A/N: I do not own Legend of Korra or Spider-Man

XXXxxx Republic City Streets xxxXXX

Korra wasn't used to the rustling and bustling of the common trolley. The obnoxious metal on metal sound assaulted her ear drums. Though other riders left her alone for the most part, only a couple of them recognized her and exchanged pleasantries. The whole experience was jarring and uncomfortable. She shot the occasional glance at Peter only to see him largely unaffected by the quiet chaos surrounding him and wondered how he could stomach it all. According to him, they were from similar backgrounds. Closer observation of the Wall-Crawler was an eye-opening experience to say the least. All the little idiosyncrasies that she simply dismissed in the past. It was clear to her now that he was lying about his humble background at a fishing village. She frowned at her new companion. She couldn't shake the feeling that his secrets had secrets and she wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

Peter caught her glance and smiled. "You're not getting cold feet are you?" Peter teased. "You know, it's not too late to back out."

Korra tucked her concerns and rose to his soft challenge. "No, I'm peachy. It's just that I don't do too well in tight spaces. I don't know how you manage with this."

Peter shrugged. "It's nothing really. It's just something you get used to I guess."

"Right. Anyway, you don't have to worry about me. I've got ice water running in my veins." Korra boasted and hoped the bravado hid her concerns well. The sudden jolt of the train stopping shoved her into Peter. She wasn't sure if she yelped or not.

Peter chuckled at Korra's expense. "Ice water huh?"

Korra pushed herself away from Peter's chest, recomposed herself, and put on the best poker face she could muster. "Yup, cool as a cucumber."

"Whatever you say princess. Let's get this show on the road."

The two teens stepped off the trolley and approached the bridge to the arena. Thankfully, no one took a second glance at the 'nobody' hanging around the Avatar. His simple disguise was proving useful.

"Alright so I've been thinking of ways into the arena. You can walk us under the bridge and we can get in undetected. That way no one will know that we're inside and we can find what we need with time to spare." Korra concluded with an accomplished look on her face. "What do you think?"

"That's a swell plan Korra. I really like the part where I jump off a bridge with the most famous person in the world. I'm sure no one will notice."

"Well, we could, I don't know, do it when noone's looking…right?"

Peter took a deep breath and reminded himself that Korra, despite all her power, was a novice.

"Quick rule of thumb Korra, someone's always watching. The best way to go against this is to hide in plain sight. Allow to me to demonstrate." Peter began to casually walk across the bridge towards the closed down arena. "Coming?"

Korra was bewildered by Peter's disregard towards his double life. "So, all that fuss about being seen around me was for nothing then?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm just some mook making small talk with the Avatar. The Avatar is a person of the people, right?" Peter surmised. "Plus, I really don't want to tip anyone off just in case someone's watching."

"Oh, that makes sense, I guess. You thought all this up on the spot, didn't you Takuya?"

"No, just experience. I've been chasing leads way before I put the mask on."

"Heh, you learned all that in a fishing village?" Korra probed the vigilante for answers. She decided not to sit on her misgivings.

Peter shot her a dirty look before looking back at the path to the arena. "Would you believe me if I said it was a very colorful village?"

"I'll be honest with you Takuya; I don't know what's real about you and what isn't. I peel one layer off of you, I find a dozen more." Korra spoke her mind to him. She decided to be more direct with the elusive wall-crawler. "It's great that you accepted me in your tiny circle, but I can't help but feel that you're still hiding something."

Peter didn't know how to respond. This girl was far more perceptive than he gave her credit for.

"Just so you know, it's not that I don't trust you or anything Korra. It's just…well…let's just say the story of my life is not for the faint of heart. And I'll be honest with you, I'm not going to bear my soul to you just because you figured out the big secret, no offense."

Korra simply scoffed at his words. "Alright fine, I won't pry anymore. Happy?!"

"Ecstatic." The arena's entrance and box office came to view. Police caution tape draped around the walkway, save for one entrance labeled 'employees only'. "What's this about?" Peter pointed to the sign.

Korra brushed the little spat under the rug and answered. "The police are shutting this place down until further notice, so they're letting everyone clear out their personal stuff before they do the deed since they already swept the place for any usable evidence."

"That's nice and convenient." Peter gave the area a glance over before opening the door for Korra. "I'm surprised there aren't any officers on guard duty."

"Thanks. I guess the cops are stretched thin after last night. A bunch of them are probably in the infirmary." Korra theorized. "Amon's attack hit everyone pretty hard."

"No kidding."

A bizarre feeling engulfed the two as they went deeper into the arena. It was as if all the energy and anticipation was sucked out of the place. Now walking through the building was like taking a tour in a funeral home.

"So, what are we looking for exactly?" Korra asked.

"Two things. One, an employee registry, or any kind of roster, with anything on the referees watching last nights match. And two, any clues that can help us out with one." Peter explained. "Anything can help so don't be too picky in your search."

"Not that I'm complaining, but that last one's a little vague and I wouldn't even know where to find any kind of official documents on the refs." Korra laid bare the challenges they faced. "We're looking for a couple of needles in a sixteen-story hay stack Takuya."

"I never said it'd be easy Korra." Peter told her while regarding his surroundings. "We're working with scraps after all. In fact, we'd cover more ground if we split up."

"Not a chance Takuya." Korra declared. "We're in this together whether you like it or…" She turned to Peter only to find out that she was talking to herself. Her head darted around the hall trying to find any sign of the wall crawler but found nothing. He was next to her one moment and vanished without a trace in the next.

Korra groaned and threw her hands up in frustration. She had no choice but to follow Takuya's plan and started to search for clues on her own. "I need a put a bell on that twerp."

She was upset but stayed focused on the matter at hand. Takuya thought she'd only get in his way? Fine. All she had to do was prove him wrong and find the prize before he did. Her natural competitive nature reared its head. She smiled at the thought of rubbing it in his face when the time came.

XXXxxx Pro Bending Arena: elsewhere xxxXXX

The building's abnormally large ventilation system saved Peter's time and energy trying to convince Korra to lay off. It was a little scummy pulling a fast one on her, but time was of the essence and this was quickly turning into a dead end if it wasn't already. He crawled through the shafts for a few minutes before jumping down to a common area. Peter glanced around at his surroundings and found himself in the concession stands. Debris left from fleeing onlookers scattered all over the floor. It looked like a bomb went off, based on all the damage. It was a miracle no one got trampled in all the panic. Peter shook his head at the thought. He was playing it fast and loose and was only getting away by the skin of his teeth.

He let out a deep sigh. "This has to stop…" He thought out loud.

He walked out to the stands which looked a hair better than the concessions stand and looked around the box seats. He was looking for any kind of administration portion of the arena. He remembered seeing an 'employee's only' sign on his way to the Future Industry suite. He hoped no one would notice a broken window and a few kicked in doors in the wake of his search. His eyes lingered on the destroyed ring in the center of auditorium.

'How the hell did he sneak so much explosives without anyone…' His thought was cut short when he saw a lone light in one of the suits. "Hello."

XXXxxx Pro Bending Arena: Locker Rooms xxxXXX

Korra expertly snuck through the halls avoiding any possible onlookers, in her mind anyways. She had little to no expertise in the stealth department. She was lucky most, if not all, the staff came in early to gather their belongings. She didn't remember if the referees got ready in this area or not but she did bump into a couple of them on the way to the ring. The locker room was attached through the training gym so she would have to cross it to get to what she was looking for. Maybe some records would turn up in her search. She cracked the double doors and snaked her way through the narrow opening. She tipped-toed through the spacious gym scanning left and right for any possible bystanders. Luckily for her the room was vacant. She stood up properly and walked casually through the gym. Korra smirked at her triumph. She didn't know why the web-head made such a big deal with stealth. It wasn't hard to pull off.

"HEY!"

Korra's soul almost escaped its physical confines from the shock. She didn't know if either her yelp or comical jump was more embarrassing. She took a few seconds to regain her bearings before identifying her unexpected company. "Oh, hey Touza, uh…how's it going!"

The ageing pro-bending trainer looked at her with suspicious eyes. "I'm fine, but forget about me for a minute. What are you doing here kid? And why were you snooping around like that?" He asked with a mixture of annoyance and concern. "You aren't getting into the cactus juice are you?"

"What? No! I was just…umm…training."

"Training? At a time like this?" Touza asked feeling a hint of déjà vu.

Korra found her self falling short of all of Takuya's methods. She couldn't snoop around like him or spin a believable lie like him either. She didn't know if the latter was a strong suit or not. "Yeah, it's some weird Avatar training Tenzin's got me doing. He tells me that an airbender can go by unnoticed. Heh, I guess I'm not quite there yet."

"Seriously?"

Korra shrugged. "Yeah, I don't get it either."

Touza shook his head and silently dismissed Korra's odd behavior. He didn't even know why he raised such a fuss. Maybe it was just old habits nagging at him. "You must've grabbed your gear when you came by earlier."

"I did, but I ended up forgetting a few things. I left pretty quickly after Mako and Bolin went to the rich girl's house." Korra didn't bother hiding her distaste.

Touza laughed at Korra's stink eye. Her entire situation became painfully obvious. "Can you blame them kid? A couple of street urchins get a chance to live it up in a mansion, they'd be crazy not to take that Sato girl's offer."

"I'm not mad about it or anything. I just wish I knew before I rushed over that's all."

"I get it, and don't sweat the old man bothering you. I was just passing through myself."

Korra looked over Touza and saw the duffle bag hung over his shoulder. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"I know your old and all but I didn't think you were this slow."

Touza grumbled. "Is that supposed to be a joke?"

"No, that came out wrong. I meant to ask what you were still doing here. I thought most of the staff came through already."

A disparaging look appeared on Touza's face. "Oh. Well, I came through with everyone else on the payroll but I got caught up reminiscing with the other old timers. When you get to be my age it's really easy to get lost in nostalgia and well, I don't know, I guess a good chunk of us wanted to get one last look before they board up the place. We started chatting it up and a few minutes turned into a couple of hours. You know how it is."

"Not really. What do you mean about them boarding up the place? This shutdown isn't going to last forever. You'll be back to shouting our ears off at practice in no time, you'll see!"

Touza turned away in shame. "I don't know how to tell you this without hurting your feelings Korra, so I'll just come out with it. It doesn't feel like things are going to go back to normal kid. This place, heck this whole city, has been through some rough spots in the past. We've survived the Triad wars and even Yakome's reign of terror, but this is different. Amon and his Equalists feel…unbeatable. Everybody knows people like you, Chief Beifong, and even that Spider yahoo all mean well, but it's like Amon has all the Pai Sho pieces in his corner. No disrespect kid, that was the gist of our conversation, that's all."

Korra's head hung low in shame. The news was a hard pill to swallow but a much needed one. She could see how the people at large would reach this conclusion. She felt responsible. She wished this whole thing would go down when she was a full-fledged Avatar. This was the first real test as the Avatar and she was failing miserably up until now. She made some bad calls along the way but she was reassured by recent developments. She was down but fully primed for a come-back.

"No, I get it Touza" She marinated on his words a bit more before continuing. "I know this is easier said than done but I'm going to do better. I'll end this insurrection with everything I have. You and everyone in this city have my word on that."

Touza locked eyes with Korra before bursting out in a fit of laughter.

"What gives old bum?!" Korra protested.

"Sorry kid, don't get the wrong idea. You saying that just lifted my spirits, that's all." Touza explained. "Guess that was just something I needed to hear. Thanks, ki- Avatar Korra."

"Oh." Korra felt bad for calling him names and moved quickly to change the subject. "Can I ask you something else?"

"You're pretty chatty today aren't you Korra? Go ahead."

"You didn't happen to talk to any of the referees who were watching our match last night did you?"

"Still sore about the match huh?"

"Of course I am. I mean I know its small potatoes compared to the attack but-"

"It's nothing to be ashamed about. You and the boys were robbed, plain and simple." Touza assured.

"No doubt. I had heard a lot about the sport back home but I never heard anything about fixed matches." Korra felt that she was about to get some valuable incite on what she was looking for. "I didn't think it was dirty."

"It isn't…mostly anyway."

Korra silence begged for an explanation

"Look back in my day, getting real tired of saying that, the Triads had muddied the game something fierce. Even I was a part of it. I practically worked for Lightning Bolt Zolt back then. Met a couple of boys who helped me find my spine and stand up to old Zolt. You might know them. Things started to change for the better after that. Bootaka might be a yuan pincher but he really cleaned up this sport with Chief Beifong. But what I saw last night reminded me of the 'good' old days."

"So what you're saying is that teams used to cheat like that when you were playing?"

"That's the kicker kid, no ref or official would be that brazen. I saw something close to it in the past but the Wolf Bats should've been disqualified after the stunt they pulled." Touza fumed at the thought of Tahno throwing rock filled water at the Fire Ferrets. "Looks like old Ken fell off the wagon after all these years."

"Wait! Who's Ken?"

"The head Referee overseeing the championship matches. Hope the prick got a good pay day for it. He's getting the boot for that stunt no doubt about it."

Korra, despite being a total novice, had found what she was looking for. She almost celebrated her victory but calmed herself. She had a name and a face but needed a little more intel to seal the deal. "So, this Ken was always some kind of fixer then?"

"Yeah. As a matter of fact, that was his nickname back then. Old Fixer Ken. When Bootaka took over he delivered an ultimatum to all the little 'fixers' the Triads had working for the: 'clean up or clean out', he told them. Ken took his advice for years but suddenly relapsed last night for some reason. If this sport survives…when this sport survives, the boss will launch a top to bottom internal investigation to find out if anyone else was involved." Touza explained looking visibly uncomfortable talking about the rogue official. "I can't believe that jerk had the nerve to show his face around here."

"Wait a second, HE'S HERE?!" Korra couldn't subdue her shock.

"…Yeah, he crossed paths with us a little while ago. Don't know why he showed up, he has to see the writing on the wall. Maybe he's seeing himself out before he gets his walking papers. First decent thing he's done in a while if you ask me."

"Where is he now?" Korra almost shouted.

"I don't know. Parking garage maybe?"

"Thanks Touza!" She spared some parting words before booking it towards the parking garage. Her understanding of the building was good enough to see her through the complicated building.

Touza wanted to say something to dissuade the young Avatar from attempting any violence on the rogue ref but ultimately shrugged it off.

The old champion smirked. "You reap what you sow jerk."

Korra sprinted as fast as her feet could take her all for the hope that Ken the 'fixer' was still in the building. As she drew closer to the parking garage, a faint scream reached her ears. She doubled her efforts, slamming through doors leading to the screams. Several thoughts flashed through her head on what was causing his duress. Did an Equalist agent show up to tie up loose ends or was it a disgruntled thug with mob ties getting a little payback? Regardless of the outcome, she prepared herself for a fight. She reached the garage entrance and slammed through the doors and got a shock. She was right about someone getting to him first but wrong about who was gunning for him.

Peter stood before a webbed-up Ken panicking against a pillar. He didn't flinch at her dramatic entrance. He turned to face her.

"Avatar Korra, fancy meeting you here."

XXXxxx Pro-Bending Arena: Earlier xxxXXX

Bootaka sat in his luxurious office, tired and alone with his favorite drink by his side. Chief Beifong herself extended her deepest condolences and apologized for her failure. Her words felt hollow in light of the tragedy but they were appreciated. His spirits were shattered along with the company he spent decades building to prominence. The promoter didn't get a wink of sleep since Amon's assault on his livelihood.

Bootaka yawned and took a swing from his glass. He didn't know what specifically kept him in his executive suite. He suspected it was a mixture of stubborn pride and an obsession with book keeping. Most, if not all, of his financial records were sprawled across his desk. He canvased them three times over to help him cope with the sorry state of things. Financially speaking, everything was great. He could afford severance packages for all his employees and a sizable insurance claim kept him firmly in the black. He had always watched his books like a buzzard-hawk and it was paying off in dividends. On paper, he should've been thankful Amon's attack happened when it did. His bill-fold was practically overflowing with funds and no one was seriously injured. He walked out of this firestorm better than before he stepped in it. So why was he wrecked with worry? Maybe it was because the Equalists proved themselves to be a bonafide threat to his way of life, on his own doorstep no less. Or maybe it was the thought of years of hard work going up in smoke that kept him up all night. It was hard to say which one was the culprit. It was all moot really; he was a king mourning his fallen kingdom, that much he knew for sure.

His eyelids got heavy. The hours were catching up to him. He rested his eyes and reclined in his chair. He heard a rustling noise but was too tired to pay it any mind. It was probably the bomb's detonation shaking up the place.

"…Mr. Bootaka."

Bootaka chuckled at himself. He was so tired that he was hearing things. He needed to end his pity party soon before he lost all his marbles. The sleep deprivation was starting to make him delirious. It was almost like a voice was calling him from his office window.

"Mr. Bootaka!" The voice repeated itself followed by what sounded like a knock on some glass.

Bootaka sighed and humored his overactive imagination. He cracked open an eye to look at the voice's origin only for both of them to shoot open. His fatigue evaporated in a split second and gave way to open shock. He almost fell out of his chair when he saw a man sticking to his window.

"Who-what are?!" The sports mogul attempted to weave a competent statement to no avail.

Peter was patient with Mr. Bootaka. He didn't have time to play it safe but he did have a heart. "I'm Spider-Man and I'd like to have a word."

"I can see that." Bootaka got to his feet and approached the window. "Never thought an urban legend would pay me a visit."

"Sorry for the intrusion sir. I wouldn't barge in if I didn't have to. This window open?"

"Yeah yeah. Hold on." Bootaka opened the window for the Wall-Crawler and ushered him in. "What brings you to my door?"

"I'll just give you the short and sweet of it. I'm investigating a lead and I think you can help me out."

Bootaka cocked a brow at that. "Help you? Alright Spider-Man, I don't know how helpful I can be, but I'll give it a shot."

"I just need some insight on your business, primarily your refs."

Bootaka smirked. "My refs?" He walked towards a cabinet and pulled out a few glasses and a bottle of liquor. "Want some?"

Peter waved at the offer. "No thanks."

"Suite yourself. My referees are the best. They're well paid and they do their job to the best of their ability." He started to explain as he prepared his drink. "There have been some controversial calls here and there but I vouch for them. At least that's what I thought after last night's debacle. The match, not the attack."

"Glad we're on the same page. Saves me some trouble."

"I figured as much. Something stuck to high heaven through that whole match. I think people forget in light of the attack. Hard to focus on the fixed match after the arena got blown to smithereens. You think it's connected to the Equalists?"

"I do, we…I think they were either paid off or black mailed so that the Wolf Bats would win no matter what. Amon mentioned them by name during his speech."

"And you think Amon staged the whole thing to help his 'benders bad, non-benders good' narrative. That right?"

"More or less."

"I see." He collapsed in his chair with a huff. "I tell you Spider, I've spent years cleaning up this sport. Ran out the Triads and leg breakers like elephant rats."

"Well, looks like you missed a spot or two."

Bootaka shot him an evil look. "Considering Amon's still out there planning who knows-what, I think we've got that in common Web-Head."

"Touché."

Bootaka sighed. "Look I'm not trying to attack you or anything. I had a rough night if you haven't guessed. Tell me about this theory of yours.

"Same here." Spider-Man admitted. He was technically out all night but he wasn't actually sleeping.

Bootaka closed his eyes in thought. "Paid off or blackma-" His eyes shot open when the truth smacked him in the face. "Oh no…"

"I know this might be hard but I need your help here. Anything you have will help point me in the right direction."

"I'll do you one better. I'll give you the sorry mook on a silver platter."

"Who?"

"His name is Ken and he's…was one of my best Pro-Bending officials." Bootaka looked Peter in the eye when he told him, the venom practically oozed out when he said his name.

Peter assumed it was legitimate but he had to be sure. "What makes you think he's your culprit?"

"He's been under me since I started running things, but he's been around since the sport started. He had a nasty reputation for fixing bouts for whoever paid him the most. He wasn't the only one but he was definitely the biggest. I pulled him and his ilk aside when I took over and told them that their racket was over. They either agreed to my terms or they were fired and Ken chose the former. He was on the up and up for years until last night's fiasco. Trust me, Ken's your culprit. He showed up to clean out his office, guess he kne—"

"Hold on, HE'S HERE?!" Spider-Man shouted.

The shift in the vigilante's tone startled Bootaka. "Ye-Yeah, you just missed him. It's was a couple of—"

"Where is he?!"

"I don't know! He might still be in the parking garage, if he hasn't left already!"

"And you didn't think to tell me this earlier!"

"Well excuse me, I didn't think I'd be pouring my guts out to a wall-crawler today!" Bootaka defended himself.

"When I tell you that I'm looking for a ref-UGH! Where's the garage?!" Peter demanded.

"It's in the sub level on the right, you just need to follow the signs and you can't miss it." Bootaka complied.

Spider-Man jumped through the open window and sped past the destroyed arena towards the garage. He would head back to Bootaka's office if Ken wasn't there and made a mental note not to be as nice as he was earlier. He hoped he was still in the building. Matters would be significantly harder otherwise.

He made it to the large double doors to the garage in moments. He quietly cracked the door and found his target approaching his vehicle.

Ken was clearly disheveled and ragged from last night's attack. The stress of it all was compounded when he put two and two together. He realized his hand in the assault part way through Amon's speech to the masses and a part of him felt guilty for it. He just thought it was another Triad outfit trying to make an extra yuan in the wake of Spider-Man all but decimating their business. The truth ended up being so much worse. He effectively destroyed a decades-long career with the payday of his life all for a group of radicals trying to overthrow the government of his homeland. For better or worse, this town was good to him and it didn't deserve what was coming to it. He let old demons guide him to a world of hurt and there wasn't much he could do about it. He considered coming clean to the police but ultimately decided against it. Beifong was out for blood after getting humiliated twice and he didn't want to grapple with those meat hooks. The only honorable act that came to mind was saving Bootaka from the trouble of an investigation and just resigned in shame. The worst part of this mess was that it wasn't over yet. He still had one more transaction with the Equalists before it was all said and done. All he had left was one big payday before retiring to some small plot of land he was shopping around for. His days in Republic City were numbered and he didn't bother trying to tell himself otherwise.

He shook his head and shoved his pocket. His mind was clouded with self-pity and guilt and this was no time for either. The rest of his life would be determined by how this day ended up and that's the only thing he would have to worry about.

"YO KENNY!" a voice called out.

Ken nearly jumped out of his skin from the shock. He turned around to face the second party in the garage but found no one.

"What happened last night pal? It was like you were blind or something." The voice chided. "Might be time to get those glasses checked out. I know a guy if you—"

"Kid I don't care!" Ken shot back. "No matter what you say, the match is over. Concluded. Done! I called it like I saw it and I'm moving on with my life. I suggest you do the same." He turned towards his Cabbage Corp. sedan and dismissed the disgruntled fan.

"Illegal head shots, icing, out of bounds bending, oh and my personal favorite were the rocks in pretty boy's water. Real knee slapper there." The voice ignored his advice and continued to dig at the old man. "You sure can call 'em eh Kenny. How'd a mook like you weasel his way to head ref' anyway? Oh right, must be those legendary eagle eyes, right? How can you look at yourself in the mirror Kenny? No seriously, how do you do it since, you know, the whole 'I'm-crazy-blind -and-can-barely-do-my-job' excuse? By the way, can you walk and chew gum at the same time? I'm just wondering of basic motor functions is in your repertoire or not."

"You think your funny kid?!" Again, Ken turned around to find no one there. "I've been sanctioning Pro-Bending matches since before you were born you snot nosed little punk! You think I haven't heard all this before?! Huh?! 'Boo Hoo, my favorite team didn't win, guess. I'll give the ref a hard time to make myself feel better.' I ain't impressed kid!" He scanned the vacuous area searching for his heckler and again found no one. "Tell you what, how about you show your sorry mug and say what you gotta say like a man and not some jerk hiding in the corner of something. HOW ABOUT THAT! YOU GOT SOMETHING TO SAY, SAY IT TO MY FACE!" Ken's shouts echoed violently through the garage with ear rattling volume. The room got quiet. The only sound was Ken trying to catch his beath after his tirade.

A humanoid blob entered his peripherals and landed on his roof with a crash. The whole thing was so surreal that Ken's mind barely had time to process what his eyes were telling him. A man with a bandana, or scarf, covering half of his face stared him down. He was dumbfounded, paralyzed with awe and fear. He wasn't wearing his costume but he knew who he was talking to.

"If you insist…" Spider-Man said with an eerily calm voice.

Hearing him speak broke Ken out of his trance and he attempted to flee the scene. He went as fast as his body could take him but was only capable of taking a few steps before Spider-Man blocked his path. Before he could fully register it all he was whisked off his feet. The vigilante held his full weight as if it were nothing.

"Whoah whoah whoah! What's the rush Kenny? Spider-Man laid some love taps on his cheek as if he was an unruly child. "We've got a lot to talk about and…" A loud crash echoed behind the both of them. He took a deep breath and cocked his head back "Fancy meeting you here Avatar Korra."

"T-Spider-Man? What are you doing?" Korra asked. Her reaction was one of deliberate and genuine confusion.

Peter turned to face her, with Ken still in tow. He hoped she could read the room. Ken's presence would force the web-head to be coy. He needed to pretend that they weren't affiliated in front of the dirty ref. "Oh don't mind me Avatar, I'm just catching up with an old friend, that's all." He playfully patted a clearly distressed Ken on the shoulder to match his playful tone. "Me and Kenny here are just bumping gums, ain't that right Kenny?"

"Avatar Korra you gotta save me from this lunatic!" Ken pleaded with a bewildered Korra. "I know you might have some hard feelings from last night, but you gotta protect me, right? You're the Avatar, you're supposed to help people for crying out loud!"

Spider-Man threw Ken to a concrete pillar behind him and constrained him with webs.

"Such a kidder." Spider-Man chuckled and hoped his odd behavior would tip Korra off. The look written on her face told him that it wasn't. He stepped towards her. "People will say anything to get out of small talk. They act like they're getting their teeth pulled, but it's never as bad as it looks." He locked eyes with her for a moment and hoped she got the message.

Korra was at a loss for words. Ken's cries for help were disturbing to say the least, but Spider-Man's words were too deliberate to ignore. From what she could piece together, he was playing mind games with the old man. Did she blindly trust Takuya not to fly off the handle or should she take control in a field she had very little experience in? The former should've been a no brainer, but after he told her the gruesome details of Beifong's sting operation, it casted doubts on her. Her mind was put at ease when he flashed a wink.

She folded her arms and nodded. "I get it. Don't take too long with 'Fixer' over there. I've got a few things to ask him too."

He sighed in front of her. She made this a little easier for him. He turned and slowly approached Ken

"Fixer, cool name." He placed a hand on the side of his Sato-mobile. "It suits you."
"No please! HELP! HELP!" Ken pleaded.

"Relax Kenny, I'm going to keep this real simple. And if you play your cards right, you'll be home before you know it. He slowly approached him. His hand was still planted on his car. "I'm going to ask you a few questions, and you're going to answer them truthfully and to your best recollection."

As the wall crawler stepped closer, a horrible screeching attacked Ken's ears. His eyes darted to the source and he couldn't believe what they were showing him. Spider-Man's hand effortlessly tore the sheet metal off the side of his car. The metal buckled and yielded to the vigilante's will. Worse yet, it didn't even look particularly difficult to do. He was tearing forged steel like tin foil.

Korra looked on with intrigue and quiet disbelief. She wondered what he was trying to accomplish.

"…and if you're going to be all tight-lipped on me, well…" Spider-Man mentally released forged scrap metal to the unforgiving pavement and placed his hand on Ken's face. "Let's just say they aren't going to call you 'Fixer' anymore."

Ken went quiet as his heart sunk to the floor. His vices finally caught up with him.

"We'll start nice and slow." He got on a knee to get in Ken's eyeline. "Were you paid off to help the Wolf-Bats win the tournament?"

Ken's beathing was labored as he weighed his options. "I…I don't know what you're talking about."

Spider-Man scowled at the obvious lie. He started to pull his hand back, and Ken's face followed. The pain was minimal but was mounting quickly. "Who paid you?"

"No one paid me! Avatar for crying out loud, you're going to let this psycho rip my face off for a couple of bad calls?!" Ken pleaded with Korra.

"YOU'RE TALKING TO ME! NOT HER!" Spider-Man scolded. "I'm losing my patience Kenny! You better start talking while your mug's still attached!" He got closer. "Last chance. Who. Paid. You?"

Korra looked on in horror. She didn't know if he was losing control or just tired of playing nice. "Uh…Spider-Man… maybe you should—"

Before she could finish her thought Spider-Man turned his head and starred daggers at the young Avatar. He looked like a beast who was interrupted in the middle of a meal and wordlessly told her to back off.

Ken's flesh was on the brink of tearing. Parts of his beard and cheek had already started to tear off. "I DON'T—AHH! OKAY! OKAY! I'LL TALK! JUST STOP!"

Spider-Man complied with his wishes and his face returned to its proper position.

Ken struggled to breath. His heart raced at the thought of how close he was to being mutilated by the so-called 'Web-slinging-do-gooder'. A mixture of blood and sweat rolled down his face. He stole a glance of the supposed hero and was shocked to find a pair of blank eyes staring back at him. It was unnerving to say the least.

Korra looked on in quiet horror at the vigilante. She thought she knew him well enough but this exchange threw off her preconceived notions of the man. Ken came out of it with glorified scratches on his face, but the way Takuya went about it made it seem a thousand times worse than it actually was. She did more damage to Triad members and chi-blockers, but he just made it all seem tame in comparison. One question rang through her head. 'What would happen if Ken didn't start talking?'

Spider-Man gave the corrupt referee a moment to collect himself before continuing. "Were you paid off to help the Wolf-Bats win last night's match?"

"Ye-Yeah." Ken hung his head low as the truth finally came out. He tried to maintain deniability but this was all too much. Now he'd do anything to get out of this mess in one piece. "Biggest payday I ever saw in my life. Pure bullion."

Peter suspected as much but the amount did catch him off guard. "Was it the Equalists?"

"I didn't think so at first. Lots of big money types like the games and try to bend things to their liking. I just thought it was some big-time banker or one of the royals from one of the kingdoms. But after last night, the writing was on the wall. The timing, the team, it was all too perfect. Who else could it be, right?"

Getting confirmation on his theories was reassuring, but he needed something useful. He needed to cover new ground.

"So, they pay you, you do what your told and the job is done. So I'm guessing you haven't split town because they only gave you half the money your owed. Is that right?"

"Pretty much. Thought it'd be easy, but look where it got me." Ken admitted.

"Look where it got you. When and where were you going to get the other cut?"

"Tonight at Little Ba Sing Se. I was gonna hit the road right after."

Spider-Man whistled. "You were close."

Ken sighed at his misfortune. "Tell me about it."

Korra looked puzzled by the two's drastic dynamic shift. One minute Takuya was grilling him for information, and the next they were talking casually.

"Okay Kenny, here's what's going to happen tonight. You're going to make it to the drop with us watching over you. Simple, right?"

"Yeah, real open shut up kind of stuff. I suppose you want me to turn myself in after it's all said and done, right?" Ken looked and sounded like a defeated man. The Spider-Man could ask him to jump in the half-frozen water outside and he'd do it at this point.

"No, you do what I ask and you're off the hook." Spider-Man surprised both parties in the garage.

"What?!" Korra and Ken blurted out.

Korra stepped out from the sideline and approached Spider-Man.

"You're just going to let him go?!" Korra protested not caring for Ken's opinion. "After all he's done, you're just going to let him walk away?!"

Spider-Man stood at his full height and addressed Korra plainly. "We need to focus on the real threat here. Kenny's just a small-time mook who outlived his usefulness, and now he's bait, so we can now do some real damage to the Equalists."

"You didn't answer my question. This guy took dirty money and whether he knew or not, it gave Amon a huge win. He needs to be punished for what he's done! Look, I'm not a fan of Beifong's, but he needs to answer for his crimes."

Spider-Man shook his head in frustration. He should've known she would need convincing. "Fine, he turns himself in to Beifong, the cops get their pound of flesh, the Equalists maneuver and disappear in the shadows again, and we're back to square one."

"You don't know that."

"I do. Amon's got eyes and ears all over the city. You don't think he's got people in the police department? As soon as they see their mark walk through those doors, you might as well just sound the alarm over the entire city." Spider-Man argued his point. "Use your head princess, and don't let a personal grudge cloud your judgment. That thinking almost got me killed a couple of times."

Korra gritted her teeth but still had one last ember of defiance to offer. "Ken is a criminal. A known criminal. They call him the fixer for crying out loud! We can't just let him walk the streets after what he's done."

"Okay, you can either hang back and deliver him to Beifong or watch my back when I hit the Equalists. You can't do both."

She stared him down for a moment before stepping away to the corner of the garage. "Fine, do what you want."

Spider-Man grimaced under his improvised mask. This was far from over. He pushed his personal issues aside and approached Ken with malicious intent. He thought the Spider was about to make good on his earlier threats but simply ripped the webs holding him down away and hoisted him up.

"Give me your wallet." He ordered.

Ken rushed for his pocket and pulled out his wallet as instructed.

"989 Willow St. Apartment Complex, 8th floor, room 12." The Wall Crawler read off Ken's information. He scanned his driver's license and other ID just to be thorough. He flipped it closed and casually tossed it back to Ken. "Alright Ken, just so we're clear, go to the meeting, collect your dirty money, and you'll never have to see me again. Now ask me 'what if I don't'."

Ken swallowed. "What if I don't?"

"I'm glad you asked Ken. If you don't show up, hell if your late, I'm going to finish what I started here." He flicked his hand on the pillar his head was resting on with such force that it easily cracked the reinforced concrete. "You catching my drift, Ken?"

The fear Ken felt earlier came roaring back and assaulted his senses. A part of him was skeptical of the Spider-Man's threats. His reputation painted him as a wise cracking do-gooder and not the fire and brimstone types. He weighed his options, as if he still had them, and decided not to call his bluff.

"Yeah Spidey, I do."

"Great!" Spider-Man exclaimed. He took an extra moment and dusted him off. "Now get out of here."

Ken started to walk towards his car. "What will I say about my car?"

"You were in an accident."

"What about my face? They'll start to ask questions about that too."

"For crying out loud, you cut yourself shaving, I don't know, just make something up. All you have to worry about is being at the right place at the right time at this point, that's all!"

"Okay, I'm going!"

"Hold up!" Korra spoke and approached Ken. "I've got one more question for him."

"Is that really necessary now Avatar Korra?"

"It is for me." Korra declared and signaled that this wasn't up for debate.

"Alright, have it your way." Spider-Man stepped aside and gave Korra the floor.

"What can I do for you, Avatar Korra?" Ken tried to appear unfazed by Spider-Man's interrogation and failed completely. Sweat stained his collar and he seemed pale. Needless to say, he couldn't take another assault like that.

"Considering how much you helped me out earlier and all, it's only right that I return the favor, right?" He made sure to lay the sarcasm on thick despite his haggard demeanor.

"Cry me a river." Korra shot back with zero sympathy. "Tell me, why'd you do it?"

"What?" The question caught him off guard.

Korra closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Why did you take Amon's money and let the Wolf-Bats steal the championship.? You know, the reason that almost got you mauled by the masked weirdo over there." She pointed at an indifferent Spider-Man with his arms crossed and leaning on a pillar.

A wave of emotions flashed through Ken's mind. Oddly enough, he found the final shred of mettle he had left.

"Why not?" Ken's admission oozed venom. "I've been at this racket since it started. I've worked long and hard and all I've got to show for it is the occasional 'bonus' and an enough scratch to get by. Look Avatar, the only thing that was waiting for me was some crummy gold-plated watch and a life savings that'll keep me barely above the poverty line. Now imagine someone knocks at your door and flashes the motherload of dough at you and that someone tells you there's more waiting for you, and all you have to do is sit back and let the Wolf-Bats work their 'magic'." Ken scoffed. "It was a no-brainer kid."

Korra scowled at Ken's answer. "You've been making a living off the backs for benders for years and you give them up to the Equalists of all people."

"I already told you people that I didn't know the money came from the Equalists."

"That's not the point!" Korra shouted. "No matter how 'bad' your life supposedly is, you chose it. No one twisted your arm and forced you into this life. You've been a part of pro-bending since you started. Something kept you there, and for better or worse, you spent years building it. You'd give up those decades of hard work for a single payday?"

Ken laughed at Korra agitation. "You don't get it do you?" Another bout of laughter cut him short. "Of course, you wouldn't, you're the Avatar, after all. A gift from the heavens in human form. Tell me AVATAR Korra, have you ever missed a meal?"

A mixture of anger and shock left Korra silent.

"Have you ever had to pick between groceries and an electric bill? Oh, have you ever had your landlord bang on your door and pray he didn't come in and find you? No wait, you have those little helpers of yours waiting on your hands and feet. No, the Avatar shouldn't bother herself with the little people's problems!"

Spider-man didn't ignore Ken's diatribe. Truth be told, he himself had similar notions in the past. Hell, he still did. But hearing these accusations being launched at Korra caused an internal stir in him. He didn't want to interfere but he didn't like where this conversation, if you could call it that, was going.

"I'm sorry I took a 'payday' and interrupted another ego boost for the high and mighty Avatar Korra!"

"You don't know anything about me!" Korra roared.

"I know enough!" Ken roared back. "You're a spoiled brat who—"

Ken's tirade was cut off when an unseen hand rested on his shoulder. He looked up to find Spider-Man somehow snuck up behind.

"Ken…get in your car, clear out, and go to the meeting. This conversation is over." The vigilante's voice was again unnervingly even. Even dropping the nickname proved to be unnerving. It was clear to him that none of his words were up for debate.

Ken swallowed hard and entered his damaged vehicle, quietly and without a fuss. He didn't want to reinvigorate the Wall-Crawler's wrath.

Korra was also silenced by Spider-Man's sudden appearance. The fact that he managed to sneak on the two of them in spite knowing he was in the room.

Ken started his car, but before he could do as he was told, Spider-Man approached and casually tapped on the glass. Ken quickly cranked the window down.

Spider-Man leaned in. "Ken…"

"Ye-yeah?"

"I'm a man of my word. Don't test it."

The fear in Ken's eyes was all the confirmation the Wall-Crawler needed. He stepped away from the satomobile and watched him roll out of the parking garage.

Peter looked at a bewildered Korra and pulled down his makeshift mask. "Well, that was fun."

His halfhearted remark broke the young Avatar out of her trance. "Fun? THAT WAS A DISASTER!"

"I got what I needed, how is that a disaster exactly?" Peter.

"Oh, I don't know, let's start with the whole threatening to scar a man for life. He's a creep, but he didn't deserve that!"

"I did what I had to do to make him talk. It was a bluff princess, smoke and mirrors. Ken was in no real danger."

Korra wasn't satisfied in the slightest. "So, you got it all figured out huh? What would you do if he didn't talk?"

"Then I would've trailed him for hours until he made contact with his Equalists buddies. I'm glad it didn't have to turn out that way."

Korra groaned at the admission. "Sure, it would've been nice to know that before you went off to handle things your way. Who knows, maybe we could've been on the same page. Would've been nice!"

"Oh, alright I get it. I should've wasted valuable time arguing with you and letting good ol' Kenny be on his merry way." Peter matched her sarcasm but quickly changed gears. "Timing is everything in this juncture princess, I had to take the initiative."

"Sure is a lot of 'I' and 'Me' in that little speech Takuya. Did you already forget the little arrangement we agreed to? We agreed to do this together, remember."

"I know what I said, and I'm telling you that I had to strike while the iron was hot. I'm sorry your feelings were hurt, but you didn't give me much of a choice."

"My…oh for crying out loud…You're missing the point Takuya." Korra stopped to compose herself. Peter's objections were teasing her infamous temper. "Look, you said you would've followed Ken around until he met up with the Equalists, right?"

Peter cocked a brow at the odd question and wondered what Korra was trying to prove. "Yeah, not a lot of other options on the table."

"And did you have anything else up your sleeve if that didn't work?"

"Sure, I'd be pulling my heart out, but I would figure something out…eventually…" Peter played it cool but truthfully, he would be at his wits end if things hadn't gone his way. He caught one hell of a lucky break with the fixer but he was far too proud to admit it. "Does this little chit-chat have a point Korra?

"You've got plans on top of plans set up, but you couldn't take a minute to get me up to speed?"

"I told you, I didn't have time to—"

"Yes you did!" Korra threw her hands up and shouted, not caring who might be in earshot. "You just thought you were better off alone, right? Were you just humoring me back at the diner or were you serious about this whole partner thing?"

The answer came easy to Peter. He lost his patience and wrote Korra off as a burden. In his eyes she was no better than extra muscle when she was anything but. She more than proved her loyalty in the past and stuck her neck out for him just the other night. Korra did all that for him and he couldn't even spare her a sliver of patience to explain things. The moment she had a difference of opinion, he ditched her to do things his way. He turned in shame when it all came into perspective.

"Okay, you got me there." Peter admitted.

Korra turned with a perplexed look on her face. "That's it? You didn't answer my—"

"I didn't lie to you Korra." He cut her tirade short. "Yeah, I'm serious. I wasn't until now if were being honest. Thought I was better off alone on this one."

Korra sighed and let the fire out of her lungs. "You know, that kind of thinking is what got us in this situation, right? All of this has gotten way out of hand. It's too big to go at it alone."

"I know that. You don't have to remind me."

"I didn't mean to offend you or anything. All I'm saying is that we need to keep cool heads through this. A potent mind is focused and calm in the storm of life."

Peter regarded her for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Where the hell did that come from?"

The snickering vigilante annoyed the Avatar in training. "It's an ancient Air Nomad proverb I thought would help in this situation."

"Real sage advice princess. Sorry Korra, it's just that hearing it come out of your mouth is a little comical."

"Glad I could help."

Korra didn't appreciate being the butt of the joke, but she was happy that the tension fell. "So now that you've given this whole hard-boiled vigilante a bit of a rest, can you tell me what you've got under your sleeve? You know, since we're on the same page and all."

Peter smirked at the jab. "As of right now, we part ways until Kenny makes the meet."

"Uh huh." She looked annoyed. "So are you going to ditch me here or just chime in on a later date?"

"I'm not tying to give you the cold shoulder again. Look, whether you're in or out, you're still the Avatar. You can't just walk around scot-free. Go home and act like everything is normal. Slip out whenever you can and we'll link up then." Peter explained as calmly as he could. He could tell there were still some hard feelings from earlier. "And don't bring Naga, we need to travel quietly."

His words put her mind at ease but she still had reservations on this plan.

"Just act normal huh? Easier said than done. Tell me oh web one, how does someone act normal with…all this?"

Peter pondered her question for a moment before responding. "Hard to say Korra. Just try not to think about it; keep yourself busy. Honestly, I can't give you a straight answer on that one. I've been invisible since I was a kid. It's surprisingly hard to put into words."

"Thanks for all the help, Poindexter." Korra disappointment was obvious. "Aren't you supposed to be smart?"

"I get stumped just like everyone else Korra." Peter rolled with the punch. "Sorry, you're the Avatar and you've got to deal with it."

Korra was taken aback. Only she was aware of the irony in that statement. She composed herself and moved on to the other half of her question. "So, what are you going to do in the meantime Tak', you going to stake the place out before Ken gets his dirty money?"

"For eighteen hours? No. I'm going to get some shuteye and a meal before the drop off."

He paused for a drawn-out yawn.

"I'm exhausted."

"You're telling me you didn't get any rest since last night?"

Her words were dripped with concern. It almost excused his earlier actions. If anything, it spoke volumes towards Peter's, patience all things considered.

"I was unconscious Korra, not asleep." He chuckled at the absurdity of that statement and his situation. "Make that make sense." He shoved his hands in his pockets and started his departure. "See you tonight."

"Takuya wait."

Peter stopped and turned to face her. "Yeah?"

"How should I handle Tenzin and everybody else on the island?" Korra stopped and reconsidered her question. "How do I go back and not look suspicious?"

"Easy, don't act suspicious."

"Come on Takuya, help me out here."

Peter groaned. "It's like I said earlier, don't think about it. All you're doing is going home after checking on a friend. Think of tonight like a doctor's appointment or something. But most importantly, relax. No matter what happens, tonight we're going to cross that bridge together. You have my word on that Korra."

"…Alright." His words put her mind at ease for the most part. She still felt the fire in her gut, the kind anyone would feel before a battle. But it was like he said, he'd be by her side through it all. "Thanks."

Peter's face contorted and he yawned again. "No problem. See you tonight."

He walked out the garage like nothing happened. Like everything he just did it as routine, like picking up a newspaper from the front porch. Korra's mind was at ease but reeling in the background. She wondered how someone could just pretend like everything was normal. But then it hit her. This was his normal. Ever since she stepped in the building with Peter her heart felt like it would jump out of her chest and she suspected he didn't have that problem. The fledgling Avatar found herself in an unfamiliar position. She never feared a fight in the majority of her life. No, that wasn't it. She dug deeper and found her answer. Korra thought she knew Takuya and Spider-Man even before she found out the truth, but both parties proved her wrong.

"…See you then…"

XXXxxx Air Temple Island: Foyer Courtyard xxxXXX

A bitter cold breeze blew through the open meditation area. The ornately decorated grounds were blissfully ignored by the confused Avatar. It was a long and thoughtful trek back to the island, but it was ultimately fruitless. She hung around her room for a while before attempting to search for answers with meditation. She followed Peter's advice as best she could but it was obvious to anyone who gave her a second look that something was off with her.

She sat in a textbook Air Nomad meditation position. Her form for all intents and purposes was perfect. Despite all that she struggled with the concept of meditation. She canvased her mind again and again but found nothing. One question badgered her since her brief encounter working with the vigilante, 'Where did Takuya end and Spider-Man begin?'. She thought the question was obvious, but after seeing him work she wasn't so sure anymore. Him shedding light on the savage details of the 'Spider-Slayer' incident didn't help matters either. Doubts started to sprout as she desperately tried to put her mind at ease. She doubled her efforts as she pressed her fist harder. Her jaw clenched before surrendering in an auditable huff.

"You know meditating isn't supposed to be hard, right Korra?"

Korra shot her head towards the familiar voice. Much to her horror she found Tenzin's children openly gawking at her. She was so caught off guard that she almost stumbled to her back.

"What-What are you doing?" She demanded an answer. "I'm trying to meditate."

"Really?" Meelo poked his head over the ledge. "It looked like you really had to go to the bathroom!"

His sisters giggled at their little brother stating the obvious.

"Yeah, your face was all scrunched up and frowny." Ikki added. "None of the other acolytes or dad never make that face. Oh wait, there was that one time when Meelo had that accident, it was really messy!"

"WAS NOT!" Milo defended his honor.

"Maybe I'd have better luck if you weren't so loud!" Korra protested and blew off some steam. "Ever think of that?!"

"We've been watching you for a while Korra. You've been so pent up you didn't notice us at all." Jinora explained. "It wasn't like we were sneaking around or anything. What were you meditating on anyway? Must be important, I've never seen you meditate without dad telling you to."

"I meditate!" Korra caught herself and calmed herself. The kids didn't do anything wrong. "Look, it's a personal matter, alright?"

"Does it have to do with the firebending boy!" Ikki teased.

"No, it's the crazy masked guy!" Meelo chimed in.

"It's complicated and that's all I'm going to say on it." Korra made her intention known.

"Meelo, Ikki, leave her alone!" Tenzin's eldest put the matter to rest.

"Thanks Jinora."

"But I have to say—"

"Jinora…"

Jinora held her hands up. "I'm not trying to pry. I just wanted to give you some pointers on meditation."

Surprisingly Korra chuckled. "Been getting a lot of that lately." She mumbled to herself.

"Huh?"

"It's nothing. What do you got?"

"Meditation isn't something you can force to work for you Korra. It's all about listening and being in tune with your spiritual center. This can take hours, days even." Jinora saw that she was losing her so she adjusted her wording. "You're treating meditation like it's weightlifting, but it's more like fishing. Make sense?"

Korra sighed. She knew Jinora was wise for her age, but it was still a little embarrassing getting corrected by someone that was seven years her junior.

"It does thanks. By the way, why are you here again?"

"Dinner's ready!" Ikki shouted.

"Yeah, we're starving so let's go!" Meelo ordered. "I have half a mind to drag you there myself!"

Korra couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the airbending children. "Alright Meelo, I'm coming. No need to drag me anywhere."

"Good, let's go missy!" The boy mimicked his father's finger pointing to the ground.

Jinora groaned while Korra covered her smile. It was like a miniature Tenzin was barking at her.

"Meelo stop being so bossy!" Ikki scolded.

"Respect your elders Ikki!"

"I'm older than you!"

The youngest siblings would argue all the way to the dining room table up until their mother ordered them to stop. Korra quietly welcomed the brief distraction but her doubts seeped back in her mind. It was a casual dining experience like any other. Her and the family avoided the current elephant in the room. A terrorist bombing didn't make for good dinner conversation.

Korra followed Peter's advice and pretended that everything was normal. Her normal anyway. She wasn't overly jovial or dower. She ate her vegetarian meal without fuss. The family's idle conversations were drowned out as she stared blankly towards the table. She kept her face blank but there were clear signs that she was hung up on something.

"Is everything alright Korra?" Tenzin asked.

His words snapped her out of her quiet trance. "What? Oh yeah, everything's fine. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, besides the fact that a mad man blew up the arena last night, you seem…distant." Tenzin explained.

"You haven't complained once about there being no meat, so something seems to be bothering you." Pemma added.

"And you've been acting weird all day." Jinora piled on.

Korra winced at the compelling evidence compiled against her. She thought she was doing a good job hiding her uneasiness, but she missed the mark entirely. She might as well have been screaming the truth on a mountain top.

"I understand if you don't want to discuss private matters at the table, or at all for that matter." Tenzin consoled. "I just want you to know that I'm…we're here for you whenever you need us."

Teaching Korra had been an eye-opening experience for Tenzin. He found his strict, by-the-book nature waning the longer he was mentoring her. He understood that she needed her space and would respect her privacy. He was ready to drop the subject in a moment's notice if Korra wanted. Again, Korra defied her master's expectations.

"Actually, there has been something on my mind." Korra admitted. "That guy in the police station this morning."

"Ah, you're referring to that young man from Future Industries?"

Keeping secrets from people was new and alien for Korra. She'd been vocal and proud of her status as the newest Avatar as far back as she could remember. She hid nothing and was vocal about everything. Even when she was caught misbehaving by her parents or bending instructors, she was always ready to standup for herself whether she was in the right or wrong. It took Tenzin stating the obvious for the truth to dawn on the her. She was following Peter's play book, including its faults. She needed to stop following Peter's example and handle her inner turmoil on her terms and not his. At least not entirely.

"Yes-NO! It was the other one…Tahno. He's the Wolf-Bats team captain."

"Oh, alright. I was there for the interview before you went off with your little friend. He's uh…very troubled right now. Did you talk to him while we were talking to Mr. Sato?"

"Yeah. We…ended up talking for a bit and, I don't know, the whole thing was strange."

"How so?"

"How do I put it?" Korra strung a believable story in her head, substituting Peter with Tahno. "I thought I had the guy pegged from his reputation and they were mostly proven right after I met him for the first time."

"Can't say I blame you." Tenzin agreed. "I did a little digging on his team before the big match. Him and his team are talented pro-benders but they're…" Tenzin shot a glance at his children. Ikki and Meelo were bickering about who was the oldest while his oldest was clearly invested in the conversation. So, he decided to choose his words carefully. "Let's just say they were less than honorable."

"Right, I thought the same thing at first, but then we started talking with each other and…well…"

"You gained some insight on his character you didn't see beforehand; I'm assuming." Tenzin finished her thought.

"Yeah, more or less."

"Can't say I blame you, Korra. That young man and his Wolf-Bats were totally out of line last night. From what I hear they have a checkered history of pushing the rules."

"Right." Korra paused to filter her thoughts on Takuya using the pro-bending 'champion' as a proxy. "He's a real mixed bag. He's got the skills to back up that attitude of his, but then he and his team go around pulling fast ones in their title matches."

"So what are you hung up on exactly?" Pemma chimed in. She wanted to sink her teeth into the subject. The housewife didn't advertise it but she was a bit of a gossip in her acolyte days.

"I'm just wondering why someone as talented as him would fight so dirty when they don't need to." Korra marinated on the thought more. "I guess what I'm asking is, why would someone be so vicious if they don't have to be? Is it a choice or are they just born that way?"

"Well, that is one of life's great mysteries, Korra. Everyone has their reasons and some of them are more valid than others. Maybe the young man and his friends pushed the rules out of convenience."

"Or they just like cracking skulls for the fun of it." Pemma added.

"Cracking skulls, huh?" Tenzin repeated and shot his wife a side glance. "I don't recall you ever using such colorful language honey."

Pemma smirked. "You were there when Meelo was born. I used plenty of 'colorful language' back then."

Tenzin almost choked on his drink. "Ahem…point taken. Any who, motive is a tricky beast. You should see some of the police reports that come across my desk. People will bend over backwards to justify their actions. Like a certain councilman I know."

"Are you talking about the ponytail guy that smells like perfume daddy?" Ikki butted in.

Tenzin chuckled at his daughter's preposterous description. "Yes Ikki, that's the one. Like your pro-bending colleague, Tarrlok likes to bend the rules to his favor. Politics has a tendency to breed such behavior, but that doesn't make it right. At least in my book anyway. What that Tahno boy did was a simplified version of what I go through every day."

"So how do you deal with people like Tarrlock then? If someone like him just waltzed into my house I wouldn't have handled it as well as you did." Korra started to roll with Tahno being Peter's stand in for the conversation now.

"Well besides years of practice, it's the fact that I abide to higher standards even in the dirty world of politics. I believe my brother picked up a saying during his time in the Republic Navy. How did it go again? Oh right, 'The hard right beats out the easy left'. People like Tarrlock and Tahno take the easy left and for a time they seem to be getting ahead. You see Korra, the problem with the 'easy left' is all the ill will that comes from it, and over time it springs and comes back to bite these people when they least expect it. Your little friend learned that lesson the hard way."

"I'll have bad Karma huh? You're starting to sound like your sister." Pema teased. "All you need now is some incense to drive out the negative energy out of the room."

Tenzin's ace shifted. "You take that back woman."

"Oh, settle down. You know I was just kidding." Pema explained.

"Is Aunt Kya coming to visit?!" Meelo cheered.

Korra marinated on Tenzin's counsel as they calmed the children down. She didn't think all of it applied to Peter. There were very few things that were easy or clear cut about being Spider-Man. If anything, it was becoming a huge strain on him based on his testimony he shared with her. Then again, he did go take the 'easy' path and went off on his own. Maybe it was his version of easy that was the problem.

"So, what do I tell someone who's doing that? Can you, I don't know, stop them before that bad karma comes back to bite them?" Korra asked.

"Be vocal. Tell them, politely, what I just told you. This isn't something you can force Korra." Tenzin advised.

"That work with Councilman Tarlokk?"

"I'm afraid not, but thankfully me and the other councilmen keep his ambitions in check. At least they used to."

"Uh huh, so what happens when they don't listen?"

"Well, you can sit back and watch them suffer the consequences of their choices or you can just cut ties with these people. I have nothing against Tarrlock on a personal level, but I wouldn't associate myself with him if I didn't have to. He takes far too many 'shortcuts' for my liking.

"I can't just abandon him like a piece of trash!" Korra protested. She let her emotions get the better of her and only caught on after the words left her mouth. "I mean…Tahno's been through a lot, I'm not just going to abandon him like that. Sure, he's a jerk, but he doesn't deserve that kind of treatment."

"It's admirable that you feel that way about someone you just met Korra, but you missed my point entirely. I'm not telling you to pass judgment on any moral standing. All I'm trying to say is that sometimes just walking away is the best decision for both parties. Don't shackle yourself to someone with a false sense of loyalty. You may feel the way you do now, but what's to say how you'll feel in a week, or a month? You saw that boy and assumed he was less than honorable, but his tragedy gave you some insight on his actual character. I'm not telling you to drop the young man to the wayside, I'm just telling you not to take the option off the table."

Tenzin finished his little speech with a somber yet serious look written on his face. It was clear to everyone at the table that he was speaking from experience.

"Did you feel the same way with Beifong?" Korra put the pieces together and stated her claims plainly. She would tease her master if the times weren't so dire. "I don't mean to be disrespectful or anything."

Tenzin sighed before stopping her.

"No, It's alright Korra. The short answer is yes. I won't get into the details. In the beginning I though that we'd be together forever, but things didn't turn out that way. The thing is we stayed together far longer than we should've been because we thought that we were destined to be together. If I had been more honest with my feelings, things would've ended a lot more amicably than they did between me and Lin. Is any of this making sense to you?"

Korra didn't take her master's words lightly. It didn't feel right to break things off with Takuya when they just started their partnership. Or perhaps splitting up would be the best option for both of them and she just didn't want to admit it. Regardless of what she felt, the two of them had an agreement and she would honor it. This would have to be a decision to make in the aftermath of tonight.

"I guess…" Was all Korra could muster in her miasma of emotion.

"Well, that's a nice upbeat piece of advice, Tenzin." Pemma said with obvious sarcasm. "You're a real ray of sunshine when you want to be."

Tenzin's mustache scrunched up at his wife's jabs. "Pemma, I'm only being honest with her. You were there, so you know how rocky things were back then."

"That's true,but it wasn't as cut and dry as you say it was." Pemma explained. "Look, you're not necessarily wrong or anything. I just think Korra needs another perspective, that's all."

"That…" Tenzin stopped and canceled his long-winded diatribe before it could get to its feet. " is actually a good idea. Go ahead honey."

"Thank you, oh great and wise Master Tenzin." Pemma jokingly bowed her head.

Tenzin rolled his eyes. "Hilarious dear."

Pemma flashed her husband a smile before giving Korra her full attention. "Alright Korra, so this friend of yours has a few…negative traits that you don't like, right?"

"That's the short and sweet version of it, yeah." Korra answered.

"Right, so what Tenzin told you isn't necessarily wrong. Simply walking away from a bad relationship is sometimes just what the doctor ordered." Pemma explained.

"Wait, so you're agreeing with Tenzin?"

"I wasn't finished. Walking away is an option, but it shouldn't be the first one you choose. All I'm saying is to just be patient with this boy. So, you see something you don't like, that doesn't mean you should just torpedo the whole thing just for that. I'm not telling you to stick around till the bitter end or anything like that. Just wait and see how things playout before making big decisions like that."

"So I should try to change him before I throw in the towel?" Korra asked.

Tenzin and Pemma passed at Korra's thought. They gawked at her for a moment before the couple burst out in a fit of laughter, much to the young Avatar's confusion.

"If you take anything away from what we talked about Korra, don't try to 'fix' people." Tenzin caught his breath before his wife.

"Please don't waste any time and energy on that Korra." Pemma still chuckled at the thought. "Believe me, you could fill a small country with the people who tried."

Korra folded her arms, frowning. "Got it, glad I'm good for a laugh or two."

"I'm sorry Korra, I'm laughing at myself more than anything and I'm sure Tenzin is too." Pemma consoled. "I know it's hard to believe, but our relationship was a little rocky at first. As you all know he can be a little stuffy time…and a stick in the mud…and stubborn…and—"

"Do you have anything nice to say about me?" Tenzin huffed.

"I was getting to that part." Pemma snapped. She grabbed his hand and her features softened tremendously. "In spite of all of his little…habits… I can't imagine a life without him."

Tenzin smiled back. "Likewise."

Meelo and Ikki balked at the open affection their parents displayed while Jinora pretended to not see it.

Korra learned a lot from this brief exchange at the dinner table. While it wasn't a contest, Pemma's words struck more of a cord than with Tenzin. She had misgivings towards Takuya. She didn't care for the way he handled Ken, and the jury was still out if he was still stable after the bombshell he dropped this morning, but just because she witnessed all that didn't mean that she saw the full picture. She quietly decided to see what would happen tonight before making any lasting decisions on ol' Web-Head.

Korra breathed a sigh of relief when she came to a consensus. "Thank you both, I really needed to hear that."

"Happy to help Korra." Tenzin declared.

"No problem. Now, I might be prying a bit too much but, do you have a thing with this Tahno boy?"

Korra almost spit her drink out. "WHAT?! NO!" She protested loudly. "It's not like that! What gave you that idea?"

"It's just the way you were talking, that's all. It just sounded like you had feelings for him and you needed help sifting through all those wild and new feelings. Did I read too much into it?" Pemma explained.

The thought of her in a romantic relationship with Takuya caught her off guard and the idea of hooking up with Tahno, tragedy or not, repulsed her to the core. She took a deep breath and calmed herself. It was an honest mistake to make, especially for someone using half-truths.

"You did, but that's no excuse for snapping at you, I'm sorry Pemma." Korra's apology was sincere but her head was a million miles away.

Dinner finished without too much fuss, aside from Ikki and Jinora getting into an argument over something. Korra couldn't recall too much from the altercation. A food fight ensued and both of the parents almost blew a gasket. Korra just sat there staring at her half-eaten plate of food.

She didn't remember how the altercation ended, but one or both of the children was hauled off by Tenzin, much to his annoyance. Korra watched the ceiling fan circle endlessly as the moment of truth approached. She closed her eyes and collected her thoughts. With a huff she leaped out of her bed and went through one of her many escape routes off the island. Despite the White Lotus's tightened security, she easily weaved through their respective posts. She had memorized their patrol routines and could run circles around them blindfolded. As she approached the main gate, security was surprisingly lax. She slowly approached, making sure to avoid the patches of snow on the pavement and approached the opening foyer. To her shock, she saw Tenzin sitting at the guard post sipping tea.

"Hello Korra, nice night isn't it." Tenzin asked his sleuthing student before she could react.

Korra approached her master plainly. She didn't see any point in hiding anymore. "Yeah, gotta love those full moon type of nights."

Tenzin smiled and motioned for her to sit next to him. She obliged him.

"Aren't the guards supposed to be posted here?"

"They are, but I was feeling a little restless and I thought some fresh air could do me some good. I gave the White Lotus sentries the night off. I know it goes against their code but I needed a little time alone." Tenzin looked off to the shore line in the distance. "Yup, just me, my thoughts, and a pot of jasmine tea. Nothing like it."

"So, you're not going to ask what I'm doing here?" Korra didn't bother being coy. She had places to be and, respectfully, she wouldn't let Tenzin stop her.

Tenzin cracked a smile at her frankness. "Do I have to?"

Korra's brow furrowed. She wasn't expecting that. "I guess not."

"I had a feeling you would run off into the night. If you were trying to hide your intentions, then you weren't doing it very well." Tenzin said plainly.

"Okay, duly noted. So why are you really out here then?"

"It's like I said Korra, I'm just enjoying that ocean breeze." He took a sip of his tea and turned to her. "I'm not here to stop you if that's what you're thinking."

Korra's confusion only grew. "Are you okay Tenzin? You're not acting like your usual self."

"I've taken the time to do a lot of self-reflecting, especially with you in mind. I'm constantly asking myself if I'm doing right with you as your mentor and teacher. I tried to teach you like my father taught me when I was a kid. I know it's hard to believe, but I got just as frustrated as you did when we started your training. I followed the Air Nomad curriculum to the letter and you still struggled with air bending. Heck, you still are."

"I'm sorry about that. I'm still trying to understand it all but—" Her explanation stopped when a firm hand rested on her shoulder.

"Korra, you have nothing to apologize for. You're doing the best you can in light of this crisis. You're the Avatar, you're already an Airbender and it's only a matter of time before it comes to you. Besides, I'm not trying to assign blame to anyone. As I was saying, all that turned around when you snuck into the arena and somehow got yourself mixed up with that Pro-Bending business. You applied what I taught you masterfully. Who knows how long it would've taken you if I kept you on that path? What I'm trying to say is that you make things happen when your left to your devices and I'm not about to impede that progress."

"So, you think I'm ready? I'm a full-fledged Avatar in your book?" She was perplexed by Tenzin's surprisingly open approach and still needed to clear a few things up with her master.

"Oh heavens no, you still have a lot to learn young lady, and I'm not just referring to the bending arts." Tenzin explained. "

"Then why are you letting me leave then?" Korra's confusion morphed into anger. "What if I have a repeat of the monument fiasco, or I fly off the handle and mess up? What then huh?!"

Tenzin nodded his head in a quiet reassurance. "The fact that you're holding yourself to your past mistakes is proof that you're learning. You're cognizant of the lessons I've taught you and you're more than qualified to deal with whatever is waiting for you. Besides, I suspect that whatever you plan on doing tonight, you're not doing it alone."

Korra's eyes shot open as she looked at her mentor with a dumbfounded look. "I…I don't…"

Tenzin stopped her and chuckled. "You don't have to explain anything to me Korra. Your business is your business. When, or if, you decide you want to talk about it I'd be more than happy to give you a lesson. I trust you Korra, I know you'll do the right thing."

Again, Korra had the rug snatched from under her. "You…You're… you can't…Seriously!?"

"Yes. To be honest, I surprised myself when I came to this conclusion." Tenzin admitted. "Maybe that shock glove did more damage than I thought."

Tenzin's self-deprecating humor managed to snap Korra out of her stupor. "You're serious about this? I mean I appreciate the vote of confidence, but this just doesn't sound like you. This is some kind of trick, right? You're just trying to stall for some time so the guards will try and stop me."

"Is it that hard to believe that I had a change of heart? I assure you Korra, I'm being straight with you." Tenzin assured. "When did you get this paranoid?"

"It's just…" Korra sighed in frustration. "I'm sorry Tenzin, this whole Equalist stuff got me on edge."

"You and everyone else Korra."

"So, you're really about to let me go out and do…whatever I'm about to do?" Tenzin had made his point about Korra going on her way.

"Yes I am." Tenzin answered with full confidence.

Korra turned and managed to take a few steps before turning around. She found a tightness in her chest that needed to be dealt with before anything else. "I know I can be a handful some times, and you're a saint for putting up with all of it." The memory of her destroying the island's precious Air Nomad artifacts in a rage flashed through her head. "I just…" Without warning, the young Avatar embraced her lengthy mentor. "Thank you, Tenzin for everything."

Tenzin was speechless at the unexpected sign of affection. "It's an honor to teach you Korra. A very challenging, frustrating, honor." He returned the embrace.

She released her mentor and started her trek off the island.

"Oh Korra, one more thing before you leave."

"Yeah?"

"If you're not back by 1:30, I'm scrambling the White Lotus and alerting Chief Beifong." Tenzin announced returning to a tone he was more familiar with.

Korra frowned at her teacher before laughing it off. It was a good deal considering who was giving it. "That's the Tenzin I remember." Was all she worded before leaving the island.

Tenzin watched his charge leave the island as quickly as her feet could carry her. When she was out of sight, he collapsed into his chair with his head hung low. His face was assaulted with worry. He didn't know whether he did the right thing or just made a horrible mistake. Only time would give him the answer.

He just sat in his chair, watched the city's skyline shining like an earthborn star and wondered what his father would've done in his shoes.

XXXxxx Republic City: Little Ba Sing Se Area xxxXXX

A light fog rolled in from the peninsula and into the city. The street lights just barely pierced through the veil to provide proper illumination. Korra walked through the streets as inconspicuous as humanly possible. As she trekked through the streets, she noticed that the city's night life wasn't as busy as she remembered. She knew Amon's assault on the arena would have an effect on the city, but she never would've guessed that it would be felt this quickly. The sense of optimism was replaced with dread. The pedestrians she passed by seemed downtrodden. Some of them held their heads low; the weight of life in the city was getting unbearable. Others seemed anxious. Their gaits bordered on frantic. Eyes darted left and right in anticipation for another grand Equalist show of force. It was impossible to discern sympathizers from potential victims.

Korra had enough sense not to walk directly towards the meeting spot. She circled the block keeping an eye out for a ruined coupe to roll down the road. She'd been engaged in this little dance for what felt like hours and she wondered if Spider-Man or Ken would ever show. Ken's absence was understandable. He could've decided that he was more afraid of Amon than Spider-Man and tried to skip town. Or Spider-Man discovered this and would make good on his promise. That thought sent a chill down her spine. He claimed it was all a bluff and a week ago she would've believed him wholeheartedly, but now she wasn't so sure. Now she hoped the disgraced official would make good on his arrangement with the vigilante, for his sake.

After what felt like her tenth time circling the block, she took a seat on a bench around a local playground. She leaned forward with her hands interlocked for a moment. The agitated Avatar shifted through several seating positions quietly wrestling with her anxiety.

"Ugh! Show up already!" She cried out with a huff.

"

She tilted her head back and closed her eyes to calm herself. Once her temper settled, she looked up and her soul almost leaped out of her body when she saw a couple of eyes without a face hovering above hers.

"Hi."

Korra yelped and jumped to her feet in sheer terror. She got a few feet away and let her mind process Spider-Man casually standing under the street lights. His head tilted in confusion. She let her heart return to a normal rhythm before responding.

"What is wrong with you?!" She shouted.

"Relax, and keep it down. You never know who might be listening." Spider-Man advised.

"What are you doing sneaking up on me like that?" She heeded his words and lowered her voice. "You could've found a better way to get my attention, you know."

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know, whistle, throw some rocks, literally anything but stand over me like a creeper." Korra chided.

"Eh, I just thought it would be funny." Spider-Man admitted. "And I wasn't wrong. Besides you looked tense, thought I should lighten the mood." He broke his blank gaze and started laughing. "The look on your face was priceless by the way."

Korra was on the verge of shouting but cut her tirade short. "Is this really the time for jokes Poindexter?"

Spider-Man took her question seriously and answered plainly. "Sure. Here's a little advice when you're rolling with me or doing stuff like this: relax."

Korra scoffed at the simple advice. "Pretty sure you used that line already web head."

"It's applicable here too, you know."

"Applica-what now?"

"It applies here too." Spider-Man rephrased. "It's good to appreciate the gravity of the situation you're in, but you shouldn't let it weigh you down. Don't take things too seriously. In my experience, you get emotional and make bad calls. Trust me, I speak from experience."

"Whatever you say Spidey." His advice was sound and she decided to move on. "You're late by the way. I've been out here for hours."

"One-hour and thirty-seven minutes actually." Spider-Man blurted to a bewildered Korra. "Give or take."

"How did-Were you following me?"

"No, I just kept an eye on you, waiting for Kenny to show up." Spider-Man explained. "Been out here for a hot minute."

"I didn't see you swinging around."

"It makes sense. You'd be amazed what you could get away with when no one's looking."

"But I was looking."

"You weren't looking hard enough, and I'm really good at not being seen."

"Why are you showing up now and not earlier?"

"Because I saw Kenny rolling in and I thought you'd like to know."

The sudden revelation caught Korra off guard. "What? Now?!"

"That's what I said. What did I say about keeping your voice down?"

"Who cares?! We've got to go now!" Korra was being dramatic, but she wasn't wrong.

Spider-Man couldn't help but sigh. "You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"

"I did, but right now we have to strike while the iron's hot." Korra proclaimed.

"Fine." Spider-Man gestured towards his neck "Grab on."

"Wait, what?"

"How else are you going to get up to the rooftops, the stairs?" Spider-Man chided. "Now come on, and please don't make this weirder than it has to be." He kneeled to aid her.

Korra complied, approached him, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Like this?"

"Yeah. Just hold on tight and try not to yell." Spider-Man instructed. "I don't have a lot of experience in this sort of thing, so I apologize in advance."

"Aw, you do care." Korra scoffed. "Don't worry about me Web-Head, I can handle mySELFFF!"

She yelled out in shock as her head jerked back from the sudden shift in velocity. The wind assaulted her face. All she could do was hold on for dear life and hoped the turbulent event would end.

"…Korra…" Spider-Man called out. "You can let go now, we're here."

His words took a moment to resonate with the Avatar. She continued to clinch his neck. It took a gloved hand nudging her arm to bring her back to her senses. She opened her eyes and witnessed a new vantage over the city block. She released her grip and let her feet hit the rooftop.

She took a brief moment to compose herself before speaking. "Thanks…"

Korra scanned the rooftop perch and found some discarded food wrappers and a set of binoculars set on the ledge. He really was here for hours.

"Sure." He said while offering her the binoculars. "Take a look. Looks like Kenny's friends are chatting it up."

Korra looked through the lenses and saw their unwilling accomplice motioning towards his ruined vehicle and speaking frantically. There were two Equalists in plain clothes looking on in apparent disbelief. "This doesn't look good. You might need to step in Poindexter."

"Maybe. I'm betting they're just grilling him to see if he admits to anything." Spider-Man answered. "We'll wait and see how this plays out. Don't worry, I won't let things get past that."

She continued to observe. The Equalists looked irritated but controlled. They got in Ken's face and looked angry, but they never laid a hand on him. Things were playing into Spider-Man's theory as an idea popped in Korra's head.

"What if he's spilling the beans on our arrangement? Maybe they're just putting on a show to throw us off." Korra shared her thoughts.

"Ken didn't seem particularly loyal to the Equalists because of their money. He didn't even know who his 'benefactors' were until the attack went down. It's in both parties' best interests to cut ties and get this arrangement behind them and that was before we had our little pow-wow. Right now, the only thing on his mind was staying in my good graces." Spider-Man explained

Korra couldn't argue with his logic and continued to look on. The Equalist agents now talked amongst themselves for a while and shot a glance towards the corrupt referee. They stopped conversing and gave Ken their full attention. They shared a few more words before one of them reached into the satomobile and pulled out a dull leather briefcase. The larger one, no doubt the muscle between the two, shoved the package into Ken's arms. The delivery almost sent him to the floor but he got his footing at the last minute. The other Equalist left Ken with some parting words, most likely a threat, before returning to their vehicle. The whole scene played out as Spider-Man predicted.

"That's my cue." Spider-Man announced.

Before Korra could ask what he meant by that, he leaped off the roof performing impossible flips and turns towards the exiting vehicle. The Avatar turned her gaze towards the Wall-Crawler and caught him pulling out what seemed to be some kind of disk. He got close to the speeding Satomobile and just out of its vantage. He twisted his form and launched the disk at them. The disk hit its mark and attached itself to the lower end of the rear bumper. Spider-Man retreated and made his way back to the rooftop he started on. To Korra's amazement, the whole act took him roughly ten seconds to complete his round trip.

"Alright, so far so good." He announced casually. "Looks like Kenny's still down there. I'm going to have a quick word with him and we can see where the Equalists bbbwent." He turned to see Korra openly gawking at him. "You okay?"

"…Yeah, I'm fine Takuya. What was that thing you threw at their Satomobile?" She asked.

"Spider tracer MK2." He pulled one from his pocket and held it up like a trophy. "Extended the range, but it eats up the battery."

"The range of what now?" Korra understood about half of his impromptu presentation.

"I'll get into the nitty gritty later. Long story short, they're not getting away from me tonight. I'll be right back." Spider-Man casually walked off the roof and made his way to Ken.

Ken was leaned up to his car, recovering from the nerve-racking experience. The Equalist agents suspected something was off when he showed up in his defiled ride. They went on a long spiel accusing him of going to the police and confessing to them about their arrangement. It was a herculean task, but he managed to convince them that he still honored their agreement. He was thankful his original contact didn't show up to make good on his deal with the terrorist cell. Something told him that the mustachioed man wouldn't be so easily fooled. Thankfully, the men they sent weren't as shrewd and gave him his money. His ordeal was over now. At least he thought it was.

"Kenny!" A voice called out from above.

Ken looked up and his heart skipped another beat. His tormentor was perched above looking down on him like a falcon. "I did what you wanted. What more do you want for me?"

"Relax 'Fixer', I just came down to let you know that we're square. You did really good." Spider-Man praised. "Didn't think you'd pull it off, honestly."

"Yeah, no thanks to you." Ken shot an evil look at the perched wall- crawler. "I thought they were going to stuff me in their trunk back there."

"Sure, but they didn't, did they? You could've not showed up and made things a hell of a lot worse for yourself and you didn't. You really got to appreciate the little miracles that fall on our laps from time to time. Shoot, you got three of them in a day."

"That's two, genius. And if you're counting yourself in that equation then you've got a weird way of counting things." Ken chided the vigilante. "No offense wall-crawler, but you don't count as a blessing in my book."

"I'm letting you keep your money aren't, I? Spider-Man reminded him. "Forgot about that little nugget, didn't you? Like I said, we're square. I won't bother you. Word of advice ken, split town. Now." Spider-Man leaped from the light post and into the void of the night.

Ken sneered at Spider-Man's direction. He wouldn't know it, but Ken arranged his exit well in advance to this meeting. He was considering pulling the trigger on his exodus since he got his first taste of mone, and his 'chat' with Spider-Man made the decision for him. He even thought about taking the money he had and running, but he didn't know what wall-crawler was truly capable of. For all he knew the freak would just fly through the night sky and snatch him up wherever he was hiding. He hated to admit it, but the Spider was right. Considering the whole ordeal, he would come through it all ahead. It would take him longer to decipher if the juice was worth the squeeze, but that was a matter for another day. He hopped in his soon to be abandoned Satomobile and headed for the harbor. If he ever saw eyes without a face again in his life it would be too soon.

Korra looked on to the brief conversation Spider-Man had with the former official out of curiosity. It wasn't nearly as terse as the one Ken had with the Equalists, but it was clear he wasn't too thrilled with his arrangement. She didn't have to wait long for Spider-Man to return to the rooftop.

"Was that really necessary Tak?" Korra asked. "We might lose those guys if we don't hurry."

"It was. I just needed a second to give Kenny a little peace of mind before we headed out." Spider-Man explained. "And don't worry, I can still feel the tracker. They're playing it safe so they're not driving too fast."

"What did you say to him?"

"I just told him that we're good. That's all."

"You know he sold the entire city out to a mad man, right?" She shook her head in disgust. "I still can't believe you're letting him go."

"He's a little fish Korra. Throwing him behind bars would be pointless. Besides, he's about to make up for it."

"Well, we're about to find out at least." Korra concluded on a tentative note.

Spider-Man turned towards the invisible signal and honed his senses towards it. "Alright, let's get going, the signal started to fade." He pointed to his back. "Hop on."

Korra grimaced at the thought of another rough trip on the wall crawler's back, but nonetheless did as she was told. She wrapped her arms around his neck like last time. "This isn't too tight, is it?"

Spider-Man chuckled. "Don't worry I'm fine. I hardly felt you last time."

"Good. Can you do me a favor, Takuya?"

He turned his head towards his passenger. "Now?"

"Yeah, could you slow it down with the swinging this time?" Korra asked sheepishly. "I mean it's not like it bothered me last time or anything, it's just that…you know since the Equaliss aren't going too fast or anything, I thought you should save your energy for whatever comes next, that's all."

Spider-Man instantly knew her true intention and he felt guilty for the rough ride he gave earlier.

"Makes sense." He played along, keeping her dignity intact. "Anything else you want to bring up?"

"There are a few things, but it can wait."

With that, Spider-Man leaped off the roof and sailed through the city's skyline at a calm but brisk pace.

XXXxxx Republic City: Industrial Park xxxXXX

The drive to the supply depot was thankfully uneventful. The cops increased their patrols as a sign of force that frankly earned a few chuckles from the agents sent to the drop off. Chief Beifong's sheer incompetence was a sight to behold. The revolution blooded their noses and they still don't know how to react, much less form a cohesive plan against them. The higher-ups predicted this and estimated that it would be weeks before the government could get their heads screwed on straight and form a feasible counter offensive.

"You sure were in the clear Han. That beat cop was eyeing us pretty hard through that checkpoint." The Equalist in the passenger seat broke the silence in the Satomobile.

"Of course they were man. It's like the Lieutenant told us at the briefing. The check points, the 'bust' this morning, it's all for show at this point. They're just projecting an image of strength to show the citizens that they're still in charge. I bet my money that guy was ordered to just stand there and look tough." Han reassured his comrade while scanning the roads for anything that might be a problem. "Trust me Ming, the benders are desperate. They know the score and it's only a matter of time before we start changing things for the better."

"I guess you're right."

"I know I'm right." Han corrected. "What's got you bugging out Ming? It was a milk run dude, not a bank job."

"I don't know man. I just can't shake this bad feeling in my gut." Ming confessed. "Maybe I didn't think we'd get this far and I'm expecting the rug to get pulled out from under us or something like that. Sounds stupid, right?"

"Not really. We're going a mile a minute and the operation is working like a watch." Han shared. "It wasn't too long ago that the movement was just a bunch of people handing out flyers in the streets. Things are a little crazy, and there's nothing wrong with losing a little nerve."

Ming laughed at his elder.

"Did I say something funny?"

"No, I just didn't expect you to be so, I don't know…understanding."

"Life's full of surprises junior."

The car pulled up to a rundown freight hub the Equalists had renovated. Han flashed his high beams in a particular rhythm. The bay door opened for the two and quietly rolled in without a fuss. The Equalists were extremely cautious when selecting their safehouse. According to the rumor mill, some eggheads even went so far as to gather population data and, save for the occasional bum, the site was deserted. Despite their best efforts, two parties witnessed the whole thing.

Following the car to this dilapidated section of the city was a walk in the park. They were smart and took every backstreet they could use, but the tracer called to Spider-Man like a singing canary. The signal was so strong that he could follow it blindfolded. Per Korra's request he took things nice and slow in their pursuit of the Sato-mobile. They stood atop a building complex standing across from the Equalist's base and took a moment to collect themselves.

Korra mimicked Spider-Man and kneeled while overseeing their stronghold.

"Alright Takuya, what's the game plan?" Korra asked.

"Well for starters, I'm going to ask you to stop throwing my name around so casually." Spider-Man got to his feet and started to pace, all while keeping his gaze affixed on the Equalist stronghold.

Korra scuffed at the request. "Look around Tak, there's no one here."

"You never know who's listening, so until I take this mask off my name's Spider-Man, Spidey, Web-Head or the Web-Slinging-Do-Gooder. I've always liked that one, by the way."

Korra let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine, What's the plan Spidey? I know you've got something cooking in that head of yours. Now come on, we don't have all night."

Peter was disappointed she went with the usual manicure she assigned to him. "We do actually. Look around. No guards posted up front, a couple of exits with some entrances for shipping trucks, this isn't the headquarters or anything. But it's definitely a good chunk of their operation. They're here for the long run Korra, and they're not packing up shop anytime soon."

"So, what then? We just ring up Beifong and leave it to the proper authorities?" The sarcasm in her voice was beyond obvious.

"Ha Ha" Spider-Man said while he continued to scan the building.

"Alright so you can't see any guards. They might have guys posted in one of the buildings for all we know." Korra surmised.

"Nah, I'd have felt it if there were."

"You can feel them?"

"Sort of. I have to go out of my way to do it, but I trust my senses. Now anyway." Spider-Man disclosed to her.

There was a quiet moment between the two. Korra watched his featureless 'face' canvas their surroundings. She thought this was as good a time as any to get a lingering thought out of her head.

"Can I ask you something?" Korra asked

Spider-Man shrugged "Sure, nothings stopped you so far. I don't know why'd you'd even ask."

"It's a little personal." Korra cautioned.

Spider-Man turned his attention to Korra and chuckled. "Like, do you want to know my sign or something?"

Korra rolled her eyes. She silently decided to be direct. "After I healed you when you fell through the arena ceiling saving me, I think I saw memories. Your memories."

The vigilante looked at Korra with a side glance, a clear sign of his confusion. In the past he'd have scoffed at her claim, but after all the spiritual meddling he'd been through, that option was now off the table. "What did you see?"

"It's hard to explain. It all came in flashes." Korra informed. "I just saw one thing after another."

"It's alright, just try your best."

"I saw…well…monsters. There were three of them, maybe four. One had a really big head and his skin was made of metal. His arms were replaced by…some kind of cannon looking contraptions. Then the other one barely looked human. He was all wrinkly; it was like he was wearing a skin suit or something. The last guy was worse. His skin was all scaly and it looked like his face was half melted. He was—"

"Massive, green, giant claws." Spider-Man finished his thought absently. He was starting to wrap his head around spirits and the supernatural. But memory sharing. How was such a thing possible? Was it Korra's doing or was he unwittingly at fault? The fact that Korra was sitting on this land mine for so long was mind boggling.

"Yeah, so what's their deal? Were they just a part of some wacked out fever dream you were having? You did take a nasty hit on the head on your way down and almost drowned." Korra attempted to put reason to the phenomenon to what she experienced.

"Korra, that wasn't a dream." Spider-Man told her flat out.

"Whoa, hold on. You mean that actually happened?! You fought those things?"

"Yeah." Peter broke away from his stupor and got his mind back on track. He approached Korra with an ultimatum. "Look, we'll have plenty of time to hash this out properly, but we can't do that now. Now, I need to know if your still up for this, because this is your last chance to—"

"You're seriously going to ask me that Takuya." Korra crossed her arms and stared daggers at the infamous vigilante, not caring what title he wanted her to use. "You're supposed to be smart, right? I think you already know my answer."

Korra's response caught him off guard, but he found himself smirking under his mask. "That's all I needed to hear princess." He started to step back towards the rear of the building.

"So, what's the plan now, Spidey? Are you going to sneak in, make a diversion, waken their forces and have me swoop in to finish them off?" Korra theorized.

"That's a good plan Korra. A great plan even." Spider-Man praised. "But we're not going that route."

"Seriously, why not?!" Korra questioned. "I thought sneaking was your thing."

"It is." He called back, continuing his way to the roofs aft section. "But tonight, we're going to send a message to the Equalists." He turned to face the stronghold with a bewildered Korra in his peripherals. "I don't know about you princess, but I'm sick of being quiet."

Before Korra could ask what he meant by that the vigilante got into a blindingly fast sprint off the roof, launching himself straight through the dilapidated window. Yells of shock and terror rang the night.

She shook her head, bent the water out of her canteen, and jumped. The loose snow liquified and formed into a makeshift ski ramp. She built up enough momentum to make it halfway towards the hideout. Her personal supply of water engulfed her arms, morphed into tendrils, and pulled her through the hole Spider-Man made seconds earlier. She looked down and saw the wall crawler decimating the unsuspecting Equalists. He was true to his word and displayed speed and power. He might have spent a maximum of four seconds on each of the flabbergasted revolutionaries. Her friend thrashed through their ranks like a raging gemsbok-bull. It was a spectacle to behold, but she snapped back to the matter at hand and started to get to work. She saw more Equalists start to pile in from the upper levels and launched herself towards them. She hooked her water arms to the catwalk and flashed them towards the enemy squad. A couple of them were drenched and flash froze while the nimbler twisted around the attack. She inadvertently ran into the chi-blockers in the group as far as she knew.

The chi-blockers in plain clothes darted towards her from different angles, desperately trying to close the distances between them. Korra was well versed in the chi-blockers tactics and acted accordingly. She let the water fall aside and let out a wide wall of fire to dissuade their advance. Their numbers divided, the brave ones didn't mind getting singed and pressed forward. She threw a quick flamed jab to obscure their vision. She moved to knee a chi-blocker's gut and slammed his head on the railing. The discarded water obeyed her and engulfed her arms. The water shifted states and hard ice battered the remaining Equalists in front of her. One by one the small contingent of Equalists were handedly dispatched. As she caught her breath she wondered if they were green trainees since they went down relatively easily. Her brief reprieve was cut short by a loud crash below.

Korra shot her head over the railing only to see a man-sized hole and legions of Equalists encased in webbed restraints. They adorned everything from the walls and spare satomobiles. The wall-crawler was cutting through their ranks like they were nothing and he was leaving her in the dust. More Equalists pulled in through the first level. It was clear they were armed with shock gloves and a few were uniformed chi-blockers. They were disciplined and had proper leadership. The commander, as far as she knew, broke her forces in half to deal with the intruders. One group moved in to surround Korra while the others rushed to where Spider-Man was held up.

Korra gathered the last of her canteen water and the loose dirt within reach. She waved her hand and ignited the air around her. Water and earth followed suit and levitated around her. The three elements stood at the ready for the oncoming assault. She went into her favorite hung gar stance, planting her feet firmly to the ground. Despite the imminent, she found herself smiling. Her competitive nature surfaced as she quietly wondered if she could match the Wall-Crawler's numbers.

"You got a death wish or something?", one of the Equalists asked.

"Do you?" Korra replied.

The splintered Equalists team launched themselves towards the unwavering Avatar.

Spider-Man expanded his shock and awe campaign to an apparent motor pool. The fleet consisted mostly of common looking cargo vans. They were decorated with different company logos, most likely dropping off weapons and supplies in plain sight. As he contemplated if literally crashing through a brick wall was on too on the nose, the Equalists personnel closed in around him. Most were a proper security team while others were mechanics and general laborers. The mechanics carried hasty weapons like engine block wrenches while a few of them wielded shock gloves. They were the first to challenge the web-slinger.

He had to admit that the Equalists had guts facing him like this, but their bravado was about to get them in traction.

One of the Equalists swung his wrench wildly and hit nothing but air. He felt an unrelenting force in the back of the head. The regular staff were quickly dispatched as the security started to rush towards him.

Spider-Man dodged the mark 2 shock glove's electrified tendrils and went to work on the chi-blockers rushing his flanks. Their technique was flawless. They followed their training to the letter, aimed for Spider-Man's vital chi points, and hit nothing.

The more Spider-Man faced the chi-blockers the better he dealt with them. Their jabs aimed for his precious chi-points only for him to move and avoid their assault. Their strategy was useless against the Wall-Crawler this late in the game. One of them launched a dramatic dragon kick at him only to get grabbed by the vigilante and thrown into his fellow chi-blockers. The wall-crawler was making Amon's elite shock troop look like a pack of drunken mooks. He intercepted one jab coming from behind with an open palm shattering his hand. He flipped away from them, grabbed a loose spare tire, and threw it at his attackers. The untrained members didn't react in time and went flying while the chi-blockers managed to.

He jumped atop one of the vans and shook his head at the group. "I know you guys have an obligation to the 'revolution' and al, but you should really throw in the towel." Peter twisted the knife by sitting casually on the van's roof looking board. "If I were in your shoes, I'd have hightailed it out of here the minute I showed up."

The chi-blockers stood fast but he could tell their spirits were wavering. The rank-and-file Equalists on the other hand looked visibly shaken. He didn't know what supernatural force kept them here but it clearly dwarfed his power. He decided to push harder.

"Even if you somehow manage to beat me you still got—" A loud crash from the other room interrupted him. Everyone shot a glance at the hole he made. It was hard to tell if they were hearing battle cries and pain filled wails. "I don't think I have to finish that sentence."

"You're nothing Spider-Man!" One of the chi-blockers shouted. "We represent the future. We carry the will of the people creating a new world! You are nothing but a sideshow, a misguided fool who enjoys being used and abused by the bending elites!"

His outburst emboldened those around him. The fire returned in their eyes.

"That's right! He's not so tough guys! Amon beat him before and he'll beat him again!"

Spider-Man's mind game had the opposite effect. A quiet anger built up inside of him. He dropped the cavalier attitude and jumped in front of the mob. "Last chance…"

His soulless state shook them to the core but they stood fast. No one present heeded his warning.

The Web-Slinger shook his head in disappointment. "Your funeral."

Again, the chi-blockers lead the charge against the wall-crawler. Their efforts were in part inspiring in the face of an overwhelming force but ultimately in vain. Spider-Man's world slowed down considerably and he took the time to really analyze his opponents. The chi-blockers' intricate theatrics seemed much tamer than the first time they encountered them. The mob's superior numbers seemed more trivial than it did in the past. In this quiet moment before the storm, it only now dawned on him that he had skewed far beyond his standard operating procedure and in spite of that he was doing fine. Better than fine if he was being honest. He wasn't so diluted as to let this realization go to his head but he couldn't ignore it. The wall-crawler, for all intents and purposes, was effectively invincible tonight. There was nothing the Equalists could do to defeat him. The weapons at their disposal lost their potency. Before the leading chi-blocker closed into striking distance, another revelation popped into his head.

'I've grown some.' Was the final thought he had before experience and training took over.

Korra's side of the battle wasn't as eye opening as Spider-Man, but far more intense. Her senses weren't at the same level as the wall-crawler's, so the Equalists had kept her on her toes. Bending simultaneous elements wasn't exactly new to her, but she never used it in a situation like this. The ring of water served as her defensive measure. Any of the chi-blockers that approached were blocked or redirected away from her. Every bolo that launched at her was engulfed in water and nullified. The ring that flowed in a counter axis was her primary and most abundant offense. She sent bursts of flames at the surrounding Equalists at incredible speeds all while making sure not to set the place on fire. Her final tool was the ground itself. To the untrained eye, Korra's earthbending was pedestrian, but in truth she used it to control the tempo of the ensuing battle. The Equalists wanted to flank right; a wall sprung up to impede them. They tried again with her aft only for her to twist the ground under her to face and dispatch them. It was an effective but exhausting strategy. The sweat rolling down her brow was repurposed towards her defensive ring, just as Katara instructed her to do. Maintaining her breathing control, and by extension the fire's potency, was the most taxing. It wasn't all for not however. The Equalist numbers were dwindling but her fatigue wasn't far behind. She found herself cursing the web-singling-do-gooder for forcing this grueling war of attrition on her. Her lapse in focus was capitalized by a stray chi-blocker who twisted past the water and fire. Before he could block her chi, she let out a roar, launched a vicious roundhouse and knocked out the Equalist and shattered his lenses.

"Enough!" She shouted.

She turned and faced the remaining Equalists, cocked her fist back, and released all three of the elements she commanded. The ensuing chaos caused a second explosion in the old building, breaking the remaining windows. The young Avatar might've been angry, but she somehow kept her wits about her and manipulated her attack to be more concussive than explosive, saving the building.

Korra scanned the impromptu battleground for any other possible combatants only to find several unconscious Equalists sprawled around her.

She stood and smugly brushed her hands. "Well, that's that, now to check on- AHH!"

A sharp pain around her left arm cut her parade short. She turned to see an Equalist worker she missed in all of the excitement. She shot a glance at the electrical slash burning her arm. The plain clothed Equalist was armed with the improved shock glove that she heard of.

"DOWN WITH THE BENDING ELITE!" He cried out as the glove spooled and charged up its tendrils. "DOWN WITH THE AVATAR!"

Korra took the initiative and kicked a ball of ice at the Equalist. She grimaced and went into a full sprint as the ball was sliced in half by the super-heated coils.

The destruction of the ice created an improvised smoke screen that confused the Equalist. He searched through the cloud of vapor and saw a silhouette charging towards him. The shock glove's coils were shot haphazardly at the shadow.

Korra emerged from the cloud and narrowly slid under the electrified coils. She bent a puddle of loose water and engulfed his hand. As her fist closed, the water changed states and neutralized the Equalist premier personal's defense weapon.

The loss of his primary weapon didn't damper his resolve. He threw one last defiant haymaker at the Avatar in a last-ditch effort to take her down.

Korra swayed back, grappled his outstretched arm, landed a vicious straight punch, and finished the job with a classic judo throw over her shoulder. The Equalist was slammed hard on the unforgiving concrete. The final combatant tried to get back on his feat to continue the fight but fell back down in an unconscious heap.

She searched her surroundings to make sure there were no more nasty surprises waiting in her blind spots. All she saw was dispatched Equalists and destruction. In spite of the evidence, she still didn't feel safe letting her guard down.

"Anyone else want piece of me?!" She shouted and hoped that might goad any possible attackers.

"BRING IT ON AVATAR!" A voice answered her challenge.

She wasted no time and grabbed a nearby piece of rubble and turned to face the new threat. She prepared to launch another assault until she got a view of her assailant.

Spider-Man stuck the against the wall of the hole he made earlier looking no worse for wear. Even with his mask she could just make out a smile.

"I surrender." He held his hands. "Please don't hurt me Korra, I will abandon my Equalist ways, I promise."

"Why do you keep sneaking up on me like that?!" She dropped the stones while protesting. "You could've gotten hurt!"

"I'm sorry, it's just so easy with you." He chuckled as he dropped to the ground and approached.

She sneered at his cavalier attitude when a thought popped in her head. "How long were you watching?"

"A little bit before you used that little trump card of yours." As he approached her, she noticed that he was holding a couple of the improved shock gloves. "I've never seen bending like that before. Those elemental rings you used were a stroke of genius, and it packs a wallop!" He punched his palm in excitement as the ordeal replayed in his head.

"You could've helped!" Korra ignored the complement.

"I could've, but you didn't look like you needed it" Spider-Man explained.

"Seriously!" Korra held up her wounded arm with the cut burned in her parka. "What about this?!"

"I almost did, but you got control of the situation before I could."

"A warning would've been nice!"

"Really? You're making a big fuss over a scratch? You were doing fine without me."

Korra sighed and decided to drop it. "What happens now, web-head?"

"Easy, we call Beifong and her merry men to clean up this mess for us."

"That's it?"

"For you, yes. I've got one last thing I have to take care of before the coppers show up."

Korra quirked a brow. "Like what?"

"You'll see."

XXXxxx Equalist Weapons Cache xxxXXX

Between this morning's raid, questioning key witnesses, and going through their findings all day, Chief Beifong was running on fumes. Even with the chorus of sirens and Saikon's manic driving, she still fought to stay awake. She was about to call it a day and get back on the case first thing in the morning until the Avatar of all people called them. Apparently, she claimed she stumbled across an Equalist's weapons depot and that she needed their help. Beifong even went so far as to not requisition an airship from their current flight plans. Korra's rash actions and apparent danger spurred Beifong to act in force. She rallied all the personnel she could spare and sped to the scene.

"I'd like to go on record and say that this is a bad idea." Saikon confessed. "We're smarter than this Chief!"

Beifong grumbled at her second in command. He wasn't wrong but his timing wasn't appreciated. "I know Captain, but we've been caught with our pants down and we can't afford to play it safe now. Korra doesn't know what she's getting into and I don't want a repeat of the monument fiasco. She may be the Avatar, but she's still a kid, and kids are stupid."

Saikon sighed, he wasn't doing much better than the chief. "No arguments on that one chief."

Beifong grabbed the radio from the center console. :/ Attention all cars on this frequency, were a minute out from the scene. Keep your heads on a swivel and stay alert. All we know is that the Avatar is there and so are the Equalists. GET READY!:/

"Two raids in one day? That's got to be some kind of record." Saikon thought out loud.

The squad cars closed in on the dilapidated building and screeched to a halt. The squad cars screeched to a halt and every police officer present closed in on the buildings. Their movements weren't haphazard. Some of them broke off and effortlessly scaled the walls of the alleged stronghold to check the upper levels. Beifong led the ground forces to the scene. She launched the tendrils through her gauntlets and ripped through the bay doors. No one was quite prepared for what they saw.

They saw the Avatar casually sitting in the epicenter of a past battle levitating pebbles in a circular motion. The shock didn't come from an unharmed avatar though. Everyone looked up to see heaps of unconscious Equalists restrained by webs on their respective surfaces. What caught everyone's eyes was the makeshift chandelier made of Equalists and webs. Seeing the Equalists in such a fashion unnerved everyone who saw it, save for the Avatar. Her focus was on the pebbles completely oblivious to the grizzly scene around her.

"Korra." Beifong broke the silence. "What happened here?"

"Nothing much Chief." Korra's tone conveyed complete indifference. "Just went on a little stroll to clear my head and stumbled into these yahoos. It got a little crazy at first, but I handled it."

Beifong stood up and approached her. The battle was clearly over.

"You handled it." She repeated.

"Yup. Just like that." Korra gave little effort to hide the obvious. "I thought I should call since I don't really know what to do with these guys."

"So when you called for help…"

"I needed help putting these guys behind bars." She finally spared a glance at the bewildered and obviously exhausted police chief. "I hope you didn't get the wrong idea or anything."

"Unfortunately, we did." Beifong admitted while she motioned her men to secure the area. "Korra, what's going on?" Her tone was unusually calm.

"I'm trying to copy this trick Avatar Aang did back in the day. I thought I could do it with earthbending, but it's not work—"

Beifong hit her limit and threw the pebbles out of her hand. "YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT!"

Chief Beifong's range jarred everyone in earshot.

Korra dropped the facade and locked eyes with the Chief. "I found an Equalist cell and handled it. Case closed."

"Uh huh." Beifong took a moment to compose herself. She still had to set an example for her people. "Korra, you're making a big traipsing around with Spider-Man. The biggest mistake you've ever made." Beifong wrestled, looking for the right words to try and get through the wayward Avatar. "Do you have any idea what he's done? What he is?"

Korra didn't break eye contact. Her face was stone like. "I don't really have an opinion on Spidey actually. I hardly know the guy. Hope he hasn't skipped town after the arena thing." She looked up at the human chandelier above her. "I haven't seen him in a while, you know since I did all this on my own and all. But if I ever run into him again, I'll be sure to give him your regards."

Beifong folded her arms at the defiant Avatar. "You're really trying to tell me you did this all on your own?"

Korra shrugged. "That's what happened Chief."

"What about the webs?"

"A new water bending technique I've been working on." Korra folded her arms too. "Pretty cool huh?"

Beifong raised her foot and peeled back armor on the sole of her boot. She slammed the ground and a three-dimensional view formed in her mind. She 'saw' everything but what she was looking for. She shook her head and gave Korra her full attention.

"Korra, this isn't a game. You're running around with a known felon who openly assaulted my men and treats this city like his personal playground. They're still in intensive care and he still thinks he's some kind of hero. The man's psychotic Korra, and sooner or later he's going to snap again and hurt innocent people. Are you willing to take responsibility for his collateral damage, Avatar Korra?"

Korra wasn't unfazed by her words. These thoughts had crossed her mind due to recent revelations, but the Chief was mistaken. She knew that more than ever.

"Now, I'm asking you to do the right thing and tell me where he went. Let me do my job and get him into custody so he can't hurt anyone else again."

"Seems like your job was already done for you tonight Beifong." Korra jabbed. "I thought you'd be more thankful." She got up from her seat and started to make her exit.

Beifong gritted her teeth at the Avatar's blatant disregard for public safety. She was making a mistake, but her unique position made her authority virtually useless. The Chief resented disregard for law and order but her hands were tied.

"Korra, wait."

"What now Chief? You're going to try to arrest me?"

"I wouldn't have to try Korra." Grimaced at her poor response. "Sorry, it's been a long day. I was going to offer you an escort back to Air Temple Island."

Korra cocked a brow at Beifong's heel turn. "What for? You trying to tail me to nab Spi—I mean spy on me."

"No, It's late, it's not safe, and you're a ways away from home." Beifong's voice lost its harsh command tone. "I know it might be hard to believe Korra, but I do care about your safety."

Korra was caught off guard by Beifong's olive branch.

"…No thank you ma'am. I'll be fine."

"Fine. I'll let Tenzin know you're on your way back."

Korra's eyes shot open with that. "Do you have to? I mean it's really late and—"

"He's your guardian, and you got involved 'on your own' with an ongoing police investigation. I'm lawfully obligated to alert him." Beifong stated plainly. Korra didn't know it, but she had no ulterior motives at the moment. Truth be told, she didn't have the energy to try and pull something even if she wanted to. "Sorry Korra, it's out of my hands."

Korra was hoping to have complete control of the narrative when reporting to her mentor to lay the news on him gently. But Chief Beifong threw that idea out the window.

Korra's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Alright, goodnight Chief Beifong."

"Good night kid."

Korra left the building with new found dread. Tenzin was going to give her an earful when she got back. She hoped he went to bed, but she knew the truth. He would be on her the moment she set foot on the island.

Beifong looked up and defeated Equalists in the web net. Her brow furrowed at the sight. This was a slap in the face from Spider-Man, to both herself and Amon. She had to admit, it yielded the desired result. The crime scene investigators finally arrived and started taking photos.

"You done?" Beifong asked the photographer.

"Yeah Chief."

"Good. CUT THEM DOWN!" She ordered.

"I'm surprised you didn't arrest her Chief." Saiknon smirked. "Hope you're not getting soft on me."

Beifong scoffed. "Not even close Saikon. Korra wants to pall around Spider-Man? Fine. That'll just make things easier for us to nab him in the future. All we can do now is focus on Amon and keep an eye on the Avatar. She can play dumb all she wants, but she'll slip up and hand him right to us when the time's right."

"Well that's too bad. I thought we were getting a glimpse at the real Beifong." Captain Saikon tried to lighten the mood.

His efforts did get a chuckle out of the Chief.

"Hate to break it to you captain, but this is the real Lin Beifong." She gestured at herself before letting out a large yawn. "I'm going home and getting some shut-eye. I suggest you do the same, Captain."

"Don't have to tell me twice."

XXXxxx Republic City Streets: Enroute to Air Temple Island xxxXXX

The cold lonely walk back to the island was a solitary one. For all intents and purposes their plans went off without a hitch. Even with Takuya's unexpected spontaneity, nothing went awry. The only damage between the two was a superficial scratch.

She didn't expect Beifong to act so cordially after the blatant slap on the face from Spider-Man. If she was in her shoes, she'd be under police custody until Tenzin bailed her out. Perhaps Chief Beifong' behavior showed her just how serious this insurrection was getting. She wasn't rushing to get back to the island. No doubt Tenzin would talk her ear off despite getting his blessing to head out in the first place.

"UHHH!" Korra groaned at the thought. "This night can't get any worse!"

"You really shouldn't jinx yourself like that."

Korra shot her head to her side and saw Takuya, without his mask, casually walking beside her. She yelped from the sight; her heart almost jumped through her chest.

"Takuya…how long…why are you…STOP DOING THAT!" Korra gasped out.

"Like I said, you make it too easy!" Takuya smiled.

"What do you want?" Korra asked. "You wanted to get one last chuckle before bedtime?"

Again, Takuya laughed. "No…Well, maybe a little."

"Fair warning: next time you do that, I'm burning your eyebrows off."

"That's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. I need to take a picture next time and frame the look on your face." Another bout of laughter erupted from the maskless vigilante. "I'm sorry Korra, I just can't resist."

Korra grimaced at Takuya. She was secretly relieved that his spirits were lifted from the gutter compared to a few days ago. It was still annoying being the butt of his little joke though. "So, what do you want?"

Peter regained his composure and answered. "I just wanted to walk you home and make sure you get home safely. I would've made myself known sooner, but there were too many cops around. And I'm not on the best terms with Beifong and her merry men as you know."

"Oh, well that's nice." Korra started walking. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, I just wanted you to know that you did good tonight."

"Pfft, 'Good'? I did great!" Korra boasted.

Peter smirked and shrugged. "I suppose you're right."

"Is this your attempt at a 'thank you' Tak?" Korra accused.

"Sorry, I'm new to this whole team thing." Peter admitted. "Thanks Korra, for everything."

Korra regarded Peter for a moment. He looked so normal compared to earlier. Did a humble mask really make that much of a difference? "Well, you're welcome. Oh by, you forgot the part when you say 'I couldn't do it without you Korra.'" She teased.

"No, that's not it."

"Hmm?"

"I mean I could've done it myself." Peter looked down in thought, recalling the assault on the Equalists. "Honestly, I thought it would be harder but honestly it wasn't. It was the damnedest thing. Maybe I'm just getting better…evolving even."

"Real humble, Poindexter."

"Don't get the wrong idea Korra. I'm just making an observation, that's all." Peter confessed. "But it was nice having someone watching my back, so thanks for that."

"Anytime Tak'. Oh man, I almost forgot!"

"Huh? Forgot what?"

"The vision I told you about. The monsters, you were going to shed some light on them before you just jumped into the building, remember?"

"Oh yeah…"

"Come to think of it, I hope you didn't pull that stunt just to get out of this conversation." Korra smirked. "Because that would be childish, and that's coming from me."

"It's not related." He caught a glimpse at Korra, her smug smile grew. "It's not!"

"Alright fine, it wasn't." Korra relented. "Spill it Poindexter, what were those things?"

"It's a long story Korra." Peter gave one final attempt to evade the question.

"It's a long walk, Takuya." She retorted.

"It is, and it isn't." Peter surrendered and searched for the right words. "They were people originally, mobsters to be exact. Do you remember the big scaley one?"

The mental image of the mass of muscle and scarred flesh with a glowing scar on his back. "Yeah, the one telling you to punch harder?"

"That's the one. He was the boss of the gang. They called him the Goblin."

"Goblin?" Korra repeated. "Is that some kind of anger spirit?"

"No, a goblin is mythical creature that does evil deeds. They called him the Goblin because he looked like one."

"Are they usually that big? He was, what, eight feet tall?"

"He wasn't that big. I think he was hovering around seven feet."

"Alright, he was the boss. So were you pulling your punches with him like you usually do right now?"

"No Korra. Those guys, especially Goblin, were the hardest fights of my life. I still don't know how I managed to pull it off. Aside for that weak spot on his back, old storming Norman was virtually invincible that night."

Korra saw Peter in a new light. She always had the impression that he could overcome just about anything life threw at him. She knew better now, but his revelation still disturbed her after getting a front row seat and seeing what he was capable of. She knew she had a spiritual connection with the wallcrawler, but she assumed they were just flashes from a nightmare, not memories. From what little she could gleam from the memory; this goblin didn't use subterfuge like any of his opponents in the city. He fought the Web-Head toe-to-toe and was winning easily. She knew there were things in this world that can and have brought even Avatars to their knees. The tales of Avatar Roku's untimely demise came to mind. Her bending masters tried to drill into her the fact that she wasn't completely unbeatable. Of course, she never truly heeded their words until that fateful night at the monument. His testimony even explained his recklessness in Republic City. Despite fighting against seemingly unbeatable monsters, he still found a way to come out on top. And after beating such mind boggling odds, the Triads, Cops, and even the Equalists, must have seemed like small potatoes by comparison. He would never admit it, but he got cocky.

'Guess we got more in common than I thought.' She thought as they trekked through the snow-covered streets.

"So how did you win against those guys?" Korra asked.

"A little luck and a can-do attitude can take you to the moon and back Princess." Peter made light of his part in saving the known universe.

Korra wasn't amused by the gesture and silently demanded a better answer.

"The short and sweet answer for it is that I used my head and they didn't."

"So, you beat them with a headbutt then?"

Peter shot a concerned look at Korra. "You didn't take a hit to the noggin, did you?"

Korra scoffed. "No. It was just kidding Takuya."

"Oh. Well, don't do that. That's my department." Pete shot back.

"Okay okay, just finish your thought."

"How do I explain this?" Peter held his chin in thought, searching for the right words. "Goblin and the others were…enhanced. They got stronger but they also got…maniacal. They may have gotten stronger, but their took a nose dive."

"A-what-now?"

Peter groaned at his accidental use of the alien saying. "They got dumb but I stayed smart. They gained abilities like I did, but the difference is that I kept my wits about me. They might've been stronger than me, but they made mistakes, obvious mistakes that they would've caught if they didn't go off the deep end. In the end, they beat themselves. I was just there to do the deed." His jaw clenched when his battle with Norman replayed in his mind. "Honestly, I got lucky with the Goblin."

"Wait, so the big grey guy ended up being the smart one? But he attacked you directly, right?"

"That was more of a taunt than an attack." He clinched his fist in quiet anger. Thankfully, Korra couldn't see it with his hands in his pockets. "He just wanted me to know that I couldn't beat him in a straight up fight. Or maybe he was just showing off. Hard to say which was which. His goons went crazy, but Norman kept his head somewhat straight and made an actual plan to take me out."

"Wow Tak' just…wow." The right words didn't come to Korra at first. She was awestruck by his story, an abridged version at that. "And you still managed to win."

"I kept surviving his traps and he got angrier every time I did." Peter enlightened her. "That was the luck part of my path to success. If his anger didn't get the better of him, then we might not be having this conversation." Peter brought the grim factoid out into the open. "Got anything else for me?"

Korra paused at the simple question. She debated it and decided to push her luck. "Where are you from exactly?"

It was Peter's turn to be dumbstruck. He decided to go for broke and stick to his guns. "Didn't I tell you already? I'm from a small fishing village around the Oh-Ma-Shu area, remember."

"Uh-huh." She mused. "So, all that went down in a fishing village."

"I was raised there Korra, I didn't stay there that long." Peter deflected.

"I thought you said, coming to Republic City was your first-time leaving home?"

"…It was…"

Korra didn't look at Peter with anger or sadness when she locked eyes with him. She broke her gaze and sighed. "Look Takuya, I get it. You don't feel comfortable telling me the actual story and that's fine. Oh and just so you know, Oh-Ma-Shu isn't close to any seas or oceans so the whole 'fishing village' bit needs work."

"…Korra."

"I'm not mad or anything. It's not my place to pry, and I'm sorry for trying." Korra interrupted. "I'm not going to lie Tak, I'm a little disappointed you don't want to tell me. I thought we were past all this tip-toeing business, to be honest. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine by me."

"Alright, sure." Peter looked away.

The two walked silently for a while. Both were tight lipped and unassuming of one another. The few pedestrians that saw them walking assumed they just got done with a big fight and continued their walk solely on principle. Korra was bummed out that he still didn't trust her fully after all they had been through, while Peter wrestled with the curse of hidden knowledge.

Parker found himself in a difficult spot. They were past hiding things, but this was a different matter entirely. How would he tell her his true origins? What would he even say? 'Some guy with a fishbowl for a head may or may not have thrown him into another reality. Oh yeah, and I'm from this city you've never heard of, full of things you've never seen, where there was no hundred-year war, benders or Avatars.' He hid this from her for her sake. At least that's what he convinced himself of anyway. It was bad enough she fell into the wild web that was his life. Korra wouldn't believe him at first, but that would come around in time. She would put herself in harm's way trying to help him, and into whatever force put him there. His confession could put a target on her back if he wasn't careful. He felt comfortable telling Korra the truth and knew she could handle the truth, but it wasn't safe for her to know. He knew so little of this being and he had no intentions of sharing this burden with her. He already had help and she had enough on her plate already. He didn't even feel good about giving her a hint either. It was all just too risky. He still felt for her though. He was honest with her and she trusted him, even after learning of the ugly side of Spider-Man. There had to be something he could do to repay this trust while not divulging any harmful information.

"…Peter…"

"Hmmm?" Korra ear perked up. "What's that Tak?"

"It's my name. My actual name."

His announcement caught her off guard. "Hold on, you're saying 'Takuya' isn't your real name?"

"No."

"Why did you use a fake name?"

Peter shrugged. "I was new in town and I got on the cop's bad side right off the bat. I ran into a homeless fellow and he suggested that I use a fake name. He thought it'd help me blend in better."

"Makes sense I guess." Korra concluded. "Pee-Tear." She tooled around with the odd sounding name. "No offense 'Pea-Teer', but I don't think I'll get used to calling you that."

Peter chuckled at the butchering of his name. He wondered how Gommu got it right on the first try and made a mental note to drop him a thanks. "And that's just my first name."

"Hold on, you have two names?!"

"Three actually. My full name is Peter Benjamin Parker."

"Three?!" She blurted. "Tak' are you royalty? No, you're making this up!"

"I'm serious." Peter said in-betweens fits of laughter. "And it's 'Peter', not 'Paa-Ter'."

"I said 'Pea-Tear'" She shot back.

It took a quick round of tutoring, but she picked up on it quick enough.

"Peter Parker." She recited. "I can see why you picked 'Takuya'. Three names sounds like a mouthful."

"People usually don't use all three unless they're in trouble."

The walk back to the island started contentious, but ended on a high note. The two teens debated the logistics of having one over the lofty two names. It took Peter the rest of the way to convince her that he didn't belong to a royal bloodline.

A/N: Alright, you all waited and waited and waited some more but it's out. I'm not complaining or anything as this is a labor of love. Honestly, I could've broken this chapter in half but I really wanted to hit a natural ending and not an abortive one. So, some stuff happened and I hope you all liked it in spite of the long wait. I wanted to explore the growing pains that both Peter and Korra would have in their budding work relationship. Between Korra being a novice and Peter being a little jaded by the idea of working with someone I think I did alright job conveying their frustrations. Alright on to my favorite part of the update.

masterchiefandcommandershepard: I have a weird relationship with marvel's what if series. I like a couple of them and didn't bother with most of it. I just saw the one with party Thor, Dr Strange, and the zombie episode. I wasn't impressed and it felt fairly basic in my opinion. Haven't liked much of anything from phase 4 honestly.

Gamelover41592: The traditional Uncle Ben story didn't happen to Noir Peter. And Peter is still tight lipped about his personal stuff. You'll start to see those layers start to peel away as their relationship volves.

616mcu: I like writing the new dynamic between Korra and Peter now that the vails been lifted. Peter's not the kind of guy to just sit back and take Korra sh (cough Mako cough cough) and Korra's leaning to be gentler and more understanding when dealing with Peter. They both keep each other in check.

The Spider-God isn't over and done with just yet in part 1 but he will be more prominent in book 2 when I roll around it in 2028. Peter doesn't want to understand his own spiritual nature. He's acknowledging it now but still doesn't want anything to do with it. I don't get the last part of your review about Sato. You might need to elaborate more.

PrudishSet: I did reference Noir Spider-Man's darker side in the story and how he somehow has memories of Vulture's murder. I don't want Peter being too dark as it would clash with the tone of the Avatar world tone. I've mentioned it in the past but I remember reading a avatar crossover with no sensor and the whole thing felt off. Like one moment a character committed open murder and the next Tenzin simply waived it off like it was nothing. Violence should be used but not in a gratuitous nature.

I'm steering towards a Peter/Korra romance if it wasn't obvious already.

I'm not interested in any Naruto crossover. I used it love those kinds of stories when I was a kid but now I lost interest in such things. Honestly, I kind of hate it now. Naruto crossovers just feel too easy and safe. Authors should shoot for more challenging crossovers. They should shoot for things that hasn't been done before. I'll get off my soapbox now. I appreciatebb the vote of confidence and your readership and hope this update was up to snuff.

Wizardwolf 1020: I didn't workshop how a possessed Peter all that much. I just have him having red eyes at this point. I'm not a big fan of Peter looking like Sekuna. Don't get me wrong I like the design but it's a little too derivate if I went that route.

I can see Amazing Peter sparring with Noir when he shows up. Maybe towards the end when things have settled down. And I would like a Korra vs Spider-Man scene in the future. Like they're just talking and someone brings up the subject. Like someone brings up the subject and they eventually go head-to-head to settle an argument.

hunter 139: It's totally Mephisto no one else absolutely Mephisto. You cracked the case hunter here's your internet medal.

Alex: Glad you liked it and I hope you like this one bud.

pandawok301: I won't. He's barely a character. The only time he was interesting was in edge of spider-verse and I'm being very generous saying that. If you like Miles, fine. I just don't. And I would never talk down to someone who likes something I don't. I just have strong opinions on my funny book characters. Oh the tirades I've had on discord is the stuff of legend lol.

Foxcomm: I'm glad I can still keep people guessing. I'm sure some of my readers figured it out already.

CRUDEN: When I write I want the events to make sense and for the characters motivation to make sense. Glad the last chapter held up to that standard. And I hope this one does too.

TuxedoGreymon: There's going to be a lot of spirit world shenanigans going down in book 2 and I like your take on venom. I have a lot of freedom to play around in the spirit world.

oshirou248: What is with all these detectives reading my story.

COBRS DARKNISS: Stay tuned friend. You'll like what you see down the pipeline.

rahad: It's his personality. He's smart but has a temper that gotten Peter in many avoidable jams. I've gotten into long conversations about it with my editor on discord.