Ba Sing Se - Earth Kingdom
Caran POV...
Up on top of one of the taller buildings in Ba Sing Se, Korra, Luon and I were gathered in the dark of night, getting ourselves ready for our mission. Despite the intensity of our reason for being here, I couldn't help but marvel at the look of the massive city spread out below, millions of lights illuminating the whole place. Never in my life have I seen a city so massive, having lived in the South Pole for most of it. Even Republic City was much smaller than Ba Sing Se, despite having the taller skyscrapers than the latter.
As we get ourselves ready Tenzin waits with us to supervise, giving us the final details.
It was kind of exciting what we're about to do right now, and I certainly look the part as well. I'm dressed up in a long black tunic and pants, with an Equalist mask to cover my face. Korra and Luon both shared the same outfit, making us look like Equalists even if they managed to get a better look at us, which they shouldn't be able to. Essentially we're just a group of three silhouetted thugs that are invisible in the night. Along with our disguises, we also had three gliders in order to fly, one of them being modified to make it easier for me and Luon to fly without the use of airbending.
"You all understand what to do?" Tenzin asks us.
"Yeah, I think we're set," Luon replies.
"Good. Remember, you only have a small opportunity to carry this off before the Dai Li arrive," he warns us.
"You really think they'll get involved?" Korra asks.
"I do. They're brilliant, cunning, ruthless, and under direct control of the Earth Queen," he states firmly. "Lau will most certainly request for their assistance to protect himself."
"Great. Get out before the ninja earthbenders arrive," I remark.
"Indeed," Tenzin nods, giving me a look. "Caran, your lightsaber."
I look up at him in surprise before remembering I still have it, and reluctantly hand it over with a disappointed sigh.
"Wish I could use it," I grumble.
"You know very well that would reveal your identity and ruin the whole plan," he reminds me.
"Eh, can't be too bad squirt. This is still pretty fun, right?" Korra says with a grin.
"Yeah, it is," I admit in agreement.
I turn towards our gliders in order to inspect them eagerly, only to frown when I notice there are only two of them.
"Uh, Tenzin? There's only two gliders here," I say in concern.
"That is correct," he nods.
"But there's three of us," I reminds him, a bit alarmed. "How are we all supposed to do this right if one of us can't even get over there?"
"The gliders are for Luon and Korra. But since you're too young, you'll be flying with Korra," Tenzin states.
I gape at him in complete bewilderment, while Korra and Luon both look over in surprise. However that quickly turns to amusement, particularly for Korra, as they struggle to withhold their laughter.
"Wh- what? Too young?!" I demand incredulously. "What do you mean too young?"
"I mean, you're too young to properly operate a glider safely," he says firmly.
"Tenzin, all of your kids are younger than me, and they fly on gliders! Meelo is five years old for spirits sake!" I argue in protest.
"But they are airbenders, and can safely use them. You however, are not an air bender," he retorts calmly.
"Neither is Luon!" I point out.
"But he is old enough to use it safely. The modified gliders are still too big for you to operate," he tells me.
At that comment Korra bursts out laughing, and I turn around to give her a death glare. Luon is just smiling in amusement, chuckling softly.
"You're not my dad, so stop with the parent safety stuff!" I tell Tenzin.
"I'm not- JUST QUITE WHINING ALREADY! You're flying with Korra!" he snaps irritably.
I let out a long groan of frustration and begin to sulk, glaring at the gliders with my arms crossed as Tenzin moves away, ending the argument. Korra sidles up to me with a smirk on her face, and I look away with a scoff.
"You know, I can't help but feel a bit bad for you," she teases me. "You have it rough being a small guy."
"I hate you," I mutter in annoyance.
Korra snickers at my plight once more and readies herself, pulling her Equalist mask over her head while Luon does the same. After a moment more to grumble at my grievances in life being years younger than the rest of the time, I pull my mask down and join up with them. Tenzin pulls out a radio and begins speaking into it.
"Bolin, are you in position?" he questions.
"Agent Ferret reporting! I have infiltrated the base and am behind enemy lines!" Bolin replies with an intense whisper.
"You don't need to act like that," Tenzin sighs in exasperation. "We're waiting for your signal."
"Roger that! Making my way to the power controls now! Agent Ferret, out!" he says, disregarding what Tenzin said.
"Classic Bolin," Luon remarks with a scoff.
"Even I don't do that anymore," I add, a little baffled.
"At least he's enjoying himself," Korra shrugs.
Tenzin sighs, shaking his head.
L.S.I. Holdings HQ - Ba Sing Se
3rd person POV...
A pair of guards walk beside each other down the empty hallway, silently looking around for any signs of disturbance as per usual. Once they disappear around the corner, a figure peeks their head out from the end of the hallway and begins to quietly creep along the wall.
The figure being Bolin, he is also disguised as an Equalist, using a mask to cover his own face. He looks around anxiously as he continues to creep down the hallway, whispering to himself.
"Stealthy... stealthy... stealthy..." he murmurs. "I'm a spy... on a mission!"
Reaching a door in the middle of the hallway, he looks to see the sign identifying it as the way to the buildings power grid and smiles to himself. He swiftly yanks the door open and then dashes inside, just barely avoiding being spotted by the two guards as they return in the opposite direction.
Now inside the darker room, Bolin makes his way down a short flight of metal stairs and then into the basement, where tons of machinery is set up in order to provide the building with electricity. Bolin gapes at all of the machines, a little uneasy, and then starts making his way through the room.
"Alright, power off, power off..." he says anxiously. "Come on, isn't there just a big giant off switch!?"
He scrambles up and down the rows of electrical panels and switches, grabbing at his head in frustration.
"Dah! Where's Asami when you need her?" he groans.
Bolin then glances to the side to see a circuit breaker, all of the switches on it labeled for their function. He gasps happily and rushes over, frantically looking up and down he console.
"Yes! Night time everybody!" he declares triumphantly.
With the circuit breaker at his disposal, Bolin quickly begins to flip off every switch one by one, shutting off the power to the building one section at a time.
In his office, Lau is seated at his desk, speaking on the phone to someone while looking over several papers that display the numbers his company is producing.
All of a sudden the power shuts off, disrupting his phone calls and plunging the entire floor into darkness. Lau glances up at the lightbulb above him with a frown and then looks around through his glass windows, noticing that the rest of the entire floor is the same. Coming to a realization for why the power is out, Lau widens his eyes in alarm and gets to his feet, the words of the Joker coming back to him.
The Avatar has no jurisdiction. She'll find him, and make him squeal!
And she really did come.
Caran POV...
Waiting for Bolin to shut the power off was nothing but anxiety for us. Luckily our time was cut shorter than I expected, and we watch in relief as the lights in Lau's entire office building turn off, plunging the structure into darkness.
"Agent Ferret reporting! Mission is a success!" Bolin says happily.
"Good work Bolin. Make your way to Lin's position," Tenzin replies.
"Yes sir!" he says, ending the call.
"The rest of us will be flying the airship. You only have a small window of opportunity to secure yourselves before we pass overhead, so be fast," Tenzin urges.
"Got it Tenzin," Korra says with a nod.
"Good luck you three," he tells us.
Tenzin quickly makes his exit from the roof, while the rest of us get ourselves ready for the flight. Luon gets his glider ready while I look down at the harness I'm holding, groaning once more.
"This is so embarrassing," I mutter.
"Well you can whine later, we gotta go. It'll only be for a few second anyways," Korra urges firmly.
Grumbling irritably to myself I reluctantly begin to strap on the harness so that it's set firmly on my torso. Two long straps hang off of each side, angling towards my back. Making my way over to Korra I stand in front of her, waiting for her to strap it around her as well.
"Oh this will be funny," she snickers, filling me with dread.
She bends her knees slightly to lower herself down and then pulls the straps around herself. She tightens them so that my back is flush against her chest and stomach, securing me to her; I'm about 8 inches shorter than her, so my head only reaches right up to her chin. Then she stands up fully, and I barely withhold a startled noise as I'm lifted off the ground.
Not fully, as the front half of my feet are still touching the ground, but if I was strapped in only a couple inches higher, I would be clear off the ground. Guess it's a 'good' thing that Korra is ridiculously strong, otherwise she probably wouldn't be able to do this.
"Hah! You're like a baby in this thing!" Korra laughs.
"How are you not embarrassed by this?" I whine irritably.
"My amusement at your embarrassment greatly overrides my own," she says proudly.
"Ugh!" I let out a groan. "Feels like everyone is trying to embarrass me…"
"After comparing the both of you to Mako and Bolin, I have concluded that it is a lot more nerve-racking for a guy to have an older sister than an older brother," Luon comments.
"You have no idea," I sigh in agreement.
"We ready then?" Korra asks.
"A little tense about jumping off of a building, but I'm ready," Luon says, readying his glider.
"You already know about me," I respond bitterly.
Korra scoffs in amusement, and then uses her air bending to pull her new glider over to her. Tenzin recently had it constructed for her to use, and it was based off of the design that Aang was given after his original one was destroyed. The color certainly fits Korra better that's for sure, and the style of its wings seems more 'water tribe' than 'air nomad.'
"Good," she says. "Then lets rolls."
"You sure that thing can hold the weight?" I murmur offhandedly.
"You calling me fat, squirt?" Korra demands.
"I don't know, you tell me," I retort, a bit amused.
Instead of responding, Korra takes a running leap and jumps out into the air. I widen my eyes in shock, completely frozen in anxiety as we fall through open air for a few seconds until Korra flips open her glider's wings and shoots us up through the air with her airbending. I breathe heavily to expel the tension I was feeling and scowl up at her.
"Seriously?!" I exclaim.
"That's what you get!" she replies smugly.
Korra loops back around to make sure Luon launches off of the building properly, kicking out her foot to give him a small gust of air for stability. After a few seconds of wobbly flying he stabilizes himself, and starts gliding beside us.
"Not as bad as I thought it would be," he remarks.
"Easy for you to say," I respond, gripping tightly to the straps securing me to Korra.
"Ok, time to get serious. Let's get in there and get out before we lose too much time," she says firmly.
"His office is on the twentieth floor; the one with the balcony," Luon tells us.
We angle in the direction of the correct floor and begin flying towards the building, picking up speed. The Equalist mask proves to be a big help, at the very least I think it does, because the speed we were flying at would surely be blowing intense wind in our faces. The window we were aiming for is now much clearer, only several seconds away from impact.
I feel Korra tense up as we approach it, ready to bust through the glass…
3rd person POV…
Lau marches around his darkened office anxiously, several of his bodyguards making their way over to him. They were all metalbenders with blades on their person, but in Lau's eyes it wasn't enough, especially considering that he himself couldn't bend an element.
"Where are the Dai Li?" he demands.
"Coming," a guard replies.
"What the heck am I paying them for?" he asks with incredulous anger.
The bodyguards all pass each other flashlights and start shining them around the office while Lau stands back, his body shaking with terror. Ripping open his desk he pulls out a sack of deadly explosive pellets for his own protection, and then moves toward the center of the room with his guards surrounding him.
Outside one of the windows the team of three quickly begin their approach, the people inside oblivious to their movement.
While Luon hangs back to avoid the damage of the collision, Korra quickly maneuvers her body around mid flight in order to kick her feet out, also folding up her glider and covering herself and Caran. With her feet out in front of her, she breaks through the glass effortlessly with a combination of her strength and velocity, rolling across the office floor.
She keeps herself and Caran as protected as possible during the impact, and once they're stable inside of the building they disconnect the straps of the harness and throw it aside, separating from each other for as much movement as possible. Luon jumps inside right after them, stumbling a bit upon landing while dropping his glider so that it falls down to the street below, but unharmed.
Startled, Lau and his bodyguards turn towards the commotion in surprise, and their attackers quickly leap into action.
Luon lunges forwards and shoves up the arms of a guard as he tries shooting a blade of metal, forcing his aim towards the roof instead. He pushes him back and then kicks him through a glass barricade, shattering it. Korra charges forwards and jumps into the air, whirling around to smack her staff heavily against a guards head, jabs another in the stomach, and then kicks away someone who attempts to blindside her. Caran faces off against a guard who shoots several sharp blades at him. Sensing them just in time he narrowly ducks out of the way of each blade, and then leaps forwards to kick him in the face.
Panicking, Lay throws a few pellets at the assailants, causing sharp explosive bursts. They quickly duck away from the pellets to fall behind cover, and Lay stares forwards with a tense gaze, eyes flickering in anger and fear.
A squad of Dai Li agents make their way into the lobby of the L.S.I. Holdings at a brisk pace, hard glares on all of their faces as they approach the front desk.
"Thank goodness your here!" the lobby attendant exclaims. "The assailants are after Mr. Lau!"
The Dai Li sergeant in charge of the group nods his head in confirmation, and gives his squad a simple gesture. As one they all begin sprinting for the elevator, moving as quickly as they could to reach Lau's office.
Lau and his bodyguards remain tense and anxious as they look around the office, trying to detect any sign of their assailants who look so much like Equalists with the outfits and masks they're wearing.
But Lau knows better than to believe Equalists would be after him.
Across the room, one of the bodyguards lets out a startled scream as a dark figure jumps him, effortlessly taking him down, and the light of his flashlight disappears. Lau whips his head around to look at where the guard disappeared, and a few others begin fanning out to search for the three intruders. Suddenly another guard cries out as a smaller figure jumps up and whirls around to kick him in the face. Lau throws two explosive pellets in the figure's direction, but he ducks away before they could hit him. To his left Lau then sees two green circles that are lightly illuminated in the dark.
"Get them, now!" he roars, pointing them out.
His bodyguards whip around and shoot several blades at Korra, but she easily dodges to the side and then jumps off of a desk, swinging her arms down at them. In response to her movement, water flows out of a pouch set around her waist and shoots down at the bodyguards, smacking them aside. She twirls around and uses the water to shield herself from another blade, then reaches out with a water tendril and grabs the guard's arm, yanking him over in order to kick him in the chest.
Lau attempts to throw more explosive pellets at her, but Caran quickly jumps out of nowhere and kicks them out of his hand, so that they explode harmlessly against the floor. Lau tries swinging his arm around to punch the smaller boy, but he easily twirls past him and smacks his head with a phone. He stumbles back with a grunt of pain only to be tackled by Luon, shoved down to the floor. One of his bodyguards tries to attack Luon, but he quickly backs away from Lau in favor of deflecting his arm away and then delivering fierce jabs to the stomach that leave him breathless.
Scrambling to his feet, Lau tries making a run for it but is stopped when Korra shoots out a water whip to grab his ankle, tripping him so that he falls down again. He hits the ground with a grunt and turns, scrambling backwards with a fearful expression. Korra yanks him over to her with the water and then directs it back into her water pouch in favor of grabbing his ankle with her hand, her staff already set in place on her back.
"Let go of me! Stop this! You can't do this to me!" Lau cries out in a panic, trying to free himself.
Korra's strength proves greater than his own however, and as she drags him over to the broken window she effortlessly swings out her free hand, smacking aside a guard who attempts to stop her. Caran jumps over to the guard and leaps into the air, angling himself to deliver a fierce dropkick which knocks him down. He and Luon then follow after Korra as they make their way to the broken window, their 'prize' secured. Once at the window, Korra wrestles Lau to his feet and then wraps a single rope around them to secure him to her, making it so he couldn't escape. He tries fighting against her continuously, attempting to elbow her in the face, but she ducks her head back and jabs her own fist into his side, halting his efforts with a cry of pain.
"Quit whining you coward," she scoffs irritably.
"We ready?" Caran asks.
"Yeah, let's go. They should be over any second now," Luon says, checking a watch on his wrist.
"What are you talking about?! Let me go you scum!" Lau demands angrily.
"Nope, sorry!" Caran replies cheekily.
Together, the three of them rip out a small cord attached to a small sack that each other them are wearing. With the cord released, a large white balloon, lit up with a bright flashlight, is blown out of each sack and begins floating up high into the air, all of them tied to the balloons by thin yet sturdy metal cables. At that moment a large group of Dai Li agents storm into the office and rush over to them, their hands and feet all covered in hard stones.
"All of you stop right there! Release Mr. Lau at once!" the Dai Li sergeant order.
"ARREST THEM ALREADY!" Lau screams angrily.
"You're outnumbered! Let him go now before we used deadly force!" the sergeant continues, glaring at them.
Korra, Caran, and Luon, remain silent as the Dai Li agents surround them, but don't give up Lau either. Each agent gets into an earth bending stance with their hands and feet in full visibility, ready to unleash their harsh and deadly assault at a moments notice. A sound then gains the attention of Lau and all of the agents, and they look around in confusion and unease while the three kidnappers smile in relief. The balloons are now at least two hundred feet in the air and still rising, when they are all caught but something.
The cables are pulled taut as Caran, Korra, and Luon are swiftly yanked out of the building and out into open air. Lay screams in fright as he's pulled out with Korra, and the Dai Li agents quickly rush to the window and look out with bewildered expressions, the sergeant looking more upset and infuriated. A small airship had passed over the building and swiftly nabbed the balloons, yanking their passengers along with them. They began rising up in the air as the airship started ascending higher, and the four people connected to it were also being pulled up as well.
Caran POV…
I breathe out a sigh of relief as I'm lifted up to the airship, where Lin was using her metalbending to pull us all inside through the metal cables. I'm more than happy to be back on solid footing again as I step inside of the airship, quickly moving away from the open hatch. turning around, I watch as the cables are pulled up along the winch they were attached to, which was connected to the machine that caught the balloons from the sky. Luon is pulled inside the airship next and is immediately followed by Korra, Lau in tow.
As soon as their feet touch the ground Asami presses a button to close the hatch while Mako separates Lau from Korra, only to restrain the cowardly man himself and cuff his arms behind his back. Korra, Luon and I all sigh in exhaustion and pull our masks off of our heads, also slipping the balloon sacks off of our backs.
"Well, that went well," Korra remarks.
"Went well?" Bolin suddenly exclaims, rushing over to us. "Dude, that was amazing! I can't believe you guys could stomach that!"
"Don't recommend it," I reply offhandedly.
"I'm glad everything turned out alright," Tenzin says in relief, making his way over to us.
"Let go of me at once!" Lau snarls, gaining our attention. "You have no right to do this!"
"Just sit down and be quiet, Lau," Mako snaps, shoving him to sit down against the wall. "You've got a lot to answer for."
"Answer for what, exactly?!" he retorts with an angry glare.
"Supporting criminals in my city?" Lin offers as an example, marching forwards.
"Chief Beifong," Lau says with a mocking chuckle. "You do realize you have just committed a crime, do you not? This was a breach of international affairs, and the Earth Queen will not stand for it!"
"The Earth Queen doesn't know who was responsible for this," she retorts calmly.
"It won't take a genius to figure out, once I'm seen back in Republic City," he argues.
"Your reappearance in Republic City does not mean that the government was responsible for your kidnapping, nor can the Earth Queen accuse us without any form of proof whatsoever," Tenzin states firmly. "But by the time she knows you're back in Republic City, we'll have all the proof needed to exposed you as the criminal you are, and international law states that countries interfere in legal affairs of other countries when the evidence proves the accused is guilty."
"So you claim, Tenzin," he scoffs angrily. "You don't have any proof that I'm a criminal!"
"The business numbers from your company speak for itself," Asami points out. "Your profits increase at a rate that can only be explained through illegal revenue streams."
Lay glares angrily at her while Asami smiles back in satisfaction, and Korra bumps her shoulder in approval.
"That being said, there's enough evidence to hold you on trial for crimes of money laundering," Lin states, giving him a look. "You're going to help us make sure the bending triads are put out of business."
"Even if I were willing to help you, Chief Beifong," Lay starts, smirking up at her. "The moment you're seen returning to Republic City with me, it will be known that Team Avatar was sent under your orders to illegally apprehend me from a foreign country. Then you'll have no choice but to release me."
Lin frowns at his statement and I look around at the others in concern, realizing that none of us thought about how we were going to smuggle Lau back into Republic City without being exposed as having broken international law.
"Hmm… ooh, ooh, ooh! I have an idea!" Bolin suddenly exclaims.
"This better be good bro," Mako says, a bit apprehensive.
"It most certainly is, dear brother," he replies with a confident smile. "I need a marker, and some paper!"
We all share confused and bewildered looks with each other, while Mako just sighs in exasperation. Even though Lau was as smug as good be, he still seemed a bit confused by Bolin. Surprisingly however, I could sense complete confidence and assurance in the idea from Bolin, much to my curiosity.
What is he thinking?
THE NEXT MORNING
Police Department - Republic City
3rd person POV…
Seated at her desk, Lin looks through various case files relating to the Joker and his increasing activity. There are also several brief clues relating to the two Knights of Ren present, even a sighting of the Messenger in one photo, but no news whatsoever on Vyra Ren and where she could possibly be. She's certainly much more elusive and secretive than the Messenger for sure, and the Joker isn't even really trying to hide whenever he does something.
Hearing footsteps approaching, Lin looks up and sets the papers aside as Saikhan and another officer named Ramirez walk into her office, slightly bewildered expressions on their faces.
"You're gonna want to see this," Ramirez tells her.
"What's this about?" Lin questions with a frown.
They both glance at each other, and then Saikhan turns to answer her with a sigh.
"It's easier to show you than to explain it," he says.
Although Lin is greatly amused and cheering in satisfaction, she keeps the expression of confusion on her face and stands up, allowing Saikhan and Ramirez outside. Once they reach the front entrance of the building, she follows them through a crowd of confused but excited police officers, who were all standing around one of the lamp posts at the bottom of the steps.
Laying against the lamp post, on the ground and clearly knocked out was none other than Mr. Lau. Taped onto his chest was a piece of paper that read: 'Please deliver to Chief Beifong!' Along with the cops were also a few reporters, taking pictures of Lau and the reaction of the police, murmuring to each other about the story.
Lin lets some of her exasperation shine through at how Lau was set up, followed by amusement and satisfaction, and then gestures for a pair of officers to take him inside, to which they readily oblige.
Upon waking up, Lau immediately demanded to have his lawyer be brought in for defense of his case, which Lin reluctantly agreed to as per the law. She also called Senator Shuno in to let him know that Lau was back in their custody, which he was very excited to hear about, immediately making his way over to the police department.
Shuno arrived at the compounds in only 30 minutes, bringing along his fiancé to help with interrogating Lau. They greeted both Lin and Tenzin, who were both there as well. Then Mera volunteers to interrogate Lau, walking into the interrogation room where he was cuffed to a table with his sleezy lawyer, Torvin, sitting beside him.
Lin, Tenzin, and Shuno all watch from beyond a one way glass wall, which was a fairly new addition. Along with the one way glass, the prison cells and interrogation rooms were also recently renovated, and our now made out of platinum. This was to prevent any potential metal benders suspects from attempting to escape and, in Lin's personal satisfaction, ensures that any possible double-agent cops will have a harder time doing any shady business.
"Alright Mr. Lau, I'm going to move straight to the point," Mera starts off, setting some papers on the table. "You don't have many options here, and it's quite clear at this point that your company has been profiting through less than legal means. That's enough for us to put you in jail to serve some time."
Lau stares up at Mera with an impassive expression, although the anger was noticeable.
"If I might interject," Torvin interrupts with a condescending tone. "I'm afraid that you don't have the right to send my client to prison, nor should you even be allowed to hold him here as a suspect. My client was brought here against his own will, from foreign soil, by your own government. That is a clear violation of international law."
"If the United Republic was responsible for that, then it would be," Mera confirms with a nod. "However, as it turns out the United Republic was not involved. And unless there is any such evidence that comes up, Mr. Lau will be treated as would any other citizen here."
From outside the interrogation room, Lin, Tenzin, and Shuno, all watch the proceedings with thoughtful expressions.
"She is good, I'll give her that," Lin remarks.
"Yes, she certainly is," Shuno replies proudly, before lowering his voice. "To be honest though, Torvin technically is correct about this."
Tenzin sighs in response.
"Trust me, I'm not fan of having to do what we did either," he admits grimly.
"Neither am I," Lin adds in agreement. "But we would never have gotten Lau back otherwise, and we know he's involved in this criminal conspiracy. Heavily involved."
"To which I fully agree," Shuno nods in reply. "But if word of this gets out then everything will crumble apart like dominoes, even if it's fully proved the extent of his criminal activity."
Tenzin and Lin both share a look of grim understanding, knowing just how true that was. Back inside the interrogation room, Mera begins pressing her case.
"So Mr. Lau, despite your clear illegal activity, there is a way for you to lessen the blow," Mera says, gaining Lau's attention. "Give us the money, and we'll deal."
"The money is the only reason I'm still alive," Lau replies calmly.
Satisfied in getting somewhere, Mera leans down against the table and speaks in a softer tone.
"You mean when they hear that you've helped us, they're going to kill you?" she asks knowingly.
"Are you threatening my client?" Torvin demands.
"No, of course not," Mera replies, shaking her head and standing back up. "I'm just assuming your client's cooperation with this investigation. As will everyone."
Mara starts making her way towards the door, glancing back at them.
"Enjoy your stay in County, Mr. Lau," she says.
"Wait," Lau says, and Mera stops with a smile, turning to face him inquisitively. "I won't give you the money, but I'll give you my clients. All of them."
Curious, Mera turns around a takes a few steps toward the table.
"You were a glorified accountant," she remarks. "What could you have on all of them that we could charge?"
"I'm good with calculation," Lau replies confidently. "I handled all their investments. One big pot."
Raising an eyebrow in interest, Mera turns around again and makes her way to the door. Outside of the interrogation room, Shuno's eyes brighten up at Lao's offer, and he turns towards Lin and Tenzin.
"I've got it. RICO. If their money was pooled we can charge all of them as one criminal conspiracy," he declares triumphantly.
"Charge them with what?" Lin questions.
Mera enters the room with them as Shuno begins eagerly explaining the case.
"In a RICO case if we can charge any of the conspirators with a felony—" he starts to say.
"We can charge all of them with it," Mera finishes with a smile.
Shuno nods at Mera in excitement, Lin and Tenzin also sharing a smile, and then she turns back and enters the interrogation room once more, approaching Lau.
"Mr. Lau, do you have details of this communal fund? Ledgers, notebooks…?" she questions.
"Immunity, protection and a chartered airship back to Ba Sing Se," Lau requests with a smile.
"Once you've testified in open court," she retorts. "So with your clients locked up, what happens to all that money?"
"Like I said: I'm good with calculation," he replies calmly.
With the deal done, Lin turns toward Shuno with a determined look in her eyes.
"He can't go to County. I'll keep him here in the holding cells," she states.
"For what reason?" he asks, confused.
"I don't trust them over at County," she says.
"You sure you can trust them here too?" Shuno asks doubtfully. "You said it yourself that there's possibly a mole in your police force."
"And I will be sure to showcase my displeasure with them when they are found," Lin nods firmly. "But I'm more confident in my abilities than County. Lau stays."
Shuno looks off to the side with a frown, contemplating, before nodding his head in resignation.
"It's your call, Chief. I hope you're right," he concludes.
"I am, senator," she replies confidently.
Outside of the police department, Senator Shuno and Mera walk down the steps to be faced with a crowd of reporters, all of them eager for questions. One of them gets through, and gives more of a statement than the rest.
Earth Queen Huo-Ting claims that the Earth Kingdom's international rights have been broken," she says.
"I don't know about Mr. Lau's travel arrangements... but I'm sure glad he's back," Shuno says in reply.
Kwong's Cuisine - Republic City
Tokuga, Zhen, and Jargala were all seated at a table in the fancy restaurant, eating food while listening to the radio. Hearing the statements given regarding their money accountant, Lau, they all had frowns of concern and displeasure on their faces.
"I've put the word out. We hire the crazy clown," Tokuga states, scowling. "He was right about Lau. We have to fix the real problem: Team Avatar."
Jargala remains impassive in her response, not giving a sign that she heard him, while Zhen shakes his head and looks over at the entrance of the restaurant. Walking through the doors is Chief Beifong, who casually saunters up to their table and crosses her arms, giving them all a look.
"Our guy certainly looks good on the podium," she remarks. "He'll most likely win the presidency after this."
"You sure you want to embarrass me in front of my friends, Chief?" Zhen asks.
"Don't worry about a thing. They're all coming, too," Lin states with a smile.
Right on cue, a team of metalbending police officers come banging through the door of the restaurant and begin rounding up all of the criminals present, much to the bewilderment of the employees. Tokuga throws his fork down angrily before a metal cable is wrapped around his wrists, and he's yanked out of his chair by two officers. The same happens to Zhen and Jargala, although they are more submissive and calm through the whole thing, the only sign of their anger visible through their disgruntled facial expressions.
Lin watches with great satisfaction and triumphant as the triads are all rounded up, pleased with the whole thing. Never before had she ever took part in such a successful take down of criminal organizations; she doesn't think even her mother conducted such a huge bust before.
City Hall Courthouse - Republic City
"...849 counts racketeering, 246 counts fraud, 87 counts conspiracy murder..." the judge reads off slowly.
He finally puts down the list of crimes on his desk, accidentally revealing a card. He glances at it curiously for a moment, noting the image of a Joker, before turning towards the courtroom.
"...how do the defendants plead?"
All at once, a mob of defense lawyers begin shouting in an attempt to get their voice heard, the courtroom filled with criminals and their lawyers. The only people that aren't as rowdy are the heads of the triads.
The stenographer for the court is completely bewildered by all of the lawyers, and looks up at the judge helplessly.
Air Temple Island - Republic City
Caran POV...
"I only have one thing to say," I comment, looking at the newspaper. "This, is, AWESOME!"
"Heck yeah it is," Korra replies in agreement.
We both raise our hands and give each other a high five, before continuing with our meal.
"I can't believe you guys stormed his office building! That sounded really fun!" Jinora says in amazement.
"Went a lot better than we expected that's for sure," Luon remarks. "I'm just happy we got those punks all rounded up."
"Yeah. All thanks to us," Korra jokes sarcastically. "Honestly though, the way we delivered Lau still baffles me."
"No kidding," he replies with a scoff. "A rare moment of Bolin's genius at work."
"Why? What'd he do?" Jinora asks, beaming with curiosity.
"In order to not get caught for kidnapping Lau, we knocked him out and then Bolin attached a piece of paper to him with a message saying to give him to Lin," I explain, amused. "We just played him in front of the police station without anyone noticing and then waited for Lin and the police to find him."
"Wow. That's actually a very smart way of not getting caught," she remarks.
"Tell me about it," I reply in agreement.
"Want to know something else that's funny?" Korra asks her, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me," I scowl irritably, immediately realizing her intentions.
"She's never gonna let you forget this Caran," Luon says with a sympathetic shrug.
"You don't say?" I mutter.
"What?" Jinora asks her.
"Part of the mission involved me carrying Caran like a baby," Korra says, flashing me a teasing smirk. "He was so embarrassed!"
"Carrying him like a baby?" she asks in bewilderment, a grin also spreading across her face. "This I gotta know!"
I lay my head down on the table in frustration, hiding my reddening face, as Korra eagerly starts telling Jinora about the whole 'harness' garbage. Soon she's laughing as well, all three of them teasing me. Even Luon is teasing me, although he's a lot more subtle and quiet about it, also seeming sympathetic to my plight at the same time.
Kidnapping Lay and getting him to jail was really fun, but this aftermath with the joking about my small height sucks. I'm only twelve, I've barely started my growth spurt, cut me some slack!
After having lunch we all retreated to our rooms to get some shut eye, exhausted from a minimum amount of sleep on the airship last night. In the evening however I was woken up by a strange sound, and after a few seconds of listening in confusion I brightened up happily, recognizing it as the sound of a ship. Korra wasn't in bed, probably already awake, so I got dressed as quickly as possible and made my way outside.
Jarik's ship had landed somewhere in the forest nearby, I could just barely see it through the trees, and he was already in the courtyard with Korra, Tenzin, and Luon greeting him. I quickly walked down the steps over to them and he looks over upon noticing me, nodding his head with a small smile.
"Hello Caran," he greets.
"Hey Jarik," I reply, forgetting what I should say. "Uh, nice to see you back again."
"Nice to be back as well," he replies, a little amused. "You look tired."
"We uh, were on a mission to the Earth Kingdom to get a criminal. Didn't get much sleep on the way back," I explain.
"I can imagine," he comments.
"I think I know why he's tired," Korra says with a smirk. "It's because Caran here is my adorable little baby!"
"Korra!" I snap in frustration and embarrassment.
"Ouch," Luon remarks, laughing.
"Well you are squirt, it's never gonna change!" she retorts smugly.
"Do you really have to try and embarrass me in front of Jarik though?!" I say with a whine.
"Sometimes I have to wonder if you're an incarnation of Bumi, instead of Aang," Tenzin mumbles, and I withhold a laugh while Korra frowns at him.
"Excuse me?" she demands.
"Bumi?" Jarik asks, confused.
"My older brother. He's a commander of the United Forces… and a bit crazy, if I'm being honest," Tenzin explains.
"Ah," he replies, nodding his head.
"Where is he anyways? I thought he was hanging out around here after the whole Equalist thing," I recall with a confused frown.
"Luckily he decided to stay working with the United Forces instead of living here," Tenzin says with a sigh of relief.
"Really? Because I heard he was ready to retire soon," Luon says.
"WHAT?!" Tenzin exclaims, horrified. "Wh- where did you hear that?!"
"…I thought it was common knowledge. I read it in the paper," he replies cautiously.
"Oh great. Now he's going to want to love here," he groans in despair.
"Can't be that bad, can it?" Korra asks.
"You have no idea…" Tenzin murmurs in reply.
"Well Caran, I assume you're having trouble being embarrassed by your older sister?" Jarik asks me knowingly.
"It sucks," I state glumly.
"Come on, you know you love it squirt!" Korra teases.
"Go jump in the ocean," I retort.
"I'll admit I never had 'sister' problems, but I know where you're coming from," Jarik tells me, patting me on the shoulder. "The way I get back is by either ignoring the lady, or coming up with some witty retort that can shut her up instead."
"You sexist!" Korra cries out mockingly.
"Aw shut it. The adult is talking," Jarik retorts easily.
Korra's mocking expression turns into one of genuine exasperation and disbelief, and I stifle an amused laugh at how quickly her whole demeanor changed, taking no small amount of satisfaction from it.
"You could follow the same advice Luon," Jarik advises, looking over at him.
Before he could respond, Korra beats him to it.
"Do any of that, and you'll be getting it," she promises darkly.
Luon glances at her anxiously with a hint of alarm, intimidated by the threat, and then raises his hands up placatingly.
"You know what Jarik, I'm uh, I'm good!" he quickly replies.
"Good answer," he shrugs.
I make a face at Korra, to which she makes one back in return.
"So, how have things been going with you and the Republic?" Tenzin asks.
Jarik sighs, losing his casual demeanor.
"A lot has happened, actually. That's what brought me back a bit quicker than I had intended," he replies.
We all share concerned looks, wondering what that could mean.
Joker's Gang HQ - Republic City
3rd person POV...
Inside the warehouse, Vyra stood leaning against the wall up on a balcony, casually picking at her nails as the Messenger and the Joker approached her, the latter adopting an excited grin on his face.
"Well, well, well, guess what we just learned!" Joker says in amusement. "The bending triads have decided to accept my help!"
"Have they now?" Vyra asks with interest, looking up at them.
"They have, just as we planned they would," Messenger confirms.
"Then it's time you took action, Joker," she states.
"Well it's about time," Joker says happily in content.
He moves over to a nearby window up on the balcony and looks out into the city beyond, his shoulders hunched as usual, he wild grin on his face.
"The opening act needs to be... clear. In their little faces. Bold!" he muses thoughtfully.
"Such as?" Messenger questions.
"...I want to make a statement," he replies. "Something that will gain the city's attention and fear in a moments notice. Something horrifying!"
Joker then whips around to face them, an inquisitive expression on his face.
"Say, uh, when does the other Jedi get back here?" he asks.
"He's already arrived earlier today," Vyra tells him.
"Oh, good. That's good," he nods in reply, licking his lips. "Hey, either of you know about that cosplaying girl who talked to the Avatar? Y'know, the girl that dresses up like her?"
"Her father's bending was restored by the Avatar," Messenger states. "You planning something involving the girl?"
"Yeah, it would be a good start! Hit them a little too close to home. They'll be horrified," Joker says, grinning. "It'll be the perfect way to send a message."