Hands of Fate

by RGM-96S Stark Jegan

Spider-man has to make and live with his choices in a new world. The curse of power consumes all.

16. Bearings Part 2

I do not own Spider-Man or Legend of Korra

S/N: RIP Stan Lee. You inspired me and a generation. EXCELSIOR.

XXXxxx Silk Row Road xxxXXX

It was the dead of night on a quiet road. It was out of the way with only a few night owls and third shifters making deliveries. It was the end of the work week, so the majority of the streets were scarce. A lone truck made it's slow, deliberate, track down the tarmac, only passing the occasional truck on the way. The driver made sure to drive carefully on the worn out street and stayed well within the speed limit. They monitored the police dispatch and had a rough idea of their routes, but the driver still didn't have the luxury to take it easy. The last thing they needed was a traffic cop pulling them over. His cargo was vital and time was in short supply. This was his third delivery this week, but he was still on edge.

The driver took a deep breath and calmly steadied his racing heart. He couldn't believe he was chosen for such an important assignment. His task was mundane, but it was far from meaningless. His cargo could make or break the revolution.

It was a long boring drive to his destination. His superiors were smart enough to extend his route through the backstreets to throw off any suspicions to the trucks true nature. They couldn't risk the cops or Tarrlok's glorified security guards picking up on their routine.

The driver was still nervous; his white knuckled grip on the steering wheel made that apparent. The man sitting next to him didn't have that problem. The mustachioed passenger had his arms folded and eyes shut. His calm demeanor made the driver feel like a sniveling coward. Here he was sweating bullets, while the other one looked like he was fast asleep. There was a reason why he was chosen as Amon's right hand man. He was surprised at how plain the Lieutenant looked outside of his uniform. When he first saw him at the rally, the man looked like a stone cold no nonsense warrior ready to take down any threat posed to the Equalists. But now you could confuse him with a factory worker or general laborer.

A knot formed in the driver's throat. Maybe some small talk would help ease his nerves.

"So…umm…nice night for a transport, huh sir?" He awkwardly initiated a dialogue with the stoic second in command. It was a pathetic attempt if he was being honest with himself.

"The cabin's cramped, the heaters busted, and the mold in the seat stinks." The Lieutenant didn't bother opening his eyes and sounded a little irritated. "Ain't nothing nice about tonight kid."

The driver couldn't help but chuckle at the Lieutenant's dry, matter-of-fact cadence. "Yeah, guess I was too shaken to notice."

"There's nothing to be nervous about. Just keep your eyes on the road and do your job." He paused to adjust his seating position in a vain attempt to gain some comfort. "It'll be over before you know it."

"Yes sir!" The driver did what he was told and kept his eyes on a swivel. He did that for a few minutes but something was still biting at him. His curiosity outweighed his apprehension. "Um sir…What's he like…Amon I mean?"

The Lieutenant raised his head and scowled at the young driver. A wordless fury rested behind his blank face. "Ling, right ?"

The driver winced. "Y-Yes sir." He gulped at the mention of his name. It was as if he was transported back to the school house and was on the cusp of a vicious prattling. It was a shock the man remembered his name.

"You shouldn't ask stuff like that. Makes you sound like an informant. You aren't an informant are you Ling?" The Lieutenant didn't take his eyes off Ling. He was paying close attention to his body language. He would know where Ling's loyalties were based on his answer.

"I'm not a snitch, I swear!" Ling blurted out and jerked the wheel, briefly losing control of the vehicle before griping the wheel again. The Lieutenant didn't flinch through the whole exchange.

The second in command turned away. He wasn't working with the cops; he was scared out of his mind, but he was no snitch. A faint feeling of guilt pinged his consciousness. Paranoia and blind accusations were tools of the benders not the Equalists. He took a deep breath and stared at the blank road ahead. "He's a quiet man, but you always feel his presence. He walks around like he's ten feet tall and no one could convince him otherwise." His tone softened by a hair as he continued. "He isn't judgmental, but he's always observing you. I used to think he was trying to root out weak links but that wasn't it. He's trying to see what you're capable of. Amon's always thinking twenty steps ahead of the enemy. That's why the revolution lasted this long."

Ling was amazed by the man's words. He just received a firsthand account on the man who would change the world, from his right hand man no less. "That's just…wow…"

"Yeah, he's a trip, ain't he?" The Lieutenant agreed in his own way. "Honestly, I still don't think that's the whole story."

"Still, it's amazing right?" Ling smiled. Amon was everything he hoped for, more than the hoped for. "Have you ever seen his face before?"

The Lieutenant grimaced at the young man's elation. He had no one to blame but himself. He should've kept his mouth shut. "Yeah, it ain't pretty."

Before Ling could blurt out another question, the task at hand relived him. Their little chat really did pass the time. "Alright enough chit-chat, time to get to work."

Ling followed his order and pulled the tuck into the Cabbage Corp. supply warehouse. The bay doors opened as soon as he approached.

"Alright Ling, you know the drill. Keep your mouth shut and your eyes open." Amon's right hand ordered and exited the cabin.

A team of men scurried to the truck and immediately started unloading the truck. The Mk. One shock gloves would blend with the other stock perfectly. They would fool even the most seasoned investigators. The Lieutenant ignored the men and his cargo. He only focused on the portly man ordering the small around. "Mr. Fu." He addressed the man flatly.

"Ah! Mr. … ah what did you say your name was again? I never did catch it."

"Never gave it. 'Lieutenant' will suffice."

Fu cocked a brow at the odd declaration but respected his wishes. "Right Lieutenant. Nice night, huh?" He flashed the company approved smile at the stoic man and extended a hand. "Didn't have too much trouble getting here, especially with a full moon out. Must've been easier than cake on a night like this."

The Lieutenant's face didn't move and his hand stayed at his side. He didn't appreciate the small talk or the pleasantries and went straight to business. "What's the situation on your end? Does anyone suspect you?"

Fu recoiled his hand and started stroking his beard, trying to save face. "No one suspects me. The higher ups don't give my department a second look, so that wasn't too hard. I could come to work in a clown suit and corporate wouldn't notice." He turned to face his men absently observing their performance. "Not much to report on our situation either. I come to work, do my job, and go home. Frankly, it's been pretty boring lately. I almost hope Beifong's little attack dogs would show up. You know, just to spice things up a little. Yeah, the man on top runs a tight ship. The dang movement's almost running itself at this point."

The Lieutenant didn't like the man's attitude, but it was a decent progress report. "And your men, they on the up-and-up?"

Fu turned back to the Lieutenant. "I can vouch for each and every one of these guys." He said with pride. "I've been pushing Cabbage Corp. freight with them for years. I know all of them like the back of my hand so believe me when I say they're all one-hundred percent committed to the cause."

"Good. What about Gon Long?" The Lieutenant went down his mental list like an automaton. He wasn't picked as second in command for his glowing personality. "Could he pin any of this on you? Does he think anyone's gunning for him?"

Fu paused, stirred, and without warning let out a deep belly laugh. "Gon Long…pinning…oh that's rich." Fu took a moment to collect himself, but he still sported his smile. "Trust me Lieutenant, Gon-Long's too fat and happy to care. His grandfather built this company, but he just enjoys it. The only thing that guy worries about is his bank balance and his afternoon tea time. The only company business he attends to are a couple of monthly board meetings before he goes back to counting granddaddy's money."

"That's good to hear." The Lieutenant simply nodded at the anecdote.

"Yeah, can't wait to see the cops haul him in cuffs. Bet he'll cry."

The Lieutenant said nothing. The man answered his questions and his men where almost done unloading the truck. His task was ninety percent done and he would like to handle the rest of it in silence. He didn't care much for Fu but the revolution needed him, or rather his position, and they didn't have the luxury of being choosy this late in the game.

"You know, I don't mean to impose, but we should be pinning this all on that Varrick jerk." Fu spoke jovially. Unfortunately, the man didn't take the Lieutenant's hint. "What I wouldn't give to see that mook knocked down a peg or two."

The Lt. clinched his jaw. "Varrick's out on safari somewhere in central Earth Kingdom territory. He isn't a suitable target." He set Fu straight. "The people need to see the perpetrator being carried out in chains on the morning paper. This will help steer public opinion on our side and distract the council."

"Hmm, makes sense I guess…" Fu stoked his beard, marinating on the Equalist decision.

A couple minutes of bliss followed, but just before the Lieutenant dropped his guard, Fu opened his trap again.

"You know, I made a bid for a corporate position a few months back and you know what they did?" He paused for a dramatic effect, the gesture was wasted on the Lieutenant. "They up and give the job to a stinking bender. Can you believe that? I've been at this job six years longer than that punk and he gets the golden ticket!" Fu got dramatic and was waving his hands to illustrate his point.

"Yo Fu!" A worker walked up to the two below the input dock.

Fu sneered, he didn't like being interrupted. "What is it!?"

"The packages are unloaded. All we got to do now is put them in convincing spots and we're all done." The co-conspirator informed.

Fu looked at the Lieutenant and turned back to his employee. "Keep your voice down! You never know if someone's listening."

The Lieutenant scuffed at Fu's 'vigilance'. The man's childish bid to impress him did not go unnoticed. He wished Fu would take his own advice and shut the hell up. No wonder he was passed over for that cushy office gig. "Music to my ears." He walked passed Fu on his way to the truck. "We'll use the usual channels to contact you if anything comes up."

"R-right, you got it sir. You can count on me." Fu replied

"Whatever."

Fu let him take a few steps before stopping him. "Excuse me Lieutenant, sir."

The Lieutenant stopped and took a deep breath. The fat man was pushing his nerves to the limit. "What?"

"I hope this doesn't come off the wrong way but…I was just wondering if you could put in a good word for me to the big man. I just think I could have a bigger part for the revolution. I could be much more effective if I-"

"No." He said nothing else to Fu and walked back to the truck. The man didn't exist to him anymore. Thankfully, this was the last shipment. He sat down, folded his arms, and sighed. "Get me out of here kid…"

"You got it sir." Ling followed his orders and drove off into the night.

The two were on the main road in minutes. Again, Ling had a question for the distant man sitting next to him. He didn't have to heart to ask him right away. The Lieutenant was a hard man to talk to. It took him a couple of miles before he built up the nerve to ask him. Especially after that painful exchange with Fu. "Uh Lieutenant Sir."

He grumbled, his power nap ruined. "What is it Ling?"

Ling wasn't an elegant speaker. He broke the ice with the man earlier, but he wasn't used to speaking with him. He guessed it was a mix of fear and admiration that held his tongue. "Why would the equalist let a guy like Fu join? He was more interested in glory and a petty grudge than getting justice for non-benders. I'm sorry to ask you this, but I just can't wrap my head around it."

The second in command knew where Ling was coming from and thought he was owed an explanation. "The revolution is open to all non-benders kid, good or bad. Everyone joins for different reasons, but the only thing that matters is our mission. People will come to us with petty reasoning, but you have to trust that they will grow into genuine agents of equality. Especially when they see what we can accomplish together."

Ling gripped the steering wheel and trembled. He hadn't felt this optimistic since his family arrived to Republic City. It was a promise of a better brighter future on the horizon and the best part of it all was that he was a part of it. He and his equalist brothers and sisters were laying the foundations for the future, their future.

Ling chuckled at the thought. "You've really got a way with words sir."

"I have my moments." He admitted. "Anything else you want to ask? It's 3:00 A: M and I need to be up and a few hours."

"Well…" Ling shifted in his seat. He had one more difficult question to ask his superior. "Words been getting around that Spider-Man is trying to stop us. I was wondering how we're-"

"Listen up, I'm going to tell you everything you need to know about Spider-Man." The mention of the web slinger soured his mood fare more than Fu ever could. "This 'Spider-Man' is a single, naïve, child who picked a fight with thousands of equalist with one mission. We have one of the greatest cities on the planet with its back on the wall. They even have the Avatar on their side and she hasn't stopped us in the slightest. Now you're telling me your worried about some five yuan side show reject in a costume?" The Lieutenant never gave the young equalist the chance to finish his thought. He spoke harshly to Ling. He didn't speak out of term but he did uncover his sore spot towards the wall crawler. He even petitioned Amon to take a few chi-blockers and hunt Spider-Man down on the night of the rally. Amon denied him the chance at a second round. It didn't bother him though. He was a patient man and he knew they were going to cross paths again. The kid had a knack for sticking his nose where it didn't belong.

"No sir! Not at all!" Ling's hope turned to abject terror. He did not want to get on the man's bad side.

The Lieutenant tempered himself. He didn't mean to snap at the driver but this wasn't the time for codling. "Good. Word to the wise Ling. You best get that thinking out of your head. The revolution well be in full effect very soon and we can't have our soldiers having any second thoughts. Not this late in the game.

"I…yes sir." Ling returned his focus onto the road and didn't dare attempt another conversation with the man.

The Lieutenant silently cursed Ling. His endless prattling got him so riled up that he couldn't catch any sleep on the trip. He turned and looked at the skyscrapers inland with a scowl on his face.

"Stinking Spider."

XXXxxx Republic City: Grand Central Station Courtyard xxxXXX

The streets were bursting at the seams with the hustle and bustle with any major city. Cities like Republic City never did sleep. Vendors and panhandlers pelted pedestrians with sappy stories and knock off designer bags on the corners. Entertainers played music and danced for loose change. It was one of those rare nights Jack Frost wasn't badgering the citizens. It was nice outside, but Peter still threw on a jacket. He had no clue why Bolin walked around without one. The last thing he needed was a cold that would cost the Ferrets the championship.

"How are you not cold in this weather?" Peter asked.

"Aw man, you think this is cold? This is nothing. It's practically spring dude." Bolin assured.

"We had six inches of snow last week. Heck, it even snowed on opening night."

Bolin perked a brow. "Yeah, what's your point?"

"Oh I don't know, if there was a chance I could contract pneumonia before the biggest match of my life, I'd rather be safe than sorry." Peter shrugged. "But hey, what do I know?"

"Look, I'll be fine, don't worry about me. I've been living in this town my whole life, I know when to bundle up and when not to, alright?" Bolin assured.

"Your funeral."

"Yeah yeah, now let's stop the chit-chat and cut to the chase."

"Alright." Peter pulled out a couple of yuans and dropped them in a flute player's hat. The musician nodded his head in thanks and he returned to the conversation. "What's the 'chase' again?"

Bolin groaned at Peter's absent minded comment. "My hot date with Korra and, while I love you buddy, my annoying third wheel." Bolin outlined in his usual manic fashion.

"Korra's the one who asked me, remember? I had nothing to do with it."

"You could've said 'no'!" Bolin argued. The earthbender never did have much of a filter. It was his best and worst quality. "Better yet, you could've told her to go out with me instead."

"She put me on front street Bo', I was nervous." Peter looked away and grimaced. "Riggers of dual life buddy…" he mumbled to himself.

"What?"

Peter snapped out of his little funk and responded. "I'll tell you when you're older." He smiled and played it off.

"Huh? I'm just a year younger than you. How does that matter?"

"Well that's tough junior, better luck next time." Peter continued to yank his chain.

"Whatever. Look, since you're here we need to set up some kind of system for tonight. You know, just some stuff to help me out with Korra." Bolin dropped his usual antics and spoke frankly. "I'm going to level with you Tak', I'm crazy about this girl and I just want everything to go well. This is really my chance to shine and show her how I feel about her, you know?"

Peter felt for the love sick Pro-bender. It didn't' hold a candle next to his issues but helping him was well within his power. "Alright Bolin, I'm all ears."

Bolin's face lit up. "Great! So I've been playing with this system in my head and I think I got most of it all worked out."

"Most of it?"

"Yeah. So if I stretch my arms like this, it means I need you to back off, but don't make it obvious okay? Just change the subject to science or work or something."

Peter was taken aback by Bolin's plan. He had put more thought in this little plan than he'd give him credit for. This shouldn't have been surprising considering he had to memorize different plays in the ring. "I can do that."

"Awesome! Now, if I yawn, make yourself scarce. Go to the bathroom, get some fresh air, doesn't matter, just go. And when I tap the top of my head then you…prop me up."

Peter held up his hand. "Hold on, you lost me on the 'prop you up' part."

"You know, prop me up. The announcer does it all the time. When he introduces us we're not just the Fire Ferrets. We're 'The Bombastic, Unstoppable, Fire Ferrets!'" Bolin waved his hands like a proper showman to emphasis his point.

"So tapping your head is the signal for me to act like a shameless suck-up for you?" A skeptical look was written all over his face. He wasn't a fan of this part of the plan.

"Exactly!" Bolin smiled and looked surprisingly like a used car salesmen. Peter's hint was completely lost on him.

Peter's deadpan face clashed with Bolin cheesy smile. It was the same look his aunt and uncle used on him whenever he tried to weasel his way out of something. Peter surrendered with a sigh. "Fine, but within reason. Bootlicking isn't my strong suit."

"Cool, but I didn't ask you to lick my boots Tak."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that."

Bolin laughed and slung his arm around Peter's neck. "Atta boy Tak! You won't regret this I swear! Tell you what, when you meet a girl you fancy, then I'll do the same for you. But tonight you get to see a master at work. Oh man, you're funny"

Peter frowned at the unwanted embrace. He wasn't a hugger. "Gee thanks Bolin, I don't know what I'd do without you." He said with a thick layer of sarcasm. [The last thing on his mind was a relationship.]

Thankfully, Bolin broke the hold with a renewed prep in his step. With Peter's help, he would be able to pull this off. Maybe it wasn't so bad that Korra wanted him to tag along after all. "Hey what are friends for, right?"

"Come again?" Peter looked at the bender like he was speaking an unknown language.

Bolin gave Peter the same look. "What? We're boys dude. Just because I hardly see you doesn't mean we're not friends."

"Oh." Peter chuckled at himself. How the hell did Spider-Man and Peter Parker become friendly with the same pro-bender? Truth be told, outside of Robbie, he didn't have any friends his own age. Figures it took getting hurled into another reality to get another one. "Don't get many of those."

"Yeah, that's the spirit Takuya. And it gets better having me as a pal. You could go around town telling everyone that your buddy buddy with a pro-bending champ! That's going to open a whole lot of doors." He finished and nudged Peter's arm. He was definitely giving off a sleazy salesmen vibe.

Peter ignored his instincts and chuckled at himself. This whole thing may have been absurd but it wasn't terrible. "I'll keep that in mind."

Before Peter knew it, he felt a strong shove to his back. He turned around, far quicker than an R&D apprentice should, and saw a familiar beast blankly staring at him.

"Hey guys." Korra waved atop Naga. "Sorry I'm late, there was a little incident with Meelo and…well I'll just leave it at that."

Bolin's face lit up like a Christmas tree. His princess rode in on her white steed and was as radiant as ever. "Korra! You're looking radiant as ever!" He wasted no time laying on his 'charm'.

"Hi Naga…" Peter locked eyes with his small time nemesis. "Still eating small children?" He only got a bark out of the polar bear dog.

"What's your secret, ancient water tribe ointment?" Bolin asked.

"Umm…soap, water, some shampoo every now and then." She answered and dismounted off Naga. She paused to regard the stare down between her old friend and Peter. "Glad you two are getting along Poindexter."

"I read that animals smell fear." Peter kept staring at Naga. "If I show her that I'm not afraid and show her that I'm the dominant one then she won't-" Naga cut his defiant speech with a lick to his face. "Dang it…"

Korra and Bolin laughed at Peter as he whipped the slobber off his face.

"Don't take it personal Poindexter, she's just happy to see you again." Korra consoled.

"Yeah, me too. Worst part is I think I'm getting used to this. I suppose we do have a weird history now." He reached and petted the overgrown chimera. "She did pull my butt out of the fire, so she's not all that bad."

Korra chuckled at the petty truce. "Hear that Naga? Poindexter likes you now."

"I wouldn't go that far."

"Yes! Naga is the best polar bear dog I've ever seen!" Bolin crowbarred himself into the conversation.

"You've seen other polar bear dogs in Republic City?" Korra asked.

"No, but I did see a picture of one…once…I think." Bolin tried his damnest to steer away from the linguistic train wreck he created.

"Cool. Anyway, thinks for meeting me here. I still don't know my way around town too well and this makes things really convenient for me." Korra admitted.

"You should start taking the trolley." Peter advised. "It's a good way to learn your way around and you'd give Naga a break."

"Hey! Naga loves getting out and I don't like her getting cooped up on the island." Korra protested. She observed her surroundings and her face twisted with a sly smile. "You know, you're going to love this Takuya. I heard Spider-Man mixed it up with a couple of triad gangs around here," she said, paying close attention to Peter's reaction. Her opening salvo was small, but it got the ball rolling. "Crazy, right?"

Bolin was flabbergasted by Korra's fun fact. "No way! I heard about that, but I didn't know it went down here." His previous blunder was all but forgotten. He was walking on hollowed ground this whole time.

Peter chuckled to himself. He remembered how a simple sightseeing trip turned into 'The Battle of Central Station', as the newspaper pinned it. JJ would be proud. This was all going down before he was infamous and the story wasn't even a front pager. He chuckled again at the thought of that Monsoon guy knocking himself out. "Yeah, that's pretty cool Korra. I guess this is tonight's first attraction then."

"Something like that. Though I was hoping to see Spidey swinging around." She scanned the skyline. "Oh well. You guys wouldn't have happened to see him, would you?"

Peter thought nothing of the comment and shrugged. " 'Fraid not."

"No…" Bolin sounded disappointed. "That would've been amazing!"

"Aw cheer up Bolin. He can't wear that goofy get up all the time right."

Peter felt a twinge at Korra bad mouthing his costume but he didn't show it. 'Beats a blue tank top and oversized trousers!'

"He could bump into you and you wouldn't even know it." She closed in on the two boys, waving her fingers and making ghost noises.

They all laughed at the apparent joke. She was just yanking their chains.

"Yeah, crazy world eh." Peter said.

"You said it Tak', it's a regular mad house." She closely analyzed Peter and nothing was amiss. But that's didn't matter. She knew who Peter really was and had all night with him. He'd slip up one way or another and she would have him dead to rights.

"Okay we get it. Secret identities, slobbering bear dogs, heroism, the truth is out there, we get it!" Bolin stood up and got their attention. "So here's what's on tonight's agenda. First we grab some grub at my favorite noodle shop. Korra, you'll love it. We grab a drink at the soda bar. And we wrap up the night looking down at my gorgeous city from Harmony Tower." Bolin ended his itinerary as if he was expecting a round of applause.

"Wow Bolin, that sounds fun." Korra told a very pleased Bolin. "I'm impressed."

Bolin's smile was wide and bright. "Really? *Cough* I mean of course it is. Unless you want to do something else we can-"

"No-no I like your plan."

"That's great!" He finished and patted his head.

Peter watched Bolin tapping the back of his head again and just remembered their arrangement. "Yeah, Bolin I'm just, wow, that sounds amazing. This is going to be a night to remember thanks to you." He ended his office suck up routine with a forced smile. It was painful but a deal was a deal. He'd rather go ten rounds with Joe Louis with both hands tied behind his back than do it again. Unfortunately, that's what friends do.

Korra looked at Peter with a new light. She wondered if he was messing with her. "Alright then, lead the way." She hopped back onto Nega saddle.

Bolin winked and gave Peter a thumbs up. Peter just buried his face in his palm. This was going to be a long night."

XXXxxx Republic City: Narook's Seaweed Noodlery xxxXXX

Bolin's first destination was a quaint little eatery that specialized in Southern Water Tribe food. It's signature dish, and the restaurant's name sake, was the seaweed noodle bowls. Everyone form average Joes and ship merchants made it a point to stop by Narruk's for a bowl. Business was booming thanks to the pro bending tournament. Thankfully, this was a relatively slow night and the gang didn't have a problem finding a table. Bolin sat next to Korra while Peter sat alone, per Bolin's unsubtle instruction.

Peter had a hard time thinking about scarfing down seaweed for dinner. He didn't find it as appetizing as the others. It was like getting ready for a full course broccoli meal. There was an awkward silence between the three. Bolin was too busy working on his next move; Korra was organizing her own scheme to confirm Parker's vigilante exploits; Peter was wondering how seaweed could be so popular. Unlike his compatriots, he wasn't burdened with ulterior motives. Bolin tapped the back of this head and Peter fullfilled his promise.

"Where'd you find this place Bolin? Looks swanky." He complimented his tastes.

Bolin smiled and reclined in his seat smugly. He was getting his money's worth out of Peter tonight. "Well-heh- If you must know I come here all the time. You see I'm a man of culture, and Water Tribe grub happens to be my favorite." He shot a suave glance at Korra. "It just fits me, you know?"

Korra was nice to her date and fought hard not to cringe at the cheesy diatribe. She just smiled and nodded. "That's…really neat Bolin."

"Right!, I mean, Yeah, I'm a pretty interesting guy. I just don't advertise it." Bolin reeled back his glee and played off the praise like a typical 'cool' guy. If he only knew.

Peter chuckled at the exchange. Bolin was many things, but boring was not one of them.

"That's good to know. So Takuya, what kind of food do you like?" Korra changed the subject and locked in to her primary target.

"Eh, I don't really have a preference." Peter brushed her question aside with a common answer. "If it's good I'll scarf it down."

"I hear you Takuya, I'm the same way." Bolin tried to pull Korra's attention back to him.

Korra ignored him. There was blood in the water and she wasn't going to let up now. She got his attention so she dwelved deeper. "You know poindextrer, I just had a thought. We've known each other for a while now, but you never really talk about yourself." Korra rested her head on her hand and paid close attention to Peter. "So where are you from? You got a family back home?"

Peter was caught off guard by her question. He hid his shock with a smile. "Why all the sudden interest in me Korra?"

"No reason. I just figured you know so much about us but we don't know a whole lot about you. I just want to get to know you a little better, that's all." She explained her intent all the while keeping her eyes on him.

Peter folded his arms, reclined, and whistled. Korra didn't know this, but he fabricated a backup story for this very occasion. He made it around the same time he made his allies. He expected to use it on investigators or nosey coworkers, not Korra of all people. "Huh? Well in that case, I was raised in a small fishing town around Omashu. My parents died when I was little and my aunt and uncle raised me. It was a nice quiet life with plenty of books, among other things, coming in from ships passing through the docks and all. So time went by and life got pretty stale at the village. I wanted to shake things up a bit, so I scrounged up as much money as I could and took the first ship I could to Republic City and the rest is history." He recited his alibi from a mental script. It was far from air tight. Even a two-bit detective could rip it to shreds in no time, but it was convincing enough for idle chit-chat situations like this.

Korra's fact lost some of its luster, but not enough to give any sign of disappointment. "Huh, sounds typical…"

Peter just shrugged at the offhanded criticism and laughed. "Sorry I'm so boring. But look at me now. I'm on a first name basis with championship Pro Benders and The Avatar. In hindsight, I'd say it was a pretty good move."

"You know it Tak! And with Korra on the team, we're practically unstoppable!" Bolin cried out and held up his hand. Peter took the hint and high fived the earth bender.

Korra fumed. Her gut was telling her that Peter's 'history' was completely bogus, but she had no way of calling him out on it. She wondered how long Peter had been pulling this façade. Lord knows he had a lot of practice. Korra couldn't match him in this field and she wasn't a patient person. She ignored Bolin's boasts and pressed the subject. "So what happened to your parents then? Were they lost at sea or something?"

Peter took a sip of his drink before answering. He was getting a little annoyed with the questioning. "That's a little personal don't you think?"

"I don't mean to offend you Takuya, I just wanted to know, that's all." Korra wasn't the least bit sincere. How could she be? She honestly had no idea what was fact or fiction. She only played lip service to keep up appearances.

Peter didn't take offense. He honestly knew very little about his parents so much so that he couldn't take offense at Korra's callus questioning. "It's like I told you Korra, I have no idea what happened to them."

"You don't know, or you won't say!" Korra blurted out in anger. She took his response the wrong way.

The table got quiet. Bolin got really small while Peter just gave Korra the stink eye. Korra returned the favor.

"All right, we've got three classic bowls here and…oh umm…" The waitress brought their food and unwittingly stepped on a landmine. She quickly placed the bowls on the table and scurried off.

Peter conceded the dirty look contest and sighed. He simply snapped his chop sticks and started rubbing them together. "Well Korra, since you have to know, my parents died when I was two years old. And every time a brought them into a conversation with my aunt and uncle, they got really tight lipped and dropped the subject. So I don't have the faintest clue what happened to them."

Korra immediately regretted pushing Peter so hard. That was too personal and she crossed the line. "Oh okay I...uh…" She attempted to apologies.

Bolin had a front row seat to the tense situation and started to yawn. He wanted to hit things off with Korra, but not at Peter's expense. Maybe a little time apart was needed for them to cool off.

"Oh wow, I suddenly have to use the bathroom. Be right back." Peter said flatly before slapping his chop sticks on the table and walking off. He was far too irritated to play along with Bolin's bit completely.

Korra didn't raise a fuss. She was out of line and she knew it.

Bolin waited for Peter to get out of ear shot before addressing the obvious. "What was that all about?"

"I don't know I just- I'll apologize as soon as he gets back." She owned up to her mistake. "I didn't mean to be rude it's just…Look, have you ever noticed anything off about Takuya?"

Bolin had trouble processing her question. This whole night was taking an odd turn. "Not really. He just seems like a private guy with some rotten luck that's all." He answered and started scarfing down noodles.

"Yeah…" Korra followed suit and started eating. She was working out her next move. Maybe she was wrong about Peter. Maybe she connected Spider-Man and Peter because she wanted it to be true. She pushed those doubts out of her mind. She still had to salvage this date. "These noodles are really good Bolin, and it's totally authentic."

"Yeah it's like I said, I'm totally into water tribe food." He took in another mouthful to emphasize his point. "Guess we got that in common."

Korra giggled at his 'charm'. It took the edge off her primary objective. "Guess you're right about that." She enjoyed herself for a moment or two before something caught her eye. She adjusted her head a bit and saw another group of guests leering at them. It was three guys with their dates/girlfriends. The one in the middle looked more down right creepy compared to his friends. While his friends stole a glance every now and then he just openly gawked at them. He was a spindly looking guy. His hair was professionally dolled up more than it should have been and he wore dark clothing. He was pale and his sneer made him look like a hungry hyena ,and oddly effeminate. This warranted some investigating. "Hey, who's that guy that keeps leering at us in the booth?"

Bolin looked over to what she was talking about and his heart skipped a beat. "That's Tahno and the Wolfbats." He whispered to her. "Raining champs, three years running. Don't make eye contact!"

Korra, ever the rebel, defied his command and shot the Wolfbats a dirty look of her own.

Tahno's entourage laughed and talked amongst themselves. They all got up on his order and started to waltz their way over to the Fire Ferret's table.

"Uh-oh here he comes. Now don't mess with this guy, he's a nasty dude." Bolin warned her and continued to eat as if nothing was happening.

Korra wasn't intimidated in the slightest by the effeminate looking pro bender. For better or worse, she never backed down from a fight.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Fire Ferrets, Pro Bending's saddest excuse of a team." The champion water bender openly mocked the two with broad mannerisms. It was as if Tahno was playing a part in a play. "Tell me, how'd a couple of amatures like you luck your way into the tournament? Especially you, Uvatar."

Korra didn't let him intimidate her. She simply scuffed and continued scowling at the wannabe tough guy standing over her table.

Tahno pushed his luck and got in her face. "You know, if you want know how a real pro bends, I could give you some…private lessons."

Korra wasn't amused. She rose up and got in his face. His provocations started to get under her skin. "You want to go toe-to-toe with me pretty boy?" Her call to arms was low and focused.

The Wolf-Bat's team captain wasn't fazed by the threat. "Go for it. I'll give you the first shot."

Tahno's team mates just sat back and enjoyed the show. Their dates did the same. Sometimes he was more of a showman than an athlete.

Things were heating up. The other patrons watched with baited breath. No one knew how things were going to play out.

"Korra don't. He's just trying to bait you. You hit him, we're out of the tournament." Bolin warned her, not wanting to wait to see how things would unfold.

The warning reached Tahno's ears and her smirked, wordlessly begging her to take the shot.

"WHOA! WATCH OUT!"

Both Pro-benders turned to the warning but Tahno was the one that got a face full of noodles. The bowl plopped on top of his head and he frantically brushed the noodle broth off his precious hair. He quickly scanned the room and found a bespectacled man hunched over a table and a startled waitress. He ignored Korra entirely and shoved passed his group in a blind rage.

Peter waltzed back to his table with a clearer head and an emptied balder to find some guys hassling Korra and Bolin. His options were limited so he pretended to lose his footing and throw a half-eaten bowl of noodles up. He intended to create a distraction but the bowl ended up on top of the guy's head. Peter smiled at his Parker luck and how dumb Tahno looked. He wasn't amused, and he was storming his way. He didn't know what beef he had with Korra and Bolin but it was his now.

"YOU IDIOT!" He yelled at Peter and grabbed him by the collar "YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH THESE THREADS COST!"

Peter played his role and smiled nervously. He held his hands up in surrender. "I have no idea, but green is definitely your color."

"You think this is funny four-eyes?!"

"It's a little funny."

Bolin got up from his seat and stood next to Korra. He didn't know how he could get Peter out of this but he had to do something. Tahno's team mates were in the same boat as them. They couldn't risk losing their team captain for socking some clumsy nerd. The razzing turned into a volatile situation for all of them.

"Tahno come on man it was just an accident. Forget about it." One of his team mates tried to stop his captain. The Fire Ferrets were one thing, but this was just some guy. Tahno was too mad to hear the advice. "I'll show you something funny twerp!" He cocked his fist back and was about to slug Peter.

"Hey settle down fella. You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, would you?"

Korra was ashamed to admit it but she wanted to see what Peter would do. She didn't act immediately. She watched him fumble and try to weasel his way out of an assault that made him look like an average guy. This didn't detour her suspicions. Quite the opposite actually. There was no way this was an accident. He saw that she was in a tight spot and moved to help in a concealed manner. He could even make throwing a bowel of noodles on a man's head and make it look like an accident. Korra saw enough and she had to intervene. It didn't matter that he was Spider-Man, she wasn't about to let that punk hit him. She brought her hand to her mouth and whistled loudly. With that, Naga bashed through a window and roared into the restaurant. Everyone in the room was startled, save for Korra and Peter. Taho released Peter and let out a high pitched yelp. His group didn't fare much better. Tahno backed off and signaled for his team to follow suit. He played it cool like he didn't make a fool of himself.

"Forget this." He said as he whipped some stray noodles off of his prized hair. "We got better places to be. Let's go!"

The disgruntled champion left the Ferrets in a huff. Peter returned to his seat when he saw that the threat had passed. "Whew! That was fun." He declared as Bolin gazed at him while Korra was getting Naga to get back outside. "By the way, who were those guys anyway?"

"Who we- That was Tahno and the Wolf-Bat's!" Bolin told him. "That guy you threw the noodles at was Tahno."

"I didn't throw anything Bo'. I lost my footing, flung my arms, and smacked a bowl across the room. It was just bad luck, or dumb luck, depending on how you look at." He covered his tracks and pulled from his bottomless bag of excuses.

"Either way, you were in the right place at the right time for once." Korra stated. She plopped in her seat after calming Naga down. "It's usually the other way around with you."

Peter smirked at that. "Yeah, that is how it goes, isn't it?"

"Hey look, I'm sorry about pressing that thing with your parents." Korra wasn't an elegant speaker and she was even worse at apologies. "That wasn't right and it wasn't my place to ask and-"

"You're not really good at this are you?"

Korra sighed. "Nope…"

"It's not my strong suit either." Peter acknowledged. "Don't worry about it. It's the thought that counts."

"Thanks Poindexter."

"You'll get extra brownie points if you drop the Poindexter garbage."

"No can do Tak, the name fits you too well."

Confusion was written all over Bolin's face. Things had went from friendly, to tense, and back to friendly in the span of a couple minutes. "So, everything all right with you two now?"

"Seems that way Bo,'" Peter admitted while playing around with the seaweed noodles. He turned it and gave it a final glance before taking a bite. It had an odd texture, but was very flavorful. "If it wasn't for her and Naga, well I'd be a lot bluer, if you catch my drift."

"I don't know poindexter, you might've surprised us." Korra affirmed that her suspicions were still very much intact. She was remorseful for stepping on hollowed ground, but it did give her a clearer picture of him. Peter could've thrown that guy around like a rag doll if he wanted to. The fact that he not only resisted the urge, but made the whole thing look like a slip-up gave her a newfound respect for the wall-crawler. He had great power at his disposal and yet he showed great restraint. It was a winning combination and one she had yet to master. Peter didn't know it, but he gave himself away in that confrontation. He was calm throughout the whole ordeal. He didn't panic or cry for mercy like a normal teen in his walk of life. Korra's masked interrogation didn't bear the desired result, but the Wolf-Bats did.

"Okay…" Peter sheepishly acknowledged the compliment and wondered what she meant by it. He still hadn't caught on to her little ruse yet.

XXXxxx Republic City: Midnight Strip xxxXXX

The night air had a bitter chill to it. Of course, none of the pedestrians paid the damp weather any mind. They were too occupied with their own little worlds to worry about such trivial matters. Couples and friends mingled amongst themselves and they were enjoying every second of one another's time. The human mind had a knack for brushing negativity under the cerebral rug when there was a good time to be had. Past grievances were put on hold, debts were temporarily forgotten, and any other problems they were facing. This wasn't the case for the disgraced spider-slayer members however, as they slogged across the side walk. Hanzo and Lou were stone faced as they followed captain Quan. The U.F. officer promised some retribution for their careless behavior during the sting operation and tonight was the night he was going to deliver it. He graciously waited for Hanzo to recover before dragging them out on the streets. Yumi and Chicko weren't faring as well as their more experienced compatriots. Yumi darted her head around the block trying to anticipate what Quan was going to throw at them. She expected something exceptionally humiliating if they were ordered out of uniform. Maybe the captain didn't want to tarnish the United Forces reputation while he was beating the snot out of them. Chicko was sweating bullets despite the frigid temperatures. The archer knew that whatever horrible plan the captain had in store for them, he was going to get it twice as hard. His teammates would still have some hard feelings towards him since he technically got them in this predicament. Yumi and Hanzo might team up for some hot metal press tailored just for him. He didn't want much out of this. He just hoped they would give him the courtesy of a head start when the time came.

Captain Quan's face gave no hint of his intent. It lacked animus or disappointment towards his team. Tonight, he wasn't a U.F captain, or The Prowler. He was just plain old Quan taking a late night stroll with his charges. He did take the occasional glance here and there like he was looking for a specific establishment.

The captain's cold calculating demeanor didn't improve the slayer's outlook for the night. With Hanzo's time in the hospital, Quan had a considerable amount of time to plot his punishment. The man was an ex-Dai Li agent, he knew how to bend someone's will to his liking. They walked passed a butcher shop, dry cleaning stores, and even a pest control business on their long march towards the gallows. Even Hanzo and Lou's stone faces started to chip away and sweat. They followed Quan until he motioned them to stop. They were bathed in neon light. He turned to face them. The dreaded moment had finally arrived.

Quan let out a sigh. "Alright, here it is. I'm sure you're all aware why we're out here tonight?"

Chicko swallowed and stepped forward. "Where here because I-"

Quan stared daggers at his archer and held his hand up. "Chicko, it's a rhetorical question." He informed him with a flat businesslike tone. "Where here because of your collective lapse of judgment during a high risk operation to apprehend an extremely dangerous superhuman assailant."

The team was silent, but they kept their heads up and mentally prepared for the inevitable.

"Frankly I'm disappointed that I have to reprimand you all but it has to be done." Quan's face was blank as he raised his hand. Stone pellets crawled out of his sleeves and formed around them. His team looked on with shock and awe as his hands started to tremble with power. A couple of onlookers stopped to witness the spectacle he was putting on. Quan came off as a focused, deadly, firebender who was about to set the whole block ablaze. He clapped his stone hands with a thunderous boom that assaulted everyone's eardrums. "Okay, you've all been successfully reprimanded."

The team was speechless and his small audience dispersed when their show turned out to be a dud.

"Umm... Cap." Hanzo was the first to overcome his shock. "Where you screwing with us?"

"Yep…" He confirmed. "And judging by your faces back there, I think I did my job."

The United Forces team all let out a sigh of relief. A two ton boulder was lifted off their backs.

"Hold up. I kind of get the shenanigans and all that, but why did you drag us out here tonight?" Yumi asked her C.O.

"How the heck did I fall for this?" Lou mumbled to himself.

"Well Yumi, while I do not condone you guys showing off in the middle of a top secret mission, you did a bang up job that night, and I'm proud of each and every one of you." Quan explained.

The team was thrown through a loop. They thought they were getting capital punishment but now they were being praised. It was like having you undertaker change his mind at the last second and patting you on the back for a past good deed. The whole thing was just bizarre. Quan's convincing charade didn't make matters any clearer.

"With all due respect sir, we didn't nab you-know-who." Chicko spoke for everyone. "I don't think that's something to celebrate."

"Well Chicko I respectfully disagree." Quan looked at his team with a new light. He wasn't talking to them as their commanding officer, but as a mentor and a friend. "Outside of the little gambling caveat, you all did your part and performed superbly and handled yourself like proper U.F soldiers. All of you stepped up to 'you-know- how' and won. No one else could pull that off what we did that night. I don't know about you guys, but I'd say that we all deserve a drink. Quan smiled, a rare occurrence for him, and regarded his bewildered team. They could be hardheaded at times, but in his eyes they were the best personal the United Forces had to offer.

The Captain's praise flummoxed his team. Quan's outward demeanor was apathetic and unnerving. They always speculated that this stemmed from his Dai-Li background and the fact that he was still technically on the clock from the Earth Kingdom. So seeing such a man commend them was touching but unnerving. The smile didn't help things.

"Wow cap that was…wow!" Hanzo tried to be witty, but his mind drew a blank stare.

"That's all fine and good cap, but do you really think this is a wise use of our time." Lou took the opportunity to speak freely. He still had a grudge with the wall crawler. "We should be combing every street and back alley until we find that punk, not celebrating a half measure 'W'."

"Calm down Lou. No need to get upset." Yumi placed a hand on his broad shoulder and consoled him.

"You ever had a city block on your head Yumi?" Lou fumed. "I'm a little past upset with bug boy!"

Hanzo didn't add to Lou's statement but he did feel the same way.

"Listen up everyone, because I'm only going to say this once." Quan regained order. "We're going to walk into this bar, we're going to get some drinks, and were going to forget about business for one night. Is that clear?"

The team was silent for a moment; they were wound up tight and desperately needed a break.

"Fine."

"Sure thing."

"Don't have to tell me twice."

Lou held out a bit longer but he eventually budged. "I could use a drink."

"You and me both brother." Hanzo nudged his arm and started to walk into the bar.

"Amen to that." Yumi exclaimed and followed the others. Chicko smiled and was right behind his team. He was relieved. All things considered, he got off lightly. A powerful arm wrapped around his neck and stopped the archer in his track.

Quan got well within Chicko's personal space. He wanted a word in private. "I like you Chiko, I really do. You're a bit of a hot head but you're a critical asset to this team." His deep voice rumbled Chicko eardrum. One eye locked with his. "That said, if you ever pull that locker room garbage on a mission again I will transfer you to the deepest darkest fort in Northern command for the rest of your career."

Chicko stood fast at the threat, but his C.O.'s words shook him to the core. Quan had a particular talent for intimidation.

"Are we clear corporal?" Quan's words were to the point and lacked any semblance of humanity. This wasn't a threat, but a promise.

Chicko tried to match Quan's stone face but fell short. His mask was cracked by a swarm of raw emotion he was trying to camouflage. He was hopelessly out of his depth, but he wouldn't back down from the captain. He swallowed the lump in his throat and answered. "It won't happen again sir." His voice was audible but shaken.

Quan judged him a bit longer before releasing him.

"Good! Now let's go get that drink huh?" He smiled and ushered the young archer to the bar.

Chicko was baffled by the tense exchange. "…How do you do that?"

"Years of practice kid."

The motley crew did as they were told and relinquished all sense of duty. The weight of the world had been lifted and they enjoyed each other's company. There were no officers or enlisted personnel sitting in the corner booth. They knocked back their beverages and chatted about everything from dreams, aspirations, and juicy stories.

"-So you all know me and Chiko went through basic training together, right?" Yumi paused with a muffled fit of laugher. She loved this story but she always had a hard time telling it. "So the whole class was standing at attention for our first day. The drill instructor is this giant meathead earthbender, no offense cap, and he's looking us over and stops at Chicko. He's looking at Chi like he just slapped his mom or something. As you know, our loudmouth sharpshooter was with the Yuyan archers before joining the U.F. and they all get a wicked face tattoo when they graduate. So anyway the DI, I think his name was Khan or something, stops the inspection and says, 'This recruit thinks he's special!'" Yumi couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing. She slapped the table a few times and almost spilled her drink. It wasn't nearly as funny for the others though. "Old Khan…rode him like…ah…an ostrich horse all the way through boot camp!"

The story was funny enough for Quan to crack a quit smile. Hanzo and Lou just looked at Chicko and chuckled. Chi just folded his arms and frowned at the painful memory.

"I showed that jerk my waiver and he just ripped it up and said the U.F didn't have room for excuses. I'm going to find him and give him a piece of my mind." He fumed.

"Ah relax Chi', we all have that moment sooner or later." Hanzo admitted and took a final swig of his drink. "Basic must've been a cake walk next to that archer training. Heck, my master wouldn't teach me unless I climbed a mountain of stairs."

"That doesn't sound too bad." Chiko finished his drink and burped.

"Did I mention I had to do it with my hands tied behind my back? Oh, and I didn't run or walk I had to crouch and jump up each step...backwards." Hanzo felt exhausted just thinking about that trial. He had long suspected that his master was either trying to see if he was tough enough or if he was just getting senile at the time. "I don't know about you guys, but after that, basic training felt like an eight week trip to the park. I actually had a harder time with the marching drills more than anything."

"Huh, you guys have such colorful stories, well I've got a good one for you." Before Lou could take the reins of the conversation, a booming belch cut him short. "Who in tarnation is maken' all that racket!" Lou turned and scanned the room to find its source.

It took the Slayers a moment to recognize the two kids belching the night away, but they soon realized who they were. They had a celebrity in their midst.

"Hmm, don't see that every day." Quan voiced the obvious before finishing his beverage.

"Don't you see Cap?! That's the freaking Avatar!" Yumi almost blurted at the captain's deadpan observation.

"I think that's Bolon or something. The pro bender from the report, right?" Chicko whispered to the others. He had a better sense of the room than Yumi for once.

"Cool." Hanzo smirked. "Hey Lou, you think she'd give me an autograph if I asked her?" Lou looked suspiciously at him. He wasn't the type to gush over famous people. "I mean it's got to be worth something, right?"

Lou sighed, that was the Hanzo he knew. "I don't know the over/under, but I'd imagine it'd be worth more later than sooner," he speculated.

"Forget the autograph, I'd be happy just to meet her." Yumi declared. She had heard stories about Avatar Aang from the sun warriors, all of it good. It would be a chance of a lifetime to speak with his reincarnation.

"Sorry to break it to you all, but you can't speak to her." Quan didn't want to be stern with his team but someone had to pull them back to reality. "I know it stinks, but we're e still technically undercover and we can't be seen around her. You never know whose watching." He reminded them of the delicate nature of their mission. He suspected that their deployment wasn't on the books.

"There goes my nest egg." Hanzo said with a huff.

"Yay." Yumi followed suit.

The captain saw the mood shifting and moved quickly to change that. "Cheer up. Tell you what, I'll get you all another round for your troubles." He stood up and made his way to the bar. Yumi's hand stopped him.

"Hey cap, could you get me the spicy ginger magma soda?" She sheepishly smiled at her commanding officer. This tactic worked wonders on her father. "It's my favorite back home and I want to see if Republic City's version is any good."

Quan glared at his subordinate. He saw right through the ruse and wasn't impressed. "The overpriced fancy red drink?" He said in his serious voice.

Lou, Chicko, and Hanzo looked on and chuckled at the sun warrior's game. She was pushing her luck with the ex Dai-lei agent. They expected this kind of stuff from Chicko, since he was the daredevil of the team.

"Yep." Yumi acknowledged. Her knowing smile clashed with Quan's stone like face. "Hope that's not a problem, sir."

"I'm not made of money young lady."

"But you are a man of your word. You did say drinks were on you, right?" The sun warrior boxed him in with his own hospitality.

Quan locked eyes with her for a moment, but his robotic face melted with the sigh of defeat. "Coming right up." He walked over to the bar with an unwanted hole in his wallet.

"Yikes Yumi, I didn't think you were totally heartless." Chicko told her.

"Have you no shame woman?" Hanzo scolded.

Their judgment had not effect on Yumi. She simply sat back and folded her arms with a smug smile etched on her mug. "I have a heart. And no, not tonight." She simultaneously answered her two critics.

Lou just shook his head. "Unbelievable."

Quan stepped up to the bartender. "I need three more sodas and a..." he hesitated for a moment and let out a defeated sigh, "...ginger magma please."

The avatar and her friend made most of the other patrons find new seats. Unfortunately, the bar keep had to stay and suffer the loud belches.

The bar keep scowled at another round of burps coming from the two teens. "You want a ginger magma? Feeling fancy tonight?"

Quan took a deep breath and smiled like he wasn't spending a ridiculously large amount of money on a single drink. "Sure."

The bartender welcomed the extravagant order. It gave an excuse to run to the back to make it. "Coming right up money bags!"

"Rub it in why don't you?" He mumbled to himself and leaned on the bar, looking forward. "It's not polite to stare son." He told the young man sitting a few chairs down from him.

Peter almost spit out his drink at that. "I uh *cough* I wasn't…sorry about that."

Quan snickered at the boy's nervousness. "Don't worry about it. There isn't something on my face is there?" He engaged some small talk while he waited for his orders.

Peter had kept an eye on the Slayers as soon as they waltzed into the joint. He instantly recognized all of them, save for the man standing next to him. It didn't take much deduction to realize who was talking to him. His nerves wreaked havoc on him when he saw Prowler make his way towards him. He nearly smashed the glass in his hand when he called him out. Luckily he had a lot of practice hiding his emotions. "No, it's just that your friend with the face tattoo got my attention. I was just wondering if you were circus performers or something."

Quan laughed at the back handed speculation. "It feels that way sometimes, but were just a couple of contractors."

"Aces, what kind of contracts do you guys take?" Peter weighed his options and decided to take a shot and fish some information out of Prowler. This was an unwanted scenario but a rare one. He would never get another shot like this. Nothing ventured right.

"You're a nosey one aren't you?"

Peter shrugged. "I can't help it. My aunt says I have a curious soul. I don't mean to pry though."

"It's no trouble at all kid. It's just a little hard to answer your question. Let's just say that we're professionals and we take any contract that falls on our lap, really. We do a little bit of everything. My team can set up events, deliver high value items, we even get the occasional sanitation gigs here and there. Quan watched his words but addressed him casually. "To be honest with you, we're glorified handymen but, you know, 'contractor' sounds a lot more professional, am I right?"

Peter was horrified and impressed. He couldn't believe this was the same man that he faced during the sting. He knew who he was talking to but he sounded like any old blue collar working stiff after a long shift at the factory. He wasn't the only one who could put up a front. "So what brings you guys to the bar, you celebrating something?" He took a drink, but kept an eye on him.

Quan paused and pondered his words. Ironically, he was on the same boat as Peter. "Something like that. Our contract fell through the cracks at the last minute. They all did their part, but it was out of their control. They were bummed out about it so I decided to take them out to take their mind off of it. And hey, they still did a bang up job on that contract."

Peter's rested his hand on his lap and balled it into a hidden white knuckle fist. 'Cocky bastard,' he thought to himself. His veil had held through and the farce continued. "That's kind of odd if you ask me. I've never heard of anyone partying over a loss." Some of his anger had seeped into his words. "My old boss would've talked my ear off and docked my pay if I was in their shoes."

Quan just chuckled at Peter's point of view. He was a typical teenager: shortsighted and full of energy. "I suppose most employers would agree with you. I won't lie to you, the thought had crossed my mind but I couldn't bring myself to do that. They can be knuckleheads sometimes, but they always get the job done. Trust me kid, dumb luck was the only reason our contract slipped through our fingers. Nothing more, nothing less."

Peter didn't have anything to say to that. His face was blank but his eye locked onto the man standing next to him. He traded blows with this man. Prowler knew what he was capable of, but his demeanor was unfazed at his mention. Peter put down dozens of leg breakers here and there back in New York. All those 'tough guys' had the fear of God put in them when they squared up with the "eyes without a face", as they originally called him. He had heard from the grapevine that the thugs were shell shocked after the boys in blue cut them out of his webs. It was made painfully obvious that Prowler was nothing like those men. He didn't know what was worse, the fact that this man genuinely intimidated him or that he was right. He just got lucky.

Peter caught himself and laughed nervously, that wasn't a part of the act. "Wow that umm- sounds like contracting can be a pretty cutthroat gig."

"It can be that way sometimes. The hours stink and it's grueling but it can be fun too."

"So what happens when a contract goes belly up?" Peter asked, pressing his luck to the breaking point. He didn't have a choice. He had to know if the hunt was still on or not.

"Well, that depends on the employer. In my case, it's still on the table but it's no longer a priority for her. One has to be flexible in my line of work, after all

Peter gritted his teeth. He wanted to slug Prowler across the room and pay his buddies back for what they put him through that night, but he knew better than to give in to his emotions. He would just have to bare with it for now. "So what category did this contract fall under again?"

Quan smirked. "Sanitation."

Peter stayed in his seat and tried his damnest to stay there. The two regarded each other for a moment, quietly observing one another. Quan wondered how a casual conversation could turn into a tense conversation.

"HEY TAKUYA! GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE!" Korra yelled across the bar. "Bolin says you can't burp! He told me you're too prim and prissy to do it! You going to take that Poindexter?!"

"I said no such thing…sort of…" Bolin meekly defended himself.

Peter broke off his muted starring contest and turned his attention to the boisterous Avatar. "I'm good right here, thanks," he yelled back. He was a man of principle, but was far from a proud, but burping for fun was just too moronic for him to partake in.

Korra frowned. "Suit yourself party pooper."

"Hmm, you're friends with the Avatar?" Quan looked at the two teens down another round of soda to continue the contest. "How'd you manage to do that?"

He looked at the wooden bar and thought up a vague explanation. "Through work. And she's actually a friend of a friend of mine. You know how it is."

Quan loomed over Parker like an undertaker about to administer the punishment. His analytical eye gazed over his shoulder. "You don't say."

The bartender stepped through the double doors with a tray full of drinks. "Here you go mister, four rounds and a ginger lava." He said with a huff. Yumi's drink had put his skills to the test.

Quan took his attention off of Peter and to the annoyed barkeep. "Thanks." He reached for his wallet and placed a few bills on the bar next to Peter. "Keep the change. And don't worry, I'll bring them over." He grabbed the tray and turned to his party. "Nice talking to you Takuya."

Peter didn't raise his head. The conversation was surprisingly exhausting. He simply waived at the off duty soldier off. "Yeah…" The bastard had caught his name and he no doubt memorized it.

The bartender saw the burdened teen staring at an empty glass. "Want me to top you off kid?"

"No thanks."

Normally the barkeep would inquire about a customer's troubles but the look he gave off told him the young man wouldn't have any of it. He shrugged and tended to the other patrons. "Suit yourself." He was s a bartender, not a shrink.

"-Look it's not my fault the guy challenged me to a darts game. Hanzo was there, didn't I warn him?" Chicko was in the middle of his own tale.

Hanzo grinned at the memory. "He did."

"So I wipe the floor with him, obviously, but he yells out 'DOUBLE OR NOTHING'. I was telling him to cut his losses, but he goes on and on saying I got lucky. None of this bothered me until he calls me a fake Yuan." An evil yet smug grin formed on Chiko's face. "He made it personal and I got a little carried away."

Hanzo's cool demeanor faded and he started to laugh out loud at the thought. "Chi' started throwing trick shots at the dart board. Through the legs, over the shoulder, he even ricocheted off the walls and glasses." Hanzo's laugher interrupted his story. "I wish I could've taken a picture. Words can't describe the look on the poor jerks face."

Lou and Yumi were amused by the story. The Fire Nation natives had their ear.

"Even after all that he still didn't get the message. He kept upping the wager, and I got him down to his long johns. Everybody at the dive was losing their minds. Now I pretty much own everything but his first born and he finally decides to throw in the towel. I give him his pants back and enough yuans for cab fare." Chicko finished.

"That's mighty magnanimous of you Chiko." Lou admitted. "Didn't figure you the type."

"I'm not. You ever see a half-naked sand bender? *woof* Not a pretty sight. That desert air is not kind to the skin. At the end of the day, I paid him to leave."

"Chi' telling you the dart story?" Quan spoke up with drinks in hand. He set the drinks down and returned to his seat. "That was a fun little trip."

Yumi leaned in. "What's up cap? Did Chiko take some liberties with that one?" She turned to Chiko and teased.

Quan shook his head. "Nope. Han and Chi were having a heck of a time. I was just worried that sandbender was going to comeback with some friends for a little payback."

"Come on cap, he could've brought fifty of his boys back to that tavern and he'd still come up short." Hanzo bragged.

"Yeah cap, you worry too much." Chiko added.

"That's why I'm in charge son."

"That's right, our fearless leader airs on the side of caution, which makes him a real level headed guy." Yumi absently said while inspecting her drink. The taste was only half the experience of a lava ginger. There was also presentation to keep in mind. "Yep, you couldn't ask for a better commander. Though his timing could use some work."

"I recall someone ordering a special, time consuming, drink." Quan pointed out. He glanced at the fizzy orangish red drink. The glass's edge was laced with dark rock candy and it looked diabolical. It was like the poison an evil witch would force the hero to drink.

"Well, some of us have a more cultured pallet," she winked at Quan and took a long swig from the glass.

Everyone watched as she gulped her drink until it was half full in quiet amazement.

"Doesn't that soda have four or five different pepper juices in it?" Chicko said meekly as he looked on.

Yumi finished and said nothing. She started to tremble. Her face went red and beads of sweat started to form on her forehead. The sun warrior's eyes watered. It looked like she wanted to scream in pain. Her team were already mentally prepared to help her. Yumi stirred and shifted, and then nothing. Her face returned to its normal hue. She breathed in through her nose and let out a thick steam out of her mouth with a relaxed face. "Sure does Chi'. Want a sip Cap?"

Quan sighed in relief. He was afraid he'd have to call an ambulance. "No thank you."

"Hey cap, who were you talking to at the bar." Lou asked his old friend. "You making a friend in this strange land?"

"You're a regular riot tonight, you know that Lou?"

"I'm in a festive mood."

"I'm not sure, maybe…never mind I'm just being paranoid."

"You sure about that?" Hanzo was listening in on the conversation and decided to chime in. "You got that look on your face."

Quan turned and pointed at his mug. "I always have this look."

Chicko and Yumi ignored the older soldiers. They were too enthralled with their school house bickering.

"Nah Hanzo's right, you got that 'analytical' mojo in your eye." Lou got serious for a moment. The captain's 'look' didn't have a special name, but it only showed up whenever he was about to make a judgment call. In short, a bad day. "What's going on Quan?"

Quan finished his drink and thought to himself. He was annoyed he couldn't come up with a definitive answer to his quandary. "I'll let you know as soon as I do big guy." He folded his arms and reviewed the odd conversation he had a moment ago.

"-Come on Chi' take a sip. It's not that hot I swear." Yumi played with the archer. "You're not a chicken-lizard are you Chi'?" She twisted the knife.

Chicko frowned at her and slammed his fist on the table. "Give it here!"

"Chicko, don't take the bait." Quan advised the young soldier while contemplating whether to tell them what was on his mind or not.

Korra and Bolin had finally ended their contest and went to collect Peter. They chuckled about the stupid competition they got themselves into. They couldn't even remember how they got to that. They saw Peter resting his head on his hand. Something was bothering him.

"Ah Takuya *burp* you missed out." Korra shot a friendly jab at his arm.

Peter barely registered the hit and stood straight up. "Please tell me the burping contest is over."

"Oh yeah man, we're done." Bolin announced. "You should've seen this girl go Tak'. It was *burp* a nice bonding experience, if I do say so myself." He winked and nudged Peter's arm.

Peter didn't have the heart to tell him that their pre-date arrangement had nothing to do with him sitting away from them. "I think everyone heard her go." He turned to Korra. "That wasn't very lady like Korra." He poked fun at her boarfish behavior.

"I was raised *burp* in a frozen tundra Poindexter. 'Lady Like' will *burp* get you killed." Korra argued.

"Fair point I guess." Peter shrugged it off and got out of his seat. "So, you two ready to go?"

"That's right Takuya, we got one more stop, even though you said you'd leave earlier." Bolin wedged himself into the conversation.

"Great!" Peter dropped some yuans on the table. 'Thank god!', he thought to himself.

As the three teens made their exit, they walked past the 'slayer' booth. Peter could've sworn he felt eyes on his back.

XXXxxx Republic City: Harmony Tower xxxXXX

The Harmony Tower loomed over the city like a beacon. It stood as a monument to its namesake: The Harmony Restoration Plan, which was initiated decades ago. It was a plan hatched by Avatar Aang and Firelord Zuko as a means to pacify the post war territories the Fire Nation had captured. While both men had their own marks on the city, the tower was dedicated to the will of the people. It stood to honor the first generation of citizens who were brave enough to leave their old world and step into a new, unproven society based on nothing but a promise and the clothes on their backs. They chose to ignore past sins and nationalistic ties in order to be a part of a revolutionary city, and an idea that was greater than themselves. The tower stood over most of the city with only a few of the newer buildings approaching its great height.

It was nice night out, nippy but nice. The fog lights gave the city a magical golden glow that wowed the sightseers at the top. Bolin made a good call making this his grand finale. He watched as Korra looked around the entire city from such a high vantage. He had been there several times now. The first time was sneaking up with his brother when they were kids. It was a beautiful sight, but it lost its luster around girlfriend number 4. It didn't matter what he thought though. He just watched Korra enthusiastically watch over the city with glee in her eyes. He was happy to see her enjoy herself.

Korra looked down through the skyline of Republic City with awe and wonder. It was truly a thing of beauty at night. They were just high enough to escape the light pollution, which allowed the stars to shine. The natural light clashed with the artificial lighting, and they oddly complemented each other.

"This city sure is beautiful…" Korra thought out loud.

"You sure are." Bolin said to the awe struck Avatar.

"Huh?"

"The City-heh- The city it's uh... really nice at night," Bolin reeled it back in the nick of time. It wasn't the right time to seal the deal.

"Oh yeah," She looked on and smiled. "You're real lucky to have grown up here Bolin."

"Yeah, it took me a while before I felt that way." Bolin somberly turned his head.

Korra wondered what he meant by that and moved quickly to peddle it back. "Oh, sorry Bolin, I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories. Mako told me what happened to your parents and I-"

"It's alright Korra, I know it wasn't intentional," Bolin sighed and rested on the railing. "Honestly, it doesn't bother me nearly as much as it used to. You know, I used to think this place was cursed after my folks died. For the longest time, I wanted to be anywhere but here." He chuckled at the childish wish. "I thought me and Mako could get to Ba-Sing-Se or the Fire Nation to start over. I would've taken some dumpy little nowhere village as long as I had my brother with me."

Korra never saw Bolin in this light. The happy go lucky pro-bender gave way to a hidden, troubled teenager. It wasn't that she was unaware of his past, but the fact that his nature did such a good job hiding it. "So what changed all that?"

"Well, besides the fact that we could barely feed ourselves, let alone move to a different country, the city just got a little brighter somehow." Bolin fumbled with his thought. It was hard to attach words to these feelings.

"Brighter?" Korra repeated. His wording didn't illustrate his stance well.

"I meant things got better for us. We learned to take care of ourselves, and that's how we met Toza. Making the Fire Ferrets, competing in the finals, and well... running into you," Bolin summed up all the good that happened to him in his short life. "None of that would've happened anywhere else. So after a while I just learned to love this place all over again."

"Bolin, I had no idea. I don't know what I would've done if I was in your shoes," Korra admitted. She always had people to rely on. She had everything from her parents, The White Lotus, Tenzin, and her parents if she was in a pinch. Bolin didn't have such a support system, he had to bring himself up the old fashioned way.

"You're stubborn enough." He smiled. "Trust me you'd manage."

The two laughed at the open admission of her personality quirk. None of her bending teachers didn't think it was her best quality.

"Can I ask you something Korra?" Bolin was unusually cautious.

"Sure, we're talking aren't we?"

"Why did you really want Takuya to tag along tonight? I mean, don't get me wrong, were buddies and all, but I wanted this night to be just the two of us." Bolin addressed the elephant on the tower.

Korra's face shifted at the thousand pound question. She pondered if she should lie to him outright or by omission. It took her a moment but she decided on a third option. "I…I think he's mixed in with something that could, or DID, get him hurt," She chose her words carefully. She felt obligated to do right by Bolin but couldn't put Peter's double life in the spotlight. She would tell him the truth as vaguely as humanly possible. It helped that she didn't know the whole story herself. "I just wanted that show him that he's got friends that care about him so he wouldn't hesitate to come to us if he ever needed us." She shook her head at the fumbled explanation. She lacked Peter's silver tongue. "Or…I don't know I just didn't want to see himself get hurt or worse."

"Seriously? Jeez I never thought…So you think that mugging had something to do with it.?" Bolin struggled not to blurt it out.

"Yeah, I think it did."

"Why didn't you say so? I could've helped out." Bolin stayed quiet, but was visibly flustered. "You think he's running with the Triads or the Equalists, maybe?

Korra turned to see Peter looking off at the other end of the deck. "I wish it was that simple. I know that-"

Bolin stopped her with a wave of the hand. "Uh uh, say no more. Go over there and get Tak' out of whatever mess he got himself into."

"But I don't know if-"

"Nope! Don't think, just do what you gotta to do." It was Bolin's turn to issue commands. He was a little bummed out that his pursuit of love had to take a backseat, but his friend was in some kind of trouble. If he had known the whole picture, he'd would've been marching over there himself. Of course, he would badger him with hugs and soliciting autographs from his hero. Bolin wasn't the sharpest, but he knew he didn't have a dog in this fight; at the moment anyway. "Look, your hearts in the right place and he's our friend. So shut up, follow your gut, and say what you got to say."

Korra had a million things on her mind and a thousand things to say, but she knew he was right. She took a few steps before turning back and hugged Bolin. "Thanks Bo'. And I had a great time tonight, I really did need this."

Bolin smiled ear to ear at her affection. Tonight wasn't a bust after all. "Any time Korra. Any time." He settled for simplicity over a cheesy one liner and hugged her back.

Peter faced the crescent peninsula while the others looked on to the pretty lights the city had to offer. His vantage wasn't as popular as the other side of the deck. Who could blame them? Peter experienced them firsthand. He had swung past the city's cascade of bright lights and jaw dropping architecture on a nightly basis. He did anyway. Watching the lights from on highrise monument was nice, but it didn't hold a candle to swinging past the skyscrapers on a nightly basis. So he opted to watch the ports instead. Seeing different ships arrive and depart reminded him of his studies. One of his teachers from mid-town asked the class what work was. His classmates gave him a wide verity of answers. Mr. Cook heard everything from concentrated effort, an after school job at a corner store, to doing 'favors' for wise guys. Peter remembered saying something like work was effort put into accomplishing a goal no matter the outcome. Needless to say, no one got it right, but he made a note on his answer. All that 'attention' drove him to get his diploma earlier than his class. Mr. Cook looked at him as he shared his answer with the class. He told the class that work was starting a task and completing it, not trying and failing. You can try and failure was always a possible outcome, but work was ultimately progress. You started with a dollar on Monday and had five by Friday, then congratulations, you worked. He told Peter that what he was describing was blind effort. If you weren't making progress then you weren't working; you were wasting time.

'What the hell have I been doing this whole time? Have I really accomplished anything?" He thought. He let the thought pass. This wasn't the time to mope, he needed solutions for hs progress. From what he gathered from Prowler, to getting Beifong off his tail, and focusing on the Equalist's threat. But that wasn't much to go on. For all he knew he was feeding himself false information. He quickly dashed this theory. There was no way he could figure out who he was, and Beifong wasn't clairvoyant.

Maybe that was the reason he was celebrating with his goon squad. Did they think he was beaten? Peter frowned and gripped the railing. The unexpected encounter with Prowler had gotten under his skin. 'Spider-Slayer' was one of the hardest nights of his life. That night shook him to his core, but Prowler and his team were acting like nothing happened. But the worst part of that exchange, the part that he could never admit out loud, was that the man scared him. He felt the fear inch up his spine the longer he talked to the unmasked agent. He hoped, prayed, that the U.F. captain didn't discover who he really was.

He closed his eyes, quietly suffering from his humiliation. Other onlookers saw this and inched away from the brooding teen. All this 'laying low' stuff felt like an unannounced surrender and an excuse of a coward.

"Umm, you know the best view is on the west side of the tower right?" Korra tapped his shoulder and joined him on his vacant perch.

"Yeah well, I personally think this view's better." Peter didn't avert his gaze from the dingy coast. "A light house under the stars, now that's a view."

"You know, if we got a flashlight, pointed it at your face, and spun you around, then you'd make a decent lighthouse here Poindexter." She smiled and nudged an unresponsive Peter. Korra tried to break the ice with a little humor.

"Oh, I get it. My glasses are so big that they can guide ships at night." Peter described the punch line with a flat monotone. "Real funny Korra."

"Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it."

Peter just shook his head, stood up, and rubbed his face. "I know you didn't. I'm just tired that's all. I'm going to turn in for tonight." He walked past her and towards the elevator. "Thanks for inviting me, and good luck with tournament."

"Whoa!Wait up Takuya!" Korra followed him. She would most likely not get another shot at this. "At least let me see you off."

Peter didn't protest. He just wanted the night to be over and sulk in his room. "Fine." He thought this was a harmless curtsy.

The two made it to one of the elevators and they were finally alone. The only thing between them was silence and a couple of feet. Korra had found her golden opportunity.

'Now or never.' She thought.

"Heh-heh, tall tower."

"Slow elevator."

"Hey Poin-Takuya I um... I just want you to know that you can trust me with anything."

Peter regarded Korra and wondered what her angle was.

"I mean whatever you're going through, I wanted to tell you that you don't have to go through it alone. I can help you. We can help you. Me, Bolin, Mako, they're just a call away, alright?"

"Please tell me you didn't drag me out here just to say that." Peter said matter-of-factly. He was tired and frustrated with everything at the moment. The Avatar was like a lightning rod to his vex.

Korra went wide eyed at Peter's out- of- the- blue disdain. He was right but she didn't see that response coming. This wasn't going well. "No! Well, sort of. Look, I was only trying to-"

"Only what Korra?! Pat me on the head and tell me everything's going to be alright? I hate to break it to you but everything's pretty terrible at the moment!"

"And you don't think I know that?!" Korra shifted gears and composed herself. This was one of those rare instances where she was the cool head in the room. "Amon's still out there, I get it. But don't worry, I'll stop him and the Equalists before things get out of hand." She assumed he was referring to Amon.

Peter let out a condescending laugh. "You know, sometimes I wish I could be that casual when we're in the middle of a total disaster!"

"You really think I'm not taking this seriously!?" Korra's patience was wearing thin.

"Are you!? This city's going to hell and you're wasting your time with pro-bending matches and dinner dates!" Peter shot back.

Korra locked eyes with Peter. "Really? Well I guess that makes two of us." She caught him in a contradiction.

Peter scowled back at her. He hated what she said but knew she was right. "I'm only here because I was too stupid to tell you to kick rocks when I had the chance." His face lost his intensity and went stone cold. This was pointless. "I want to make one thing perfectly clear to you Korra." He inched closer and faced her down. "I don't need a shoulder to cry on or your coddling. So do me a favor and stop treating me like a helpless, crying puppy." He finished with perfect timing as the elevator bell rung. He didn't even give her a passing glance as he stepped out into the lobby.

Time stood still for Korra. She stood in the elevator with a swath of emotions making their rounds. The fact that her best efforts to console him fell on deaf ears crushed her spirits. She wanted to let Peter know that he could confide in her and he tossed her good will out like an old newspaper. At first she questioned her approach. Did she do something wrong? No. It was far from graceful but it was perfectly sincere. She clenched her teeth, trying and failing to keep her infamous temper in check. Her eyes were shut tight, desperately searching for a logical solution to what just transpired. She searched repeatedly but nothing came to mind. The elevator bell rang and the double doors started to close, but Korra swung her arm and forced them back open. Her plan failed, so what? She wasn't the only one tired of games. "TAKUYA, get back here! We're not done!"

Peter was in a foul mood of his own but remained passive. "It sure feels like it!" He proclaimed without turning around. His eyes shot open when his spider-sense tripped. A surprisingly firm hand grabbed his jacket and forced him to about face.

"NO WE'RE NOT!" Korra got in his face. "How can someone like be such a coward!?"

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" He flicked her hand away. "YOU GOT SOMETHING TO SAY TO ME?! WELL THEN SAY IT! RIGHT NOW!"

"I know you're Spider-Man!" She had enough sense not to shout it out but did jab her finger in his chest.

To say Peter was shocked would be an understatement. Korra blew his fire and brimstone out like a cheap birthday candle. His fury melted. His eyes went glassy. This scenario played out in his head since the day he donned his costume. He thought up a thousand contingencies in the interim and now they were as useful as a three legged race horse. His secrecy was his armor. Spider-Man handled the war theater while Peter Parker worked in the demilitarized zone. He found an odd sense of comfort with this arrangement, but Korra did the unthinkable and threw him into uncharted waters. In short, he didn't have the faintest idea what the hell he was going to do.

"What…?" Peter whispered out.

"You heard me 'Spidey'" Korra saw blood and went for the kill. If Peter wasn't going to see the light, she was more than willing to drag him into it. "You hid it well, but I figured you out."

Peter was a tough kid. He picked fights with mobsters and leg breakers after all. But he was still human and on the verge of a panic. "Korra that's crazy. I'm not-"

"The night you got 'mugged' was the same night you got ambushed by Beifong." Korra cut him off with her well founded conclusions. She may have been a hot headed teenager, but she had a deadly focus when she put her mind to something.

Peter turned away, trying to make himself as small as possible. "That's just a coincidence." Denial was the only card he had left to play. His silver tongue was tarnished.

"You yelled at Beifong because you knew we were only trying to save Bolin." She continued. Peter's feeble attempts to dissuade her were ignored. "You shouldn't have showed me your eyes at the Avatar Aang monument. That's what gave you away."

Peter swallowed but still felt a lump in his throat. He couldn't look at Korra. She had him nailed to a wall and there was nothing he could say to prove her otherwise. The twins were laughing at him somewhere. He pulled his head up facing a determined Avatar. He was ashamed of himself, but there was only one stance he could take. "Well I'm not him Korra. I'm just some delusional idiot who doesn't know when to shut up."

All the might in his tone had vanished. Now it was shaken, unsure. He felt like trash for doing this, but what choice did he have? Avatar or not, he couldn't let her into his world. "Just leave me alone Korra…" He turned away and walked towards the exit. Again he was stopped.

Korra moved before she thought and grabbed his wrist. She didn't know what to do either. "You're right about Amon. He's out there with a master plan and I don't know if I can stop him." She wasn't ignoring the Equalist threat. In fact, it occupied her mind at every other instance. She was just as worried of Amon as Peter was. "We don't have time for this Takuya. You were right about me back then. I was lying to myself then, but not now." Her tone softened. She was a proud, soulful girl, and these words didn't come easily from someone like her. "Please, I need your help."

The pit in Peter's stomach turned into a ten pound bowling ball. He didn't know what to say. His mind stopped making calculated decisions a while ago. If they would have had this conversation a month ago things would have been different. He would have answered her plea and moved on, but that wasn't the case right now. Thanks to the spider spirit, he was a liability to himself and the people around him. He couldn't trust himself, let alone someone else. And if he lost control anywhere around Korra, then he would never forgive himself for what he would have done. He turned to face Korra. Her face was flush and her eyes were glossy. She was trying, and failing, to maintain her composure. His heart pounded and his breath was shallow. The four battered and beaten police officers flashed through his head. The image made up his mind for him. "I'm sorry Korra, but I can't help you…" HE broke his wrist free from her grasp and walked away. "I can't help anyone…"

Korra watched the man she admired retreat out of the tower. The two may have bickered when they first met, but she quietly respected the wall crawler. He was someone who would stand up for people he didn't even know. The only thing that mattered to him was if someone was knee deep in trouble and how fast he could pull them out of it. And to top it all off, he still made the time to climb the ranks of one of the biggest companies in the world, while she was still struggling to learn airbending. She was the Avatar, and it was her job to maintain order and balance in the world. In her mind, Spider-Man gave her an inspiration to be a great Avatar. In a way, he was the perfect role model to emulate. He was selfless and fearless. At least she thought he was. But now she had to face the facts. He wasn't the indomitable force for good. He was a human being just like her.

She walked back to the elevator without fury or disgust and hit the upward button. The doors closed and it started its ascent back to the top. Her plan might have been a disaster, but she didn't want to bail out on Bolin. The intervention echoed in her mind. Overcome with despair, she curled up into a corner of the small space. Tears started rolling down her cheeks. She covered her eyes. Two words were repeated in her mind and would linger longer than she wanted.

'What now…?'

A/N:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

All right all right it's done and the saga continues. You know I'm glad I decided to split this chapter up. Keep in mind part 1 and 2 were meant to be one and would've came out at or around 40,000 words. I am a glutton for punishment but continuing the story makes all the sleepless nights and frustrations worth it. And I'm happy to get this out at the start of the New Year. So my editor put it best and told me that the pressure is starting to get to Peter. He feels useless and things will only get worse. Really enjoyed writing that inner turmoil at the tower. It has been suppressed for a while but his unexpected meeting with Quan kicked it up a notch. Things will come to a head in the next couple of chapters. If you seen the show then you know what's coming. Spider-Man will have to return weather Peter likes it or not. Really enjoyed writing this monster but I'll start 'parting' these updates for the sake of time since this one took me a freaking year to write. Oh well it's worth it.

Prime's apprentice: Yep. First half's done and things start getting real on the next chapter.

Vumanchu: Funny story, I actually meant to get this out on Christmas eve but I'm always late…for everything.

Nemesis Astraea: Got your wish.

mad thought: A symbiote Asami or Korra would be cool but I just can't make sense for that for the story.

NuckTuc: The twins have a role to play in the tale. But to be fair, I was playing bioshock infinite at the time, woof five years ago, and I loved those two so much that I added them in when I was writing my second draft. Does it make sense, no hell no. It was one of those 'F%*K it it's fan fic' moments I have once in a blue moon.

CRUDEN: Spider-Man ps4 is almost perfect. I absolutely hate MJ and force fed Miles to the bottom of my heart. I actually completed all of the side quest first before I did the main story. It was the only thing I could do to prolong the obligatory MJ or Miles 'mission'. Oh god so boring! Sometimes the game feels like MJ and Miles game ft. Spider-Man. And Pete is such a punk in the narrative. I caught myself yelling at my screen telling Pete to grow a spine and tell MJ off, especially at the Sable 'stealth' mission. And I just low key reviewed the game so enjoy the bonus content. By the way none of this stopped me from buying all the dlc, love this freaking game.

Dante C. Emerys: -That was a onetime deal with the Rabaroos. I just wanted to add a little more detail to the characters that's all. That locker room bit was good Idea but the train left the station and that sucks. Wish I thought of that.

-Aw but you see the twins don't know as much as they think they do. They're scientist and have a very structure based way of thinking. Spirituality is a concept they don't entertain. When Lady Comstock sprung up from the grave towards the end of bioshock infinite they explained it in a very calculated manner. Not saying my interpretation was the intended one but that just me. I don't want to spoil everything so let's just say that Peter isn't the only learning new things.

-That happened here and I think I remember saying it wasn't going to last long. It would've muddied my narrative if I dragged it on too long.

- A couple of tried and true Spidey gadgets will be invented by Peter along with some new ones. Spider-Man ps4 really broadened my horizons in the gadget department. That goes double for Hiroshi.

616mcu: Sometimes I put myself in the situations Peter finds himself in and come up with a rational way of doing things. Then I remember he's a seventeen year old punk so I dumb things down considerably. Was picking fights with muggers smart? NO. Did he get the desired results? Yes. As for the Sato/Peter relationship…that's going to get ugly that's all I'll say for now. Thanks for the kind words they mean a lot to me.

Spartan 108: watch?v=lxbWMYF6pJs

JJ be praised!

Mattgrounder: Thanks dude.

mentalist777: I always had that scenario play out in my head but your review made me put some more thought into it. I don't have anything written down but I actually came up with some things that even impressed myself. It won't just be a back and forth between two opposing parties but an open critique on Law enforcement vs vigilantism. I don't know if you notice your boi loves duality. One side right one side's wrong but each side has a point. That's how I roll. I have been brainstorming different costumes for Peter. I don't have anything set in stone yet, there is some concepts on deviant art, but I want to keep things humble on Peter's part. No Spider-Armor mk 3 advanced suits but costumes like Scarlet Spider or Spider-Punk (Just an example, not a fan of this suit). Think modified off the rack clothing with some gadget integration. No SHEILD in the Avatar world. I want to keep things grounded to the LOK series and SHEILD would dilute things too much.

WordSmyth: …I'm trying…

wargreymonxtreme11: WOW Love the essay dude.

-You'll know who's pulling the strings in due time.

-I usually hate Anime Opening with a few exceptions. (FMA Brotherhood, AOT, etc.) So no Anime opening for my fanfic.

Star Spider-no. I'm sorry no jets.

Deal of the Phantom- That's a good Idea but that not the relationship I want the Spider god and Peter to have. I don't want to spoil things but I think you'll like it.

Mark of Kaine: Ehh wait and see lol.

Empire Strikes Back- That is soooo far down the pipeline that I don't have anything on that yet. I got some vague Ideas but like a said not a whole lot of anything on that front.

-Strange is strictly in a support role. I like the guy but he'd one shot damn near every character in my story and this ain't One Punch Man.

-Well I'm glad you asked you see [Redacted]

-No spider legs.

-I really want to keep guns out of the Avatar world. Guns would complicate things and throw a wrench into the narrative I got worked out.

-The spirits seemed pretty indestructible in LOK so I don't think silver would do jack to them.

-That's going to be a funny point of contention so stay tuned.

-I've played Bayonetta, really need to finish it, and that going to be a hearty no. Gravity exist in my story.

-Eh that could happen.

-I might start doing that.

Thanks for your readership and keep up the big reviews.

Partyman 108: Dude I am painfully slow. I thought this would take me a few weeks after the last update and it turned into months. My new year's resolution will be better time management that for sure.

Ironically Challenged: Oh crap! Don't worry I'll try harder and that should put your cancer into remission. Yeah that was chapter 4 and the earlier chapters lacked a lot of oversight. I keep them the same as a way to mark my progress. Though I do go back and fix obvious mistakes like when I used 'Hay' instead of 'Hey' in the earlier chapters. I'm trying dude.

Blackmoon915: I think the ship has sailed. I'll admit that not an expert in the love story stuff but I think I'm doing an alright job. I try not to make things obvious and have Korra go 'we are meant to be' you know. It puts me in an odd place since I like action type of stories. They won't agree with each other at times but they do play on each other's strengths. I don't want Peter to turn into a wimp like Mako did in the show and I think I displayed that in this chapter. The profanity bit is hard for me. I cuss like a sailor outside and boy oh boy I have said things over xbox live that can never see the light of day. I stopped using my mic for a reason.

The Lst Mamm0th: I got you dog!

Guest: Good point. Kung-Lie taught Peter some self-defense techniques but he hasn't taught Spider-Man anything. Huh huh, wink wink nudge nudge, you know what I mean you know what a mean?

Bluzerker: Did I mess something up? Amon's guys do attack the stadium.