It was a deep night. The moon was high in the night sky. Korra slept in her room when she suddenly heard like somebody was running around her door. She immediately woke up to look what it was that when one of the Chi-Blockers jumped through her opened window. The other two then rushed inside through her door, breaking them in the process.
How did they get into the Temple? Is Tenzin with his family safe? Korra asked herself in spirit. But she did not have time for answers. She had to defend herself.
She jumped from the bed and sent a fire blast at the Chi-Blockers. Then another one and another one. But all her attempts were in vain. The Chi-Blockers successfully dodged all her attacks. One of them jumped into the air and attempted to kick her in the head. But Korra blocked him and sent fire fist at him. At that moment one of the Chi-Blockers got behind her and with several quick hits immobilized her back. Korra fell to the ground.
In the next moment she was on her knees when she heard a footstep towards her. She looked up and saw Amon approaching her.
"After I take your bending away, you will be nothing," he said as he started reaching his hand to her face.
Please no! Korra was so afraid at that moment.
She woke up screaming and with sweat. It was just a nightmare, she reassured herself as she was gasping for the air.
Naga, sensing that her mistress was not feeling well, came to her and started licking her hand in comfort.
Korra petted her head. "It is alright, Naga. It was just a bad dream." She then rested her head and arms on top of Naga's head. For the rest of this night, she will be going to rest with her closest friend.
But Korra was not the only one who struggled with nightmares this night.
In Men's dormitory, Patrick writhed in sleep in bed. He was experiencing another nightmare.
"Murderer!" yelled a female voice in his mind.
"You will pay for what you have done!" said a male voice.
"Promise me you will look out for him," begged a female voice with a British accent. "Promise me that."
At that moment Patrick jumped from the bed in shock and landed on all fours on the floor. He was complete wet and gasping for air. His heartbeat was on the maximum. For a few seconds, he thought he was about to get cardiac arrest at any moment.
"Not her," Patrick whispered to himself. "Not her."
He sat down on the bed as he was trying to calm down. After a minute he finally succeeded.
"What the fuck is going on with me?"
Tenzin was not happy with how today's meeting of the Republic City Council in the City Hall was going. The man, who was sitting opposite to him, Tarrlok, was speaking about how dangerous Amon had become and how they must stop him. But Tenzin knew that Tarrlok's true agenda was to control Republic City, not save it.
The Republic City Council has five members. Each member represented one nation. One was from Fire Nation. Second was from Earth Kingdom. Two was from both Water Tribes. And Tenzin represented the Air Nation. This Council served as the ruling organ and had power over army and trials. And this has been ever since it was founded by Tenzin's father, Aang.
Unlike the other members of the council, Tenzin inherited his position after his father's death. So, for him, it was quite hard to pass some laws or veto others. Despite that, he was quite good as politician.
Everything changed since Tarrlok, who represented a Northern Water Tribe, came. After that, the scales of power quickly turned towards him, and it made Tenzin's position as Councilman even more difficult. And now when Amon showed up, the situation was even worse.
"There is a madman running around our beloved city, threatening to destroy it," Tarrlok continued his speech. "We need to create a task force to catch Amon and bring him to justice."
"Absolutely not," Tenzin protested. He knew that any other Council member would not stand up to the Tarrlok. So, it was up to him. "This would create an even greater divide between Benders and Non-Benders."
The woman, who represented the Fire Nation, turned to Tarrlok. "Tarrlok, I am inclined to agree to your proposal but who would lead that task force?"
Tenzin sighed in spirit. He knew the answer already.
Tarrlok stood up and bowed with a smile. "It would be my honor and privilege to accept such duty."
Tenzin was losing patience with Tarrlok's arrogance. "This is just another of your ploys to gain more power, isn't it?"
"I am just doing what is necessary to protect our city. Think back. Almost 40 years ago, our city had a similar threat. Yakone." Tarrlok pointed at Tenzin and grinned. "Your father was not afraid to make hard choices either and fight with him."
Tenzin had it enough. "Don't you dare compare yourself to my father!" He stood up. "This is a completely different situation."
Tarrlok's grin disappeared and he now looked at Tenzin with a serious face. "But Amon won't stop at the gangs." He then turned to other members of the Council. "He will then go after others. After us. After our families. Vote for mine proposal and I will stop him."
Other members of the Council exchanged worried glances with each other. Tarrlok was right. Amon will come for them if they do nothing with it.
"All in favor?" Tarrlok asked in a victorious tone and raised his hand.
After a few seconds of silence, the other Councilmembers raised their hands as well. And Tenzin sighed as Tarrlok slammed the gavel down to signify that creating the task force was approved.
It was night and a clear moon was in the sky. Korra was practicing Airbender stances in the courtyard, Patrick was sitting on the stairs and enjoying the view of the Republic City, sea, and nature of the island. During that, the radio was playing music. Hearing it, Patrick remembered how his grandmother sometimes listened to this type of music out loud.
Then radio went static and a familiar voice replaced the music.
"Good night, my fellow Equalists," Amon's voice said on the radio.
Both Korra and Patrick quickly turned to the radio.
He hijacked the frequency of the radio station, Patrick thought.
"This is your leader, Amon," the Equalists leader continued. "As you may know the Council has voted to make me public enemy number one, proving that bending oppressors will stop at nothing to quash our revolution."
Patrick remembered how Tenzin mentioned earlier today that the Council had decided to finally act against Amon and create some sort of task force led by a man named Tarrlok. But his biggest concern was now Korra. When he turned his gaze on her, he could see she was completely stunned by fear. She had even started to sweat.
"Korra," he called on her.
But Korra did not respond. She was still watching the radio.
"Our numbers grow each day," Amon continued. "You no longer have to live in fear. The time for the Benders to live in fear has come."
The radio went static once more.
"Korra!" Patrick yelled.
"What?!" Korra finally reacted. "What?"
"Are you well?"
Korra wiped her forehead full of sweat. "Yes…Yes I am well," she replied with a shaking voice.
No, you are not well, Patrick corrected her in spirit. He knew that she was afraid of Amon ever since they saved Bolin and she had pretended to be fine, thus denying her fear. And he knew that it would very soon backfire against her.
The following night, Korra and Patrick were invited to a family dinner by Tenzin's family. The room of Tenzin's family, where dinner was served, was much bigger and much cozier than the rooms of Korra's and Patrick's.
Patrick was sitting beside Korra. Meelo and Pema were on his right side and Ikki with Jinora was on left. Tenzin was sitting opposite to him.
Tonight, there were again some vegetables, but Patrick did not mind. At least he will live his final four years as healthy as possible.
Before they were going to eat, Tenzin started some prayer. For Patrick it was quite surprising, because he did not expect that Air Nomads pray before eating like Christians.
"We are grateful for this delicious food, for happiness, for compassion, for-"
"I hope I do not interrupt, am I?" Tenzin's prayer was interrupted by a male voice.
Everybody turned to him and see there was a strange man standing in the entrance. He was tall and elegant looking. Patrick noticed that he also had same weathered skin as Korra and just as same theme clothes. He presumed that he was also from the Water Tribe.
"You are in my home, Tarrlok. We are about to eat dinner," Tenzin answered while he stood up.
"That is good, I am absolutely famished," Tarrlok said and entered. "And the Airbenders never turn away a hungry guest, if I remember correctly."
Patrick could tell that Tenzin did not like Tarrlok, just by how he looked at him. He never had seen Tenzin like this.
Tenzin sighed. He knew that Tarrlok was right about the ancient custom of Airbenders not turning away hungry people. "I suppose." Even though he was a traditionist, he would ignore the traditions in this case.
He sat down and saw that Pema was scowling at him. Instead of replying that there was nothing he could do about Tarrlok, he just shrugged.
Tarrlok walked over to the Korra and Patrick. "You must be Avatar Korra," he said to her and bowed. "This is truly an honor. I am Councilman Tarrlok, representative from the Northern Water Tribe."
Korra stood up and bowed back. "Nice to meet you." And she sat back down.
Tarrlok then noticed Patrick. "And you are?"
"Patrick," he said.
"Patrick, can we switch seats?" Tarrlok asked.
At that moment, Patrick knew why Tarrlok came here. "Why? If you came for the dinner, then it does not matter where you sitting."
Tarrlok looked at him with an angry look but quickly changed it back to a sweet smile. "Very well. I will sit here." He sat down beside Patrick.
Ikki leaned over the table towards him. "Why do you have three ponytails?" Then she started to sniff the air. "You smell… kind of like a lady. You are quite weird."
"You are so … precious," Tarrlok replied with a cold voice masked behind a pleasant smile. His gaze then focused on Korra. "So, I have heard a lot about your adventures. How did you infiltrate and stop that Amon's rally. That was a real initiative."
"Well… thanks," Korra said. "But you should congratulate to Patrick. He was the one who brought the idea of how to stop that rally."
In the meantime, Patrick took a bowl full of rice and vegetables and started eating. He knew that Tarrlok would not praise him. He was not his target.
"But still, you were part of it," Tarrlok said. "Our city is thankful that you are here."
"You are the first authority figure in the city who is happy that I am here," Korra said while she was looking away.
"Tarrlok, enough with that flattery," Tenzin joined the conversation. He was now in full protective mode. "What do you want from Korra?"
"You want Korra to join your task force," Patrick said looking directly at Tarrlok. "Am I right?"
Everybody at the table looked at Patrick with a surprised look. Only Tarrlok was keeping his slime smile, but Patrick knew that he was the most shocked person at the table.
"That is a… right," Tarrlok said after a few seconds of silence. He was considering his next move.
"Really?" Korra asked, still surprised by that.
"I need someone who will help me attack Amon directly," Tarrlok explained. "Someone who is not afraid. Someone just like you."
Tenzin wanted to protest. "Tarrlok, I do not –"
"Tenzin, let the Avatar decided," Tarrlok interrupted him, still looking at Korra and waiting for the answer.
Patrick was also waiting for her answer as well.
Korra took a sip from her drink. "Join your task force?" She paused for a moment. "I can not."
Everybody now looked at Korra with complete surprise after her proclaim, except for Patrick. Most of them knew Korra all their lives and they knew she would never say no to offer like this. Only Patrick knew that she was trying to dodge the confrontation with Amon, which she feared.
"I must say, I am quite surprised," Tarrlok said. His smile completely disappeared. "I thought you would take the chance to lead the charge against Amon."
"Me as well," Tenzin wondered.
Korra looked at Tenzin. "I came to the Republic City to finish my Avatar training." She looked back at Tarrlok. "Now, I have to focus on training."
Tarrlok put his slime smile back on. "And that is why this is a great opportunity. You would gain experience and fulfill your duty as the Avatar."
Patrick decided to take action. "Korra gave you the answer," he said and took a sip of the drink. "I think it is getting late for you."
Tarrlok looked at Tenzin, who gave him a look that said: Get out of here. Tarrlok now understood that he had lost this battle. "Very well." He stood and chuckled softly. "But I will not be giving up on you just yet." He bowed. "We will see each other very soon. It was nice to meet you Avatar Korra." And he started walking out of the room.
When he passed Ikki, she quickly stood up and waved at him. "Goodbye, ponytail man!"
Tarrlok stopped and looked at Tenzin with anger in his face. "Somebody should teach that girl a proper manner or he will be sorry." He then left the room.
The rest of dinner went smoothly. Korra went to her room and Patrick was about to do the same when Tenzin asked him to meet him at the Meditation Pavilion.
Patrick waited for Airbender at Pavilion. Night was cold and Patrick watched as one of the ships in the distance was about to embark on the docks in Republic City. He was counting how many days he had left and frankly it was too many. An awful lot.
Then he turned around and watched how Tenzin entered the Pavilion.
"It was no ordinary visit, right?" he asked.
Tenzin sighed. "No, it was not." And he turned his gaze to the Republic City.
"Let me guess. He is most powerful person in the Republic City right now."
Tenzin silently nodded.
"And he is very corrupt," Patrick added.
Tenzin again nodded.
So, earlier today, everyone in the Council voted for that task force without even a hesitation, Patrick thought. Just fucking great. Now I probably pissed off one powerful politician. Great one, Patrick.
Tenzin turned back to him. "I am afraid that he will not stop to swaying Korra to use her." He paused for a moment. "At dinner you managed to surprise him. So yet again, I want to ask you a favor."
"You want me to protect her from his influence," Patrick said.
Tenzin looked at him with a guilty look. "I know this was not in our deal. But please. Can you look after her in this matter too?"
Patrick sighed and looked at the horizon. "I can do it but… it will ultimately be her choice if she accepts his offer."
Tenzin nodded that he understood. "I know. But she has no political experience. So, please protect her."
"I will do my best." Patrick turned around and headed to the Temple.
The next day, Patrick was reading a book while he was sitting on the stairs. In meantime, Korra was cleaning up Naga's fur.
They both heard how somebody was singing a light tune. It was Bolin, who was approaching them with his hands behind his back. Patrick could guess that he was here to give Korra some "chocolate with flowers".
"Hello, fellow teammate!" Bolin said with a smile to Korra. He then looked at Patrick. "Hello, fan number one!"
"Hey, Bolin," Korra said while she rubbed Naga's back.
Patrick said nothing and ignored Bolin.
Bolin turned back to Korra. "Missed you at the practice this week."
"Sorry about that," Korra said guiltily. "I have been busy lately."
"No, it is alright," Bolin assured her. "We will probably be out of the Tournament anyway. Unless some money miraculously drops from the sky by tomorrow. Anyway, why I am here is that I came to give you this!"
He showed that he was holding a cupcake in a small plastic bag and a rose.
Korra was surprised. "Wow, thanks, Bolin." She took his gifts.
Romeo on a budget, Patrick thought as he was trying to focus on the book.
Bolin then turned to Patrick and opened his arms. "And one big hug from me to you, Patrick." And he was about to hug him.
Patrick raised a hand to stop him. "Keep it," he said with distaste.
"Very well… maybe some other time," Bolin said with embarrassment in his tone of voice and turned back to Korra. He hoped he had not made himself a fool in front of her right now.
"And what is this for?" Korra asked, looking at the gifts from him.
Bolin rubbed his chin. "Uh, I cannot remember. Oh yes! You both saved me from Amon."
"Oh that?" Korra shrugged. "It was nothing." She pointed a finger at Patrick. "I just followed instructions."
That whole saving operation was too easy for me, Patrick thought.
Bolin looked at her with surprised. "Nothing? Are you serious? I was totally freaking out back there when he was going to me with that mask of his." Bolin then tried to comically mimic Amon.
Patrick looked away from the book and saw how Korra was looking worried at Bolin, who was trying to do Amon. "Bolin, I do not think that is necessary."
But Bolin ignored it and kept on acting. "I will take your Bending away forever," he said with a deep voice.
"Bolin," Patrick raised his voice a little.
Then Bolin stopped with the acting. "I mean that is a scary stuff. I still can't sleep well." He then finally noticed that Patrick calling him and he turned to him. "What? Did I do something wrong?" He then looked at Korra.
"Mhmm…Nothing Bolin," Korra answered unsurely. She went back to cleaning Naga's fur to forget about Amon.
Idiot. Patrick shook his head and turned back to the reading.
"Delivery for Avatar Korra," said the male high-pitched voice behind Bolin and Korra.
It was a small, skinny older man with gray hair and glasses on with a golden color. He had on a black, elegant official hat with a red tail at the top and black-white clothes. He reminded Patrick a little bit an official from feudal China.
That man was approaching them, carrying a large basket full of items and flowers. He put that basket in front of Korra and joined hands in a sign of respect.
"Councilman Tarrlok sends his compliments and urges you to reconsider his offer."
Korra was now angry at Tarrlok. She thought he would respect her decision and not send gifts to change it. "Tell him I have not changed my mind," she said with calm voice, even though she wanted to yell.
The man bowed and left.
Bolin was looking at the basket with anger. "Who is this Tarrlok? Is he bothering you?" He took a fighting stance. "Should I have a word with him?"
"Take it easy," Patrick said and got up from the stairs. He walked over to the basket to look at its content. "It is not what you think. Tarrlok is from the Council."
Bolin calmed down after hearing that. "Good. That sounds better. I like that better."
Korra laughed. "Anyway, thanks for your concern."
Patrick, in the meantime, studied what kind of gifts Tarrlok sent, and it was all the expensive things. But he knew that it was just the beginning. Tarrlok will not give up.
In the following days, Tarrlok kept sending gifts to Korra. Each gift was more luxurious than the other one. Korra was able to ignore it and concentrate on her Airbending training. She did not even mind that her team probably would not be at the Tournament. Still, she was beginning to lose patience with Tarrlok's insistence.
It was a sunny day as Patrick was walking around the island when he saw a parked Satomobil wrapped in ribbon in front of the entrance to Air Temple.
Another Tarrlok's gift, he thought as he was approaching it.
Of course, Ikki and Meelo did not miss the chance and started playing with it.
"Out of the way, Patrick!" Ikki yelled and started making car sounds.
"Beep-beep," Meelo added.
Patrick looked at the red Satomobil. Maybe I could look inside when I got this chance. He was interested to see if the cars here were the same as in his Universe.
He opened the hood to look at the car's engine. It was the usual gasoline-powered engine, nothing special. Valves were ordinary. The same was true for the carburetor. There was practically everything that an ordinary engine had. Only the battery seemed to be too big for that car. It had almost half the size of the engine. It could be smaller.
He heard footsteps coming behind him. He turned around and saw Tenzin.
"Tarrlok?" he asked him.
Patrick nodded. "Where is she?"
"At the Training Area. I will go see her." Tenzin then went to find Korra.
Korra was practicing the moves of the Airbenders on the round platform with the Ying-Yang symbol. She saw Tenzin coming and she knew what he wanted to talk about. She already saw the newest gift from Tarrlok.
"I see the latest Tarrlok's gift is much more extravagant than the last one," he said.
Korra sighed. "Yes. He does not take "no" for an answer."
"Korra… are you alright?" Tenzin asked concerned. In last few days since her first meeting with Amon, Korra seemed to him to be odd. Like she was hiding something.
Korra paused her training. "I am alright. Why do you ask?"
Tenzin sat down on the stairs. "Can you please join me?" He invited her with a gesture to sit beside him. He waited until Korra sat down. "I am glad that you turned down Tarrlok's offer but I want to know if you did that for the right reason."
"I just want to focus on Airbending training, that is all," Korra replied hurriedly.
Tenzin started to think from her answer that Korra was perhaps afraid of Amon. Eventually, she saw how Amon took away Bending with her own eyes. Of course, she would be scared just like any other Bender, who would see something like this.
"Yes… you already said that. You know, it is good to be scared. The whole city is frightened by what is happening. The important thing is to talk about our fears, because if we do not, they can throw us out of balance." He looked at Korra's sad face. "And if you need to talk about it, know that I am here. Or talk to Patrick about it. I think he would be even a better listener then I am."
When Patrick was done with checking the Satomobile, he went to see Korra and Tenzin. When he got close to them, he eavesdropped on their conversation about confessing the fear. He stopped. When Tenzin mentioned how important it is to talk about emotions, Patrick remembered how he was taught during his childhood to keep his emotions to himself, to always keep his facade. To never confide in anyone and to ignore the emotions that are not useful.
That remembering started to bring memories to him. Memories of the man who raised him, the man he despised.
His remembering was interrupted by a loud cough behind him. He turned around to see that man, Tarrlok's lackey, who had brought that basket full of gifts a few days ago, standing in front of him.
"Did you see Avatar Korra?" he asked. He was holding a black envelope in his hand. "I have something for her."
Korra heard that and quickly came to the man with frustration and anger. "It does not matter how many gifts Tarrlok will send! I will not join his task force!" She was about send some earth blocks at that man.
"It is not a gift," said the man scared. "It is an invitation."
"To what?" Patrick asked.
The man handed over the envelope to Korra with shaking hands. "It is a gala in honor of Avatar Korra organized by Councilman Tarrlok. All the most influential Republic City's citizens will be there. The Councilman humbly requests your attendance."
Korra opened the envelope and started reading the invitation.
"Tarrlok is organizing a gala in your honor?" Tenzin asked surprised. He did not know that something like this was being prepared. It looks like he had even less influence than he thought.
"Do not worry, Councilman Tenzin, you can come with your family without an invitation," said the man. "This invitation is for Avatar Korra and her plus one." The man bowed and left.
Korra looked at the invitation. It was truly organized on her honor, and she felt not attending would be disrespectful to the guests. Eventually, she always wanted to go to some sort of party. One such gala would not hurt her. She turned her gaze to Patrick. "Do you want to go, my plus one?"
Patrick smiled at her. "Gladly."
In the night, Tenzin, Pema, Jinora, Ikki, Meelo and Korra waited in the courtyard with Flying Bison for Patrick. When he finally showed up, everyone was amazed.
He had on a black elegant suit with a bow tie, a white shirt, black pants and polished black boots. He looked completely different, like he was from high-class.
Even Patrick was impressed by Korra's formal dress from the Southern Water Tribe in a dark blue color. He found her quite beautiful now, not like that annoying wannabe tough girl he met when he arrived in this Universe. As if her inner beauty was starting to show its color.
For Korra, it was quite hard to get words out of her mouth, "Well… you look… great." She was still in a little bit in shock.
"You too," Patrick replied with a smile and he held out his elbow for her. "Shall we go?"
Korra smiled and put her hand around his arm. "With pleasure."
City Hall was located in the downtown of the Republic City. It was large stone ornate building with golden trim and a green dome in the center. For tonight's gala, the building was not only illuminated by night lights but there were also added banners depicting Korra on them at the entrance.
Korra remembered how she made a speech more than a week ago in front of this building, but she never had a chance to see the inside. Now, tonight she had a chance.
When they entered inside, they could see that a lot of people had come for the gala. All of them looked important.
Meelo and Ikki immediately started running to one of the great pillars near the walls and started playing Hide and Seek.
Jinora accompanied her pregnant mother, who was greeted by several people and they congratulated her on her pregnancy.
Tenzin accompanied Korra and Patrick to the ballroom. Korra was still holding Patrick's arm and she could see that other people were watching them. Due to that, she started to feel great, but also a little bit weird.
"I cannot believe this is all for me," she whispered and started waving at people.
"I am not sure what Tarrlok is plotting," Tenzin said, "but keep your guards up. Tarrlok would not throw a party just like that."
"But you can still have fun," Patrick said to her.
"Who is that young man with the Avatar?" asked a female guest in the back of the ballroom.
"That is her beloved what I heard," answered the other one. "Just look how close they are to each other."
"I think they all are discussing your clothes," Korra whispered to Patrick. "And speaking of it, where did you get it?"
"I borrowed it from one of my old friends," he answered. "And where did you get yours? What I know is that you did not visit any shops."
"Ama sent it to me. It arrived yesterday. She wrote me that as the Avatar I need to make a good impression at public events."
Patrick once again looked at her formal dress. "Well, she has quite a taste. You look fabulous."
Korra started to blush a little when she heard that. And Patrick still could not take his eyes off of her. When their eyes finally met, the moment of silence had come. As if they were the only ones in the ballroom. No one else, just them. They both could not explain it, but there was something starting to arise between them. Patrick decided to break that silence when he spotted a bar in the back.
"Want something to drink?" he asked and pointed at the bar.
"Water, please," Korra answered nervously. She was still thinking about what had just happened.
"A glass of water is on its way." Patrick left Korra and Tenzin and went to the bar.
Tenzin then suddenly saw that Meelo had started to pee on one of the ancient relics displayed during the gala. "Meelo! No, that is no toilet!" He covered his eyes in shame and went to his son.
Korra was now alone. Alone among all those people. She did not know it, but predator eyes were fixed on her and he was free to act.
When Patrick came to the bar, the bartender was now done serving the drink to the customer. The bartender then turned to him. "What will it be?"
"Glass of water and…" Patrick started to wonder if he wanted to order a drink even for himself. Ah, screw that. You are going to die soon, then why not? "You probably will not have it, but I would like a Vodka Martini. Shaken, not stirred."
The bartender looked at him with a confused look. "What is vodka?"
"Nothing," Patrick waved off. "Just a glass of water."
The bartender started pouring the water into the glass and Patrick waited for it.
"That is the strangest drink I ever heard," said the sweet female voice behind him.
Patrick turned around and saw standing in front of him the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He immediately recognized her from the newspapers, which he had read in the library a few weeks ago. It was Asami Sato.
She was dressed in elegant red clothes that even perfected her long raven hair. Her emerald eyes started to measure Patrick's elegant suit.
"Nice suit," she said with a smile.
"Thank you, but they are not mine. They are from my friend, and he is the one who actually always orders this drink, and I always wanted to try it." He paused for a moment. "But you look much more amazing."
"Thank you," she nodded and then she curiously looked at Patrick. "Didn't you come with the Avatar?"
"Yes."
"Oh, that is you! Mako told me about you and the Avatar so much."
"Really? You know Mako?"
"Yes, he is actually my boyfriend and he is accompanying me tonight. He probably forgot to mention it to you." She smiled and extended her hand to shake. "My name is Asami Sato."
Patrick took her hand and kissed it. "Enchanté, Miss Sato. It is nice to meet you."
Asami Sato was shocked and started to blush. She was not expecting this at all. Patrick could see how she was trying to cover it.
"I-I should probably go find Mako, Bolin and my father," she said nervously.
"Bolin is here too?" Patrick asked her and released her hand.
"Yes. He came with us." She paused for a moment. "I should probably go." She turned around and was about to go. "It was nice to meet you, Patrick."
"The pleasure was all mine." Patrick paused for a moment. After she took a few steps, he decided to speak, "By the way, who designed the batteries for Satomobils?"
Asami stopped and turned back to him. "My father. Is something wrong with the batteries?"
"Nothing…I just think they could be a little bit smaller. They needlessly take up too much space," Patrick said plainly.
Asami looked at him with a surprised look and came back to him. "My words precisely!" She smiled. "I told my father that we need to reduce the size of the battery, especially in sports models of Satomobiles. Beca-"
"Because it could improve the power of the engine and the lifespan of the battery itself," Patrick finished her sentence.
Asami laughed. "Thanks to the spirits, I am not the only one who thinks that! But the reducing size of the battery would also require-"
"Her upgrade."
Asami smiled again. "I think we will have a fruitful conversation about it."
"How about next time we both meet up?" Patrick proposed. "I am accompanying Avatar to her Pro-Bending training, so it will not be a problem for us to bump into each other."
"It is a deal!" Asami said with interest. "But I really should go now." And she disappeared into the crowd.
I cannot wait, Patrick thought as he turned back to the bartender, who handed him over a prepared glass of water.
Patrick, with a glass of water, started looking for Korra among the crowd. Eventually he spotted her. She was with Tarrlok and some other man. Tarrlok probably got to her when she was alone. Patrick hurried up to get to her.
"Ah, Patrick, here you are," Tarrlok said when he spotted him approaching them. "I was introducing Korra to Hiroshi Sato, our most famous industrialist."
Hiroshi Sato turned to Patrick. He was an elderly, corpulent man with a thick mustache and greyish hair. His elegant glasses and clothes were a sign that he was a very wealthy man.
He bowed to Patrick. "It is nice to meet you." He then gestured to Korra. "I was about to say to the Avatar that we are all expecting great things from her."
"Thank you," Korra said to Patrick while she took the glass of water, then she turned to Hiroshi Sato. "And thank you for your confidence," she replied to Hiroshi Sato and looked downcast.
"It is nice to meet you, Mr. Sato," Patrick said. "I met your daughter a few minutes ago."
"Oh, really?" Hiroshi Sato started looking around. "Oh, here she is!" he remarked when he spotted her.
Asami approached them, accompanied by two young men in elegant suits. Korra and Patrick recognized them. It was Mako and Bolin. Korra then spotted how Asami and Mako were holding hands. She started to feel a little bit jealous.
"Hi, Korra," Mako said.
"It is so nice to meet you," Asami said. "Mako told me so much about you." She then turned her head and nodded to Patrick. "Patrick."
"Miss Sato," Patrick nodded back.
"You were also invited?" Mako asked him.
"Of course!" Korra burst out and put her hand around Patrick's arm. "He is my date for tonight's gala!"
At first, Patrick wanted to correct her, but when he looked at her, he could see jealously in her eyes. So, he decided to play along. "Of course, dear," he said and stroked her face.
Korra was surprised by that, but she was glad that Patrick played along. So, she let it be.
Mako was surprised by that and Bolin was quite disappointed, but he was not about to give up on Korra.
"So… how did you two met?" Korra asked.
Bolin leaned over to her and Patrick. "Asami crashed into him on her moped." And quickly straightened back.
Patrick wanted to punch Bolin for invading his personal space, but the young Earthbender quickly disappeared from his reach. Instead, he turned his gaze on Mako. "Really? I hope it is nothing serious." A little brain operation would not be bad.
"It is not," Mako replied with a smile. "On the contrary, we have gained a sponsor: Mr. Sato." He gestured to the industrialist. "We are back at the Tournament."
"Isn't that great?" Bolin yelled excitedly.
"Yes… it is terrific," Korra said with a fake smile.
Tenzin came to the group, completely wet. "I am so sorry. I had problems in the matter of my son. What did I miss?"
"Nothing extraordinary, dear Councilman," Tarrlok answered. "But next time, it will be better if you leave your family at home or you will miss something important." He smiled at him venomously.
Tenzin only frowned at him.
Tarrlok then spotted Lin Beifong, walking by. "Chief Beifong!" he called on her. "I believe you already met the Avatar."
Lin turned to them and in her face was anger. She started walking briskly towards them.
"Oh, no," Tenzin whispered. "I know that expression."
This only confirmed to Patrick that Tenzin and Chief Beifong had a really personal relationship.
"Just because the city is throwing this gala for you, do not think you are something special!" she said to Korra in a harsh tone. "You have done absolutely nothing to deserve this." Then her glare focused on Patrick. "And you…" She raised her finger close to his face, like a teacher disciplining a student. "I did not find any record of you anywhere in the world. No one knows who you are."
"Oh really?" Patrick said to her in a cold tone. "So, if that is all the police work you have done since we met, it is no surprise that gangs and Amon are thriving."
Korra, who in the meantime was taking a sip from her drink, almost spat out the water when she heard that. Tenzin's expression quickly turned into a complete shock. Tarrlok quickly turned around to hide his chuckle. And others were nervous about what was about to happen next.
Beifong's face completely turns red from anger. "What did you just say to me?!"
"You heard me," Patrick replied still in a cold tone. "I think you should go."
The Chief wanted to arrest him on the spot but she knew that it would not save her public image any further. And she would embarrass herself even more if she did that. She quickly turned to Tenzin and shook her head. Then she walked away.
Everybody in the group was now looking at Patrick. He just sent the daughter of the famous Toph Beifong and the most infamous hardcore policewoman in Republic City away. Tenzin knew that Lin would not let it go.
After a half hour of entertainment, Tarrlok said, "Well, it is almost the end of tonight's gala. Korra, could you please accompany me to the stairs?"
"Why?" she asked.
"Well, the media will write about the gala. And there will be only a couple of reporters there. They will be asking you questions about tonight." He then ominously smiled. "You are not afraid, are you?"
"No, I am not," Korra said resolutely.
Patrick was on alert when he heard that. He turned to the stairs in the ballroom and saw there were a bunch of reporters there. He knew what Tarrlok was up to. He wanted to press Korra to join his task force through them.
He started acting by grabbing her hand. "I believe that Korra is quite tired for tonight. I think you should do the interview with the reporters, Councilman."
Korra turned to him surprised. "No, I am not. I think I can handle answering a few questions."
Patrick looked directly into her eyes and tried to indicate her no to go. "No, you cannot."
Korra, now angry, slipped out of his grasp. "I think I can!" she raised her voice.
Patrick had enough too and made a gesture of open arms. "Good then! Have it your way!" he said with anger.
Korra gave him an unpleasant look and turned around to follow Tarrlok.
Patrick came to Tenzin, who witnessed that entire scene. "I did my best. But like I said before, it will be up to her."
Tenzin sighed. "I know…" He also probably knew what was about to happen.
At the moment when Korra and Tarrlok stepped onto the stairs, the reporters immediately surrounded the downstairs and started bombarding Korra with flashes from their cameras.
Korra was now unsure if she wanted to answer the questions about tonight's gala. "I think… Patrick was right. I-I kind of feel tired now."
"Nonsense," Tarrlok replied and stepped back, leaving her to the reporters alone.
"Avatar Korra, you witnessed how Amon was taking Bending away firsthand," said one of the reporters. "Do the Bending citizens of Republic City now have to live in fear?"
"I…" Korra was trying to put together a sentence. "I think he presents a real problem."
Tarrlok smiled behind her back. His plan started working. And all he needed was a few paid reporters to do it. His gaze then turned to Patrick and Tenzin in the distance. He knew there was nothing they could do to stop it.
"Why then you rejected the position in Tarrlok's task force?" asked the other reporter. "As the Avatar, should not you be going after Amon?"
"Well, I…" Korra said with a shaking voice.
Come on, Korra! Patrick thought. Be calm.
"Why are you backing away from the fight?" asked another reporter.
And it is fucked.
Now Korra felt instead of nervousness, a rage. "What? No! I have never backed away from anything in my life!"
But the reporters kept asking their questions. "You promised to serve the Republic City, are you going to take back that promise? Do you think Pro-Bending is more important than fighting with the Equalists? What do you think Avatar Aang would do?" But the last question hit the nail on the head. "Are you afraid of Amon?"
Korra was now fully angry and started yelling words, words she would wish to take back later, "I am not afraid of anybody! And if the city needs me, then I will join the task force!"
And those were the words that Tarrlok wanted to hear. He quickly rushed to Korra's side. "There is your headline!" he proclaimed victoriously.
The reporters then started again bombarding Korra and Tarrlok with camera flashes and the other guests of the gala were watching that whole thing. A waitress passed Patrick and Tenzin. Patrick noticed there was a glass of alcohol on the platter.
"Wait!" he ordered and he took the glass from the platter. He took a sip of it. It was bitter enough. "Please give my friend here a double," he motioned to Tenzin. "He is going to need that."
The waitress nodded and went to the bar. Tenzin looked down in disappointment and sighed from such powerlessness. He and Patrick failed.
The journey back was silent but on the back of the Flying Bison tension started to bubble between Korra and Patrick.
When they landed in the courtyard, Patrick was the first to descend from the Flying Bison. Korra went right behind him.
"What was I supposed to do?" Korra asked him irritably, still following him.
But Patrick was ignoring her. With a suit jacket in his hand and rolled-up sleeves, he continued to the Temple.
"Can you answer me?!" Korra yelled.
Patrick stopped and turned around. "I was trying to warn you!" he raised his voice. "But no, you don't want help! You don't even admit it!"
"What should I admit?"
"That you fear him. That you are afraid of Amon."
"I am not… I do not fear him!" Korra nervously looked away.
"Oh yes, you do," Patrick said and took a few steps closer to her. "And now it is turning against you because you won't admit it to others and especially to yourself. So, do not come back when he takes your Bending away."
Korra now looked at him with a hateful look. "Good then! I will get him without your help. You will see!" She walked past him into the Temple.
"Oh, I will see," Patrick said with a sarcastic tone.
"Yes! You will!"
Korra headed to the Woman's dormitory and Patrick to the Man's dormitory. Tenzin and his family, who were watching that whole thing, exchanged worried glances.
"Mom? Dad?" Ikki said. "Please, do not ever argue like that."
"Do not worry, sweetheart," Pema replied. "We will not." And she gently stroked her face.
The next day, Patrick spent most of the day in the basement. He was trying to avoid Korra. He was still mad from last night, so he started to work on his gauntlets on his workbench. Usually it would calm him down, but somehow it did not work this time.
"Fuck!" Patrick said to himself when he damaged a circuit of the gauntlet with his soldering iron. He still has to think about Korra and the last night.
"Patrick!" said Tenzin's voice from above. "I need to talk to you! Can I come in?!" It sounded like Tenzin was losing his nerves.
"Wait a minute," Patrick said, getting up from the workbench. After he climbed out of the basement, he closed the hatch and came to open the sliding doors.
In front of him stood a frightened and pale Tenzin.
"You have to talk to her!" Tenzin begged.
Patrick sighed and leaned against the door. "I think last night she made herself clear that she does not need my help."
"You don't understand! You do not know what she did!" Tenzin then told him how Korra successfully with Tarrlok's task force attacked Amon's training facility for Chi-Blockers and how she during an interview with reporters publicly challenged Amon to a duel on Aang Memorial Island.
Patrick sighed again. Fuck! I knew this would happen. It was only a matter of time when Korra would do something very stupid in her denial of fear.
"You have to talk some sense into her!" Tenzin begged. In his eyes was desperation.
"She will not listen to me, Tenzin," Patrick tried to brush him off.
Tenzin clasped his hands. "You have to try! Please! You are the only person I know who can withstand her stubbornness and temperament!"
Patrick could see that Tenzin was about to get on his knees to beg him for help. And he would hate to see that.
Fuck! "Very well, I will go talk to her."
"Thank you," Tenzin said with a smile and with great relief. "Bison is waiting for us in the courtyard."
"Let's go." Patrick closed the doors behind him and followed Tenzin.
It was a deep night when they landed at the docks. They were completely filled by members of Tarrlok's task force, including Tarrlok himself. Korra was on the boat and she was about to sail to the Aang Memorial Island.
"Ah, look who showed up!" she remarked while she was wrapping the rope of the boat around her hands so it would not hinder her.
"Korra, this is madness," Tenzin said.
"Get out of the boat!" Patrick ordered.
"No!" she refused. "And do not you or Tenzin try to follow me! I have to face Amon alone!"
Patrick wanted to sink the boat she was on but he realized that he did not have any device with him. He and Tenzin were in such a rush that he forgot to bring some. This never happened to him before. But it did not matter. Even if he sinks the boat, Korra will use her Waterbending to get onto the Island with the statue.
Tenzin turned to Tarrlok with anger. "This is all your doing, Councilman!"
"I tried to talk her out of it too, but as you know, she is obdurate," Tarrlok replied.
Yeah, sure, Patrick doubted in spirit that Tarrlok even tried. He then saw that one of the members of the task force had a portable radio with him. "Is this only radio you have here?" he asked.
"No, we have a couple of them here," a task force member answered.
Patrick took a portable radio and tossed it to Korra. "You can at least respond to us every five minutes."
Korra frustratedly sighed and nodded. She then with Waterbending started guiding the boat to the Aang Memorial Island.
"Good idea," Tarrlok remarked. "But it will not be necessary. We will watch the island closely. If anything goes wrong, I have a fleet of police airships prepared. We will be there soon."
Hopefully! Patrick thought. He doubted Tarrlok's strategy in every step. Just by looking at that island, he could see at least dozens of ways Amon could escape.
Korra was standing at the top of the memorial building at the statue. She kept replaying the challenge she made to Amon in her head. She was prepared to face him, but as the time slowly passed to the hour when the duel was about to begin, she was getting doubts.
Even though she was not interested in Patrick's help after last night, she abided by his request and reported every five minutes. And he was always there on the other side. It gave her a little bit of feeling of security.
She then heard some noises behind her. She immediately goes into a battle stance, ready for Amon. She waited a second, two, three. Nothing. She sighed with relief, then the clocks in the building chimed midnight and spooked her off in the process.
Come on. Keep it together! She took a deep breath to calm herself down. She then sat down and watched the city.
After some time, she started yawning with tiredness. "It looks like you will not show up, Amon," she said to herself when she stood up. "Who is scared now?"
She headed out to the boat and while she passed the entrance to the base of the statue, someone threw a bola at her feet. Korra, who was not able to react in time, was dragged into the dark entrance. Her portable radio fell to the ground and broke.
She quickly spins around and bends fire around her, reveling that she is surrounded by twenty Chi-Blockers. She quickly gets out of the bola and tries to attack them with fire but they quickly tie her hands with whips.
Korra desperately used her legs to kick fire and move the earth but the Chi-Blockers just evaded it. Then a few Chi-Blockers hit her back with several punches. Korra fell to the ground.
In the meantime, at the docks, Patrick, Tenzin, Tarrlok and other task force members waited. Patrick walked back and forth from nervousness.
"She should already report back," he said. After a few seconds, he stopped. "We are going there."
"Take it easy," Tarrlok said. "She probably forgot."
"No, we will go there now."
"I agree with Patrick," Tenzin said. Just like Patrick, he was also nervous about Korra's radio silence.
"And I said we are going to stay put!" Tarrlok replied in a commanding tone.
"I am not answering to you, Tarrlok." Patrick headed to the Flying Bison. "I am going there."
Tenzin followed him. "Wait for me."
"Stop!" Tarrlok yelled. But he could see that they both did not obey him. He nervously looked at his men under his command and felt that he had started to lose control. He quickly turned back to the walking pair. "You two would jeopardize our one and only chance to catch Amon?!"
"Yes, we will," Patrick said to himself. He knew that Tarrlok did not have enough courage to stop them. And even if he tries to stop them, Patrick will not make it easy.
Korra slowly started to wake up when she felt two people lift her arms. When she opened her eyes, she could see that it was the Equalists. Then she looked ahead to see Amon himself.
"I received your invitation, Avatar." Amon started to reach his hand toward her face.
Korra was frightened. This…This…is like in that dream… She quickly turned away her gaze. She could almost feel Amon's touch. She should prepare herself for the fact that her Bending will be gone. She should prepare for the fact that she failed as Avatar.
Amon's hand stopped nearly at her face. He remembered what his Mentor told him when he received that invitation from Avatar to duel. Do not take her powers there. It needs the proper timing and place. Only show her how powerful you and the Equalists are.
It would be so easy, but my Mentor is right, Amon thought. He grabbed her by the chin to make her look at him.
"Our fight is inevitable," he said to her while he looked straight into her eyes, "but this is too early. I could easily take away your Bending, but I won't. You would become a martyr. All Benders would rally under your untimely demise. But I assure you, I have a plan. And I am saving you for the last. Then you will get your fight and I will destroy you."
Korra looked at Amon with fear but also with anger. She did not know what was going to happen next. Then Amon jabbed her on the shoulder and yet again she fell unconscious. Then she saw something. Some quick visions of Aang, Toph, Sokka and some man. It was so quick that she could not make any sense of it.
She slowly opened her eyes and saw two figures running towards her. She managed to recognize one of them. "Patrick?" she asked weakly.
"Korra!" Patrick quickly got to her and helped her sit. "Are you alright?" He quickly looked around the mess. "Amon was here, right?"
Korra recovered herself. "Yes. He ambushed me."
Tenzin, who stood aside, looked at her with a worried look. "Did he… take your Bending away?"
"No," she replied and created a small flame on the palm of her hand just to be sure. "He did not."
"Ah, thank spirits," Tenzin said with great relief.
Then a tear flowed down from Korra's left eye as she turned to Patrick. "You were right…"
Patrick was confused when she quickly hugged him and started to cry. He did not know what to do. He glanced at Tenzin, as if he needed advice from him, but Tenzin just nodded at him instead of giving the plain answer. His look said: Comfort her.
So, Patrick hugged her and let her continue to cry.
"I was so scared," Korra said while she cried. "I felt so helpless."
"It is all right," Patrick replied. "It is over. You are safe."
Korra backed away from him a little. "I was so stupid. You were right all along, and I was so mean to you." She wiped her tears away.
"Korra, it is alright."
"No, it is not." She started crying again. "I do not know what to do!" She again hugged him.
Worried Tenzin crouched and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Admitting your fears is the first and most difficult step in overcoming them."
If only that, Tenzin, Patrick thought. If only that. While he was still holding a crying Korra and hearing how Tenzin spoke about fear, he remembered something that his old friend once said. Fear is a superpower.
Korra continued to cry for several minutes. After that, she finally calmed down.
"Do you have enough strength to walk to the Flying Bison?" Patrick asked.
Korra shook her head. "No," she answered weakly.
"Then I will carry you." Patrick stood up and took off his sweatshirt and gave it to her to make sure she would not get cold. He then took her into his arms and started carrying her to the Flying Bison with Tenzin behind.
As they left the entrance, they could see that Tarrlok and his men had arrived.
"Where is Amon?" Tarrlok asked them.
"Already gone," Patrick answered. "It looks like your precautions were to no use. And now, if you excuse us…"
Tarrlok muttered something, then his gaze turned to Korra. "I hope I can still count with your membership in my task force," he said with a slimy smile. "Do not worry. We will get Amon soon!"
"I think Korra's membership in your task force is over," Tenzin announced.
Tarrlok turned to him. "I did not hear her say that."
Patrick knew that an argument between Tenzin and Tarrlok was about to happen, and Korra urgently needed to rest. And from the look on her face, he could tell she did not want to have anything to do with Tarrlok anymore.
"Tarrlok, how about you go fuck yourself!" Patrick said with a raised tone and continued on his way to the Flying Bison.
Everyone, except for Korra, looked at him with shock. Nobody of them knew what he had just said, but it sounded somehow insulting.
Then Tenzin came closer to Tarrlok and gave him a smug face. "I do not know what that means, but I kind of agree with him." And then he went to mount the Flying Bison.
Tarrlok looked at his men from the task force. He had just now lost the authority in front of them. With anger, he looked at how the Flying Bison flew away. It looks like he was betting on the wrong person all the time. He should not focused on the Avatar, but on that boy.
Patrick was still holding Korra in his hands on the back of the Flying Bison. He kept checking to see how she was doing.
Yesterday he saw her beauty and femininity, when they went to gala and now, he sees her vulnerability. He now sees her differently than the girl he met more than two weeks ago.
In the courtyard was Jinora, with a lamp in her hand, waiting for them.
"What are you doing here at this late hour, Jinora?" asked her father when the Flying Bison landed on the ground.
"Mom was worried when you two suddenly left, so I am here waiting for you," Jinora explained. She then noticed Korra on the back of the Flying Bison. "Korra? What happened to her?" she asked with concern.
"Nothing," Patrick answered. "She is just a little bit tired." He helped her to get off the Flying Bison and carried her again. "I will take her to her room." He turned his head to Tenzin. "If you do not mind."
"No, I do not," Tenzin said and he went to take the Flying Bison back to his pen.
"It is the seventh door on the left," Jinora said.
"Thank you, Jinora," Patrick replied.
Patrick walked through the hallway of the Woman's dormitory. It was the same as in the Men's dormitory. Patrick stopped at the seventh sliding door and opened it.
Naga's head came out and started to sniff.
"Easy there, girl," Patrick said. "Let us through."
Naga bowed her head with understanding and backed away a little. Patrick took Korra inside.
This was the first time Patrick was in someone else's room at Air Temple Island except for Tenzin family's room. It looked just like his own. Same walls, same furniture, but only Patrick's room had a basement.
Patrick laid Korra on her bed and took back his sweatshirt.
"Thank you," Korra said and sat on the bed. She noticed that Patrick was about to leave. "Can you please stay here for a while?"
Patrick looked at her sad eyes and nodded. "Yes, I can." He sat down next to her.
"I am so sorry for how I treated you yesterday." She was about to cry again. "I was so stupid."
"Korra, it is alright," Patrick assured her. "I already forgave you."
"No, you do not understand at all…" Tears flowed from her eyes. "The White Lotus taught me that, as the Avatar, it is my sworn duty to protect the balance of the world. And now I am nothing but a failure." She paused for a moment. "The worst Avatar that ever lived."
This confirmed what Patrick thought when he saw how Tenzin approached Korra's training in the first few days. It was probably not Tenzin's fault, but the White Lotus itself. They treated Korra as an object, not as a living being, just like with any other previous Avatar. But this was a discussion for another time.
"Korra, I know the feeling that you are not good enough," he said.
"Really?" Korra asked him surprised. She looked into his eyes and saw that he was telling the truth.
"What if I told you that I am the Smartest Man alive?" Patrick said. Korra looked at him baffled. Patrick then turned his gaze to the opposite wall. "Your room has 20 square meters. There are currently 2 000 000 000 in the tonight's sky." He turned back to her. "When I was carrying you, your weight was around 90 kilograms."
"And you know all of that?"
"And much more. And believe me, it was never enough."
Korra decided to ask the question about Patrick's gauntlets. "The first time we came into the city, you were wearing some strange gauntlets. You were also wearing them that day when we saved Bolin from the Equalists. What are they?"
"They are my special gauntlets. I made them by myself. With them I can lift almost any weight, can send an electroshock and many other things." Patrick did not want to answer her question first, but somehow the words slipped out of his mouth and he felt great. It had been a long time since he had confided in someone like this. The last time it was a couple of years ago, and that person is now dead.
"So, you are truly the Smartest Man Alive, huh?" she said. "Same as Mr. Sato?"
"Well… I would say I am pretty much smarter than him," Patrick remarked with a smile.
Korra had to chuckle at that.
"And like I said before, I know what it feels like to not be good enough," he continued. "But believe me, it will pass. And you will do well as the Avatar."
"Thank you," Korra replied. She has pretty much stopped crying now. She wanted to ask Patrick so many questions. Where is he coming from? What did he mean that he knew her feelings about not being good enough? Was he speaking from personal experience? But she felt too tired for that.
She lied down on the bed. "Can you please wait here for a minute? I would like to have some company other than Naga right now before I sleep."
Patrick silently nodded.
A few minutes passed and Korra closed her eyes and slept. Patrick wanted to go, but he felt tired too. Just a minute, he thought as he closed his eyes.
But tonight had something special for him. It was two nightmares in one.
In the first, he was seven. He was in the dark room full of antiques, from paintings to sculptures made of wood. He was standing beside the fireplace with a carved mantel, the only source of light in the room. In front of him was seated an old man in a chair.
Although he looked very old, he was very much younger at that time. He had grey hair and bright blue eyes. He was wearing black clothes and his bony fingers were holding one of the newest Patrick inventions – the Self Charging Battery. Something that could have been a revolutionary thing at the time. And now the old man was inspecting Patrick's work.
Finally, after a few minutes of inspecting, the old man turned his gaze to Patrick. "Is that all, boy?" he asked in a whispered, cold tone. "Is that all I can expect from you?" He had always talked to Patrick like this since he was born.
The old man then threw the battery, the only prototype Patrick had made, into the fire. Patrick wanted to save it, but he knew he could not move without permission.
"Not good enough, boy," the old man said as he stood up. "You are not good enough. You are nothing more than a bastard child of my daughter. A stain on our family. But it is my duty to raise you. Now go to your room."
The boy silently nodded and obeyed the order of his grandfather.
Suddenly, there was a dark fog everywhere. Patrick felt immaterial. Then he heard a voice. Her voice.
"Promise me that you will look after him," said the female voice with a British accent, a voice that Patrick never forgets. "You and him are both the same. Please look after him. He needs you as much as you need him."
Then he saw her. A woman with long brown hair. Dressed in a blue sweater and black pants. She was standing in the middle of a brick pavement, located in a hidden street for alien refuges.
Patrick quickly turned around and saw a man standing behind him. The same man from his other nightmare with that swinging room. At that time, that man had short, curly grey hair and a wine-colored dress on him. He was watching the woman on the pavement. Patrick quickly turned back to her. All three of them knew what was going to happen next. The woman will die.
A dark raven flew from the corner of the street. But that was no ordinary raven. It was a Quantum Shade, a being used by the leader of the alien refugees to maintain order. A being that can kill a specific person regardless of where or when that person is. And now that woman was his target because she wanted to help her friend.
The woman opened her arms and prepared herself for the end. It was obvious that she was scared, but she decided not to run.
The raven entered her and the woman screamed. In a few seconds, black smoke came out of her mouth and she fell to the ground dead.
Patrick turned back to the man and looked at him with great anger. The man's eyes were saying: I have done everything I could. But Patrick did not care. He wanted to hurt every citizen of that hidden street for what they had done, but he wanted to hurt the man even more for not stopping the death of the person that Patrick ever cared for.
That was the moment the two became eternal enemies.
"Patrick!" Korra's voice echoed. "Patrick!"
Patrick woke up in a great shock with Korra's hand on his shoulder. "What?!"
"You were shaking in your sleep like a madman and you were yelling," she answered while she was looking at him with great concern.
Patrick wiped his forehead; it was completely wet with sweat. His heart was pounding like crazy. He stood up to calm himself down.
"Are you well?" Korra asked.
"Yes, I am," Patrick answered quickly.
Korra was still looking at him with a concerned glance. She was a minute ago peacefully sleeping when she was woken up by Patrick yelling someone's name.
After a minute, she decided to ask him what he was dreaming about. Precisely, who was that woman he was calling out in his sleep. "Patrick, who is Clara?"
Patrick slowly turned to her with a shocked look on his face. "How do you know that name?"
"You were yelling that name when you were sleeping." She paused for a moment. "Are you really well?"
"Yes…" he replied with a shaking voice, then he calmed down. "Yes, I am."
"Then who is Clara?"
"Nobody."
Korra did not believe that. "Th-"
"Nobody, Korra," Patrick interrupted her. "I am fine. Completely fine."
"If you say so."
"Good," Patrick whispered to himself. He looked at his bracelet. "It is quite late. I should probably go to my room. Goodnight, Korra, and see you in the morning." He quickly left her room.
"Goodnight to… you too," Korra whispered and then turned to Naga, who was also confused. "It looks like I am not the only one with problems, girl."
When Patrick closed the sliding doors of his room, he sat down in the corner and started to think about what had just happened. I had to dream about that old fucker, did not I? he thought about that nightmare with his grandfather. But why her? he thought about the other nightmare. Why now, Clara? He lightly hit the back of his head against the wall. It has almost been a few years since Why now?
He had to find out what was going on with him. He got up from the ground and came to the table. He took off his bracelet and placed it on the table.
"Complete medical analyzation," he ordered and a blue light from the bracelet came through him.
"Except the tumor, no abnormalities were detected," the A.I. voice said.
"Then check again!"
"Can you be more specific?"
Patrick sighed in frustration. "Any parasite, any bacteria, any Multiverse Sickness. Just anything that causes those nightmares!"
Blue light came through him again. "Nothing."
Patrick slammed his hand on the table in anger. Then something crossed his mind. What if it is magic? Could it be some kind of curse? This guess was supported by the fact that Patrick managed to piss off several powerful magic users across the Multiverse. There was only one way to prove it.
Patrick went into the basement to pick up one thing that could confirm that. He came back with a silver medallion in the shape of a wolf's head. A Witcher Medallion. It could not specify the spell but it could at least say if magic is involved. Getting that thing was not easy for Patrick.
When Patrick looked at it and nothing happened. If there were some kind of magic around, the medallion would react, but nothing.
Fuck! Patrick was about to slam the Medallion in anger, but he stopped when he remembered how hard it was to get this thing. What now? he asked himself in spirit.
He was back again at the start. Then he realized something. His nightmares started when he met Korra.
Could she be responsible for this? he thought. He did not see her use any kind of psychic powers and he was sure that she did not have any. But there was no better explanation.
He will figure it out. But now it was a deep night and when he looked at the bed, he was deciding if he should go to sleep and have nightmares again or stay awake for the rest of the night.