Author's Note: Yay, new chapter! Hope you guys can enjoy it! Tbh I have a few reservations, mostly in how it's written since I'm a bit critical of my own work. But so far I haven't really let you guys down yet in spite of that, so I suppose it must be written right! :D
Air Temple Island - Republic City
Caran POV…
I moved up to stand beside the short stone wall, leaning against it to look out at the island. The chirping of birds rings through the morning air, a soft breeze blowing. A few ships sail across the harbor of Yue Bay, the water glinting in the sunlight.
"Hi Caran!" a voice calls out.
I glance back to see Jinora standing a few feet away, waving at me with a grin on her face.
"Hello," I reply pleasantly. "What's up?"
"Not much. There's something I want to show you though, something cool," she tells me.
"Like what?" I ask curiously, turning to face her.
"Come on, I'll show you! Try and keep up!" she says mischievously.
Forming a ball of air in her hands she spins around and jumps onto it in an air scooter, speeding away with a bout of laughter.
"Hey, no fair!" I exclaim.
Grumbling, I sprint after her, leaving the courtyard and running through the trail that winds between the trees. Her laughter continues to sound from up ahead, and every time I think I'm close to catching up, she disappears in a blur of orange and red.
"Come on Jinora, you're cheating!" I protest in frustration.
"I thought being a Jedi made you super powerful!" she calls back teasingly.
She laughs once more, turning around a bend in the trail. I swiftly follow after her at a run and turn with the trail, which should be just about done. However as I make the turn, the trees suddenly disappear as the landscape changes, instead taking on the appearance of a dark office room, the only light coming from a faint lamp on the desk.
I stop before I could slam into the door, frantically putting my hands on it in a mixture of surprise and confusion, and turn around to get a better look at the office. It's a foggy night outside, the skyline of Republic City lit up in a dim glow, a thick cloud of mist covering most of the buildings. I'm up high in a skyscraper, the office looking faintly like Senator Shuno's.
I cautiously approach the window to look out at the landscape more clearly, my reflection faint in the glass. Out of nowhere, a small body suddenly falls down and slams against it, and I jump backwards with a cry of alarm, tumbling to the ground in a heap. Looking at the body more closely, hanging from a rope around their neck, I widen my eyes and gasp in terror upon recognizing it as the bloodied, mutilated form of Jinora.
"Why'd you let this happen?" her voice whispers in my mind, accusatory.
I scramble to my feet, a scream threatening to burst from my lungs at the horrific sight. I hastily turn around with the intent to escape, more voices echoing around me.
"Everybody's got scars little boy," the Joker taunts me. "Want to know how I got mine?"
Skid to a halt as I come face to face with a tall figure blocking the door, glaring down at me. I gasp, backing up and reaching for my lightsaber as they ignite a blood red saber, bathing the room in its light.
"Anything else you'd like to prove, runt?" the Messenger asks. "The rest of your friends will die."
The Messenger disappears, but now I'm faced with an even worse sight in front of me. All of my friends, family, everyone I know and cherish… they're all hanging from a noose above a dark abyss. Korra, my parents, Jinora, Tenzin, Jarik… and they all have messy clown makeup painted over their faces.
"This world will burn!" a devilish voice growls.
I open my mouth to scream…
I snap up in bed with a terrified gasp, shaking uncontrollably in fear and discomfort. Two hands on me cause me to jump up in fright, but quickly realize it's only Korra.
"Hey, hey! You're alright Caran!" she quickly reassures me.
I glance around the room and then back at her, shakily nodding my head and trying to relax. It's still the middle of the night, very little light out aside from the brightness of the city across the bay. Korra is sitting on the bed beside me, dressed in her nightclothes with her hair down, looking at me in concern.
"Was it a bad dream?" she asks softly.
I open my mouth to respond before closing it again, opting to just nod once more.
"Well you're okay now. I'm here," she reassures me.
She pulls me in gently for a hug, and I latch onto her tightly, shutting my eyes to comfort myself in the fact that none of that was real. The image of those hanging bodies with clown makeup just wouldn't leave my mind, extending from my horror from the Joker's message a few days ago. What happened to Karrisi could just as easily have happened to Jinora; a little girl kidnapped and tortured to death by a band of lunatics. The sight of Karrisi hanging from the rope is burned into my mind.
A low whine from beside us gets my attention, and I peek out with one eye to see Naga walking up beside us, nudging me in concern. She rests her head in our laps, looking up with adorable, shimmering eyes, and some of my fear eases away.
"Thanks Naga," I mutter gratefully.
Naga perks up a little with a happy whine, and Korra rubs my back with a smile of her own.
"Feels just like when you demanded to cuddle to us as a baby," she teases.
I groan in response but happily accept it, allowing myself to relax in the presence of Korra's love and warmth, and Naga's contentment. Out of all the places my starship could've crashed into when I was a baby, none of them could be better than this. I can't imagine what kind of life I would've had without my adoptive family.
3rd person POV…
Caran raises his lightsaber with a determined gaze, the green blade humming with energy as he narrows his eyes at his adversary.
A spherical droid hovers in the air, moving around slowly like a predator, tense in preparation to strike. From the sidelines Jarik stands with crossed arms, observing Caran critically as he faces off against the training remote. Sitting nearby along the stone wall are Korra, Tenzin, and Luon, who are watching the training session attentively, their interest piqued.
"Steady Caran… not so tense," Jarik advises.
"That thing is weird…" Korra murmurs.
"No kidding," Luon replies softly in agreement. "I don't care how sophisticated tech is in space, I just don't see how it can float like that!"
The training remote lunges forward, making Caran flinch back and jerk his saber in response, then slowly pulls back. Jarik frowns at the action, his face filled with resignation at knowing what will happen next. Without any warning the remote fires a bright red laser bolt, striking Caran on the side. He jumps back with a yelp of pain and hisses between clenched teeth, growling in frustration. The other three flinch as well at the shot, Korra looking on with worry.
"You ok Caran?" she asks in concern.
"Spirits above, those things hurt!" he snaps irritably.
"Getting shot for real would be a lot worse," Jarik says.
"Oh, have you been shot before?" Caran asks sarcastically.
"I've been blown up before," he retorts, tapping his metal arm for emphasis. "Don't expect it to be pretty."
Caran grimaces in slight apology before sighing, deactivating his lightsaber so that the training remote pulls back to a stationary hover.
"No offense, but why do I even need to know blaster deflections? People here just use bending or small grenade pellets," he argues.
"There's a lot more to this than just deflecting a laser. It's about using the Force to connect to your environment and sense everything around you," Jarik explains. "With the Force you have the ability to see things before they happen, which works greatly to your advantage."
"Not to mention the Joker acquired blasters from the Knights of Ren," Tenzin reminds him.
"Exactly," he nods in agreement. "Now try again."
Caran sighs in frustration but nods his head, turning back towards the training remote. Getting into his stance, he holds his lightsaber up and ignites the blade, which springs the droid into action. It zips around quickly, and Caran keeps his eyes on it intently, waiting for it to strike. The remote then fires a single shot, which he deflects with a swipe of his saber. It eases back, which prompts Caran to relax a little; the remote notices it and takes advantage, lunging forward to shoot him in the leg.
He jumps back with another cry of pain, growling in frustration and limping back a few steps. He deactivates his lightsaber again, frustrated, and Jarik moves forward with a shake of his head while Tenzin frowns in disappointment.
"That's not working for you," he remarks.
"It's too fast," Caran grumbles. "I can't keep up with it."
"Too fast?" Jarik asks, raising an eyebrow. "Then don't trust your eyes."
"What do you mean?" he asks with a confused frown.
In response, Jarik walks over to a small pile of training equipment and picks up a helmet, bringing it over to Caran. He holds it up to him, and Caran instantly spots a problem; he won't be able to see out of it.
"I can't see out of that," he points out.
"That's right," Jarik nods.
Caran makes a face, looking up at him and waiting for further explanation, a bit baffled.
"How am I supposed to block something I can't see?" he asks.
"You don't need to see it with your eyes," he replies.
"He doesn't?" Korra asks, confused. "Wouldn't that be counterproductive though?"
"What he's saying is that Caran doesn't need to use his eyes to fight when he has other tools available to him," Tenzin explains, understanding. "Remember Toph Beifong? She's renowned as the greatest earthbender in history, yet she was born blind."
"But that's different. She had earthbending to help her," Caran points out.
"And you have the Force, remember?" Jarik sighs in exasperation. "Toph used her weakness as a strength and adapted, using her gift to see from a different perspective. With the Force it's no different, only your potential is much greater than hers."
Caran looks at the helmet, reluctant, but eventually concedes his point with a groan and takes it from Jarik, putting it on his head.
"This is ridiculous," he mutters.
"Don't think about seeing with your eyes," Jarik advises. "The Force is all around you. Stretch out with it as we practiced earlier. Feel your surroundings with it."
Jarik steps away to give Caran more space, and he takes a moment to gather himself. Exhaling heavily, Caran turns in the direction of the remote and grips his saber tightly in both hands, igniting the green blade. The remote springs into action, moving around him once more with a few quick dashes.
Doing as Jarik instructed, Caran reaches out into the Force and looks for its power, sensing it within him. Connecting with it, he starts to stretch his gaze out to the space around him, seeking the artificial being that's looking for an opening to attack. He waits, listening to the Force as it permeates throughout his body.
An image suddenly flashes through his mind of the remote zipping to his right, a red bolt firing out at him. Seeing this, Caran lifts his lightsaber up at the same time and deflects the laser bolt, and then swipes his lightsaber around three more times, catching three shots that he saw fire at him moments before. Surprised, he nevertheless lowers his lightsaber and turns it off, pulling the helmet off of his head with a stunned expression.
"You see? Not a problem," Jarik says, smiling.
"Wow… that was pretty cool. Nice job squirt!" Korra says with a grin.
"Yeah, nice work," Luon adds in agreement.
"Thanks guys," he replies a bit sheepishly, looking at Jarik as he plucks the remote out of the air and takes the helmet from him. "You were right, I could see the remote moving. Just before it happened."
"That's good. Even just a little bit of focus can give you great results," Jarik says in reply.
"Is that why Jedi are so good at saber combat?" Caran asks.
"Partially. For skilled combatants like me or the Knights of Ren, using the Force in such a manner becomes natural. We don't even have to think about it," he explains with a nod. "Knowing what move your opponent will attempt next makes it very hard for duelists to overcome each other, which is why we move so fast."
"That sounds really complicated," Caran says with a grimace.
"You'll get it," Jarik reassures him.
"Helllloooooo Team Avatar!" a voice yells.
The group all look over to see Bolin and Mako approaching them, the former with exaggerated enthusiasm while Mako rolls his eyes in exasperation.
"Hey guys," Luon greets. "What's up?"
"You hear the news?" Bolin asks with a grin.
Korra, Luon and Caran all share a slightly confused glance with each other.
"No… what news?" Korra asks.
"We've been invited... to Senator Shuno's fundraiser event at Future Industries!" Bolin declares excitedly, whipping out a piece of paper and starts to read it. "Dear Bolin and Mako; as members of Team Avatar we are honored to invite you to…"
"I think they get the idea Bo," Mako chides him in amusement.
"Right, right," he quickly replies, nodding his head.
"You guys all have letters too," Mako continues, holding them up in his hand. "You got one too, Jarik."
The mentioned Jedi raises a curious eyebrow but merely nods his head in acceptance, a thoughtful look on his face. The other three all look at each other in surprise and interest while Tenzin frowns thoughtfully.
"Asami's hosting a fundraiser for Senator Shuno?" Korra asks.
"And we're all invited! Isn't that great?!" Bolin exclaims eagerly.
"Sure, I guess," Luon shrugs. "When is it?"
"This evening," Mako says. "You guys in?"
"Sure. If it's Asami throwing a party, I'm cool with it," Korra says.
"Would I be… old enough?" Caran asks, making a face.
"You're part of the team! You'll be fine," she confidently replies.
"I won't be able to participate. I have a meeting with Lin this evening to discuss how we're going to deal with the Joker," Tenzin tells them.
"That guy's a nutcase," Mako scoffs.
"A brilliant nutcase," Luon corrects him.
"Not to mention sick," Korra adds.
Caran shivers a little at the reminder of the Joker, remembering what he did to Karrisi. Jarik and Korra both notice, the latter softening her gaze sadly at him.
"Well, sounds like we're in for the party!" Bolin says cheerfully, looking at Jarik. "What about you, space guy? You want to join in?"
"Tempting, but I think I'll pass," he replies with a shrug. "I'll be more helpful going with Tenzin anyways."
"Suit yourself," Bolin shrugs, a little disappointed.
Future Industries Tower - Republic City
Caran POV...
Later that night we all got ourselves dressed up and ready to go for the event. We all wore the same outfits that we had on at the party Tarrlok once threw for Korra, back during what feels like forever ago, so we all looked the part. Pema decided not to come to the fundraiser since her kids were so rowdy at the last party, especially Meelo, but Jinora was allowed to come. She looked nice in her red dress, with her hair brushed back in a loose bun. Pema was trusting enough of our group to chaperone her for the event.
Once we all arrived at the location of the fundraiser, which was in Future Industries Tower, we all showed our invitations and Asami's butler escorted us up to the penthouse, where the event was being held. Already there were a good number of guests present, ranging from celebrities, business owners, and other politicians. I felt a little bit out of place, as I'm sure Jinora did as well, being so young, but we decided to roll with it.
"Kind of reminds me of the last party we went to," Mako remarks.
"Better not be anymore Tarrlok's here," Korra grumbles, glancing around suspiciously.
"Come on, I doubt Asami would invite people like that," Luon says optimistically.
"Is Senator Shuno a cool person?" Jinora asks me curiously.
"I guess. He seems nice enough," I shrug in reply, thinking about our past encounters.
"Hey guys!" Asami calls out.
We look over to see her walking over to us, looking fashionably gorgeous of course. I'm not surprised. She's wearing a single-strap dress colored a deep red, with hair running down her shoulder in perfect soft waves. I withhold my laughter at sensing Korra's slight jealousy at how much prettier she looks compared to her.
"Hey Asami," Mako replies.
"Glad you all could come," she says with a smile.
"Thanks for inviting us! Who doesn't love a good party?!" Bolin exclaims in exaggeration.
"Yeah, who doesn't?" Korra jokes.
A rumbling echo all around the room cuts through the chatter of people, and we look over to see Senator Shuno standing at a podium over near the opposite end of the room, tapping on a microphone.
"If I could all have your attention, please?" he asks politely.
Conversation dies down as people turn to focus on him more, and our group moves forward a little bit as well. Satisfied, Shuno smiles at everyone and starts to speak.
"First off, I just want to thank Asami Sato for hosting this event," he says, raising an arm in a gesture to point her out. "Despite all of the obstacles in her path, she continues to strive for a better future for her company, moving away from the mistakes made by her father."
Asami's face turns slightly red in sheepish embarrassment at being put in the spotlight, and we give her our encouragement, Korra nudging her arm, while the crowd claps respectably.
"I also want to thank the group known as 'Team Avatar,' for their service in ridding this city of some of the most dangerous criminals we've faced. I'm not sure how well off we'd be without their support," Shuno adds.
More applause follows the statement, and seeing as we're all now in the center of attention it makes me a little bit embarrassed as well, although Bolin and Korra seem to be accepting it fairly well. Thankfully, it doesn't take long for the senator to resume his speech.
"In my career in politics, there've been many barriers that I've had to get around. And this is no different," he states, looking around. "What it all boils down to is who has the most support in an election. That's an important focus for many people. But in my case... I don't just want to have the support of people; I want to earn it. With a position as important as the office of a president, citizens want someone they can look up too, a man they can trust. And that's something I take very seriously. And in this race, it's very important to me that I campaign with the concerns of every citizen in mind. Now I can't promise that I can please everyone, but you know what? I'm going to make sure I give it my best shot. And I'm more than honored to have you all every step of the way. Thank you."
The people clap and applaud his short speech, and he steps down from the podium with a wave of his hand.
"Huh, nice," Korra comments.
"That's all you got to say?" Luon asks with a raised eyebrow.
"Meh. I'm not one for speeches and debates," she shrugs in reply.
"That's accurate," I nod in agreement.
Police Headquarters - Republic City
3rd person POV...
Tenzin and Jarik walk into Lin's office to find her seated at her desk, looking through police reports with obvious frustration. She glances up at him when he enters but looks back down and sighs, flipping a paper over.
"Having trouble?" he asks her.
"Way to spot the obvious," she replies sarcastically. "Figuring out the Joker's next move is a real pain in the butt. Nothing he does makes sense!"
"Well we do know his motive," Tenzin says. "He wants Jarik and Caran gone."
"Because the Knights of Ren want him gone. That doesn't explain him," she points out.
"He's a tool for them. And he knows it," Jarik theorizes, frowning. "Whatever their goal is, it benefits him."
Lin hums thoughtfully in acknowledgement, and then Saikhan enters the office with a card in his hand. He gives Tenzin and Jarik nod and then stands beside Lin's desk, placing the card on its surface.
"We've analyzed the card left behind on the girls body, but nothing seems to come up," he reports.
"Well that's a bust," Lin says, frowning. "Any ideas on his next targets?"
"Based on what we've gathered, I think he's likely to go after Senator Shuno. Or anyone close to him," he theorizes.
Lin picks up the Joker card and flips it over with a frown, going through her notes again with a critical eye.
"You don't mind if I take a drink, do you chief?" Saikhan asks.
"Be my guest," she replies. "There's enough going on to make anyone stressed."
While she's doing so, the other three turn to each other in conversation, the former pulling out a small bottle of juice from the desk and pouring its contents into a cup.
"I would've thought you'd go to the Senator's fundraiser," Saikhan remarks to Tenzin.
"Normally. But seeing how the City Council's dissolved I don't think my presence will mean much," Tenzin tells him. "There are several things to take care of down here as well."
"True enough. We need all the help we can get," Saikhan nods in agreement, eyeing the cup in his hand. "Wasn't your brother, Commander Bumi, hanging around?"
Tenzin's expression falls to exasperation and annoyance.
"He's putting in his retirement papers," he sighs. "As soon as he finishes that he's said he wants to live on the island with us."
"You don't seem too happy about that," he notes, raising the glass to his lips.
"He's my brother, but it's hard to stand him sometimes," Tenzin explains with a shrug.
While they conversed with each other, Lin continued to look over her notes on the Joker, and the card itself. On the card she notices a few small markings written on the back, unable to recognize them.
"That's strange..." she murmurs.
Noticing her thoughtfulness and confusion, Jarik leaves the conversation and goes to stand beside Lin, looking down at the card along with her.
"What is?" he asks her.
"These markings," she says, pointing to the top right corner of the card. "They look like they're supposed to mean something."
Recalling the previous Joker cards she's picked up since he started his crime spree, Lin rips open a drawer of her desk and pulls out two others, placing them beside the card she was studying initially. She frowns upon noticing similar markings in the same spot of the others, although they were different in appearance. Jarik however, eyes the markings with recognition.
"You're right," he confirms with a nod, a bit cautious. "I know this writing."
"Can you read it?" Lin asks hopefully.
"This is an ancient dialect used by the Sith," he tells her, translating the symbols in his head. "These are names..."
"Names?" Saikhan asks, catching part of their conversation. "What names?"
"There are symbols written on these cards. Jarik says they spell out names," Lin explains.
"Symbols that Jarik can read?" Tenzin asks carefully, thinking hard. "That must mean the Knights of Ren are responsible for writing them."
"Seems so. But why?" Lin asks, frowning in confusion.
"I've got it," Jarik says, reading off of the cards. "'Ivan, Lenehn... Beifong.'"
As he finishes translating he looks up at her with a concerned expression, the others surprised at hearing the names read as well. Lin looks on in bewilderment and unease, before whipping her gaze over to Saikhan in horrified realization as he sips on his drink. She received that bottle of juice this morning...
"Wait, stop!" she exclaims, jumping up from her seat.
Tenzin glances at her in surprise before looking on in alarm as Saikhan starts to choke, stumbling backwards with pained gasps. He falls to the ground on the floor with intense coughs, Tenzin, Jarik, and Lin immediately crouching down to tend to him in a panic.
"Get a medic!" Lin shouts.
Tenzin wastes no time in rushing out of the door, shouting for a doctor or medic to come in while Lin tries desperately to help him, not knowing what to do. It's too late for anyone to come in however, as Saikhan falls still with lifeless eyes, small bubbles forming in his mouth from the poison. Jarik scowls in helpless frustration as his inability to do something in this situation, and then looks up with a grim stare, sensing something through the Force.
"The others are in danger," he says slowly.
Lin looks up at Jarik in surprise, but he sprints out of the room faster than she would've expected. He could sense danger coming from the location of the fundraiser event that everyone else, including Ivan Shuno, was at.
Suburban neighborhood - Republic City
Two men in officer uniforms knock on the door of a house in the suburbs. A man inside opens the door with a frown on his face; the judge who overlooked the case that threw the bending triads in jail. The two officers hold up identification badges, getting his attention.
"Judge Lenehn?" one of them says.
"Yes, that's me. What do you want?" he questions cautiously.
"We believe the Joker has made a threat against your life," he informs him.
"Against me?" Lenehn says, surprised.
"Chief Beifong wants us to make sure you get to a safe location," the other says. "You're to follow the directions we provide you."
"I'm sure it's not that serious to warrant-" he starts to say.
"I'm sorry sir, but it's the Chief's orders. He's expecting you there," the first states firmly.
"Beifong wants me to go right now?" Lenehn asks.
"These are dangerous people, Judge. Even we don't know where you're going," the second admits.
Judge Lenehn shakes his head in frustration but complies with their request, grabbing his jacket and car keys before walking with the two officers out to his car. Once he gets there, the first officer hands him an envelope, which he accepts with some hesitance.
"Get in, then open the envelope. It'll tell you where you're headed," he explains.
"There better be a good reason I have to drive who knows where for something that's not even certain," Lenehn scoffs in frustration, opening the door.
"Chief Beifong will answer any questions you have once you arrive," the other reassures him.
They both head back to their vehicle while Lenehn gets inside of his car with an irritated shake of his head, shutting the door once he's seated. Looking down at the envelope in his hands, he easily opens it and pulls out a letter, flipping the page open to read the directions. He frowns in confusion when he reads only one word:
UP.
Lenehn glances up at the ceiling of his car, and before he could react to what he saw the entire vehicle explodes in a massive fireball, the two 'police officers' driving away in their own car without looking back.
An entire stack of Joker cards litter the ground around the flaming vehicle, leaving their mark.
Future Industries Tower - Republic City
Caran POV...
I peek out of the door both ways, smiling in satisfaction when I see it's not likely we'll be disturbed. Pulling my head back inside I close the door and turn to the others, making my way over to the group. We all decided to gather inside of what Asami said was the master bedroom of the penthouse. It had a big bed along the side, as well as several large couches gathered around a small table. The room didn't really have walls, just glass windows that stretched all the way around the exterior.
"I still can't believe buildings get this fancy," I remark.
"No kidding," Korra nods in agreement.
"I will never not be amazed by such luxury..." Bolin whimpers, his eyes wide as he looks around in amazement, almost crying.
"Bro, seriously?" Mako asks him.
"What? No matter what building Asami owns, it's always a man's paradise!" he defends himself.
"You better hope this fundraiser helps her, otherwise it's bye-bye fancy tower," Luon comments.
"That must be stressful. I've read a lot of negative things about Future Industries in the newspaper," Jinora comments with a frown.
"Yeah, the press suck," he replies with a nod.
"Too bad she can't join us right now," Korra remarks.
"She said she'll be here in a couple minutes, she just has to deal with a few more of the 'trust fund' brigade," Mako explains.
I sit down beside Jinora while Bolin manages to tear himself away from gazing happily at the room around us, plopping himself onto the couch beside Mako.
"Well, we might as well figure out what game we're gonna play while we wait for her!" he declares.
"Oooh, ohh, how about Pai Shao?" Jinora suggests eagerly.
"Do we have a board for that?" I ask curiously.
"Come on, there's no way this place doesn't have a board," Bolin says.
"Shame it's only two players," Luon says.
"A shame indeed, my young friends," a sinister voice interrupts.
We all freeze up in shock, recognizing the voice and jumping to our feet. Swiftly turning around I widen my eyes in surprise and fear upon seeing the Messenger standing in the doorway, his head covered by a dark mask and hood, and his lightsaber hilt is held in his hand, not yet activated.
"AAH!" Bolin yelps in surprise.
"You!" Korra shouts angrily.
Before I could pull out my own lightsaber or react, the Messenger raises his hand and blows us all away with a Force push, sending us sprawling over the couch in a heap of tumbling bodies. I grunt in pain, my lightsaber slipping out of my grasp and coming to a stop beside a black boot. I look up, even more fear filling me at seeing Vyra Ren towering over us, a sinister grin on her face.
"It seems as though Shan has not trained you well, child," she sneers.
Raising her hand, she unleashes a stream of black Force lightning out at all of us. During the next few seconds I could only perceive a few things: agonizing pain, and the faint sound of everyone's screams. Then I black out.
3rd person POV...
Vyra lowers her hand, looking over the smoking bodies of Caran, Korra, Luon, Jinora, Mako, and Bolin, scoffing in contempt. The Messenger steps forward and raises his lightsaber to activate it, but she gestures at him to back down.
"Stay your blade," she warns him. "Not yet."
"I thought you wanted me to kill these brats," Messenger scowls in confusion, irritated.
"That was before we lost the abilities provided by Amon," she reminds him, his lips curled into a slight snarl at recalling his failure. "Now we must be patient. The death of these children, while inevitable, is now premature."
"Fine," he growls angrily, putting his saber away. "But don't blame me the next time they become a nuisance."
"My master has a plan, Messenger. You'll get the chance to sate your bloodlust," she promises him.
The Messenger scoffs, glaring down at the unconscious Team Avatar with anger and frustration, his glare remaining on Caran the longest. Just then they both look up upon sensing something, and Vyra presses her lips into a thin line.
"Shan is fast approaching. Pull back for now," she tells the Messenger. "We've done our part in reminding these fools that they are helpless against us."
Ivan Shuno and Mera both walk through a door and into the kitchen for some privacy, the former shaking his head in exasperation.
"You cannot leave me on my own with these people," Shuno scoffs.
"Pretty much all of the bending triads are after you, and you're worried about these guys?" Mera asks incredulously, gesturing back in the direction of the party room.
"Compared to this, the triads don't scare me," he jokes in reply, before his expression becomes more thoughtful. "Although I will say, them gunning for you makes you see things clearly."
"Oh, yeah?" she asks curiously.
"Yeah. It makes you think about what you couldn't stand losing," he says, looking at her intently. "And who you want to spend the rest of your life with…"
Mera pauses for a second, looking directly into his eyes, a bit startled by the implication.
"The rest of your life, huh? That's a pretty big commitment," she points out.
"Not if the triads get their way," Shuno replies jokingly.
"Don't be like that," Mera scolds him.
"Okay. Let's be serious," he concedes with a nod, a hopeful look on his face. "What's your answer?"
Mera glances down, biting her lip nervously as she considers the possibility of what he's suggesting.
"I... don't really have an answer right now," she replies softly.
His face falls, but he shrugs it off lightly with a small smile.
"I guess no answer isn't 'no,'" he points out.
"I'm sorry, Ivan," she says apologetically, shaking her head. "I just…"
"It's someone else, isn't it?" he asks hesitantly, a bit cautious.
"No, of course not!" she states firmly in reply. "It's just a lot to think about."
"I guess that's fair," he sighs, shrugging his shoulders. "At least I don't have to worry about competing for some other…"
Whatever Shuno was about to say was cut off as a hand clamps down over his mouth, taking them both by surprise. During their conversation, Jarik had come up quietly from behind. Shuno lets out a muffled cry of surprise while Mera yelps in alarm. He wrestles with Jarik, panicking, but is easily subdued and dragged back toward a closet.
Although still startled and panicky, Mera does recognize Jarik for who he is, having seen his face at the press conference he participated in, and her fear quickly turns into astonishment, confusion, and a bit of anger.
"What the- hey!" she exclaims with a scowl, marching forward. "What are you doing with him?!"
Shuno slumps unconscious in Jarik's grip, and the Jedi quickly opens the closet and shoves him inside, locking it closed with a metal bar.
"They've come for him," Jarik replies sternly.
Sudden screams of fear echo out from the party before quickly going silent, and Mera looks back in realization, a new sense of alarm filling her.
"Stay hidden," he tells her, running off.
"Wh- after you just locked him in a closet?!" she calls out after him. "Hey!"
Jarik doesn't respond, his cape billowing as he disappears around the corner to leave Mera alone by herself, bewildered and annoyed.
The butler to the Sato family, and by extension, the Sato estate, approached the elevator door in calm strides, the bell above it ringing to signify new arrivals. He opens the door to greet the newcomers, only to stop in confusion as he sees a police officer standing there with his badge out, looking unusually tense and nervous. His confusion quickly changes to surprise and fear as the cop is shoved down by the Joker, revealing a band of thugs with him.
"We made it!" the Joker chirps, brandishing a DT-29 blaster pistol.
He shoves his way past the butler, who backs up with a nervous expression on his face, and marches confidently into the party room with his band of thugs, all wearing clown masks. Raising his blaster pistol into the air he fires off a shot, which releases a startling loud noise to get everyone's attention. The party guests let out a few shouts of surprise and fear, some of the women screaming in alarm at the sudden appearance, before falling silent as the criminals begin to move amongst them.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen!" the Joker greets cheerfully, lowering his blaster.
He starts to walk around the room, the guests all giving him a wide berth as he does so, and his thugs follow along with him. Some have blasters of their own, which they use to threaten the party guests and keep them back, while others just use their bending talents, mainly with fire. The Joker looks around with a raised eyebrow, casually kicking a metal tray that had fallen to the ground.
"We are… tonight's entertainment!" he continues with a wide grin.
He picks up a skewer and bites off a small piece of fruit before setting it back down, chewing viciously and looking up at the guests.
"I only have one question," he says between bites, taking a moment to swallow. "Where is, Ivan Shuno?"
The Joker pauses for a moment, glancing around in expectancy of an answer, only to roll his eyes when nobody does. He approaches a line of neatly dressed men and women, making them flinch in fear as he points his blaster, and swipes a small drink from one of them. He thrusts the wine glass up, causing all of the liquid to fly out and spatter all over the floor, and lifts it to his lips to drink as if it was still there before casually setting it back down onto the tray of a stunned waiter.
"You know who Ivan is? You know who he is?" he asks casually, smacking a few people.
Jarik marches down the hallway with a hardened expression on his face, making his way to the party room. Turning around a corner he comes across one of the criminals standing in the hallway, carrying a DLT-19 blaster rifle. The thug looks up in surprise at his entrance, before ignorantly scoffing in amusement.
"You came in the wrong costume pretty boy?" he asks mockingly, raising his blaster rifle. "Hands up before I use this- AGH!"
The thug yelps in surprise as Jarik lunges forward and smacks the rifle upwards. He tries to retaliate, but it only takes a few moments for Jarik to kick him in the kneecap and then rip the blaster rifle out of his hands, swinging it like a bat and connecting it with his face. The thug is hit hard enough to knock him off his feet, where he hits the ground flat on his back with a pained groan, falling unconscious.
With practiced ease, Jarik dismantles the DLT-19 into several pieces without losing pace in his walk, his mask forming over his face to shine in the light while he pulls his hood up as well.
The Joker gently grabs a terrified woman's face, peering into her eyes.
"You know an 'Ivan?' I need to talk to him about something, something little, hmm?" he asks cheekily.
The woman however doesn't respond, paralyzed with fear, and after a little shake of her head he released her and moves on with a dull expression, exasperated.
"Nope," he comments dismissively. "Someone's gotta know who I'm talking about, right? No?"
He stops beside a food tray with a sigh, popping another piece of fruit into his mouth while the guests look on incredulously.
"You know, I'll settle for his loved ones," he suggests casually, putting his blaster back in its holster and reaching out for a drink.
"We're not intimidated by thugs!" an old man snaps, scowling at him.
The Joker pauses in his chewing, fixing the old man with a look and narrowing his eyes as if in recognition. Placing the cup down rather hard he nods his head and reaches down to his pocket.
"You know, you remind me of my father," the Joker remarks. Without warning he lunges out and grabs the man behind his head, holding a small knife up to his face. "I hated my father!"
"Hey! Joker!" a voice calls out.
The Joker pauses in his actions and shifts his gaze over slowly, resting his eyes on the sight of a young woman with black hair standing in the middle of the room, glaring at him.
"I'd suggest you get out before things get ugly," she demands.
He raises an amused eyebrow and lets go of the old man, shoving him away to let his goons take care of him. Walking towards the woman, the Joker licks his finger and uses it to brush his messy hair back more cleanly, humming with curiosity.
"Well hello beautiful," he says, gesturing to her with his knife knowingly. "You must be Ms. Asami Sato!"
"That's right," Asami says, taking a step forward without fear. "And in case you didn't realize it, you never received an invite."
"Oh, I invited myself, missy," the Joker replies, smirking. "I hope you don't mind too badly."
He starts to circle her, analyzing her with predatory eyes while Asami watches his every move unfazed, tensing up only slightly. A few of his thugs come forward to surround them, also keeping the crowd back several feet from them. Seeing that she wasn't too intimidated by his circling of her, the Joker nods in satisfaction, coming to a stop in front of her.
"Nice to see you're not a skimpy damsel," he comments, reaching out to her. "Still, you seem a bit tense. Is it the scars?"
Asami furrows her brow in bewilderment at his question, and he looks back at her with a curious gleam in his eyes.
"Wanna know how I got 'em?" he asks, reaching out to her. "Come here."
He grabs her arm and steps up to her, also reaching out to hold her face. Asami scoffs angrily and shoves him back slightly, intending to fight him when the sound of guns being cocked gains her attention, and a quick glance shows the other goons tensing up, ready to aim and shoot her if she resisted. She scowls but halts her movements in favor of glaring at the Joker, who continues holding her jaw as if nothing happened, his knife casually held in the same hand as an incentive of restraint.
"See, I had a wife, who was beautiful, like you... who tells me I worry too much. Who tells me I oughta smile more. Who gambles. And gets in deep with the sharks," he starts off, launching into his tale. "One day they carve her face, and we've got no money for surgeries. She can't take it."
He presses the tip of his blade lightly against Asami's cheek, making her grimace uneasily, but she still continues to listen in disgust at his story, her glare hardening.
"I just want to see her smile again. I just want her to know I don't care about the scars!" the Joker says longingly. "So I put a razor in my mouth, and do this... to myself.
He uses his knife to emphasize his gestures, waving it alongside his mouth while making chewing motions.
"And you know what? She can't stand the sight of me!" he cries out angrily. "She leaves! See, now I see the funny side. Now I'm always smiling!"
The Joker waves his hands with a wild green for emphasis, and Asami finally snaps. She grabs the wrist of his hand holding onto her arm and twists it, lifting her foot up and then kicking him in the chest to knock him away. The Joker stumbles back with a grunt of pain, but gestures to his thugs to pull back when they start to aim their blasters, standing back up with a delighted smirk, chuckling at her.
"A little fight in you!" he says gleefully, approaching her again. "I like that."
"Then you're gonna love me," another voice interrupts.
Both Asami and the Joker look over in surprise to see Jarik appear out of nowhere, garbed in his full Jedi attire, mask covering his face. He swings an arm and slugs the Joker in the chest, knocking him down to slide across the floor on his back. The rest of the thugs all jump into action, charging at the Jedi. Asami takes the opportunity to roll out of harm's way, muttering angrily under her breath as her movement is hampered slightly by her dress.
One thug leaps forward with a swing of his arm, but Jarik leans out of the way and retaliates by kicking him down. Another shoots his blaster rifle at him, but Jarik whips around with his lightsaber out and deflects the blast back at him, the bolt hitting him in the chest. Party guests scream in fright at the sudden battle, but the combatants pay them no mind. A firebender throws a ball of fire at Jarik, but he swipes his lightsaber up to cut through the flames and then jumps over to kick him in the head, knocking him out cold.
Asami takes a step back to avoid one thug who tries grabbing her and then dashes forward, gripping his arm and then twisting around to throw him to the ground, kicking him in the head to knock him unconscious.
The Joker scrambles to his feet with a snarl, looking over to watch as Jarik slices a blaster in half with his lightsaber before blasting them against the wall with the Force. Looking behind him, the Joker surprises one of his goons by grabbing them and then swings them around in Jarik's direction as a makeshift weapon.
Jarik turns around only to receive a swift punch to the face from the guy shoved at him, stumbling back with a surprised grunt. Another thug jumps on him from behind in an attempt to restrain his arms while the first creates a ball of fire in his hands. Jarik reaches his arm out as the firebender throws his blast down, grabbing his wrist before he could finish it off so the fire flies past him harmlessly, and then yanks him down to slam his face against the hard floor. Before he could take care of the goon restraining him, the Joker starts to pummel him with swift kicks in quick succession, and he lifts his arms to protect himself.
Clicking the heel of his boot against the floor, the Joker grins as a small blade snaps out of the front, and he kicks Jarik once more. Jarik grunts in pain as the small blade pierces him before shoving him back. The Joker stumbles for a second, laughing in delight, and then starts moving forward to kick him once more. However, Jarik reaches behind him to grab the thug restraining him and yanks on his arms, a cry of pain coming from him as he dislocates his shoulder and slams him to the floor.
Finally free, Jarik whips around and throws a fierce punch at the Joker once more, striking him in the chest and sending him sliding across the floor with a grunt of pain. The Joker scrambles back towards his blaster with a growl of frustration while Jarik turns to face the last criminal who throws fireballs at him.
Asami whips around upon hearing a growl from behind her, crying out in surprise as the Joker tackles her to the floor. She elbows him in the gut and attempts to free herself, but he merely snickers at her attempts without a care in the world and yanks her up to her feet, aiming the blaster at her forehead with a finger on the trigger, restraining her in front of him. Asami stills in unease, unable to do anything else without risking getting her head blown off.
"Easy missy," the Joker whispers.
Jarik uses the Force to cast a fireball harmlessly to the floor and then pulls the firebender through the air with it, lashing his foot out and kicking him unconscious. He whips around upon hearing the commotion and sees the Joker restraining Asami with a blaster leveled point blank at her forehead, grinning triumphantly at him.
"Drop it, now," he orders firmly, taking a step forward.
"Oh, and risk the wrath of the great Jarik Shan, esteemed Jedi Master?" he scoffs in amusement. "First I'd like to talk about how you should just take that little trainee of yours and leave our planet, hmm?"
Jarik doesn't respond, only narrowing his eyes. The Joker chuckles at him and then aims his blaster behind him, firing off a shot that blows out a pane of glass. Asami yelps in surprise, and he wrestles her over to the opening and dangles her by the ledge.
"You're making a big mistake Joker," Jarik says slowly, taking another step forward. "Let her go."
The Joker just looks back at him with a baffled expression which quickly turns into an amused and condescending smirk.
"Very poor choice of words," he says mockingly.
With a laugh, the Joker releases Asami so that she falls out of the window, over a drop of several hundred feet. Widening his eyes in alarm, Jarik wastes no time in sprinting forward while the Joker backs away to give him plenty of room, laughing at him as he passes by. He jumps out of the window without hesitation and angles his body in a straight line towards Asami, who he can see below her.
Asami screams in terror, her hair whipping around her face as she plummets helplessly down to the city street below. Scowling in determination, Jarik holds his arms out and grabs her with the Force, pulling her back to him. Once in reaching distance he grabs a hold of her, and Asami latches on tightly in desperation. She continues to scream however as they fall, and Jarik looks down at the ground below, which is fast approaching.
Calling on the tremendous Force powers available to him, he secures his grip on Asami with his left arm while holding out his right hand, generating a bubble beneath them. Only a few dozen feet from the ground they begin to slow down, their speed rapidly decreasing and changing more to a soft descent. Finally they come to a gentle landing as Jarik lands in a crouch, using the Force to soften and stabilize their fall. Asami is no longer screaming but is still latched onto Jarik tightly with all four limbs, eyes squeezed shut in fear.
"It's ok… you're safe now," Jarik tells her softly.
Still unsure, Asami hesitantly opens one eyelid to see if he's telling the truth, her eyes widening more as she realizes they're safely on the ground and no longer plummeting to their deaths. She glances at Jarik, who retracts his mask to smile at her reassuringly.
"Holy Shu…" she murmurs in shock. "We're not falling…"
"We aren't," he replies with a nod.
Reluctantly, as if fearing to release him would mean she'd continue falling, Asami slowly untangles herself from Jarik and places her feet on the ground with a slight tremor, pulling her arms back as well to stand on her own. Jarik places a hand on her back with a look of concern.
"You alright?" he asks her.
"Yeah, I'm ok…" she replies slowly, looking at him in amazement. "Thank you, so… so much!"
"You're welcome," he replies, smiling reassuringly at her.
"Oh no!" Asami exclaims, panicking again. "The rest of the people, Korra and the others-"
"They're fine," Jarik quickly interrupts. "The Joker's not up there anymore."
"What?" she asks incredulously.
"He was only looking for the senator. Everything else was just fun and games to him," he tells her, looking up at the building with narrowed eyes. "I do know that he's not done just yet."
Caran POV...
The Joker lunges out at me through the mist several times, laughing and snarling with each attack. I stumble back in fear to avoid him, and he slinks into the shadows once more, howling with laughter. Then it's the Knights of Ren, Vyra and the Messenger, who jump out and take a few swipes at me with either a lightsaber or Vyra's sharp fingernails. Sometimes lightning gets blasted at me, and I scream in fear in anticipation of the pain, only to feel nothing.
The hanging corpse of Karrisi dangles in the air a few feet away, taunting me, reminding me of the horrors of these lunatics.
"Long have I waited..." a deep voice growls.
I whip around, hyperventilating as I gaze upon a large, spiky thrown made out of black stone, lightning flashing around it to provide brief moments of illumination. A dark shadowy figure is seated on the throne, the only thing I can see from them without the lightning flashes are their glowing red eyes.
"Such lost potential in you, Caran. I am what you could aspire to be."
I back away from the dark figure, noticing the faint gleam of a smile on his face. He looks like pure evil.
"I will give you so much more..." he growls.
"You have nothing to give me!" I snap in an attempt of defiance, stumbling back from him.
"My boy, you will have to face the truth soon. And when Jarik Shan discovers your secret, he will turn on you," he sneers mockingly.
"Stay away!" I scream, turning around and running away.
I don't know what to feel, only fear and pain.