"What? You're not serious. I don't believe this!" President Raiko sank against his desk, pinching his fingers against his eyes in frustration. The phone nearly tumbled out of his grasp, but he steadied it and pressed it firmly against his ear. "Avatar Korra, I sent you and your team to stop Zaheer, and now you mean to tell me that, not only did you fail, but all of Ba Sing Se is in turmoil? Again?"

When Korra's confirmation came in on the other line, he heaved a deep groan. "Yes, I can contact General Iroh. Well, we're going to have to. Normally I couldn't just send troops into a foreign city without consulting the nation's leaders, but since there aren't any leaders in the Earth Republic anymore..."

He fell back into his office chair and rubbed his fingers against his forehead. A dull throb sprang up between his eyes. "They should be there in a few days. In the meantime, try to actually do your job. Next time you contact me, it had better be with some good news." With an exasperated grumble, he slammed the phone down onto the receiver and dropped his head into his hands. "Unbelievable..."

"Mr. President?" Mako stepped in front of the desk, dressed in full police lieutenant uniform. His brow furrowed with concern. "Korra's team wasn't able to stop Zaheer?"

"No, it turns out they failed protecting the Earth Republic's prime ministers," Raiko replied. "Now, not only are the leaders of that nation dead, but so is the entire governing body. Advisers, dignitaries, even their damn assistants! It's a disaster."

"I don't believe it." Mako bowed his head, looking to the floor. "I never imagined they'd fail. With Korra on the job... Maybe I should have gone with them, after all."

"That's a nice sentiment, but I doubt you'd have made much of a difference. Besides, your job is to be protecting me before the same thing happens here. Whether from the Red Lotus or the press, when I face them with the news." Raiko spun his chair around to face the window behind his desk. He watched the city below with a careful stare. "As if people needed another reason to panic. The last time this happened, we ended up with Kuvira, and we all know how that turned out."

"Kuvira seems to have changed, at least," Mako said. "From what Korra tells me, anyway."

Raiko scoffed, and shook his head. "Lieutenant, people like that don't ever change. She may be getting on the Avatar's good side, helping her out with this Red Lotus business, but she's still the woman who took over the Earth Kingdom and nearly destroyed Republic City. After this whole mess is cleaned up, she's going straight back to prison."

"Of course, sir."

"This isn't going to be good for my numbers, especially with reelection coming up." The president grumbled, again rubbing his forehead. "The only reason I won the last election was because I had the media to spin the Kuvira incident in my favor, but this?"

Mako cleared his throat. "Uh, I'm sure things will be fine. Your numbers aren't... that bad."

Even the stoic police lieutenant couldn't hide his doubt. Figured. Not like it was a secret that the president's approval rating had sunk to its lowest point since after the attack on Republic City by UnaVaatu. "Four percent, Mako."

"Oh, uh..." He cleared his throat again. "Well, then."

"Anyway, let's not keep people waiting. The press conference is in an hour. " Raiko stood from his seat and headed through his office door into the hallway. Halfway to the stairs, he turned to the restroom. He pushed the door open, glancing back at Mako. "I'll be just a minute. Why don't you head down to the car? I'll meet you there."

"I'd feel better if I stayed with you, sir," Mako insisted. "It is my job."

Raiko frowned, giving the lieutenant a raised eyebrow. "Look, I appreciate you and the rest of the police force looking out for my safety, but do you really need to guard me in the bathroom?"

"Sir, the last time I let someone I was supposed to be guarding go to the bathroom on his own, he was kidnapped."

Raiko paused. "Alright, point taken. Fine, but at least stand outside."

President Raiko sucked in a deep breath, as he stood behind the podium atop the steps in front of city hall. A crowd of press and other curious citizens had gathered to listen and report on the conference. Far more than he'd anticipated. Under normal circumstances, he was quite comfortable answering questions or redirecting the media's attention. In this case, anxiety stormed through his stomach. He remained calm, breathed deep, and collected his demeanor. Best to keep this press conference brief.

"Alright," he said, leaning towards the microphone. "Why don't we get things started?" A barrage of hands flew up into the air. He pointed to a man holding a notepad near the front of the crowd.

"Mr. President, do you have news about the return of the Red Lotus?" asked the reporter. "Has Avatar Korra been able to stop them yet?"

Raiko eased a deep breath. Not surprising that had been the first question. "Regrettably, I have to inform you all that no, the Red Lotus and their leader, Zaheer, remain at large. Avatar Korra and her team were unable to stop them in Ba Sing Se, which has led to the city falling into turmoil for the second time this decade, with the loss of their governing leaders." Immediately, a cacophony of frantic voices shouted more questions at him. He raised his hands and urged them all to settle down before continuing. "However, I've given the order to General Iroh of the United Forces to send troops into the city and help set things straight. I'm confident that the conflict in the Earth Republic's capital will be kept to a minimum and order will be restored soon, before the unrest spreads through the rest of the nation."

Another reporter moved closer, her hand up in the air. "What does this mean for the United Earth Republic? Who will lead the nation now?"

And another. "Where do you think the Red Lotus will strike next?"

"How do you intend to stop them?"

An onslaught of questions, too many to keep track of. Raiko huffed a sharp breath and raised his voice into the microphone, so he could be heard over the crowd. "Let me be clear, as soon as I know more about the situation, so will all of you. Before we can think about reforming the Earth Republic's government—again—we need to fix the situation in Ba Sing Se. This will take time. As for the Red Lotus, Avatar Korra is working tirelessly to bring them to justice. It's only a matter of time before she—"

Yet another reporter raised a hand and shouted over him. "Mr. President, is it true that Kuvira is working with the Avatar? Isn't she supposed to be in prison?"

Raiko restrained the grumble threatening to surge from his throat. Kuvira was not a topic he'd wanted to cover during this press conference. How had the media even heard about her leaving with the Avatar? "Due to the collapse of Zaofu, where she was being held, Kuvira was unfortunately released from prison, yes." More shouting, more questions. He ignored them, instead raising his volume again to be heard. "However, she did bring us the news of the Red Lotus attack, and has vowed to aid Avatar Korra in stopping them. She has been granted a temporary—and let me stress that word: temporary—parole in order to do this, and will be the Avatar's responsibility throughout the process. When the Red Lotus has been stopped, and order has been brought back to Zaofu, she will return to prison there to serve the rest of her sentence."

"The last time Kuvira provided a public service, she saved the life of former Chief Beifong," a woman said. "She was given a reduction in her sentence for her deed. Will she be getting another reduction for her service here?"

"That is something I'm not at liberty to say, without first discussing things with the other world leaders. Such deliberations will have to wait until after this is over." Raiko inhaled, closing his eyes. "As it stands, Zaofu and the Earth Republic don't even have leaders."

"Is Republic City safe?"

"Are you concerned that the Red Lotus will come after you next?"

Things were getting out of hand. Question after question flew at him, too many to answer. He'd have to pick and choose, and shut this down quick. The sooner the better. Turning to his left, he gestured to the line of police officers standing atop the steps next to him. The police line continued all the way around the city square, providing heavy security for the press conference. Directly to his left stood Lieutenant Mako, and to his right, an older man with a buzzed haircut, wearing the recognizable police chief armor. Chief Uhara had been selected as Lin Beifong's replacement when she retired, and so far he had stepped into his role nicely.

"Chief Uhara and the Republic City Police Force are doing everything in their power to assure my safety, and the safety of all Republic City citizens." Raiko turned to the other side and gestured towards a small group of individuals dressed in red and yellow wingsuits, including Tenzin, Jinora, Ikki, Meelo, and Kai. "Master Tenzin and his airbenders have also offered their assistance. With their help, I am confident that we're safe from the Red Lotus." More questions came in, but he had to end things now. Leaning close to the microphone again, he added, "No more questions for now, thank you."

As he moved away from the podium, Tenzin approached him, arms folded beneath his airbender cloak. "Well, I think that went... smoothly."

Raiko scowled. "Save the patronizing, Tenzin, we both know that went terribly. Come morning, the headlines will be spinning my incompetence and calling what happened in Ba Sing Se my fault."

"We both know you couldn't have done anything more to stop Zaheer."

"No, but I sent Korra after him, and she failed," he said. "That failure falls back to me, and that's how the people will see it. Facts don't matter to them."

Tenzin breathed heavy. "She'll stop him, sooner or later. There's no need to worry."

"You're sure of that?"

The master airbender nodded, and gave a smile. "I've no doubt."

Mako scanned the crowd with careful eyes. Despite the abrupt end to the press conference, many of the reporters and citizens had yet to disperse, either talking amongst themselves or trying to break through the police line for more questions. Officers held their positions, pushing the reporters back and urging them to go home, or back to work. Fortunately, the crowd didn't seem overly aggressive.

"Mako, can I talk to you a minute?"

The question pulled his attention away from the crowd to the man standing next to him: the new chief of police. Mako hadn't worked with him much over the years, but from he knew Uhara had been on the force nearly two decades. Combining his experience with his numerous accolades, Uhara had been the primary candidate to replace Beifong when she retired. While he lacked that intangible Beifong edge, he made of for it with his cool-headed efficiency.

"Of course, Chief," Mako said, standing at attention. "What do you need?"

"Just letting you know I need you take an extra shift guarding the president tomorrow."

Mako lifted his eyebrows. "What? But I've worked two double shifts this week already."

"I know," Uhara sighed, "but we're spread thin right now with the increased security around the city. Everyone else is busy with other responsibilities."

"Can't Lu and Gang take the shift?"

Uhara gave his lieutenant a questioning glare. "You really trust Lu and Gang to guard the president?"

"Well..." Mako paused to think over the suggestion he'd just made. "Okay, no, I wouldn't trust them to guard a cake, but I really need some time to recharge. I've been overworked enough as it is, and I can't do my job effectively if I'm exhausted all the time."

"I know, believe me. We're all in the same boat. But you're one of the best we have, Mako. I need you on this."

"Alright, fine." Mako rubbed his fingers against his eyes. What was one more sixteen hour shift? Not like he needed to sleep. Ever. "I'll make it work."

Uhara patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks, Lieutenant. I'll see about getting you some time off this weekend, alright?"

"Yeah, sure. That would be appreciated. Thanks, Chief."

Mako glanced back to the crowd with a heavy sigh. By now, most of the reporters had finally packed up and left. About two dozen or so civilians still loitered near the police line. From the look of it, the crowd was doing little more than chatting with each other now, probably starting gossip about Raiko's competence, or lack thereof. Most of the other officers paid them little mind at this point, instead beginning to remove the barricades they'd set up for the conference.

As he turned to retrieve the president, something caught his eye. One of the civilians lifted up a face covering over her nose and mouth. Moments later, the other two dozen civilians did the same thing. Mako narrowed his eyes, muscles tensing. Masks? Never a good sign. Before he could shout a warning to his fellow officers, the civilians reached into their jackets and pulled out familiar objects that slid over their hands. When Mako realized what they were, his eyes flared wide.

"Watch out!" he yelled, breaking into a run down the steps.

The officers never had a chance. By the time they turned their puzzled expression towards Mako, electric shocks sparked through the police line. One by one, officers fell unconscious to the ground, at the mercy of Equalist shock gloves. Within seconds, the entire front line had collapsed.

Mako jumped down the remainder of the steps. "Get the president back!"

He punched a couple blasts of fire to push back the attackers. Had to hold them off long enough for the officers on the other side of the city square to assist. Had to keep the attackers away from the president. His mind raced. What on earth were Equalists doing here? They hadn't been seen in nearly a decade, not since Amon had been defeated and disappeared from Republic City. When one of the attackers stomped a wave of earth towards him, his nerves jolted. He jumped away, kicking an arc of fire in retaliation. Benders? Then they weren't Equalists at all. They were far more dangerous—benders with Equalist equipment.

"It's the Red Lotus!" Chief Uhara said, as he leaped next to Mako and fired off his police cables at a pair of attackers. He yanked them off their feet and threw them aside. "Must be!"

"They have Equalist gear!" Mako bobbed and weaved out of the way of several ice projectiles, and countered with a punch of fire. "How's that even possible? I thought all the remaining Equalist equipment had either been destroyed or locked up in evidence!"

"So did I!" Uhara took a step back and thrust his fists upwards, lifting a wall of concrete in front of them. He turned to run back up of the steps of city hall, where President Raiko was hiding behind the podium. "Come on, we have to get the president out of here!"

With Mako and Chief Uhara ushering President Raiko to safety, Tenzin floated down the steps on a wave of air and released several blasts of wind from his palms to keep the Red Lotus away. "Airbenders, hold them off!"

"You will regret ever crossing paths with Meelo!" the youngest airbender announced, as he darted through the air on his wingsuit. He kicked out several slashing arcs of wind that scattered the attackers. "Heads are gonna roll!"

"Kai, cover our flank!" Jinora said, as she slid down the stairs to help her father. Several Red Lotus ran at her with shock gloves outstretched. She dropped to the ground and spun a whirling kick, blasting them away with a raging cyclone.

"On it!" Kai cut off a group of Red Lotus attempting to pursue the president with a thrust of his palm. A mighty gust of wind tore through the air, lifting the men off their feet.

"You guys are mean!" Ikki shouted, with a pout. She jumped and twirled through the air, sending three nearby Red Lotus assailants tumbling head over heels. "Didn't anyone ever teach you any manners?"

In spite of their efforts, the Red Lotus only grew more numerous. With every one they pushed away, two more seemed to appear, forcing the airbenders back up the steps towards city hall. They came together in a tight line and focused on defense, swatting away the relentless barrage of attacks. Even if the Red Lotus couldn't get close enough to use their gloves, they still had their bending. Not to mention the electrified Equalist bolas

"There are too many of them!" Jinora said, whirling away from a spinning bola.

"We just need to keep them at bay long enough for the president to escape!" Tenzin whirled his arms, and a howling cyclone raged forward. "Everyone together!"

"I don't believe this!" Raiko looked over his shoulder, as a team of police officers guided him down the alley beside city hall. "The Red Lotus are here! Attacking in broad daylight!"

"They're brazen, that's for sure." Chief Uhara glanced down a branching alley for any other sign of attackers. When he saw nothing, he turned the corner. "This way, Mr. President. There's a transport vehicle parked around back for emergencies."

Mako brought up the rear of the group, keeping an eye out behind them. No sign of any Red Lotus following them yet. Several other officers flanked the president, forming a protective circle around him.

"Look out!" one of the officers called, pointing above. Several Red Lotus dropped down from a series of scaffolding, built against the side of the building.

"I'll get the president to safety!" Uhara said, pulling Raiko farther down the alley. "You guys hold them off!"

Mako and the other officers put themselves between the Red Lotus. A mutual volley of fire, earth, and water exchanged between the two groups. Mako ducked beneath a flying chunk of concrete and countered with two well placed jets of fire that basted a pair of Red Lotus off the ground. His fellow officers held their ground, keeping the attackers at bay. They never saw the Red Lotus woman dropping in from behind them. Mako noticed her in time to dive away from her outstretched glove. Not in time to warn the others. Before he could roll back to his feet, the other officers collapsed with a burst of electricity. Mako punched a wave of fire at her, and retreated further down the alley.

A water whip coiled around his foot and yanked hard, lifting him into the air. The world spun. He tumbled into a dumpster, bounced to the alley below, and rolled to a stop against the side of the building. A shrill ringing surged into his ears. With a heaving groan, he attempted to push himself upright. The asphalt cracked behind him, as a stone pillar jolted up from the ground. The stone collided with his chest, rushing the wind from his lungs with a crack of pain.

Mako's vision blurred. He blinked upward to see the Red Lotus converging on him—four of them, slowly shifting into focus. Their shock gloves crackled with electricty. He made a desperate jab with his fingers, forcing them backward with a shot of lightning. Not enough. Pain tore through his chest and he collapsed, holding a hand to his ribs. Too many of them. Too damn many.

Wind erupted from the sky above, knocking all four Red Lotus clean off their feet. The wind changed directions, lifted upward, and the assailants flew skyward. Their helpless forms scattered in different directions. Two crashed through different windows of the nearby building, the third landed atop the roof of city hall, and the fourth crashed with a metallic thud atop the dumpster. Silence returned to the alley. With another guiding flow of air, Tenzin floated into view from above. When he landed, he clipped the wings of his suit back in place.

"Mako, are you alright?" the master airbender asked, extending a hand.

Mako grabbed Tenzin's hand and pulled himself upright. Pain flared again, doubling him over with a grimace. "Yeah, thanks for the save. How are the other airbenders doing?"

"They're pushing back the Red Lotus attackers for now, but there are a lot of them. Once the president is safe, I've given them the order to fall back and regroup."

"Chief Uhara took Raiko to a transport around back," Mako said, nodding down the alley. "Hopefully, they're getting to safety now."

"Alright, we should see what we can do to help the others. Let's head back around front and—" A thunderous explosion ripped through the air, so loud Tenzin covered his ears. "What on earth was that!"

Mako hobbled down the the alley as fast as he could manage. "It came from over here!"

His stomach sank, as he neared the bend in the alley. The explosion had come from same direction Chief Uhara had taken Raiko. Damn it, please let them be alright. He pushed himself harder, half-sprinting, half-limping his way around the corner. A wall of heat greeted him, forcing him to throw his hands up to shield his face. He squinted, and pulled his hands down enough to see what he was looking at.

Panic ruptured through his chest. "No..."

The police transport meant to take President Raiko to safety lay overturned on its side, the back doors blown apart. A towering pillar of flames engulfed the vehicle, flames so hot they forced Mako back a step, firebender or not. Beyond the burning wreckage, he spotted several figures fleeing down a side street. More Red Lotus, no doubt. He made a move to pursue, but a secondary explosion knocked him off his feet. He picked himself up off the ground with a dull grunt of pain. The figures were gone.

Tenzin raced around the corner, coming to a halt next to Mako. A horrified gasp burst from his throat. "Dear spirits!"

"President Raiko..." Mako uttered, his voice squeaking out in a faint whisper. "Chief Uhara..."

The radio at his hip hissed with static, followed by a panicked voice. "Lieutenant Mako! Code red at the prison! I repeat, code red at the prison!"

He grabbed at the radio and raised it to his lips. "Officer Hun, what is it? What's going on?"

"All the cells have been opened!" Hun replied. "The prisoners are escaping! We need backup! We need—urrgh!"

"Officer Hun!" No reply. Mako threw that radio against the ground and raked his fingers through his hair. "Damn it! This isn't happening. This can't be happening." He took a deep breath to settle himself, and glanced back at Tenzin. "What do we do?"

The master airbender stared wide-eyed at the wreckage. "I... I don't know."