"No time!" Tenzin yelled back, as he evaded the upcoming assault of shock gloves from both his left and his right, "they're way too close!"
Lin saw a man in black clothes, it's Zaheer, "Go!" the nonbender said, "I will attract their attacks!" He charged into the group of officers who were previously surrounding Tenzin. The Red Lotus leader avoided the enemies' weapons charged with electricity with astounding speed, then he stroked the nerves on the side of their necks with startling precision. The attack proved to be more efficient than chi-blocking, which paralyzes the corresponding body parts, the opponents were instantly knocked out of consciousness.
Tenzin immediately started a series of motion with his hands, summoning a strong air current, blowing away the smoke released from the officers' grenades in a matter of seconds. With their visions no longer being obstructed, the team quickly located each other's position, withdrew from the melee combat, sticking to one piece. Ghazan immediately took the opportunity, as he melted the earth in front of him, creating a pool of lava, blocking the enemy from ever closing in the distance again. Lin checked her teammates' conditions, the lavabender had some minor sprains from the bludgeons and electric shocks; Ming Hua's injury was more severe, as the armless waterbender struggled to stand up.
"Should we retreat?" asked the ex-police chief, she looked to Tenzin's direction.
"No!" Zaheer took over the conversation, "it's not normal for this place to be so heavily guarded." He spoke to the master airbender, "My intuition tells me your daughter must be kept on this island."
Tenzin responded with a nod, "I agree. But how are we going to get in?" He pointed to his front: another whole platoon of officers with grey suits, luminating goggles and electrocuting weapons arrived at the site.
"We will be burying them already!" the lavabender said, as he manipulated the melted earth to attack his enemies. At the distance, benders have a huge advantage, as it enables most large-scale bending techniques as well as range attacks.
The officers were forced back onto the roof, they quickly formed a half-circle, flanking the team on the sides, and quickly organized for the next wave of attack. This time, an officer took out a metal contraption that looks like a minuscule version of a cannon, when he pulled the trigger: a taser landed onto Ghazan's neck. The lavabender screamed in pain, his muscles tensed up as the electrical current running through his body.
Tenzin removed the taser using a wooden stick, then, he spanned the staff, creating a tornado, nullifying the accuracy of the weapon. "Let's move it people!" he urged as he ran to one of the side entrances of the building.
Zaheer grabbed the waterbender, Ghazan recovered from the electrical shock, he stomped his foot, creating a wave of earth, carrying the team away from the battlefield.
The lavabender removed a portion of the rock walls, allowing them to break into the facility. As expected, they found Jinora in the backyard, totally intact.
"Dad? "the airbending prodigy was startled, "who are they?" she was referring to the Zaheer and the Red Lotus.
"Jinora! You're OK!" Tenzin was so relieved to see her daughter safe, he rushed to Jinora and gave her a hug, "We come to save you. Stay with Lin and the rest of the team! I will find some gliders."
"Wait!" she holds Tenzin's arm, "dad, I have to explain something to you. It was the avatar, she doesn't want to harm me, she just wants me to teach her airbending!"
"What?!" the airbender was dropped his jaw, if that's the case, Korra could just approach him, he thought, why would she try so hard to conceal her identity? But right now, it's not the time to think about this, "I already knew Korra is the avatar. But we have to go now!"
"Please don't," Tenzin followed the direction of the voice, it was the avatar. "stay here and teach me airbending," Korra said, "I will release Jinora as an exchange."
"I will have to disappoint you," said the Red Lotus leader, as he charged to the avatar, "we are not leaving without both of them."
"Chi-blocking. Interesting" To everyone's surprise, the avatar didn't use any bending fighting against the martial artist. Instead, she decided to fight hand to hand with the nonbender, was she trying to fight fair? Lin thought, that's not the style of an ex-triad boss, she had no idea what the avatar was up to. However, she couldn't intervene, as that risks inujring Zaheer.
"You fight like an airbender." Korra commented, as she initiated another round of exchanges. But the nonbender avoided direct exchanges, as he weaved under a hook kick thrown at him and retaliated with an oblique kick aiming at her supporting leg. The avatar barely blocked with her shin, followed by a superman punch with her back hand. Zaheer slipped the attack with ease, attempting to strike the pressure points around the avatar's shoulders, aiming to chi-block the limb.
Korra smirked as she countered the attempt with her elbow, breaking Zaheer's fingers. Then, she stepped sideway, avoiding the upward elbow sent by Zaheer, smearing her fingers into the nonbender's eyes.
"Thank you for your demonstration," the avatar said as she finished up her opponent with a couple of knee strikes into the face. "I think I get it now."
The moment Korra dropped Zaheer, Lin launched her metal cords at the avatar, who evaded with ease. The lavabender quickly entered the fight, launching blobs of melting death at the avatar. Instead of blocking it with a piece of rock, or attacking with a stream of fire, the avatar chose to maneuver her way out of it, she slipped and bobbed the upcoming projectiles, moving like a leaf in the wind.
"Are you afraid, you coward?" Lin taunted. The avatar didn't respond.
Tenzin's expression changed, as he had figured out what was going on: the avatar was learning from her fight with Zaheer, and now, she was one step away from airbending! He immediately launched an air blade to his opponent. The avatar noticed the vibration of air around her, slipping from the attack, the highly pressurized air missed its target, cutting deep into the rock walls.
It was too late, the airbending master saw Korra performed a classic airbending move, then, he felt a spiral of air approaching him. He evaded the attack but found Lin and Ghazan was knocked off of their feet by blasts of air, the avatar pushing their throats against her fire daggers.
"Go." Korra said, as she extinguished her flames, leaving metalbender and the lavabender in awe, "take Jinora with you, and don't come back." She spoked to Tenzin, "If you and Lin stay out of the upcoming war, neither you nor your family will be harmed."