We're back on the next chapter.
REMINDER: I DO NOT OWN LEGEND OF KORRA OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS.
At Zaofu. The metal dome covering Zaofu opens. Team Avatar and Suyin's family are sitting at the table for breakfast.
"Hey, has anyone seen Chief Beifong?" Asami asked.
"I think she's still sulking in her room." Korra said.
"Yeah, I heard you and her were arguing." Bolin said before Raava, Vaatu, Franceschini and Diogenes gets worried. "And you and Mako were areguing about…"
"JESUS, BOLIN!" the Spirits, Doctor and Professor shouts before they jumps on Bolin to stop him. Korra and Mako looks at each other in anger, then looks away.
"I know she has a problem with me, but she had no right to yell at Opal last night." Suyin said before Wei and Wing run into the room. "All set for your power disc game, guys?"
"Yeah, all set to kick Wei's butt." Wing said while Wei takes a few pieces of fruit from the basket. He snatches an apple.
"I wanna power disc your face." Wei said before he smacks Wing in the stomach, causing him to choke on the apple. "You should go play with us."
"Um. I don't think I'd be much competition, since I can't metalbend." Korra said.
"Really. Lin never offered to train you?" Suyin asked.
"Nope. And I guessed I never thought to bring it up because I was learning to airbend, then there was the pro-bending, then I got tied up fighting Equalists. It was a busy few months." Korra said.
"Well, it's probably for the best. I'm sure Lin would be a horrible teacher." Suyin said before she chuckles with Korra. "As the Avatar, you should have mastery over all the elements. I'd be happy to show you the basics."
"Really? That would be great!" Korra said.
"We live that idea." Raava said. "Mmh, hmm." Vaatu agreed.
"You should try it, too." Opel said.
Bolin flinches visibly. "Uh, nah. I'm more of an earth guy. The dirt, rocks; y'know, maybe some light gravel. That's kinda where my heart is."
"Okay, Earth Guy. Well, let me know if you change your mind." Suyin said.
Suyin's necklace begins to be pulled off. The table, where the cutlery begin shaking and being pulled away, causing everyone with duck for cover. A suit, where the cutlery flies and stick to. The person in the suit removes the helmet cover, revealing to be Varrick.
"It worked! Zhu Li, mark it down. Magnet suit test successful." Varrick said as everyone peers out of the table. "Power down." Zhu Li unplugs the suit, causing everything to drop. "On to phase two: Zhu Li cleans up this mess." Zhu Li hangs her head in disappointment.
Lin is walking outside of her room, as she sees two guards leaning against a wall and chatting.
"How many push-ups did you do last night? 'Cause I did like fifty." the guard said.
"What do you two think you're doing?! Get back to work!" Lin said before she groans uncomfortably and puts her hand on her face. Aiwei came to her.
"Is everything all right here?" he asked.
"The Avatar of the Balance is in danger, and these two knuckleheads are just standing around chit-chatting." Lin said.
"Don't worry, Zaofu is the most secure city in the world." Aiwei said.
"I'll be the judge of that. I'm going to check every inch of this place." Lin said stubbornly before she tries to walk away, but Aiwei blocks her path.
"Lin, you do not have to work while you are here. You need to relax." he said.
"I'm fine!" Lin said before she groans uncomfortably again.
"It doesn't take a truth seer to know that you are under a dangerous amount of stress. If you don't deal with your suppressed feelings, there will be severe consequences to your health... and your job."
"I'm not interested in talking about my feelings." Lin said.
"You won't have to say a word. I know a great acupuncturist in town who will be able to help you." Aiwei said before he hands Lin a card.
"Hmm."
Later, at Republic City, Zaheer, Azula, Ghazan, Ming-Hua, and P'Li's hideout in a vine-infested Republic City apartment.
"Seems like you made quite the stir on Air Temple Island. The cops are swarming the city looking for us." P'Li said.
"You still want to try to take out the President?" Ghazan said.
"No, he'll have to wait. We leave today." Zaheer said.
"And we'll need a truck out of town." Azula said.
The group are looking down at a view of street in Republic City.
"There's our ticket out of here." Zaheer said.
A truck driver is lifting boxes into the bag of his truck. Suddenly a water whip grabs hold of him, bent by Ming-Hua, and pulls him to the side of his truck. Terrified, he looks at Zaheer and P'Li, who are standing in front of him and glaring at him. Directly behind the driver, subduing him with an ice claw in one hand and holding an ice dagger at his neck, is Ming-Hua.
"There's no money! I just made my last delivery!" the driver said in fear.
Oh, we don't want money." Ming-Hua said.
Meanwhile at Zaofu, at an operating room. Lin is lying on a bed, looking upward as Guo bends needles out of a tray and stops them right above her.
"How many of those things are you going to stick in me?" Lin asked.
"I'll be placing several needles on each of your acu-points. There's nothing to be scared about." Guosaid before he is about to lower the needles into Lin, but she quickly lifts her head.
"I'm not afraid of needles!" Lin said.
"Please, close your eyes and take a deep breath." he said before Lin does so, and the needles slowly go into different spots in her upper body. "This process corrects an imbalance in your chi. Please tell me if you feel any pain or pressure."
"I can't feel a thing." Lin said.
That's unusual. Your chi must be powerfully blocked. We're going to need more needles." Guo said while adding more needles. "Acupuncture often taps into peoples' buried memories. These memories can sometimes be difficult to process."
"Huh, buried memories. Uh-huh." she said as a needle approaches her forehead.
A vision shows Lin's memories. A teenage Suyin is relaxing inside of her living room with two boys. The door opens and someone walks inside. It is Lin, who is also much younger.
"Su, what are you doing home?" she asked her younger sister.
Young Suyin laughs. "Wow, you almost look like a real cop!"
"You're supposed to be in school." Young Lin said.
"Oh no, are you going to tell Mom? It's not like she's going to care." Young Suyin said sarcastically.
The boy who is sitting on the couch opposite Suyin, rummaging inside of a backpack. "Where'd you get all that stuff?" Young Lin asked.
"Oh, it fell off the back of a truck." one of the boys said.
"What are you doing hanging out with these losers?" Young Lin asked.
"God, they're my friends and you have no right to call them that! Come on, guys, let's get out of here."
Young Lin puts her hand on her sister's shoulder and stops her from leaving. "Su, stop."
Young Suyin slaps Lin's hand off. "Get your hands off of me!"
"You have so much potential. You're ruining your life!" Young Lin yelled.
"At least I have a life!"
Young Suyin turns and leaves with her friends, as young Lin looks on with a glare. Out of the memory to the present, as Lin's eyes are closed and her face quivers.
Meanwhile, Suyin and Korra are walking. Stopping near a meteorite on a low pedestal.
"These meteorites are perfect for beginning metalbenders. The metals have a unique property, making them easier to bend." Suyin said.
Suyin breaks off a piece of the meteorite, which she slowly bends down to her hand. Suyin bends it into a star shape, followed by a diamond.
"That's amazing!" Korra said.
"I'd never seen metalbending like that in my life." Vaatu's imprint said.
Suyin gives Korra the meteorite. "Here, try it!"
"Okay." Korra said.
Korra concentrates for a while, but is not able to do anything with the meteorite. A noise is heard in the distance. Korra and Suyin look for the source, and see Bolin watching them, while hiding behind a large rock.
"Bolin? Is that you?" Raava asked.
"What are you doing?" Korra asked before Bolin steps out from behind the rock.
"Oh, hey ladies. Just uh... I was just looking for Pabu." Bolin said "Pabu!"
"He's on your shoulder." Vaatu's imprint said.
Bolin's eyes shift to his shoulder and see Pabu. "Oh, look there you are! You know, I thought something was chewing on my ear. Probably need to get a shot. Pabu has sort of a... a venom. Anyways, so what are you guys doing? You metalbending over here or something?"
"Want to give it a shot?" Suyin asked.
"Nah, it's okay. I mean, only like one earthbender in a hundred can metalbend." Bolin said.
"Well, don't believe everything you hear. The only thing limiting you is your attitude." Suyin said.
"Well, maybe I'll just... I'll just stay and watch." Bolin said before makes a rock stump for himself, and sits down. Korra turns back to the meteorite.
"Try to focus on the fine pieces of earth within the metal." Suyin said.
Korra takes Suyin's advice, and successfully changes the shape of the meteorite.
"I can't believe it! I'm metalbending!" Korra said.
"Wow, you picked that up really, really quick. Guess you're that one in a hundred." Bolin said.
Suyin puts her hand on Korra's shoulder. "Great job, Korra."
Back to Lin's room, into her head, and into yet another memory. young Lin is driving in a police carriage, as an officer's voice comes out of the radio.
"Calling all units. Property reported on the corner of 5th and Harbor. Suspect's vehicle headed south on Hallow Boulevard. Units responding, identify."
Lin picks up the radio and replies. "Unit three responding."
The criminal carriage drives by her, and she quickly turns around. Lin fires her cables at one of the wheels and rips it off, causing the carriage to swerve to the stop at the site of the road. Two people come out from the back and try to escape, but Lin traps them with her cables, glaring at them, until she hears a voice off-screen.
"Leave them alone!" Young Suyin steps out of the driver's seat of the wrecked carriage.
Young Lin is horrified and shocked. "Su?"
Out of the memory, as Lin opens her eyes, gasping, and sits up. The needles fly out of her and across of them. Lin breathes deeply, drenched in sweat, and turns to leave.
"Wait! Leaving in the middle of a session could make you sick!" Guo said.
"I'm done here." Lin leaves, clearly in an unsafe condition.
Lin in her room, face in hand. Her door opens and she looks up. It is Korra, but Lin hallucinates and sees her as a teenage Suyin.
"Are you going to stay in your room feeling sorry for yourself all day?" Lin shuts her eyes and tries to focus, causing her image of Suyin to fade to Korra. "You owe Opal an apology for the way you treated her last night." Korra notice that Lin's not feeling good. "My God, are you okay? You don't look good." Lin finds the strength to get up, as Korra walks into the room.
"I'm fine!" Lin shouted.
Lin leaves, stumbling at the door, and groaning uncomfortably on the way out. Lin heads back to the acupuncture room and barges open the door, startling Guo who is placing the needles back onto their tray.
"What did you do to me?" Lin asked weakly.
"I tried to warn you. Come with me. Let's go finish the session." Guo said before he helps Lin back onto the bed and puts a needle in the point on her forehead, as the vision shows the memory again. "Just relax and breathe."
The memory shows the young Lin and Suyin.
"So, you're robbing stores with the Terra Triad now?" Young Lin asked.
"I didn't steal anything. I just drove the car. I owed my friends a favour. It's not a big deal." Young Suyin said defensively.
"I'm not letting you get away with this."
Young Suyin laughs. "Oh, what are you going to do, Officer? Arrest me?" She starts to walk away.
"Don't even think about taking one more step!" Young Lin said.
Suyin stops momentarily, but ignores her and keeps walking. Enraged, Lin sends one of her cables at her sister, and it catches her wrist. Suyin breaks free with her knife and sends the cables back at Lin, and the cables slice her cheek, causing Lin to scream in pain. Suyin looks on in shock.
The vision leaves the memory with a sight of the present Lin, grunting and twitching her eyebrows
Meanwhile, a bridge in Republic City, as a metalbending officer goes up to the same truck that was attacked by Azula and Zaheer's gang.
"Good afternoon. Where are you off to today?" an officer asks.
"I, uh, got a delivery to make at Bao Yu. I should be back later today." the driver said before he hands the officer papers, as Ming-Hua is shown behind his seat, still threatening him.
"You all right?" the officer asked.
"Yeah, just a little tired. One more pick-up, then I'm clocking out."
"I thought you said you had a delivery" the officer said.
The driver is weating and nervous. "Did I?"
"I'm going to need you to step out of the vehicle and open the back of the truck."
The driver steps out and runs away screaming, while another cop chases after him. The interrogating cop opens the back of the truck, and is blasted backward with powerful airbending from Zaheer.
"Let's get out of here!" Azula said.
Ming-Hua drives the truck away, while police stay hard on its tail. P'Li blows up one of them with combustion, but the rest are able to avoid it, and keep chasing the truck. Azula lightningbends one of them. Ghazan stops two of them with lava, and the group escape.
Back to Zaofu, as Bolin sneaks up behind a meteorite pedestal, whistling. He takes the meteorite from its pedestal and attempts to bend it.
"Hey, Bolin." Opal said from behind Bolin.
Bolin got shocked, hides the meteorite. "Opal! Oh, wow, you... really know how to sneak up on someone."
"What are you doing?"
"Oh nothing, you know, just... just thinking about my body and mustaches that I might have in the future." Bolin said before he puts the meteorite back. The meteorite falls off the pedestal.
"You're acting weird again." Opel said.
"Sorry. I wasn't really thinking about all my mustaches. I'm just frustrated. I've been trying to metalbend and I can't figure it out." Bolin said. "Don't tell anyone, okay?"
"Why not?" Opel asked.
"Because it's embarrassing. This isn't the first time I've tried, and I've been wanting to metalbend ever since I heard about Toph. Your grandmother is my biggest hero!"
Opal walks over and puts her hand on Bolin's shoulder." My mom grew up learning from Toph. Just go train with her. Stop being so scared."
"You know what? Maybe I am scared. But what about you? I know that you want to go to the Northern Air Temple to train with Tenzin, but you haven't done it, because you're afraid, too!"
"You know what? You're right. I don't want to leave my family and disappoint Mom." Opel said.
"Look at us! Talking about our feelings, supporting each other." Bolin and Opal hug.
"It's nice." Opel said.
Meanwhile, Lin in the acupuncture room, back into her memories. Young Suyin and Lin are sitting together in chairs in their mother's office, glaring at each other, as Toph paces.
"What the hell were you thinking? And what the hell were you thinking? You two have put me in an impossible position." Toph said angrily.
"You're mad at me? She's the one who was running around with criminals!" Young Lin said.
"This is all your fault!" Young Suyin yelled.
"I was doing my job, goddamn it!" Young Lin yelled back.
"All right, enough! Here's what we're going to do. Su, you need to leave the city as soon as possible." Toph said.
"What?! Where am I supposed to go?" Young Suyin asked.
"You'll go stay with your grandparents. Lin, give me the arrest report." Toph said before Lin obeys, and Toph rips it up.
"Mom, what are you doing?! You can't cover this up! There are witnesses." Young Lin said.
"I'm the Chief of Police! I can't have a daughter in jail!" Toph said.
"So, once again, Suyin gets to do whatever she wants and there are no consequences." Lin said before Toph sits down and puts her head in her hands.
"This is our only option."
Back to the operating room. Guo removes the needles.
"You're going to feel a bit fragile, so it's probably best if you take it easy for a while."
Lin gets uup and leaving. "I don't need to rest. I need to do something I should've done a long time ago."
Back to Suyin and Korra metalbending.
"Congratulations. You're the first metalbending Avatar of the Balance." Vaatu's imprint said before Bolin comes over to them.
"So, umm, I've been thinking, and I'd like to try to learn metalbending. I mean, I'm sure you have a waiting list or something of a couple years so."
"Let's get started." Suyin said.
The ground cracks beneath them and a meteorite falls and breaks. It was an angry, panting Lin.
Bolin is somewhat nervously to Korra. "I think Lin is mad about something."
"You think I didn't know that?" Raava's imprint asked.
"Su, it's time we talk." Lin determined.
"After thirty years, you're finally ready to talk?" Suyin asked.
"When we were in Mom's office that day, you could've taken responsibility for what you did. But instead, you stayed quiet and let Mom throw her whole career away."
"Mom didn't throw her career away. She retired the next year. She was a hero, for God's sake." Suyin said.
"You think she wanted to retire? She was so guilt-ridden about what she did to protect you that she didn't feel worthy of her badge." Lin said.
"Look, I admit that I was not a perfect kid and I've made some mistakes in the past but…"
Lin scoffs. "You made some mistakes?"
Suyin is hurt. "Lin, Mom and I already talked about this years ago and worked things out. If you had gotten together with us like we'd asked, you would know that I'm a different person now. I've been a different person for a long time."
"You think that just because you live in a big, fancy house, and have a chef who cooks you fancy food, that you're a different person? Maybe you could fool everyone else, but you can't fool me. I see right through you." Lin said bitterly.
"You know what, Lin? You're the one who hasn't changed. You're still a bitter loner who only cares about herself. No wonder Tenzin ended things with you years ago."
Lin bends a rock toward Suyin, which she deflects using her wrist.
"Okay, I guess this is how it's going to be." Suyin said.
Suyin trips Lin with a fissure, before knocking her off with a meteorite. Lin gets back up and earthbends a staircase, while Suyin metalbends a metal panel. Suyin bends the metal panel toward Lin, which she evades by using a backflip. Lin earthbends many fragments of small rocks to Suyin, who evades the attacks by weaving through.
"Should I stop them?" Korra asked.
"I don't think that's such a good idea." Vaatu's imprint said.
"You don't have any siblings, fighting is all part of the healing process." Bolin said.
The fight carries on with Lin earthbending toward Suyin, which she dodges with a cartwheel. Baatar, Huan, and the twins run to a pavilion.
"Go, Mom!" Wei shouts.
The two of them continue to fight. Lin metalbends Huan's Harmonic Convergence sculpture, which Suyin deflects and smashes it into a metal wall.
Huan is alarmed. "My sculpture!" he dashes over to survey the damage. "Actually, it looks kinda better now."
Suyin metalbends three metal panels toward Lin, which she deflects. Lin begins to earthbend rocks from beneath Suyin and bends a large boulder toward her. Suyin curls a part of the metal wall to shield herself before rolling it out again, knocking Lin into the pavilion nearby, where she lands roughly on the stairs, grunting.
"You've got it out of your system?" Suyin asked.
"Not quite yet!" Lin answered angrily.
Lin earthbends a part of the staircase leading to the pavilion, while Suyin earthbends a boulder from the ground. The two of them begins to charge at each other, but Opal interfered by airbending both objects to the side.
"What the hell are you two doing?! You're sisters! Why would you want to hurt each other?"
Both Suyin and Lin pants in exhaustion, and suddenly, Lin faints and falls to the ground, but Korra saved her head from knocking the ground. Inside Suyin's estate in Zaofu before shifting to Korra, Bolin, Raava and Vaatu are standing outside of Lin's quarters.
"Uhh, Whose going to knock?" Korra asked before she pushes Bolin closer to the door outside Lin's quarters.
"No, no, no, no, no, no! Not me! You're the Avatar of the Balance, why can't you do it?" Bolin asks.
"Uhh, I can. But I just thought that..."
"Vaatu, you better go through the door and see if she's okay." Raava said.
"I-I'm not getting in there!" Vaatu said nervously. "Why won't you?"
Lin pulls her door open. Lin, in Metal Clan attire, yawns and stretches her arms. Cheerfully.
"Good morning." she said.
Korra, Raava, Vaatu and Bolin look surprised after what happened before.
"Daaaaaaammn." Raava and Vaatu said.
Dr. Franceschini and Professor Diogenes runs to Team Avatar.
"Is she okay?" Franceschini asked. "Is she all right?" Diogenes asked as well.
"Yeah, she is." Korra said.
At the dining room, a drink being placed in front of Lin at the dining table. "What's this?"
"I call it the kalenutsco. It's a mixture of kale, coconut water, and walnuts." the chef said.
Lin tries and finishes the drink. "Not bad!" She sees Opal standing by the door of the dining room.
She walks away from the dining room before returning upon Lin's request. "Opal, don't go. Please sit down, I want to talk to you." Opal walks into the dining room before sitting down.
"Look, I'm just not really comfortable talking about these kinds of things, and... well, I wanted to say that I'm sorry about the other night."
"It's okay." Opel said.
"Your mother and I have a complicated relationship and..."
"It's probably difficult for you to be here." Opel said.
Lin smiles. "You're a smart young woman, and an excellent airbender. I think it would be a wonderful opportunity to train with the other airbenders at the Northern Air Temple."
"There's a part of me that wants to go, but... I don't want to upset my mom." Opel said with a sad face.
"When I was younger, all I wanted to do was please my mother. I became a police chief because I thought it would make her happy... but it didn't. You need to make your decisions based on what you want. Don't make the same mistakes as I did."
Opal smiles and hugs her aunt. Later, Opal opens Suyin's office door, in which Suyin and Baatar are having tea.
"Mom, Dad, can I talk to you?" she asked.
Opal shuts the door behind her. Meanwhile, a statue of Toph with Lin standing in front of it, and Suyin approaching her.
"Opal has decided to go to the Northern Air Temple. I guess you had something to do with her decision." Suyin said.
"Well, I was just..." Lin tries to say.
"It's okay. I'm glad she was honest with me. I want her to do what makes her happy. Mom gave us too much freedom, but I feel like I made the mistake of giving Opal too little. I think it's about time I let her choose her own way. I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time when we were younger. I can't imagine what my life would've been like if Mom hadn't sent me away, if I had stayed in the city..."
"You'd probably be in prison." Lin said.
"You're probably right. Mako told me that you're an excellent police chief. Republic City is lucky to have you. I know Mom is proud." Suyin said as Lin looks at Toph's statue for a moment. "Can we move on? I'd love for you to be part of my life again. There's plenty of space in the house, and the kids would love having their aunt around. I do need a new co-director for my new dance performance."
"Whoa! Slow it down. How about for now, I just promise not to show up at your house and attack you again?" Lin asked.
"Deal!"" Suyin said before the two of them shake hands and smile at each other.
Meanwhile, Azula and Zaheer's gang sitting around a campfire, and Zaheer meditating.
"I must say, Azula. Those Witchvanians' magic and alien science are really that strong." P'Li said.
"Yes. Because of all that, my fire and lightningbending arts are as powerful than before during Sozin's Comet. This new body has proven it." Azula said before she presses her wrist and turned of Meldora's hologram.
"Have you found her yet?" the Supreme Witch asked.
"Not yet. We should've grabbed one of those cops. Maybe they know something about where the Avatar is hiding." Ming-Hua said.
"She could be anywhere." Ghazan said.
"We'll find her. It's just a matter of time, Meldora." P'Li said.
"Well, keep up the great works. We'll take down world leaders once she is dead." Meldora said with a lie.
Zaheer opens his eyes wide. "She's with the Metal Clan."
"Good. Now, you'll attack and adduct the Avatar of the Balance, tonight." Meldora said.
"It will be our pleasure, Meldora." Azula said with a wicked grin.
Next chapter will come soon.
Review if you enjoyed the story.