Hey all. Sorry for the late update again. Been busy with life, but you know how it is with things the way they are. Anywho, Stat Chart:
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On with the chapter!
Tamayo suddenly wakes up to the sound of battle. She looks out of the window and sees fighting going on. From the safety of the room, she watches everything go down.
Akira runs to the outer courtyard, where he sees the others behind a barricade of metal plates surrounding a lava circle. He quickly joins them.
"What's going on? I had to use the bathroom and heard this commotion!"
"Korra's been kidnapped." Mako plainly states.
A metal barricade is soon brought around to cover their side as a Combustion Blast is curved at them. The group look to see Su, Wei, and Wing. The three join them behind the barrier.
"How did they get in here?" Lin asks.
"I don't know, but we're not letting them escape." Su declares.
The Metalbenders try to make a bridge using the plates, only to be pushed back.
"There's no way to cross that moat." Asami surmises.
"Where's Hao?" Akira asks Lin. She points him out, away from the lava fighting Zaheer with other Metalbenders. Akira nods in acknowledgement as Su comes up with a plan.
"We don't need to cross it. Lin and I can drop in from the dome on cables."
"That's a great idea. Except we'll get blown up the second that third-eyed freak sees us."
To emphasize Lin's point, another explosion can be heard as P'Li Combustion Bends again.
"She's a combustion bender. If one of you can stun her, her powers will be knocked out temporarily."
"Bolin can land a shot." Mako states.
"I can?" Bolin asks.
"You have to take her out right before we drop down." Su tells him.
"I do?"
The group wait and continue sending shots at the enemy until they get the signal.
"We're in position." Wing radios.
"Copy that. It's Bolin time." Mako says.
"All right. Bolin time. Bolin time!" Bolin states, hyping himself up.
He then launches a stone at P'Li, only to have her dodge and attack. He tries again but P'Li is not being protected by Ming Hua and Ghazan.
Akira, Mako, and Bolin then throw elements at them before having to duck back down. "I can't get a clean shot!" Bolin shouts as they do so.
"You have to!" Mako exclaims.
From the radio, Wei asks, "Are we a go?"
"No go." Mako says.
Unfortunately, they mis-hear it. "Copy that, we're a go." Wing answers.
"I said no! Wait!"
From the ground they look up and see the two sisters rappelling down.
"Bolin, take the shot!"
Mako and Akira lay down distractive fire as Bolin sends a tiny stone into P'Li's forehead just in time.
"Nice job, little bro." Mako compliments.
"We might just win this." Akira comments with a confident smile.
Lin and Su then grab Korra and begin to ascend. Their escape is cut off by Ming Hua though, but the water arm is quickly broken by a flame blast courtesy of Mako.
To the side, Hao and the two Zaofu Guards continue their attack on Zaheer. He's able to push away the rocks and blow away the Firebending. He blasts the guards away, leaving only Hao to deal with. He then looks up in the air and sees Lin and Su rising with Korra.
He shouts and attempts to fly away on the glider. Hao brings a fist up to the air and creates a line of fire. He brings the fist down and makes a pillar of fire fall on Zaheer. The Airbender is able to dodge it though and fly after the Bei Fong Sisters.
Now without his opponent, Hao returns to the group.
From the ground they all see the sisters swing in the air, then Zaheer beginning to fall.
"They cut his glider. We have him!" Hao states, readying himself into a combat stance.
After Zaheer lands with his allies, he angrily states, "We failed!"
Hao goes for a killing shot just as Zaheer creates a smokescreen. The large gusts of wind blow the fire away and allow the enemy to escape.
"Damn it!" Hao shouts, seeing a lack of opponents. He then punches the plate, making a dent, before storming off with a growl.
With Korra secure, they bring her to Su's Office and have Aiwei tend to her. Akira sits next to her, holding her hand.
"This should neutralize the Shirshu toxins." He states, having her drink from a green bottle.
Korra begins by moving her fingers, then, with a bit of assistance from Akira, attempts to sit herself up slowly.
"How could you let this happen? You assured me this was one of the most secure places in the world." Lin asks Su.
"It is. I don't know how this happened. Obviously this was a well-planned operation, so don't blame me."
Kuvira then appears in the doorway and stands at attention.
"We searched the entire estate but there's no sign of them." She reports.
"Well, keep looking!" Lin demands.
Kuvira respectfully bows before leaving.
Aiwei then stands up and announces, "It would seem they had some inside knowledge of Zaofu. They must have been working with someone."
"The-the guards." Korra utters, managing to sit upright. She grasps her head in pain as she continues, "It had to be one of them."
"I agree." Aiwei says
"Question them all! Whoever betrayed my city will suffer the consequences!" Su exclaims, storming off.
Akira helps Korra get to their bed and lays her on the mattress.
"Feeling better at all?" He asks.
"A little bit. Thanks for the help."
Akira nods in thanks, taking a seat beside her. He then moves around and starts massaging Korra's legs, then arms, then shoulders.
"Thanks. That helps, and feels great." Korra says.
"I think I read somewhere that Shirshu toxin seizes up the muscles."
"Yeah. It definitely feels like that."
Akira continues massaging and gives Korra a kiss on the cheek.
"I'm sure you'll be back on your feet and kicking ass in the morning."
Korra chuckles at the assertion.
The two are surprised to hear someone knocking at the door. Akira gets up and opens it to see Tamayo.
"Is Korra okay?" She asks.
"Yeah. Shirshu toxin, but that's about it."
"Good…good. I just wanted to check in. I'll leave you two alone now."
Akira gives her a thankful pat on the shoulder before she leaves, closing the door behind her.
The next day, Su, Lin, Hao, Aiwei, Mako, and Korra begin interrogating all the guards. Aiwei does most of the questioning though, and they're unable to find the guilty party. And yes, they even questioned Varrick, which everyone decided was a mistake.
As soon as the door shuts behind him and Zhu Li, Lin says, "Maybe it wasn't a guard after all. Maybe it was someone a little higher up the food chain. Aiwei, why don't you question Su?"
"Come on, Lin. I doubt it's Su." Hao inputs.
Su remains steadfast though, saying, "No, I'll gladly be questioned. I have nothing to hide," as she takes a seat in the chair opposite of Aiwei.
Aiwei goes through the questions with Su, and of course she's innocent.
"This is a waste of time. Just bring in the next guard." Korra says.
And so, the next guard comes in.
"Give me your name and tell me where you are from." Aiwei begins, like normal.
"I'm Hong Li. I was born and raised here in Zaofu."
"Do you have any knowledge of the people who tried to kidnap the Avatar?"
"No."
Aiwei leans forward, and the air grows serious.
"Did you help the attackers enter Zaofu last night?"
"No, of course not."
"You're lying."
"What? No, I'm not!"
"How did they get in and out?!" Su demands, grabbing the guard and pushing him against the wall. "Where are they now?"
"I don't know! I'm telling you I didn't help them." He states in fear.
"You're a traitor to the entire clan."
"I suggest we search his place." Aiwei suggests.
The group head to the young guard's house and search it thoroughly. After a while, Mako finds something. A note.
"It looks like it's from them. 'Team assembled. Ready to rendezvous.'"
Asami then hands a book to Aiwei, saying, "And look at this."
"These are the guards' log books. All their schedules and routes are in here."
"That guard knows everything. We have to get him to talk." Korra states.
"Let's go confront him with this evidence right now." Mako suggests.
Aiwei shoots down the idea, saying, "No. Let's give him a little time to sweat it out. He will talk eventually."
Confused, Team Avatar return to the location of the previous night's fight.
"I don't understand why we're not talking to that guard right now." Mako says. "Every minute we waste here, those guys get further away. I mean, how does a random guard get involved with a group of super criminals, anyway?"
"What do you mean?" Asami asks.
"That guard is only eighteen years old, and has lived in Zaofu his entire life. Zaheer and his gang have been in prison for more than thirteen years."
"I don't know, but we all saw the evidence. It's pretty overwhelming." Korra states.
Varrick then pops up out of nowhere and says, "Maybe a little too overwhelming?" The group reel away in surprise.
Bolin is naturally happy to see the man. "Hey, Varrick! What are you doing here?"
"Collecting pumice stones with Zhu Li. That Lavabender did a lot of damage, but he makes a nice exfoliating rock. And when you got calluses like mine, you take all the pumice stones you can get your hands on. Or in my case, feet!"
The group reel back in disgust as they see poor Zhu Li rubbing a stone against Varrick's foot. All but Mako, who just looks unamused.
Getting back on track, Mako asks Varrick, "What were you saying about the evidence?"
"I was saying that I can smell a conspiracy when I see one. Look, if I was trying to set someone up, I would tell everyone he's guilty, and then plant the evidence in his apartment as proof."
"Oh. You mean exactly like what you did to me?"
"Yes!" Varrick exclaims in glee. "Just like that. Remember how great that worked? Well, not for you."
"You're right. All the evidence points to this guard, but maybe he's just the fall guy."
"But for who?" Bolin asks.
Akira continues Mako's train of thought and says, "For the only person who can truly keep a secret in this city, Aiwei."
Team Avatar decide to investigate on their own first, without alerting the others. They all hide along the side of the building, and Bolin peaks in through a large window.
"He's not home. Or he's hiding in there. Or he's invisible."
Mako gives him a 'Really?' look.
"Probably just not home."
"Alright, our objective is to find evidence that links Aiwei to Zaheer." Akira states.
"Otherwise, Su won't believe us." Mako continues.
The group then enter the building and begin searching. So far, no results.
Bolin then picks up a clay jar and says, "Oh, it's like a desert on a jar."
"Bolin, put that back. We don't want Aiwei to know we were in here if we can't find anything." Mako tells his brother.
Bolin then begins to put the pot next to a bigger one, but pulls his arm back with an, "Uh…"
"You forgot where it goes, didn't you?"
Mako takes the jar and places is down.
Moving around to the side of one of the bookshelves, Mako looks at the ground. He sees some scuff marks.
"Look at these scuff marks. I think this bookshelf slides open."
Mako pushes the bookshelf while a few of the others gather around. Once it's moved, a stairway heading downwards is revealed.
"What do you think is down there?" Korra ponders.
"Could be a storage cellar." Bolin inputs.
"Or it could be how Zaheer got in and out." Mako states.
Akira voices his agreement as Asami urgently says, "Aiwei's coming back. Quick!"
Mako quickly pushes the bookshelf back in place just in time as Aiwei steps into his house. He seems astonished to see them.
"What are you doing in my house?" He demands. "You are trespassing on the property of one of the highest-ranked officials in the city. You had better have a good explanation."
Bolin pacifies the official by saying, "We do, we do. We actually knocked on your front door, and we thought we heard you say...'Come in! I'm in the bathroom!'" The others look at him with glares and an amused set of eyes. "I don't even know why I'm saying that. You know I'm lying. And you don't even sound like that."
Akira gives Bolin a friendly pat on the back while Korra steps forward and says, "We came here because things weren't adding up, and we thought you might have some answers."
Aiwei gestures to the sofa and says, "Sit. If you want to talk, let's talk over some tea."
A kettle of tea is soon made, and everyone sits on the sofa with a cup. All except Aiwei who, after setting the kettle down, walks a little ways away while saying, "So, what is not adding up, exactly? Hong Li was clearly lying, and we found evidence in his apartment."
"But don't you think it's weird how young he is? How did he ever get mixed up with this group?" Mako asks.
Aiwei walks up the steps and stands in front of the shelf, saying, "Perhaps through a relative. Or maybe he was bribed. We will find out those answers in time. But if it wasn't him, who do you think it was?"
The members of Team Avatar exchange worried looks.
"We don't know." Asami says.
"You don't think I had something to do with this, do you?" Aiwei asks, moving the clay pot Bolin touched to its rightful spot. The young Earthbender looks disappointed in himself.
"We're just looking for answers." Korra states.
"And you think you found something, don't you?" Aiwei asks, looking at the scuff marks on the floor. With a glance to the side, he says, "You have no idea what is coming for you, Avatar."
Raising both his arms up, a protective wall shields him from a fire blast from Mako. Korra runs over and gives it a solid punch, denting it.
"Come on! He's getting away!" Mako exclaims.
"Shush! Bend!" Akira orders to Mako and Korra respectively.
The Avatar nods her head in acknowledgement and continues to create a large hole in the wall. After doing so, they all rush through and run down the stairwell. Korra then goes to open the door, only to reveal a bomb. With quick thinking, Korra quickly wraps them all in a protective Air Bubble.
After the initial explosion ends and the smoke clears, she brings it down.
"Remind me to repay you big time." Akira offhandedly comments, entering a combat stance.
They all quickly scan the area and realize Aiwei is gone.
"He's gone." Mako says.
"Look." Korra says, pointing to a hole in the wall at the end of the room, completely covered by dirt. "He must've escaped through there. Help me clear it out."
Korra and Bolin move the rubble to the side. After doing so, Lin, Su, and Hao arrive on scene.
"What happened? We heard an explosion." Lin asks.
"Where is Aiwei?" Su asks.
"Your trusted advisor was the one who betrayed us. He was lying about the guard." Korra answers.
Su seems devastated. "What? No."
"We confronted him and he bolted through here."
Lin takes a step forward and slams her foot into the ground, getting a seismic reading.
"He must have collapsed the tunnel behind him."
"And he rigged an explosion to destroy any evidence that might have been here." Mako speaks up.
"This is where Zaheer got in and out. Aiwei was the traitor." Korra states.
"I…trusted him."
Hao slams a fist into the nearby wall and growls. "That traitor!"
Kuvira then appears, running down the stairs. "Is everyone okay?"
"Aiwei is a fugitive. Get all available guards to search the mountainside and find out where this tunnel exits immediately!" Su orders.
Lin gives her sister a supportive hand on her shoulder.
Hao quickly follows after Kuvira, offering his assistance. Together, him and the expedition force of guards search the mountainside. They're able to find the exit to the tunnel, but not Aiwei. Luckily, there are tire tracks that can be followed. With the information gathered, the team returns to Zaofu.
Alright. That's it for this chapter. Plot's progressing along, so now we're heading after Aiwei.
Reviews would be appreciated
Anyways stay awesome guys and gals of the world, and I'll see you next chapter