I speak to you all today as your new Commander in Chief. As your new leader. The United Forces are under my control now, and I plan to do all I can to utilize this power to keep you all safe from the evils that preside in this world.

"Jeez, his strategy sucks, and he writes terrible speeches," Bolin said, trying to ease the tension. Korra had just stormed out, leaving Asami without words. Leaving most of the team without words at the last thing Korra had said. Mako rose.

"Are we just going to do nothing about her running out there like that?" He yelled.

"No…" Asami said calmly. "Let her do this. She knows what she is doing."

Korra was already a few buildings away. She sprinted across the rooftops, getting from one to another with such ease one would think she was like a liquid flowing in a stream. As she approached the train station, she came across guards posted on the rooftops and balconies. She slipped by at just the right moments and took them down stealthily behind billboards and raised levels, out of sight. Korra could not be stopped in her quest to save her best friend. The speech rolled on.

We have been able to pinpoint the source of these attacks. A terrorist group known as ONI has been responsible for vandalism, scandal, spreading lies, issuing threats, and worst of all, causing the biological breakout which forced many innocent citizens of Republic City into madness while we did all we could to escort the survivors out to safety.

But ONI is nowhere near a victory. We have begun to rebuild Republic City. It is quickly returning to its former state. And with your aith completely in your government, and only by remaining here under our caring supervision, we can eradicate these threats from these "pro-human" psychopaths. Do not let their slogans fool you. Their "pro-human" is synonymous with a wish to end all benders. To end all those who do not believe what they believe. They believe we are blasphemous. They believe we are evil for being chosen by the Spirits. The Spirits gave us these powers, and with this power we hold the responsibilities over your well-beings. Over your lives.

Korra slid underneath a ventilation shaft and off the side of a building onto a fire escape high above the ground. She was a few blocks from Naga. She could sense her friend, tied up, scared, burning with desire to escape.

Your time of peace has come. Republic City will rise. We will rise. Your government will provide for you, and you will see a new world in which…*static. Static, then there was nothing. The screens all went dark, but not off. The speakers set up through the city emitted a very low, buzzing noise. An eerie buzzing noise. Korra perched on the fire escape, not knowing how to continue. Her tiny head could be seen from the rest of the Team back in the abandoned house as they watched with curiosity at what was happening to Qu's transmission.

The low buzzing stopped. The screen remained dark, but it became apparent that it was displaying a very dark room. A light turned on in this dark room, a very bright spotlight, on the image being displayed. It was a video of a desk. A live stream. A man walked in front of the spotlight and sat at the desk. His face veiled in darkness. Qu looked up in extreme anger to see this man on all of the screens which once displayed Qu's face.

"No. NO!" He yelled, but his voice was drowned out by this new speaker.

Good evening, Republic of Nations. This is the speaker of the pro-human organization, ONI. The very organization that Qu has proclaimed preach and promote terrorism. The very organization that Qu has proclaimed to be the ones responsible for the incident at Republic City. The very organization Qu has proclaimed seeks a fascist world without any benders, without freedom, without life.

Qu walked through the train station, yelling at his sound and video engineers to remedy the situation.

"What has happened? Fix this! Turn it off turn it off!"

"Sir we are not playing this. Our equipment has been altered. The video is being transmitted from somewhere else."

"Well stop it! Stop the transmission and find out where it is coming from!"

The engineers looked at each other. "We don't know how, sir. We have no idea. We would just have to break our equipment, but it looks like each monitor and speaker is picking up the signal on its antenna. We would have to break every single one in the city."

"Why can't you alter the receivers…"

"We don't know how. The equipment was here. We didn't design it," they said.

"Worthless. Fine, then. Just destroy them. Destroy all the monitors until this filth cannot be heard."

There were thousands of monitors throughout the city. As Qu rounded his men up, the message continued.

We are not here to force you to believe anything. We are not here to criticize and tell you that you must think differently. We only ask you to open your eyes. Open your eyes, look around you, and contemplate the life you are currently living as citizens under your 'savior', Qu.

In the last few weeks, you have experienced a tragedy. We all feel a sadness as one over the recent events in Republic City. Over the events leading to many deaths and the destruction of many homes. We, too, were devastated in our exile from Republic City. We understand your pain. Your fear. We have watched our work, our homes, our lives burn and diminish. We have been hurt. How can we be the ones causing the destruction if we too have been affected by it?

We ask you to open your eyes. To understand what YOU are seeing and not what you are being told to see. To use your own judgment to decide what is right and wrong. To decide who's side you are on. To decide what it is with your life you choose to do. I will not preach my beliefs. I will give the facts. The proofs. The evidence.

Korra began to sense a chaos erupting in the streets. The citizens became uneasy, and the soldiers looked around in fear of what would happen.

Qu has become your new Commander in Chief. A position so powerful. Power over an army, over the laws, over the nation. But how is it that he has attained this power? Who has given it to him? And if Graft was your answer, who was Graft in all of this? When did these people obtain the authority to dictate where you go, where you live, what to look at and what to think? Was is his heroic act? Was it his smothering of a terrorist faction, a terrorist faction you have never seen in real life, a terrorist faction told to you only by your self-appointed leader? The terrorist faction which has so far brought you no harm, that has done nothing more than broadcast our goals, our philosophy, rather than Qu's repetitive promise for a better world, which he has failed and will fail to provide. A terrorist faction who has 'unleashed a biological weapon', but the only way you know that this terrorist faction is responsible is because you were told by your almighty leaders. Your almighty bending masters. Your gods.

Open your eyes. Qu has given you nothing. He has packed you into tenements. Rounded you up like cattle. His soldiers, his bending-dependent drones, beat you down when you so much as look at them the wrong way. Kept you locked to the ground, forever trapped and unable to rise. Because they have a power that you don't. Because they have an authority over your life and your beliefs. This was Graft's belief: that the human race will seek the power to bend because that is what gives them authority. That makes them a god. His ideology lives on through Qu, and this world is the result. A world whose leaders perpetually lie and destroy and kill. Regress rather than advance. Hate rather than love. Who use fear to control their subjects. Qu has described a recovering Republic City, but we have seen the city in the aftermath of this "biological attack", only hours ago, and we have footage of its current state. Its actual current state.

On the screen flashed an image of the burning Republic City. A very recent picture after CHAOS had made its way through the city. Buildings still collapsed. Fires eating away any remaining organisms. There were groups of people going through the city, putting out the fires and cleaning up the wreckage. None of them had a military uniform.

It is clear that Qu has lied. Republic City no longer stands. If anyone is in the process of rebuilding it, is us. It is ONI, the "terrorist faction". So let me ask you this: if your leader has lied about their mission to rebuild Republic City. If your supposed enemy has shown no evidence of violence toward your safety, and is only seeking to bring you a better life by asking you to open your eyes to the enslavement of your being. If we are the only ones rebuilding the city Qu has sworn to save, then what is he to you? I ask, how can one trust him with anything? How can one trust his ideology? His promises? His plan to keep you and your family safe?

We are ONI. We do not hate the bender. We embrace the human. We welcome all who believe the same. For those who believe different, those who refuse to believe in the potential of the human and instead give up everything to the power of bending, those like Qu, those like Graft, have given up their humanity as well. I hope you will all realize what you are actually seeing, and trust this above the things you are told. I hope you will join us. We spread the word of truth. We are superior to Qu. Our army grows as his dwindles. Dwindles because he is weak. Because he has refused to move on from a world dependent on bending. We depend on ourselves, on our human potential, and because of that, we have advanced. We have surpassed this civilization, and we plan to move further.

We are ONI. We are your once great leaders. Your once great generals. Your once great CEOs, police officers, engineers, musicians, writers. Friends. Family members. Loved ones. We are not one, not ruled by one. We are each our own rulers.

Remain in this world, and Qu will completely enslave your mind.

Join ours, and your mind will surpass its limits.

The screen went dark. A small tune played over the speakers. An anthem. The anthem of the organization, ONI. During the anthem, the chaos that Korra had felt was unleashed.

Soldiers dispersed from the parade as bystanders fled the scene, running for the city limits, running for their families, running away just from Qu's men. Korra took the opportunity to make her way to Naga. A riot had ensued as angry citizens fought back against the soldiers. People countered the brutal attacks and stole military nightsticks. People mobbed and fled in all directions. Qu's men flew through the streets, destroying all of the monitors and speakers blaring the anthem of ONI.

Korra pushed through the throng of people and soldiers, occasionally taking down several soldiers in her way and those who were attacking innocent civilians. The riot was growing. She broke free of the tangle of people and saw Naga up ahead, isolated from the rampaging going on behind her in the streets. As she made her way to her friend, a man in a military uniform appeared, hopped on Naga's back, and hit her lightly with a small whip to get her to run away.

"I don't think so!" Korra yelled. She ran after the man on Naga's back. He did not run for the station or for Qu. Instead, he ran down an alley far away from the chaos and into a warehouse. Korra ran from the panic, heard several guns fire into the air and saw the glow of a fire burning before the situation sounded to be quickly contained. From the parade. Citizens ran full-speed for the walls and for their homes, ensuring that their families were safe and trying to find a way to escape. ONI's message had worked.

Korra needed to make sure Naga was safe. That was the only thing on her mind. She followed the man into a warehouse but was depressed to see no one around her once she entered. However, at the center of the room was a small staircase to a lower level. The idea seemed familiar to her.

Within seconds, Korra was downstairs and sprinting through another underground tunnel. An old track was laid down. It was identical to the tunnel in which she had entered the city. She hoped her Team was able to escape the way they had entered. This tunnel led East, out of the city. Ahead, Korra saw the light. The end of the tunnel. She was on her last thread of hope. She had not seen nor heard Naga running ahead of her. She was much slower than her polar bear dog friend.

Korra emerged from the tunnel into an old train yard far from the walls of Metro. She slowly ran on into the countryside and up into the forest on a large hill. Where the hill became a plateau, Korra collapsed. Panting. She did not see Naga anywhere. No footprints. No scent. No leads. Nothing. Behind her she saw the city of Metro. The sea just beyond it, the moonlight now reflecting off of it as the Sun was setting. She turned over on her back and looked at the burning sky, thinking again about the impending doom on this planet, and how saving everyone from a man like Qu was so insignificant when Daya was out there, coming to destroy everything in existence.

A small speck appeared as the day turned to night. Soon, the giant bison Oogi was upon Korra, carrying the Team with him. Korra was shedding a few tears as they reunited.

"You're okay!" Asami said as the team ran up to her. Bolin, Mako, and Asami group hugged Korra. The other members stood awkwardly and watched, not feeling compelled to join.

"I couldn't find her," Korra said sadly. "I don't know what happened."

"It's okay, Korra," Bolin said, smiling. "We will find her. She at least safe and out of the city."

"The city…the city is out of control," Korra replied.

"But it's working! Just like you hoped," Mako said. "They're leaving behind their dependence on Qu. They are resisting him."

"Qu's men have kept them trapped within the city. They blocked their exits, except for the ones they don't know about" Lin said sternly.

"But that is okay!" Asami said. "They know what is right. They have the power to rise against Qu, and they will. I know they will."

"Yeah, especially now that this organization, ONI, is in on it, too," Bolin said.

"Then, there is hope," Korra repeated. Hope. She smiled. She looked beyond their group hug at the remaining members. "Hey, we are a team aren't we? That means you all have to take part in group hugs." It was tough for Korra to express optimism, but honestly, the gestures of resistance to Qu shown by the citizens of Metro, the power of the people who embrace human potential over bending, and just the sight of Naga, made her feel good again. Good that this race had something, had the ability to survive, to continue on and thrive in the new era she would be forced to bring about. This feeling was fueled more as her closest friends joined in on the group hug, all reluctantly, except for the joyous Sydney who snuggled close to Bolin.

"So maybe, we shouldn't cast this ONI aside just yet," Korra said after they had hugged tightly.

"Yes," Tenzin said. "They are much bigger and more influential than we thought."

/*Ah, the allusions. Maybe some of you are beginning to see the theme of the story, and see the kinds of things that have influenced me. I have this whole story planned out pretty well. If you can see the allusions, fear not, my story will not just be some copycat of another but starring the avatar members :) there is still more to come. I do not plan on stopping this until I am finished. */