The Order had not been expecting them; that was clear as soon as Korra landed. They thought they were picking on one weak and injured person. It made Korra's blood boil. But even though Lin was curled up on the ground behind her, she was alive. And laughing? Korra wasn't sure she had heard the Chief laugh as manically as she was now; but laughing meant breathing.
Jinora and Opal landed next to her. Opal knelt immediately by her Aunt's side. Lin was breathing hard with ragged breaths. Korra wasn't even sure she had truly registered that they were there. Opal was calling her name, but Lin didn't seem to be responding.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tenzin land on the other side of the field, so that the people attacking Lin were trapped between him and them. Korra felt fire roar to life at her finger tips and brought her hands up to a fighting stance as she cried, "How about we even the odds?"
Jinora struck first, lashing a swift stream of air out at the nearest Order members. As soon as the fell back, the others attacked in earnest. Korra cut through the people around her with ease. She hadn't felt this sort of energy in a long time. When she thought Lin was dead, it had gutted her. But Lin was alive; she was going to make sure she lived.
"Need some help?" Korra could feel the smile on her lips forming at the sound of Asami's voice. The cavalry had arrived. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Asami whipping out two electric wands. Black hair flew flawlessly around her face. Korra couldn't think of anything sexier than Asami in action. Except when Asami was working on her car. Or racing her car. Or sleeping in Korra's bed.
A boulder flew by her face and Korra snapped back to attention. She really needed to focus. Her job was to find the leader of the group. The White Lotus' intelligence said that he called himself 'The Architect'. They didn't really know what he looked like, but he was an older man. The only way to protect Lin and Izumi was to end this Order and that started with the Architect.
These people weren't fighters. That became clear to Korra as she moved through the crowd that had poured out of the compound. Sure, they were attacking them, but they weren't fighters. Not compared to Kuvira and her army. There may be a few who could give her a good fight, but the group as a whole was no match for the Avatar. She had expected more; maybe that was because of the attack on the police station was so well executed.
That's when Korra noticed that there were no spirits. She stomped the ground to raise up over the field. She could see Mako with Bolin and Asami. Su's sons were near Tenzin now. A flash of blue fire signaled Izumi. It seemed Opal had created an air bubble around her and Lin. There were definitely no spirits. Maybe that's why this wasn't the same as the station. Where were the spirits?
A flash of color by the doors of the compound caught her eye. Was that old guy wearing rainbow robes? He had a long beard and was directing the people around him. So far, the fight had been kept away from him. Narrowing her eyes, Korra's eyes swept the field once again. He was definitely the guy in charge. If he wasn't the Architect, he probably knew where he was.
Pulling water from the pouch on her hip, Korra used the liquid to push people aside as she made her way to the robed man. A man with what appeared to be fire whips in front of her. "The avatar no longer belongs in this world. We have no need for these separations between our spiritual selves and human selves. You are holding us back."
"You have got to be kidding me," muttered Korra. She didn't have time for the ramblings of cult members. Nevertheless, she raised her fists and dodged the first swing of his whips. The firebender swung wildly, causing Korra to weave and bob to avoid getting burned. A small smile snuck through as the movements reminded her of the gates on Air Temple Island where she learned to move like a leaf.
Taking the memory as inspiration, Korra drew in a deep breath and turned on her heel. Ducking down low, she swung her arm out to push air directly at the man's feet. The fire whips waved wildly in the air as he struggled to keep his balance. He hit the ground hard with a thud and Korra quickly pulled up on the earth around his wrists to bind them into the ground. He wouldn't be going anywhere for a while unless one of his earth bending buddies came to help him out.
Korra stepped over him without a second thought. The older man she suspected was the Architect had disappeared into the compound. Effortlessly, she kicked the door down and started into the building. From the air earlier, they had made out a square building, only one story tall. But as she entered the ground level, Korra got the feeling there was more to it.
For the amount of people that had stormed outside to fight the rescue party, there had to be more than just the little building you could see from the surface. For not the first time, Korra wished she had mastered seismic sense. She vowed that when they got Lin back safely, she would ask her to seriously train her in that ability. For now, she would have to rely on her other senses and instinct.
Compared to outdoors, the compound was relatively quiet. Korra quickly sprinted down a long corridor; her footsteps the only sound to be heard. She slid around a corner, giving herself a moment to catch her breath. At the end of another hallway, she could see what looked like a staircase. Maybe the Architect had another way out, such as a tunnel on one of the lower levels. The only problem was getting lost. What kind of Avatar would she be if she couldn't even navigate enemy territory?
But as Korra approached the edge of the staircase, she thought of a better idea. Cupping her hands around her mouth she shouted, "Only a coward deserts his people in the middle of a battle!"
A smile swept her face when she heard a voice call back. "Am I a coward if I know my limits? I am no match for the Avatar."
"How about you come out from hiding and try your luck?" Korra cracked her knuckles and slipped her feet into a fighting stance at the top of the stairs.
"We could end this fighting, Avatar, if you would just walk away," the voice called out.
Korra began down the steps one at a time, creeping toward where she thought the Architect's voice was coming from. "You had six police officers murdered and kidnapped the Chief of Police of Republic City. You tortured her to extract information about a spirit that wishes to be left alone, away from the world of humans!"
"But then we would be equal. All would possess your power, Avatar. You stand to lose everything, but we could gain it all."
She paused halfway down the staircase. "Is that what you think? That the spirit could grant you the power of all four elements?"
"You misunderstand, Avatar. It is not about the elements themselves. It is about the equality for all."
"That would never work! There are other problems in the world besides the differences between the different nations; between benders and non-benders. Power is corruptible with or without the power of the Avatar. People would still suffer! But now everyone would have the power to hurt, to murder, to attack a police station in the middle of the night!" She continued to press down the stairs as she spoke. Giving everyone the ability to bend all four elements wouldn't solve anything; it would probably cause more problems.
When Korra reached the landing, she saw a pair of ornate double doors to her left. With a gust of air, she blew them open. The room was large and empty except for a singular old man standing in the middle of the stone floor. He wore multicolored robes and his long beard was braided. "I have researched this my entire life. I have gathered followers of the idea of total equality for years. And now, I have the ability to carry out my grand idea."
"This is ludicrous," argued Korra. She kept herself prepared for attack in the doorway. Just because he looked harmless, didn't mean he actually was. According to the White Lotus, the man who called himself the Architect was a non-bender from the Earth Kingdom. "There have been instances throughout history of villages or clans that only accepted benders. None of them thrived or lasted; they were all met with the same problems as everyone else. As the Avatar I was taught these histories so that I did not allow it to happen again."
"That is your opinion."
"History will repeat itself," Korra insisted, glad for once of the years of training by the White Lotus. Corruption and evil would not disappear because everyone could bend all four elements. There would still be people who would be better at bending than others. There would still be poor people; people who didn't fit in. There would be those who would covet power, whatever that meant in this new world. No, the world was better as it was.
"If I cannot convince you, then I must join my brothers and sisters in this fight." The Architect raised his arms and four spirits sprang forth from the ground around him. "Good luck, Avatar, when we meet again, we shall be equals!"
Korra let a fury of fire in the direction of the Architect and his spirit bodyguards and turned to rush back up the staircase. The first spirit caught her leg and she quickly bent the air around her to keep her from colliding with the steps. Whipping around, she pushed a tunnel of wind to push the purple slithering spirit away from her. She knew better than to take spirits on by herself. She needed to get back outside to get help. Korra also knew there probably a high chance that there were more spirits than just these four. The spirits needed to be taken on as a team.
She sprinted down the hallway to the exit. The door she had blown open earlier was still swinging on its hinges. The sun blinded her briefly as she burst out of the compound. Blinking, she took in her surroundings. Directly in front of her was Wei and Wing fighting back to back. In the sky, she could see Oogie circling above them. Ikki and Meelo had bailed off to fight spirits that had rose to meet them. Asami and Bolin raced up to her.
Breathless, Asami asked, "Did you find him?"
"Yes," replied Korra glancing behind her, waiting for the spirits chasing her to come out of the compound. "But he had company."
An orange bird-like creature blasted through the door first, barreling uncontrollably toward the trio. Korra pushed Asami to the ground and Bolin dove off in the other direction. The spirit missed them but purple spirit that had caught Korra earlier reared above her. Asami's electric rod came down hard on it's back. Korra rolled out of the way. Bolin, seeing the other two spirits coming out of the compound at them, hurled a large rock at the door, blocking the entrance.
Screams suddenly echoed across the field. Above them, Zuko's great red dragon soared through the blue sky. Druk opened his great mouth and let out a stream of fire that scorched the spirits fighting Ikki and Meelo in the air. Korra let out a cheer as the dragon rounded back for a second shot at the field. Several of the people around them began to run away; some into the safety of the compound, others to the forest.
Korra made eye contact with Asami and she gave a quick nod as if she was reading Korra's mind. Together, they started running to the middle of the fight where Lin would be. Korra blew air to carve a path through the chaos. Glancing up, she saw something small falling from the dragon. In the split second it took for her to wonder what or who it could be, the figure hit the ground and a wave of earth blew through the field.
Toph Beifong had joined the fight. Korra's heart swelled with confidence. Zuko and Toph were here; they were going to get Lin out of this. Druk landed and with a swirl of fire, Zuko leapt to the ground to stand next to his old friend. Toph twisted a foot in the ground and three nearby fighters were sucked into the earth like quicksand.
Korra could finally see Lin now. The Chief had blood on her face and she was clinging to a determined Kya. Su, Izumi, Tenzin, and a wild Bumi guarded the couple. Mako, Soraya, and the rest of the officers were pushing people back so Ikki and Meeko could land. Jinora landed directly in front of Korra and Asami, causing them to stop their run.
"Where is the Architect?" she shouted over the noise. Not too far away, Druk roared as he and Zuko took on the wild spirits.
"He got away," Korra shouted back. She glanced back at the compound. As much as she wanted to help with Lin, she knew now that they had help combatting the spirits, she needed to get back to her original task.
The red dragon slithered around Zuko, clawing at the spirits that it was attracting. Fire roared from the dragon's magnificent throat. The spirits dipped and swirled around it, looking for weakness, but Druk showed none. At Zuko's direction, Druk swept up the two nearest spirits, his talons digging into their bodies. Izumi joined her father and his dragon, her blue fire merging beautifully with theirs.
The ground shook beneath them, drawing their attention back to Toph. It seemed no one was willing to take on the blind old woman as the earth molded and shuddered beneath her step. She had reached her daughters now, a wake of fallen fighters behind her. Korra bit back a laugh when she heard Toph shout, "I just want to retire. But you two meat heads can't seem to keep out of trouble."
"Hello, mother!" chimed Su. Korra couldn't hear Lin's response, but she could guess there was a handful of colorful grumbles. Toph pulled boulders from the earth to hurl at anyone she thought got too close to her daughters.
Remembering her task, Korra turned back to the compound and Soraya appeared by her side. "I will go with you. The White Lotus can take custody of him."
Over the past few days, Soraya had grown on Korra with her positive attitude. After Korra had threatened to kill her, the young woman had not held a grudge. And it had been Soraya that had spent all night with Mako trying to make a breakthrough in the case.
"Go," said Asami and gave Korra a quick kiss and jogged off to where Oogi was landing.
This time, they entered through the garage. Members of the Order were huddled in corners, their arms raised in surrender. Korra looked over the group, seeing the fear that the dragon had instilled. Or maybe the fight had gotten out of hand for most of them. She was sure that not everyone involved in this cult was a fighter.
"We only want the Architect," Korra called out with authority. "We can end this battle with him!"
A young woman in a yellow dress stood up from behind a box of crates and pointed a shaking hand at a side door. Soraya gave her a little bow and the two women crashed through the door into another long hallway. Korra cursed how generic the building was. Soraya had begun banging open each door and Korra started to follow suit.
Irritated Korra decided to resort to her earlier tactic. "Come out now and face the consequences! Your people are hurting. They are losing this battle!"
At the sound of her voice, two benders came barreling into the hallway from one of the rooms. One was a water bender, the other was an earth bender. Korra was tired of other people fighting the Architect's fight for him. She twisted her hands in front of her and took a deep breath. Then she stepped forward, forcing all the air behind her to rush forward in the same twisting motion of her hands.
The two Order members had no defense for the sudden show of air bending and the hit the walls and ceiling to fall back to the floor, unconscious. Soraya grinned beside her. "Nice move."
"Thanks." Four more people swarmed out of the same room, one of them in the brightly colored robes of the Architect. Korra stepped forward with authority. This fight needed to end now. "We have come for your surrender. We can do this quietly with no more fighting. The White Lotus will take you into custody and you will have a chance to speak."
The old man looked at the two fighters easily beaten on the floor. Korra guessed that he had some idea of how the fight was going outside. The word of a dragon entering the fray would surely have made it to him. Druk would take back whatever advantage the Order had using the spirits. The Architect nodded to his co-conspirators and they took a knee beside him.
"We surrender," he spoke softly, now just an old man, beaten at his own game. Korra moved so Soraya could place ice handcuffs over his wrists. Then they escorted him to the battlefield to end the fighting.