Chapter 37 Old Wounds
Everyone was currently in the dining hall eating breakfast and Korra was feeding Junior who ate his food.
"Dada." Hitomi said making Sean chuckle as he held her close as he fed her.
"I'm so happy they've finally started talking and walking." Korra said kissing Junior who laughed.
"Hey. Where the heck is Lin? Is she being a Sarah?" Dawn asked.
"Oh my god." Sean said rolling his eyes.
"Dawn." Julia scolded.
"What? I told her she's got years of crap to take for everything she did." Dawn said.
"She ain't wrong." David said.
"Anyway where is she anyway?" Sean asked.
"If I had to guess somewhere sulking as usual." Suyin said.
"Give her time. She'll get over her crap eventually." David said drinking some orange juice before one the of servant robots came and took his plate and glass away. "I missed these old things." David said.
"I'll bet. So Korra how's your metal bending going?" Suyin asked.
"Pretty good actually. I mastered that when I was 13 when Sean taught it to me." Korra said as Junior burped making her giggle.
"I taught her more than I ever have any Avatar. She was the most eager of them all to learn everything she could. And the youngest. That alone made it easier to teach her so easily." Sean said.
"The mind of a child is far easier to teach when they are open minded and eager to learn." Godzilla said.
"Well, if you want some tips from an outside source I'd be happy to show you a few things they might not know." Suyin said.
"What do you mean might not know? I helped your mother master that technique when she showed it to me. Granted I always knew it was possible but never saw it in person but knew it was possible." Sean said.
"If you knew it was possible why didn't you help Kyoshi or other Earth Benders make it?" Korra asked.
"So it wouldn't be misused. Need I remind you all that people have misused those gifts for years?" Sean asked.
"He's not wrong." Mako said.
"So I didn't bother to see if it was possible just to be on the safe side of people misusing it." Sean said.
"Makes sense." Korra said as Junior cooed making her giggle.
"So anyway I'll help teach you a few things I know and..." Suyin tried to say before everything metal started moving.
"The heck?" Sean asked before it went flying making them duck before it flew into someone in a metal suit.
"What...The hell?" David asked annoyed.
The person in suit? It was unsurprisingly Varrick.
"It worked." Varrick said as Hitomi started crying.
"Varrick you idiot! You could have gotten someone killed. AGAIN!" Sean yelled trying to calm down his daughter.
"Oh please you and those kids are fine." Varrick said before yelling as Sean and David blasted him with Atomic breath and lightning.
"OUT!" David yelled.
"Ow." Varrick moaned in pain. (HA! I love seeing him in pain. It's the only funny thing about him)
"God I hate that guy." Sean said as Hitomi stopped crying.
"I'll be amazed if he ever married anyone." David said.
"Yup." Julia said.
Meanwhile
Zaheer and his allies were in the outskirts of Titan City in an abandoned house.
"You made a pretty dramatic scene on Air Temple Island. Cops are looking for us all over the place." P'li said.
"So we going or not?" Ghazan asked.
"Not just yet. Theres one more thing we need to do before we leave. This way the Earth Defense force doesn't just focus solely on us alone." Zaheer said.
"Meaning what?" Ming-Hua asked.
"We're busting someone out of prison first." Zaheer said.
And sure enough the four managed to get into the prison and let everyone out and took down the security.
"Ok we busted everyone out now what?" P'li asked before Zaheer walked to one cell in particular.
"Those people are just a small distraction that will only last a few hours to a day at most. This one on the other hand...Will make sure their focus is divided." Zaheer said using his Airbending to bust it down.
"About damn time."
Inside the Cell was none other than Mark who had a few scars from his last encounter with Sean when Raiko admitted he had Mark use the Matrix to build machines to fight the Titans.
"Consider this an early parol. You owe us nothing." Zaheer said.
"Not like I was gonna give you anything." Mark said leaving.
"Theres appreciation for ya." Ghazan said annoyed.
"Why free him?" P'li asked.
"I overheard some of the new airbenders talking about him. He's Kruger's old rival and knows how to make deadly machines. It'll make them divide their forces to search for both him and us." Zaheer said.
"This way they won't solely focus on looking for us." Ming-Hua said.
"Exactly. Which means we can focus on our objective." Zaheer said.
Meanwhile
Lin was not looking good as she walked out looking sick before seeing two guards messing around making her glare before she approached them.
"What do you two think you're doing? Get back to work!" Lin barked.
"Is there a problem?" Aiwei asked walking to her.
"The Avatar is in danger, and these two morons are just standing around chitchatting." Lin said.
"Not to worry. Metal City is one of the most secure cities in the world since the Titans returned." Aiwei said.
"I'll be the judge of that. I'm going to check every inch of this place." Lin said.
"Lin, you do not have to work while you are here. You need to relax." Aiwei said.
"I am perfectly fine!" Lin snapped before groaning.
"Even I don't need to be a truth seer to know you are under a dangerous amount of stress that will make you sick. If you don't deal with your repressed feelings, There will be severe consequiences to your health and your job." Aiwei said.
"I don't need to talk about my feelings." Lin said.
"You won't have to say a word. I know a great acupuncturist in town who will be able to help you." Aiwei said giving her a card making her sigh as she took it and left.
Meanwhile
Sean laughed as he used Water to keep Hitomi in the air as she laughed like crazy before she dropped into his arms.
"You are too much like your mother." Sean said making her giggle before yawning making him smile as she fell asleep in his arms.
Walking back inside Sean saw Korra putting Junior to bed as he slept peacefully before he sat Hitomi down next to her.
"They are just so adorable when they sleep." Korra said as they sat down.
"Yup." Sean said.
"So...What do you know about these four people?" Korra asked.
"I haven't seen Zaheer's skills yet but he was skilled with a blade. And had a fascination with Airbending. Now I know why. Next theres P'li. Not only a dangerous fire bender but also a combustion bender." Sean said.
"Combustion? Oh wait you mean explosions." Korra said.
"Yup. Remember that guy Katara told you about during her youth? She can do the same thing. No idea how they do that to be honest. Then again I'm not a firebender. Dawn might know." Sean said.
"And the others?" Korra asked.
"Ghazan is an Earthbender and a Lava bender like you but unlike you he can't make Serpents out of it." Sean said.
"Thats good to know." Korra said.
"And finally Ming-Hua. She's a powerful Water bender. Even without her arms she can still bend and make arms of water. A powerful skill." Sean said.
"Why didn't you kill them when you faced them the first time?" Korra asked.
"I told you. I knew Unalaq was involved and I needed answers but they never broke. With them in prisons designed to contain them I considered the matter settled. I told you before. I'm not fond of taking a life unless I have to. I got enough blood on my hands." Sean said.
"I guess." Korra said as he held her close as they listened to the twins sleep peacefully.
Meanwhile
Lin was at the Acupuncturist laying on her back as needles flew above her.
"How many of those things are you gonna stick in me?" Lin asked.
"I'll be placing several needles on each of your acupoints. Theres nothing to be scared about."
"I'm not afraid of some damn needles." Lin said
"Please close your eyes and take a deep breath."
Lin did as asked before the needles went in.
"This process will correct the imbalances in your chi. Please tell me if your feel any pain or pressure."
"I don't feel anything." Lin said.
"Thats unusual. Your Chi must be powerfully blocked. We will require more needles."
Soon more entered her body.
Acupuncture often taps into people's buried memories. These memories can often be difficult to process."
Lin scoffed at this.
"Burried memories, uh-huh." Lin said before she started to do just that.
Flashback 30 years ago
Suyin and some boys were in her living room when Lin walked in.
"Su, what are you doing Home?" Lin asked.
"Wow. You almost look like a real cop." Suyin said laughing.
"You're supposed to be in school." Lin said.
"Oh, no. Are you gonna tell mom? Like she cares." Suyin said.
Lin then noticed one of the boys putting riches in a bag.
"Where'd you get that stuff?" Lin asked.
"Uh, fell off the back of a truck."
"What are you doing hanging out with these losers?" Lin asked.
"They're my friends, and you have no right to call them that! Come on, guys, let's get out of here." Suyin said grabbing the bag as she tried to leave but Lin grabbed her.
"Su, stop!" Lin yelled but she smacked her hand away.
"Get your hands off of me." Suyin said.
"You have so much potential. You're ruining your life." Lin said.
"At least I have a life." Suyin said leaving making her frown.
End Flashback
Lin started sweating as she remembered these events.
Flashback 30 years ago.
"Calling all units. Robbery reported on the corner of Fifth and harbor. Suspects vehicle headed south on Hao Boulevard. Units responding, identify."
Lin grabbed her radio.
"Unit three responding." Lin said before she spotted the criminals and chased after them before using metal bending to stop them.
Thats when two of them tried to run off but Lin captured them with metal bending.
"Leave them alone."
Lin widened her eyes seeing Suyin in the car who also saw her.
"Su?" Lin asked in shock.
End Flashback
Lin gasped as she launched the needles everywhere before getting up.
"Wait! Leaving in the middle of a session could make you sick."
"I'm done here." Lin said leaving while groaning.
Later
Lin sat in her room holding her head before the door opened up.
"The hell is the matter with you?"
Lin turned seeing a younger Suyin before shaking her head seeing Korra and Sean with the Twins.
"You ok?" Sean asked.
"I'm fine." Lin said walking off.
"Whats wrong with her?" Korra asked.
"I have no idea." Sean said as Hitomi yawned making them smile while Junior snored in his mother's arms.
Lin barged back into the treatment room.
"What did you do to me?" Lin asked.
"I tried to warn you."
Soon Lin was back on the table resuming her treatment.
Flashback 30 years ago
Lin smashed her fist into her car.
"So you're robbing stores with the Terra Triad now? Are you out of your mind?" Lin asked.
"I didn't steal anything. I just drove the car cause I owed them a favor. Big deal." Suyin said.
"If you think I'm letting you walk away from this your wrong." Lin said making her laugh.
"Oh, what are you going to do, officer, arrest me?" Suyin asked turning to leave.
"Don't even think about taking one more step!" Lin said but she did anyway before Lin used her metal bending to restrain her but she cut the line only for it to come directly at her face and cut her cheek making her scream in pain making Suyin Cover her mouth in shock.
End Flashback
Lin shuddered as she kept remembering.
Meanwhile
Bolin whistled as he grabbed some metal meteorite before trying to metal bend it really hard.
This of course was not working since nothing happened not knowing what to do.
"Hey, Bolin." Opal said startling him.
"Opal! Oh. Wow. You really know how to sneak up on someone." Bolin said with the metal behind him.
"What are you doing with that?" Opal asked.
"Oh, nothing, you know, just...Thinking about my body and mustaches that I might have in the future." Bolin said trying to put it back but dropped it as she raised an eyebrow
"Wanna try again or keep making a fool of yourself?" Opal asked making him.
"Sorry. I wasn't really thinking about all my mustaches. I'm just frustrated. I've been trying to metal bend, and I can't figure it out. Don't tell anyone, okay?" Bolin asked.
"Why are you frustrated? Not everyone can do it." Opal said.
"Because it's embarrassing. This isn't the first time I've tried. I mean, I've been wanting to metalbend ever since I heard about Toph. Your grandmother is my biggest hero." Bolin said.
"My mom grew up learning from Toph and Sean before the Titans came back. Just go train with her. Stop being so scared." Opal said.
"You know what? Maybe I am scared, but what about you? I know you want to go to the Northern Air Temple to train with Tenzin, but you haven't done it because your afraid too." Bolin said.
"You know what? You're right. I don't want to leave my family and disappoint my mom." Opal said.
Meanwhile
Lin continued to sit down as she entered the final parts of the memory.
Flashback 30 years ago
"What were you two thinking? You two have put me in an impossible position." Toph said to her daughters.
"What did I do? She's the one who was running around with criminals." Lin said glaring at Suyin while having a patch on her cheek.
"This is all your fault!" Suyin said.
"I was doing my job! Something you know nothing about!" Lin yelled.
"Enough! All right heres what we're going to do. Su, you need to leave the city as soon as possible." Toph said.
"What? Where am I supposed to go?" Suyin asked.
"I have an old friend who'll keep an eye on you for a while. Lin, give me the arrest report." Toph said getting her to do that before Toph tore it apart shocking her.
"Mom, what are you doing? You can't cover this up. There were witnesses." Lin said.
"I'm the Chief of Police. I can't have a daughter in jail." Toph said.
"So, once again, she gets to do whatever she wants, and there are no consequences." Lin said pissed off as Toph held her head.
"This is our only option." Toph said.
End Flashback
After that the needles came out.
"You're going to feel a bit fragile, so it's probably best if you take it easy for a little while."
Thats when Lin sat up.
"I don't need to rest. It's time I did something I should have a long time ago." Lin said.
Meanwhile
Korra was demonstrating her metalbending abilities to Suyin making a Metal Serpent that moved so freely.
"Very impressive Korra. Not even I can do that." Suyin said.
"I trained her to be the best. Eventually she'll fully surpass Kyoshi and she was the very best of them all." Sean said.
"Although soon the world won't need the Avatar anymore." Korra said.
Thats when the ground shook.
"Oh crap." Sean said before seeing Lin who looked like hell.
"Oh no." Korra said holding the twins close.
"Su, it's time we talk." Lin said looking angry.
"After 30 years, you're finally ready to talk?" Suyin asked.
"When we were in Mom's office that day, you could have taken responsibility for what you did, but instead you stayed quiet and let mom throw her whole career away." Lin said.
"Mom didn't throw her career away. She retired the next year. She was planning to that anyway." Suyin said.
"You think Mom wanted to Retire?" Lin asked.
"Actually she did." Sean said making her face him. "Toph told me before that incident she was planning to retire just as Sokka did with the Council. This event didn't change that idea or accelerate it." Sean said shocking her.
"See? My actions had nothing to with mom's choice. She was gonna leave regardless...Wait is that what this is about? You think I was the reason Mom retired?" Suyin asked.
"I have plenty of reasons to think that way." Lin said.
"Look. I admit I wasn't perfect when I was a kid. But I've changed. Look around you. You think I could make all this as I was 30 years ago? No. I changed when Sean told me about the past. I decided to change and look at me now. I lead the people of Metal City like a responsible person. I made sure my family is taken care of." Suyin said.
"Although technically..." Sean tried to say.
"Shut up." Suyin said making him chuckle. "No wise cracks from you old man." Suyin said amused.
"She's probably the only person who means that in a nice way." Sean said making Korra giggle. "Lin face the facts. Suyin's changed. You just don't want to admit it because in the back of your head you blame her for Toph stepping down because you worked hard to get some praise out of her but never got it. Toph was a lot of things but she wasn't perfect. But I know she was proud of both of you regardless of how you both turned out." Sean said as Lin fell back but he used Water bending to keep her up.
Later
"There we go." Sean said seeing the two talking civilized.
"Well...At least they didn't fight. Otherwise they'd probably destroy the whole city before Kong and the others got involved." Korra said.
"HEH!" Godzilla said amused. "Be thankful it wasn't Titan City. Otherwise I'd be pissed and finally burn her to ash like I almost did last time. Only reason I left her alive was because I wanted her death to be slow. Though we're on good terms now." Godzilla said.
"Mostly." Sean said.
Meanwhile
Zaheer and the others were finally outside Titan City after them big distraction they made to get away.
"Maybe we should have grabbed one of those cops to find out where she is." Ghazan said.
"Don't be stupid. They wouldn't know anything. But we'll find her soon enough." P'li said as Zaheer was meditating before opening his eyes.
"She's in Metal City." Zaheer said.
Authors Note: A lot of major changes this time around. Zaheer and the others have busted out Mark of all people from jail. Wonder What he's gonna do now? Only time can tell. And this time around Lin and Suyin didn't actually fight but have reconciled. Now Next Chapter is gonna be filled with a lot of action that will be intense. Read, Review, Fav and Follow. REVIEW MY LOYAL FANS! SEE YA!