Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. We finally broke a hundred all across the board! Again, thank you all so much for your support. And with that, on with the chapter:

Ryou stood next to the marble coffin, his hand placed upon the lid. The temple he was in was aglow with lit candles and sticks of incense, and yet the warrior ignored it. Resting beside him was a pack, stuffed full of clothing and other things one would need for a long trip. A katana was strapped to his hip, his other hand resting lazily on it's hilt. His hair was longer, coming down to his jaw line, and yet being pulled back into a top knot.

"It's true. You are leaving," came a woman's voice from behind him. Turning, Ryou found a middle aged woman standing in the entrance to the temple. Her brown hair came down to her ears, and her green eyes were filled with a mixture of sadness and anger.

"There are things I've been putting off for years that I need to attend to, questions that must be answered. It's time I address it," he said.

"You are needed here. The Warriors..."

"I have no more to teach the Warriors in the way of the sword."

"And the Governor's office?"

"Will be passed to you, or the person of your choosing. All official problems have been settled. The reason you're here is a personal one, is it not?" The woman looked at her feet.

"I've already lost one parent this year," she said before looking back up at him with tears in her eyes, "I'm not ready to lose another!" Ryou stepped away from the coffin and placed a hand upon her shoulder.

"My beloved daughter. I've watched you grow from a small child into a fully grown woman with a family of her own. You've become a far better woman then either your mother or I could have dreamed. But that also means that you don't need either of us to be there for you anymore."

"I still need a father."

"And I'm not saying that you don't. But in case you haven't noticed, I've not aged a day since you were but a baby swaddled in blankets. There are questions that need answering, and it was your mother's wish that I find those answers," Ryou said. She looked past him to the coffin.

"You really do miss her, don't you?" His face fell slightly.

"Of course I miss her."

"It's just...I don't think I ever saw you cry. You were stoic, and I could tell that you were far more unhappy, but I never saw you truly express how you felt."

"We all deal with grief in our own ways, Koko. I felt that it was best I keep such things to myself."

"You're allowed to cry when your wife passes away, dad," Koko deadpanned. Ryou simply gave her a tired smile before he embraced her in a firm hug.

"You will write, won't you?" she asked.

"Of course."

"And you'll come home as often as you can."

"Now who's the parent and who's the child here?" he asked, pulling back to cock an eyebrow at her.

"It's only natural for the child to worry about the parent as they get on in age," Koko said with a shrug.

"I can handle myself, child. I'll be dead in the ground before I give that up."

There is something to be said about the phrase 'not appreciating something until it's gone'. For me, my life had be come something of a strange paradox of sorts since I had lost my sight. I was still as active and energetic as ever, and yet I found myself hindered by things that would have normally not been a problem. Like the edge of the small table that I just stubbed my foot on.

"Son of a.." I hissed in pain as I bounced in place, holding my foot as I waited for the stinging sensation in my toes to fade. As much as I hated to admit it, ramming into things wasn't the only problem I was having. I could take down a few mecha tanks, but when it came to little things like shaving, I was all but powerless. Which was why I was here in the first place.

At the moment, I was looking for Korra. My young student/girlfriend had been helping me with little things here and there. And now the facial hair resting on my cheeks and jaw line was getting to the point that it was starting to get annoying. So here I was, making my way toward her room with a razor in my hand.

When my foot finally stopped throbbing, I resumed my walk forward. Arriving at her door, I gave a short knock, but wasn't greeted with a reply. Waiting a moment, I tried again and got the same result.

"Korra?" I asked, opening the door slightly and peaking my head in, listening for any sounds of the occupant. There was nothing, not the sound of breathing, nor the smell of a lily that indicated her presence. The room was deserted. Turning, I began to make my way forward again. It was still fairly early in the morning, so there was only so many places she could be.

As I approached a nearby bathroom, I felt the air in the hallway shift slightly. The damp smell of steam was on the air, indicating that someone had been taking a shower. Or someone's steam heater had burst. But given the lack of people in the hallway I figured the former was more likely. Locating the door, I gave a short quick knock before opening it.

"Korra, you in here?" I asked.

"RYOU!" Korra responded, sounding startled.

"Ah, there you are. I need your help with something real quick."

"Can you wait outside please?!" she sounded distressed, and my ears picked up on the sound of fabric being rearranged. Wait, between the way she was acting and the steam in the air...oh don't tell me.

"You're naked, aren't you?" I asked.

"I'm in a towel," came the terse reply. Yeah that's what I thought.

"Oh. Sorry. I'll wait outside for you to get something on," I said before closing the door. Now I'm not going to lie, but I was really cursing the fact that I couldn't see at that moment. Korra is physically fit and tough as nails, but she's not without her feminine qualities. This was something I found highly attractive in a woman, but it was a combination that was kinda rare.

There was a moment there where I actually found myself kicking the wall in frustration. Part of it was because I was mad at myself. I should have waited until I had gotten a response before opening the door. The other reason was that I was reaching the limits of my frustration. I hadn't fully adapted to being blind, and I was starting to wonder if I ever would. Hell if I could see, I wouldn't be in the situation I was in right now.

The sound of the door opening reached my ears, and I turned my head toward it.

"Okay."

"I'm sorry about bursting in. I should have waited until I heard a response."

"It's alright. It's not like you could see anything anyway. What did you need help with?" she asked. I smiled at that. If she could joke about it, that meant it hadn't bothered her all that much

"I need a little help," I said, holding up my razor.

"In my defense, I've never had to shave my face before," Korra said as she healed a gash on my cheek. I was sitting with my head cocked head to the side, waiting for her to finish. A few smart assed retorts crossed my mind, but I had learned long ago to not piss off the person who had was applying the bandages.

"I'm just glad Katara passed on her knowledge to someone with a level head on their shoulders," I replied.

"If only it worked on your eyes," she said, her voice sounding a little down at that. Then, like a bolt of lightning, a solution to my current problems stuck me.

"I'm an idiot!" I yelled, hopping to my feet.

"Hey, I didn't do that bad of a job," Korra defended.

"Not that, this!" I said, waving my hand in front of my eyes, "I've been sitting on the solution to this problem the whole damn time and I didn't realize it till now."

"Okay, care to let me in on the secret?" she asked.

"There's a monastery in the mountains, with a spring of Spirit Water," I said.

"Spirit Water is much better at healing then regular water," she noted. Ah, she had paid attention in her healing lessons, good.

"Exactly. I'm gonna go there and get some, and get my eyes fixed," I said.

"Great, when do we leave?" she asked. Wait, what? When did we agree on that? It's not that I didn't want her going, in fact I would have loved for her to come along. But with the Revolution getting to the boiling point that it was at, she was needed here.

"I need you to stay here," I said.

"What? No, I'm going with you!"

"Korra, Amon and his lackeys are getting more and more bold. You're needed here," I argued.

"Ryou, I'm don't want to point out the elephant rhino in the room, but you're blind."

"So?"

"So, you can't even get around here without stubbing your foot on something, how do you plan on climbing a mountain by yourself?" she asked. I sighed. I hadn't wanted to tell her about the Observer's gifts, but it seemed that now I wasn't getting out of it. Raising my left hand, I clenched it into a fist.

Instantly, my vision went from being black to an orange color. It was like looking through a piece of amber. For the first time in almost two weeks, I saw Korra's face. Her hair was down as she regarded me with a concerned expression.

"You look good with your hair down," I said. She blinked, and then looked closer at my eyes.

"Wait, what the...what's up with your eyes?"

"It's a little trick I picked up a long time ago," I said. She waved her hand in front of my face, judging my reaction.

"So all this time you've been able to see?"

"No. It's only temporary. It wears off after a minute or two," I explained.

"That's how you were able to take down those mecha tanks!" she said, the events of the other night finally clicking into place for her. I merely gave her a smile in response, watching as she and the rest of the room faded back into darkness. My heart sank a little at that, but it was what I had come to expect.

"I still feel that I should go with you," she said, taking my hand in hers. I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I know. And I am grateful. But this is something I need to do on my own." She let out a sigh, but didn't seem to want to try and continue to convince me. Once I had it in my mind about something, there was no changing it, and she knew it. Continuing to argue would just be a waste of breath.

"Just come back to me whole this time," she said, pulling me into a hug. I raised my arms and returned it, enveloping her in my embrace.

"I will," I promised.

It was blistering cold, that much he was certain of. The wind howled off the mountain slopes, propelling flakes of snow along with them. Yet Ryou stood against it, bracing as it buffered against him. He was wearing heavier winter clothing, including a jacket with a hood up and a scarf that covered his nose and mouth. In his hands was the walking stick he had taken for himself from Air Temple Island.

His pale eyes looked out over the valley before him. Even though he couldn't see it, he could defiantly feel it. There was something about this place. It radiated not only a sense of power, but of reverence and timelessness as well. In the heart of the valley stood the lone tower of a temple. With another gust of wind, the ageless man began his decent.

Unlike the snow capped areas surrounding it, the spring and grounds around it were unseasonably warm and green. It was like a greenhouse, only no structure at all surrounded the place. Ryou walked towards it, lowering his hood and scarf as he got closer. He breathed in through his nose, savoring both the warmth and the pleasant smells from around him.

"You seem lost, young one," came a female voice to his right. Ryou didn't jump, but rather turned his attention toward the sound of the voice. Approaching him wearing a set of robes that were a combination of green and gold was a woman. Her scalp had been shaved clean, she even moved with the grace of an airbender.

"I am searching for the spring," he replied.

"If you've come seeking to extend your existence, then you have come to the wrong place. Only pain and heartache await those who walk that path."

"I seek only to repair what has been damaged," Ryou said, a hint of knowing in his voice.

"It is against our creed to turn away those who seek healing. Please, this way," the woman said. Ryou followed her, not particularly looking at anything as they walked.

"So there have been others seeking the spring?" he asked.

"Yes. Although the numbers have been rather small in recent decades. As the world has modernized, we have slipped into legend. I think that is how our master would prefer it," the woman explained.

"Your master?"

"Yes. He is the stuff of legend in his own right. An immense man with white hair, he discovered this spring long ago and established this monastery to watch over it. He still comes by from time to time, but only rarely."

"Does this man have a name?" Ryou asked. His face was stoic, so as to hide his true thoughts on the matter.

"He does, but we are not permitted to speak it to outsiders. He prefers his solitude. I'm sure you can understand."

"I do," Ryou answered. The spring itself was a small pool of water surrounded on all sides by rocks. A small waterfall flowed from an opening in the cliff face, keeping the pool level steady with a constant stream of water. Life flourished around the water, despite the harsh winter conditions that were not very far away.

Although Ryou couldn't see it, he could hear it. When he opened his mouth he could taste it on the air. And when he inhaled, he could smell it. This place radiated life, a virtual paradise.

"May I ask, what is it you seek to heal?" the woman asked.

"My eyes."

"Then please, step forward," she instructed. Ryou removed his coat, stepped forward and sank to his knees as if he was meditating. The woman began to move her arms about, and a tendril of water snaked its way from the pool. She kept up this motion until the water wound itself around the swordsman's head, primary covering his eyes.

Inhaling and then exhaling slowly, the woman held her arms out, using her bending to keep the water in place as she moved closer. As her fingertips brushed the water, the liquid began to glow a bright blue color. For several minutes she did her work, her attention never turning away. Finally, she removed the water from Ryou's head and returned it to the pool.

"How are your wounds now?" she asked as he used his coat to dry off his face. Looking up, the swordsman blinked a few times. His eyes, which had been a murky gray color, were now hazel, a mixture of brown and green.

"I can see," he said, a smile gracing his face, "thank you, sister." The woman returned the smile as she slid her hands into the sleeves of her robes.

"It was an honor to help someone who has come so far in life," she said with a small respectful bow. Ryou frowned at that, which did not escape the monk's notice.

"A healer knows their patient. I've never read the chi of someone so old," she explained. Ryou gave a smile and a look of understanding. Healers could learn almost everything they wanted to know about a person physically by reading their chi signatures.

"Not as old as your master, perhaps," he said.

"But old enough. I wish you luck in your travels, wanderer."

I looked down on the city for the first time in weeks and smiled. It was good to have my sight back. However I found Air Temple Island deserted of anyone I might have been looking for. Korra, her friends, even Tenzin, all of them gone. According to Pema, something had gone down while I was away. Tenzin was currently at City Hall, trying to get things rectified. So City Hall was my next stop.

The airbending master was hard at work in his office when I found him. So much so that he didn't even notice me enter. He jumped about a foot in the air when I slammed my fist down on his desk.

"What. Happened?" I asked.

"Ryou...when did you return? Wait, did you manage to regain your sight?"

"What. Happened?" I asked again. Getting back and finding things in such a state had left me irritable and short tempered.

"Councilman Tarrlok had Korra's friends arrested last night, when Korra confronted him about it, the Equalists attacked and kidnapped her," he explained. Ah, Councilman Tarrlok, I'd heard things about about him. None of them good. From what I could gather the man was a snake and couldn't be trusted in the best of times.

"And you believe him?"

"The Council Hall is in ruins with Equalist weapons, I have yet to see a reason to not believe him," Tenzin said. With that, I turned and began to march out of his office.

"Where are you going?"

"To see this for myself," I said over my shoulder before I walked out the door. Republic City may have been something new, but insurgencies were not. Whether it was the mountains of the Earth Kingdom, or the back allies and sewers of this modern metropolis, all of them were the same at their heart.

I had seen several insurgencies come and go during my time. Some of them were successful, some of them ended in fire and blood. These Equalists were no different then the various warlords and freedom fighters I had encountered during my travels. And that was why I was questioning Tarrlock's story.

When you are the outnumbered force and you make a risky move, such as attacking a command center in order to kidnap someone, you don't just take one person. You take anything and everything you can get your hands on. Which begged the question: if Equalists had attacked and managed to subdue both the Avatar and a Councilman, why was the Councilman left behind?

The scene of the fight only made me question Tarrlok's story more. Sure there were bits of Equalist gear discarded about. But that was just it, it was discarded like it had been placed there on purpose, not left behind during the chaos of a fight. What's more was the damage to the structure of the building itself. The floor had several cracks in it along with a crater, and a wall on the second floor had a complete hole in it. Someone, an earthbender, had gone on a rampage in here. In fact, this looked like my young student's handiwork.

Truth be told I was worried, and angry. More so then I had been in decades. Now the usual response to having someone you cared about being taken was to panic. After a few centuries of practice, I was able to channel this into raw focus. I was gonna find Korra, and anyone involved would be lucky if they survived.

Probing into the office on the second floor revealed more clues. A large waterfall fountain that occupied and entire wall had been ripped up and turned. A bookshelf on the opposite side of the room had been smashed. And in the center of the room I found a few strands of hair. Taking a quick sniff, I was rewarded with the sent of a lily. This was Korra's hair.

"What are you doing in here?" came a voice from behind me. I turned to find a small, bi-speckled, pale skinned man looking at me. This must have been an intern or something, one of the drones that worked here.

"Who's office is this?" I asked.

"Councilman Tarrlok's," he answered. His eyes shifted about and he wrung his hands. Something had this guy on edge. I narrowed my eyes as I regarded him.

"You were here last night, weren't you?"

"Yes, I was helping the Councilman finalize some papers," he said.

"Then you saw what happened." He quickly nodded his head, looking over his shoulder to be sure no one was coming.

"There were no Equalists here, were there?" He shook his head, that look of terror growing on his face.

"Tell me the truth. Did Tarrlok take Avatar Korra?" I asked.

"She came to his office last night, and he told me to leave. I was heading out the back when I saw him loading her into the back of a truck."

"Why didn't you tell Tenzin about this?" I demanded.

"Because...because it's HOW Tarrlok took the Avatar. He's a bloodbender!" Ah, so that explained why he was so fidgety. Bloodbenders were treated like witches with an equal about of fear and loathing for the same reason. What they practiced was considered unnatural at best. The more powerful the bender, the more they could control. And if Tarrlok could do the forbidden art without a full moon? That meant he was one of the most powerful bloodbenders in modern times. I'd only ever encountered one other bloodbender of that power before. Perhaps there was a connection between the two, but I wouldn't know more until I saw this Tarrlok guy in person.

"Does Tarrlok have any private properties on file?" I asked.

"Yes, I believe there is an old hunting cabin in hi s name located in the mountains outside of the city," the intern replied.

"Get me that file, now," I ordered. The intern hurried off, driven by the sternness of my order. His testimony, coupled with what I had seen was enough to give me a different perspective on what had happened here the night before. Korra had confronted Tarrlok about her friends, and the situation had devolved into a bending dual. When the Councilman had lost the upper hand, he'd resorted to bloodbending out of desperation.

This wasn't so much of a planned out endeavor as it was a case of a situation snowballing out of control. The Councilman was trying very desperately to cover his ass, but he was grasping at straws, and he probably didn't even realize it yet.

"The file you requested," the intern said when he returned and handed me a folder. I quickly looked over the contents before I motioned for him to follow me. It was time to give these findings to Tenzin. In the airbender's office, we found Lin and the three others. Tenzin was right in the middle of explaining what he knew to them.

"It was Tarrlok. Amon's lackeys were never here," I said.

"What...how...that's a very bold claim," Tenzin said.

"There's enough evidence out there to say otherwise, not to mention this guy's testimony to back it up," I said, jerking my thumb at the intern.

"Ryou, where have you been?" Lin asked.

"Busy. Tenzin, call Tarrlok and confront him with this," I said, shoving the intern forward before I turned to walk back out of the room.

"Wait, where are you going now?" Asami asked.

"To watch his reaction," I answered. Tenzin, Lin, the intern, and the others went to the center of the Council Hall as they waited for the Councilman in question to arrive. Me? I was leaning against one of the pillars on the second floor, watching the whole situation unfold. If my hunch about Tarrlok was correct, it was best I wasn't in his line of sight if things went south, which I had no doubt they would.

I actually got board waiting. Well, board wasn't exactly the best term. Impatient would be more appropriate. Korra was out there, somewhere, and here I was standing around fiddling with a pocket watch as I waited to get some information. It was frustrating to say the least. Sure, she was the Avatar and if she relied on my training she would be just fine. But I was still worried about her.

Only two other times had I felt this kind of worry about someone in my life. Kyoshi, and Renchin. The two women I had fathered children with. Up until now, I had been kind of going with the flow, sitting back and seeing where this ride took me. But thinking about those two made me rethink about the current young woman in my life. Korra was still young, still finding her way in the world. There was a good chance that her eye would turn away from me as the years went on. And even if she didn't, time would whittle away at her until there was nothing left. Kyoshi had died of old age, and Renchin had turned away from me. Could I stand that kind of heartbreak a third time?

I never really got a chance to figure out an answer as I noticed movement from below. A man of dark complexion wearing Water Tribe clothing was standing before the gathered assembly with his arms raised. All of them appeared to be struggling under some unseen force. Then, one by one, they began to drop like flies.

This was the man everyone seemed to have it out for in some way, shape, or form. This was the infamous Tarrlok, Representative of the Northern Water Tribe, Avatar kidnapper, and bloodbender. As I watched him slowly knock everyone out, I realized that my theory was right. The movements, the style, they were all the same.

Forty years ago, a crime lord, a man named Yakone had been arrested for bloodbending. When found guilty of the crime, he'd tried to use his power to escape, but Aang had stopped him and taken his bending. Rather then heading to prison, the now broken crime boss had vanished without a trace, with some saying he'd fled back to the North.

Between the skill, and the physical resemblance he bore to Yakone, there wasn't a doubt in my mind. Tarrlok was Yakone's son. He'd come to Republic City to finish what his father had started all those years ago. Well, at least he had, anyway. Between taking the Avatar and bloodbending an entire room of witnesses, any chance he had of keeping his position of power was long gone. His only option left now was to run.

Except, he didn't know about me.

As the last of the group, Lin unsurprisingly, blacked out, Tarrlok began to move, heading for the back door of this place. I blinked, appearing directly behind the Councilman. He had no time to react as I grabbed him from behind, firmly clamping my hand over his mouth. I pressed the button on the side of my sword hilt, allowing the blade to telescope out and impale him from behind. Tarrlok let out a muffled scream into my palm as the blade erupted from his chest.

"Hello, son of Yakone," I said, my voice as cold as ice. I yanked the blade free and allowed the Councilman to fall to his knees. He was gasping for air and his hands clutched over the gaping hole in his chest. I walked around to his front so that he could see who had done this to him. He looked up at me, confusion, pain, and much more prevent, fear were present in his eyes. I wasn't worried about him trying to bloodbend me. His wounds wouldn't allow that.

"How..."

"I was at your father's trial in this very room many years ago. At one point, I had him in the same position I have you in now. However I was convinced to spare his life. I won't make the same mistake with you," I said, holding up my now crimson blade and pointing it at him.

"If you..kill me, you'll never find...the Avatar," he panted.

"You have a hunting cabin in the mountains not far from here. I know exactly where Korra is," I countered. Tarrlok's eyes filled with rage before they bugged out of his head. His focus on me was so intense that I started to think a vein that stuck out of his forehead would burst. He was trying to bloodbend me without the use of his arms. Yet another nail in the coffin that he was Yakone's son. Lucky for me, my sword thrust had gone through the junction point of chi in his body, effectively cutting off his ability to bend.

"You'll find that you'll never be able to bend again," I said. Fury filled his eyes.

"Why you insolent..." I silenced him with a wide swipe from my sword. For a moment he stared at me, his mouth hanging open as if he had been frozen mid sentence. Then his body fell over onto its side, and his head rolled away across the marble floor. With a twirl, I collapsed the blade and returned the hilt to my belt. One less enemy to deal with now.

After checking the others to ensure that they were indeed only knocked out, I went out back of City Hall and found a truck waiting. This was Tarrlok's transportation into the mountains. Well it was, it was mine now. I climbed into the cab and started the vehicle before heading in the direction of the cabin.

It took a little longer then I figured to get up to the cabin as a snowstorm had settled in over the mountains. By the time I pulled up out front of the place, it was late afternoon and gray with thick snow flakes falling. The place looked like it had been abandoned years ago, run down from years of neglect. It sat on a ridge, overlooking a pine filled valley below.

I climbed out of the truck, leaving it running as I walked into the place. It smelled musty, like no one had bothered to crack a window in a decade. Surprisingly though it was well insulated, with the cold of the storm outside not penetrating it's wooden walls. In the basement, I found a metal box about the size of a refrigerator sitting in the center of the room with a single light hanging over it.

"Back so soon? I know how you bloodbend without a full moon, Tarrlok. You're Yakone's son," came Korra's voice from inside the box. I paused and folded my arms as I regarded the metal door before me. I was able to deduce this based on what I had seen. But Korra? Korra had never been around Yakone. He'd long vanished by the time he was born.

No. No, wait, she had been around Yakone, just as a different person. If she was able to come up with this while being trapped in this box the whole time, that meant she had somehow remembered things that had happened to Aang. The ghost of a smile graced my lips. Finally, finally she was having some progress.

"If I had known all it took for you to make a connection was to lock you up, we could have made contact with all your past lives by now," I said. There was silence, followed by scraping sounds which indicated that she was moving around in there.

"Ryou?" I opened the door on the box and flashed her a grin.

"Who else?" She launched herself at me, flinging her arms around my neck and planting a kiss firmly on my lips. The force of her move almost knocked us off balance, but I managed to catch us from falling as I wrapped my arms around her and returned the kiss. Relief flooded throughout the entirety of my being. I had her back, she was safe. Korra broke the kiss and leaned back to look at me.

"How...how did," she paused as she noticed my eyes, placing her hand on my cheek, "wait, your eyes. The spring worked, didn't it?"

"You look good, Korra," I said with a smile. She returned the smile and hugged me again.

"How did you know where to find me?" she asked. A creak from the floorboards overhead caused us both to glance up. We weren't alone in this cabin.

"A question best answered at another time," I whispered and she nodded.

"You four retrieve the Avatar, I'll locate the Councilman. Do not underestimate her, electrocute the box before opening it." It was Amon's voice. I looked around quickly, taking in our surroundings. There was no other way out of this basement except up the stairs I had just come down. We were trapped down here, and outnumbered. We'd need surprise on our side.

"My pleasure," came the voice of Amon's second in command. Noticing some crates stacked nearby, I motioned to them and Korra nodded in understanding. We ducked behind the wooden boxes as the four Equalists descended the stairs. The Lieutenant drew his electrified staffs and sparked them.

"It's payback time," he said before applying them to the box. Electricity passed throughout the box, causing the light hanging overhead to shatter. After almost thirty seconds of applying the current to the metal, he removed the sticks and took a step back, ordering one of his subordinates to open the box. I waited a heartbeat, then two as they opened the box to find nothing at all.

"What the..." I tapped Korra once on the shoulder, giving her the signal to act. She jumped out from behind the crates and slammed her fist into the floor. A wave passed through the concrete, taking the Equalists by surprise and scattering them like rag dolls. We didn't stick around to see the results of her handiwork as we sprinted up the stairs and out of the cabin. Korra didn't even bother to open the front door, opting to plow through it at full speed.

Outside we found a second truck parked a short distance away from the one I had arrived in. We also found the man himself, standing in the middle of the snowstorm like he was waiting on us. Korra planted her feet, skidding a short distance before bending several streams of water from the snow, turning them into shards of ice and launching them at Amon.

The Equalist leader darted forward, dodging the incoming projectiles as he came. I didn't stop, forcing Korra to run ahead of me as we went. We both climbed into the driver's side of the truck, with Korra sliding across the seat to make room for me. I slammed the door closed and threw the vehicle into reverse before slamming the gas pedal to the floor.

The truck lurched backwards at a high rate of speed, but Amon was quick. He managed to grab onto the door mirror and pull himself onto the running board. I found myself face to face with the masked man, looking him dead in the eye. There was a cool confidence there. He knew he had the upper hand, that he could win if he wanted.

Or so he thought.

I plowed my foot into the door, forcing it to fly open. The Equalist leader, clinging to the metal frame, had no time to react as the door slammed into the front grill of the other truck. At this speed the door was completely ripped off, leaving it and Amon behind in the snow.

I slowed the truck and turned it, shifting gears so that we were going forward rather then rolling backward down the mountainside. Korra was breathing heavily as the effects of the adrenaline began to wear off.

"You are just full of surprises," she finally said.

"I aim to please," I replied.

"So what happens now?" she asked, looking back to see if we were being followed.

"Now we go home and brace ourselves."

"Why?"

"Amon was there for both you and Tarrlok. If he's bold enough to try and take both of you, that means he's gutsy enough to enter his endgame," I said.

"What does that mean?" I looked at her.

"He'll try to take Republic City for himself."

And that's a wrap. Next chapter, we move on into Amon's endgame. This will probably be the last chapter that alternates between first and third POV for a while, seeing as how Ryou has his sight back now. So, you all know the drill. Read, review, drop a PM, ask questions or state theories. Let me know what you liked or didn't like, and I'll see you all next time.