A spinning sphere of ice exploded, shredding Anraq's chest with multiple bladed shards. He lifted from the ground, landing with a dull thud on his back. The shards hadn't cut deep, but they were numerous. Sharp flares of pain ripped through him with each breath he took, wheezing and coughing to take in air. He flexed his arms, tried to sit up. No good. He collapsed, unable to lift himself upright. Go figure. All those years, all the training, even learning from the Avatar, and Yuruk had still beaten him. Perhaps he'd have stood a better chance in a one-on-one fight, but going against this Avan at the same time? Heh. He'd never really had a chance. If nothing else, he might have bought time for Kuvira to catch up with Suyin.

"Game's over, Annie." Yuruk strolled forward, a blade of ice frosting over his arm. "Give it up."

"Never. Not again." Anraq coughed, a bloody mist bursting from his throat. "You'll have to kill me."

Yuruk smirked. "That right? Ah well, this was fun. While it lasted, anyway."

"Let's hurry this along," Avan stated, standing stiff with his arms clasped behind his back. "We've already wasted too much time as it is."

"Yeah, yeah." Yuruk pointed the ice blade down at his cousin. "I'm on it."

A metal beam crashed into Yuruk's chest. His mouth puffed open with a sudden loss of air, his eyes bugging wide as he flew airborne. He struck a nearby lamppost and crumpled to the ground. For a solid few seconds he remained unmoving, before finally he pushed himself upright with a deep, heaving groan.

"Get them! Push them back!"

Avan fell into a defensive stance in time to evade several incoming boulders launching towards him, from the direction of the shout. He glided around one, ducked beneath the second, and flipped himself over the third. When he landed, he skated across the ground on his earthen boots and stopped next to the downed Yuruk. A team of six Zaofu guards leaped into view, putting themselves between Anraq and the Red Lotus.

"Damn it!" Yuruk groaned, as he staggered back to his feet. "I thought we got all the guards!"

Avan shifted his stance. "Evidently, we missed a few."

The guards took their own stances, acting in unison as they prepared to attack. The man at the front of the group kicked a boulder up from the ground and hovered it in front of himself. "Men, prepare to attack!"

Yuruk's gaze darted back and forth between the guards. He shifted his own stance, guiding a torrent of water around himself and Avan. "Tsch, whatever. Let's just get out of here. We need to regroup with Zaheer."

"Agreed," Avan stated. "We're done here."

The pair turned and fled down the street, disappearing into the shadows. The guards didn't bother to pursue. Even if they could catch the fleeing duo, they all appeared injured and exhausted in one way or another. Several of the guards nursed visible injuries, one bleeding from a wound above his eye, another clutching at a crimson-stained portion of his uniform. One of the guards had doubled over with a nauseous grimace and appeared ready to puke, arms clutched over her abdomen. None of them in good condition. No need to start a fight that didn't need to be fought.

When the Red Lotus was gone, the guard with a cut above his eye turned to Anraq. "You alright?"

"Captain Hong Li?" Anraq coughed, and waved a hand through the air. The numerous ice shards piercing his body liquified and pulled into his palm. He immediately pressed it around the deepest wound at this shoulder, to begin healing the puncture shut. "Heh, been better."

"You're Anraq, that right?" Hong Li asked. "The waterbender?"

He gave a simple thumbs-up, and flashed a weak smirk. "Guilty as charged."

Hong Li took note of Anraq's injuries, attention shifting to the glowing orb of water in his palm. "How well can you heal yourself?"

"In this condition? Not very effectively." Anraq moved the glowing globule from his shoulder down to his chest. A soothing warmth spread through him, dulling the worst of the pain. Still, he couldn't stop the bleeding entirely, and a deep, intense throbbing lingered throughout his body. He'd need a lot more time to fix this mess. "Enough to keep myself alive, at least."

"Alright, we got you." He turned to two of the other guards and waved them forward. "Get this man a stretcher. We need to get him to the hospital."

"No, not the hospital." Anraq grunted out a pained gasp as he sat upright. Keeping the healing water pressed to his chest, he heaved himself to his feet. "The Beifong estate. We need to hurry. They're after Suyin."

"Dear spirits..." Hong Li's eyes flared. Turning to his men, he waved them onward. "Okay, you heard him. Let's move!"

Anraq held out an arm, allowing the captain to help support him around the shoulder so he could walk. "Where are all the other guards?"

"This is all I've been able to round up," Hong Li replied, with a shake of his head. They hurried along the street as quickly as they could, remaining on guard in case of another surprise attack from the Red Lotus. "As for anyone else, I fear we're too late."

Anraq's throat knotted. "Red Lotus bastards..."

"Everything will be fine. If we can regroup with the security forces in the other city sectors, we can figure out a counter strategy, and—" Hong Li paused, listening in silence. He held a fist up and waved it forward, ordering his team to hide behind a line of nearby bushes off the street. "Everyone down, now."

A large group of Red Lotus appeared moments later, marching around the street corner. While most of the group were dressed in identical red and black uniforms, the two in the lead were noticeably different—one, a man with a shaved head and a scar over his left eye, dressed in monk robes, the other a girl dressed in Fire Nation garb, her long dark hair done up in a topknot.

"We should just kill them, Zaheer," the girl stated, with a frustrated breath. "They're a waste of our time."

"No, Aoi." Zaheer narrowed a sidelong glare at her. "We gave our word we would leave them unharmed. There's no need to kill them now."

"Well, we can't just leave the entire Beifong family here," she insisted, planting her hands on her hips. "That husband of hers will just step in and rule in her place. Or one of her sons."

Zaheer exhaled, considering her words. "You're right. We'll keep them captive for now, and figure out what to do with them later. Perhaps they will yet be of use to us."

"Whatever, do what you want," Aoi muttered. "But if you think you're going to stick me on guard duty, you're getting a bolt of lightning right in your chest."

"You worry too much, Aoi," he said, his expression remaining calm, serene. "I have far more important uses for you than delegating you to guard the Beifong family. In the meantime, I'll need to make an announcement to the people of Zaofu come morning. Then, the Red Lotus can move on to continue its goals. I hear this new United Earth Republic is ruled by three prime ministers now. That sort of system is doomed to fail, and we should put a stop to it before their people suffer."

Hong Li waited until the Red Lotus were gone before looking up from the bushes. "Okay, coast is clear." He gave another wave for his team to follow, and assisted Anraq back to his feet.

"Sir," one of the guards said, giving the captain a worried look. "If they've already taken the Beifong family captive, then..."

The captain eased out a heavy breath. He kept his attention forward, focused. Even so, the implication was clear. "Let's keep moving."

The silence within the Beifong mansion was deafening. Kuvira sat slumped in front of a desk—Su's desk—staring at the framed photograph clutched in her grasp. The entire family was there—Suyin, Baatar, Sr., Baatar, Jr., Wing, Wei, Huan, Opal, and, standing at the very edge of the family, Kuvira. At one time, the photo had been torn to remove her out of the scene. She could see the line, cutting between her and the rest of the photo. When had Su taped it back together? Must have been some time within the past few years. Some time after they'd forgiven her. Returning her to the portrait. Returning her to the family.

She remembered the day they took this picture. Suyin's birthday, maybe fifteen years ago now. Kuvira had been only sixteen then, still training to join the Zaofu security force, and rigorously practicing a new dance routine for an upcoming recital. Oh, what she wouldn't give to return to those days. Things had been so much simpler back then. They'd all been so happy. All smiling. If only they'd known how the future would unfold, perhaps they wouldn't have smiled so much.

Her breath shuddered, and she dropped the portrait. No going back to those days now. Whatever dream she might have once had of being a part of the Beifong family one day, complete and happy—gone, snatched out of reach in the cruelest way. With Su's death, and the others nowhere to be found, how could their family ever be whole again?

"Kuvira! Suyin! Anybody?"

She knew that voice. Anraq. A brief flutter lifted her heart. He'd made it. He'd survived. The flutter died moments later, grief consuming any hints of relief that might have washed through her. She said nothing. She merely stared at the open doorway of the office, her expression blank and solemn. Anraq called again, joined by several more voices. Zaofu guards? Perhaps the Red Lotus hadn't completely managed to wipe out the security force in this sector after all. Still, she remained silent, letting her gaze fall again to the family portrait. She stared at it until her vision blurred, and sank back against her seat.

"Kuvira!" Anraq appeared in the doorway, relief sparking in his eyes when he found her. He hobbled towards the desk, barely able to keep himself upright. Fresh blood stained his uniform, torn and shredded from combat. "Are you alright? What happened? Did you find Su?"

Still not saying anything, Kuvira stared up at him. She didn't need words. Her face said it all. Puffy, bloodshot eyes, cheeks plastered with the vestiges of long dried tears. Anraq got the message, a sharp gasp bursting from his throat, eyes widening. With a slow, deep breath, Kuvira looked to the couch, where she'd carried Su's body from the courtyard.

When Anraq turned to Su's lifeless body lying against the couch, he stumbled into the desk, hands lashing out to hold himself upright. His arms trembled to find the strength. "Kuvira, I..." He swallowed, grief twisting across his face as he closed his eyes. "I'm so sorry."

"I didn't make it in time," she uttered, in a hoarse whisper. "I tried, but I was too late."

Anraq turned to her, reaching out to take one of her hands in his own. "Don't do that. Don't put this on yourself."

Kuvira shook her head. A renewed surge of tears brimmed in her eyes. "She's gone, Anraq, and I couldn't help her. I should have been there, I should have..."

"Hey, hey..." Anraq joined her on her side of the desk, and held his arms around her. She sank into the embrace, burying her face against his shoulder. "You did everything you could."

The sound of hurried footsteps entered the room. "Anraq? ...Kuvira?" Captain Hong Li approached, but stopped cold when he noticed Suyin's body lying on the couch. His eyes steadily widened, distress crashing across his face. "Spirits, no. Is she...?"

Anraq turned a solemn look towards the captain. "Yeah. She's... We didn't make it in time."

Hong Li bowed his head, fist tightening at his side. "Those Red Lotus scum."

"We need to figure out a plan," Anraq said. "Where are the other guards?"

"Securing the mansion. Looks like the Red Lotus cleared out, for now."

"You remember what we overheard. Zaheer is making an announcement to Zaofu in the morning, then they're moving on." Anraq paused, glancing back down at Kuvira. "And they have your family captive."

Kuvira's breath choked. She pulled away from Anraq, looking to him with frantic eyes. "They have my family?"

He nodded. "Yeah, we overheard Zaheer talk about taking them somewhere, said they might be useful later. I'm sorry."

She lurched out of her seat, fingers clenched at the edge of the desk. "We have to save them."

Hong Li shook his head with a heavy sigh. "With eight people, half of whom are already injured and exhausted? That's suicide. We don't even know where they're being held, and even if we did it would take too much time to rendezvous with the security forces in the other city sectors. The Red Lotus will be gone by then. I've tried getting a call out, but apparently they disabled our communications before they struck. They came prepared, I'll give them that." The captain paused, his gaze narrowing at Kuvira. "Besides, you should be getting back to prison."

"To what end?" Anraq countered. "Sure, we could lock her up again, but most of the prison guards are either indisposed or worse, plus all the other prisoners are freely roaming the streets. We need to worry about rounding them up before they start causing problems, or flee the city. I don't know about you, but I'd rather have Kuvira on our side for that."

Hong Li glared at him. "And you trust her not to just run away first chance she gets?"

Anraq returned the glare, not backing down. "Yeah, I do."

"We need to warn people." Kuvira took a deep breath to steady her nerves. For a few moments at least, she could try to keep her head clear. "The Red Lotus aren't going to stop at Zaofu. Every world leader and government is in danger. We have to let them know Zaheer is out of prison so they can prepare themselves, and hopefully stop him before anyone else falls victim." She let out her breath in a deep, heaving sigh. Her gaze shifted towards Suyin. "And the rest of her family—my family—they need to be told about what happened."

"And what exactly do you propose?" Hong Li asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Despite the question, caution and skepticism lingered in his gaze. "If our short range communications are down, I don't have much hope for long range being up and running. By the time we're able to get a word out to the other nations, the Red Lotus will be gone."

"Maybe, but we know who they're going next." Anraq lifted a hand to his chin, thinking. "We overheard them say they're targeting the Earth Republic's prime ministers, and we know they're staying in Zaofu at least until tomorrow morning. If we leave now, we could get word to others before the Red Lotus gets in gear to strike next."

"We should go to Republic City," Kuvira said. "As much as I dislike President Raiko, he has the means to get a message out to the other nations fastest. That, and maybe he can do something about sending a force to preemptively stop Zaheer. The Avatar—Korra would be a big help."

Hong Li's glare intensified. "And who'd be going to Republic City? I have to stay here and try to get some semblance of order back to Zaofu, before the escaped prisoners make a damn mess of everything. I suppose you'll want to go."

Kuvira eased a hesitant sigh. "I know I shouldn't. I know I still have a prison sentence to serve. But we don't have a lot of options right now. Besides..." She again looked towards Su, fighting the distraught lump in her throat threatening to burst. "I have to—I should be the one to deliver the news. To Opal. And to Lin."

"This is unbelievable." Hong Li groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "But I guess we really don't have much of a choice, do we?"

"If it puts you at ease, I'm going with her," Anraq said. "I pretty much have to."

Kuvira shot him a concerned glare. "What? You shouldn't be going anywhere in your condition, You can barely stand."

Anraq had fallen back against the desk at this point, arms shaking with the effort to hold himself up. He gave a weak chuckle. "I'll be fine. I can keep myself stable enough until we get to Republic City, at least." To prove his point, he waved his hand through the air and pulled out a small stream of water from the flask at his belt. The liquid formed into a bubble around his hand, glowing as he pressed it to his chest to resume healing himself. "Besides, how else are you going to convince Raiko to hear you out, instead of just, you know, arresting you as soon as you land?"

Kuvira huffed. He had her there. "If you're sure, then okay. It will be good to have you."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but fine," Hong Li muttered. "I'll put together an official missive for you to take, too. That should help get the president to listen to you. Get ready soon, and we can try to get you out of here." He paused, lifting a hand to his chin in thought. "At this time of night, the train isn't running, which means you'll need to take an airship. The smaller ones can be manned by two people, and they're faster—should get you to Republic City in about ten hours. The problem with that..."

Kuvira nodded, looking through the window up at the domed walls around the city. "We'll need to lower the domes first."

Hong Li nodded. "Right. That means I'll have to head to the control tower, while you two make your way to the launch pads and grab an airship. We'll have to do it quick, because once those domes open, the Red Lotus will know something's up."

"We can handle it," she assured. "I'll need to change first, though. Can't show up to Republic City in my prison uniform."

"That should give me time to put together a missive," the captain replied. "There should be some forms in Suyin's desk."

Anraq pushed himself away from the desk, legs quivering to keep himself standing. "Alright, then. Let's get this mission underway."

A knock sounded on the door. "Hey, you almost ready in there?"

Kuvira eased out a long breath, staring at herself in the mirror. A part of her didn't recognize the person staring back. For the past five years, she'd been trapped in her prison, hair loose and unkempt, only allowed to wear a prison uniform. But this person? She almost looked like her old self again. The long braid she'd tied her hair into was rushed, stray strands sticking out in disarray, but it dangled neatly down her back, a far cry from the free flowing mess she'd had before.

More than just her hair were the clothes. How long had it been since she'd dressed in traditional Zaofu green? She'd forgotten how well it brought out her eyes. The billowing robes and loose pants felt so familiar, and yet foreign at the same time. Like an old friend she hadn't seen in a long, long time. Still staring into the mirror, she raised her arms. Several metal plates of armor floated off a nearby mannequin. The plates expanded on command, wrapping around her body, and tightened again to a perfect fit—chest plate, pauldrons, armguards, and all.

A sinking knot twisted in her gut when the armor fell into place. This wasn't the same armor she'd worn as captain of the Zaofu security force, and it certainly wasn't her uniform as the Great Uniter. The reflection staring back at her flickered, momentarily replacing her own face with Suyin's. She blinked, and the reflection returned to normal. This had been her armor. She knew it was wrong. She didn't deserve to wear this armor. She didn't deserve to live up to Su's legacy, even in appearance, and yet some compulsion deep in her heart urged her onward. Called to her. Perhaps one day, she'd prove herself worthy to wear it.

"I'm coming out," she stated, finally tearing her gaze away from the mirror. She sucked in another deep breath, and made her way towards the bedroom door.

Something caught her eye. Kuvira froze, looking to the dresser next to the bed. The jewelry box was ornate, made of vivid jade with platinum embellishments. The knot in her gut ruptured, spilling nausea through her core, but the compulsion pushed stronger. She reached to the jewelry box and opened it. A circular band of metal lay inside, with a green gem dangling at its center. A circlet, she realized. One of Su's circlets.

She stared at it. Within seconds, the nausea filtered into nothing more than a lingering throb in her stomach. The compulsion overtook her, pushing her hand above the jewelry box. With a simple flick of her fingers, the circlet floated upward, hovered briefly above her, and resized to fit perfectly over her forehead. Letting her eyes fall shut, she exhaled a calming breath and exited the room.

When the door opened, Anraq straightened himself to greet her. He blinked, eyebrows lifting when he saw her. "Oh. Wow."

Kuvira raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Huh? No, it's nothing," he said, with clear of his throat. "It's just—I mean, I've never seen you in anything but your prison uniform before. You look nice."

"Oh." Her lips curled into a subtle smile. "Thank you."

As they turned to leave, Captain Hong Li appeared around the corner of the hallway, a sealed letter in his hand. "Alright, here. This is an official missive detailing the events that happened here, and explaining exactly why you're the one going to Republic City. It contains Zaofu's official seal, and since Su isn't... I mean, well... my signature should suffice."

Kuvira nodded, and slipped the letter into the pocket of her robe. "Thanks, Captain. You know, you've come a long way since I was security captain. I remember when you could barely bend a meteorite."

Hong Li recoiled, flustered. "Oh, uh, thank you. I think."

"You're welcome." She paused, her expression growing solemn. "And please, Su shouldn't be buried until her entire family can be here for the funeral."

The captain sighed, nodding slowly. "We'll get her body to the morgue until you come back. All of you."

"Alright," Anraq said, patting a hand on Kuvira's shoulder. "You ready to move out?"

"Yeah." A determined spark ignited in her eyes, hardening her expression. They had a job to do, and by the spirits they were going to do it right. "I'm ready."