Anything Was Going to be a Letdown
"You, and your friends, are at my mercy."
Amon's voice rang out hollowly from behind his mask, but it still sent shivers up Korra's spine (and she had grown up on a glacier, so she knew cold). The Avatar balled her hands into fists, and flames popped up to dance from her wrists to her knuckles. "Let. Them. Go. Jerkface."
Amon might have been smiling behind his mask. Or snarling. "Oh, I will. Anything for the Idol of the Corrupt Caste System. I'll even let you choose." He solemnly pointed a finger at his captives.
Mako was hanging from a rope over a water-filled pit, and if the number of shark fins peaking up through the surface was any indication, it was a great day for swimming. Bolin was tied down to a rack, a giant magnifying glass focusing the sunlight into a super-hot pinpoint that was steadily moving down towards his head.
Korra would have liked to go rescue them in a great sequence that proved she could do two things at once, but her legs weren't working very well after they had been poked by Amon's Finger Clan, so she was stuck in place.
They were all depending on Amon's mercy.
"Choose, Avatar."
Korra looked at Bolin. He shook his head. "Save Mako!"
Korra looked at Mako. His lip curled with disdain. "Don't listen to him. Save my brother!"
Korra looked back between the two, her heart tearing within her chest.
"Choose," Amon repeated.
"Maybe," Korra bit out, "we can make a deal."
Amon's head cocked slightly to the side. "What did you have in mind? Equality for non-benders? Amnesty for my crimes? Some form of corrupt power?"
Korra shook her head. "If I let you keep the brothers, can I have Bolin's ferret thing and Mako's scarf? We could put the scarf on the ferret if that will help?"
Amon just stared at her. Probably. It was hard to tell behind that mask. "That's the cutest thing I've ever heard."
So he let them all go and went home to upload the video to Youtube.
END
