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'Jinora...'

Hearing her name, Jinora looked up from the book she was reading to see Korra sitting cross-legged on the floor opposite her, looking faintly transparent with a blue glow around her.

'Korra!' Jinora said, scrambling round the table to kneel in front of her. 'Are you alright? Where are you...?'

'We're fine,' Korra said. 'We're safe.'

'Have you found the firebender...?'

'Not yet,' Korra said. 'We'll start the search once it's light...'

'...okay,' Jinora said and Korra gave her a soft smile.

'Don't worry,' Korra said. 'We'll be back in a few days...'

'...okay,' Jinora repeated, as Korra faded away. She sat there for a moment, before standing up and going to find her Father.

'Dad...'

##################

Asami woke with a groan, sitting up and swinging her legs out of bed.

'Korra?' She asked. 'Are you awake...?'

When there was no answer, she stood up to find that the bunk above her was empty. Pulling on her trousers and grabbing her jacket, she left the room and padded barefoot down the corridor to the lounge. Inside, Korra was sitting cross-legged on the floor with her eyes closed. Quietly, she sat down on the couch and Korra's eyes opened.

'Sorry,' Asami said. 'I was trying not to disturb you...'

'You didn't,' Korra said, moving to sit next to her, resting her head on her shoulder. 'I was just contacting Jinora...'

'Where are Bolin and Mako?'

'I couldn't sleep,' Korra said. 'So...'

'So, you thought you'd take the watch by yourself? You should have woken me...'

'Sure. So neither of us get any sleep,' Korra said and Asami shrugged.

'Fair point,' she conceded, as Korra snuggled closer and she wrapped an arm around her shoulders. 'Any ideas how we're going to find this firebender...?'

'...no,' Korra admitted. 'You...?'

'Not yet,' Asami said. 'But, we'll think of something...'

##################

Korra was staring down from the apartment window, where a man was crossing the plaza below. As she watched, two men stepped out of an alley, one man grabbing him while the other punched him in the stomach. As he collapsed, they began kicking him where he lay. With a last kick, they turned and walked away, leaving him lying on the street.

I hate this place... Korra thought, turning away from the window as she heard the door behind her open, Bolin and Mako stepping out of their room.

'Morning,' Bolin said, stifling a yawn, as he and Mako took their seats on the other couch.

'What's the plan?' Mako asked.

'We need to find the firebender,' Korra said and Mako frowned.

'Any ideas how we can do that...?'

'Maybe. If he's the only Bender here apart from us, I might be able to sense him, if I meditate...'

'Alright,' Mako said. 'I'll stay here, just in case...'

'While you do that,' Asami said, 'Bolin and I can do a little reconnaissance. We also need to know if the police are still looking for us...'

'Alright,' Korra said. 'First, we need to speak to Cornelius...'

##################

'Thank you, David,' Cornelius said, as he poured several cups of coffee from the pot that he had brought from the small kitchen.

'Thanks,' Korra said, accepting the cup that Cornelius gave her, the faintly spicy aroma making her stomach growl. 'Thank you for your hospitality. And your help...'

'You're welcome, of course,' Cornelius said. 'May I ask what you intend to do, now...?'

'We came here to find someone,' Korra said and Cornelius nodded.

'You said as much last night...'

'Right,' Korra said. 'Well, the thing is, he shouldn't be here. We need to find him and convince him to come back with us...'

'Alright,' Cornelius said. 'But, this is a very large city and it sounds like you don't know where he is. How do you intend to find him...?'

'He's a firebender,' Korra said. 'Like Mako. If I can meditate, it's possible I can sense where he is...'

'And, we need to see if the police are still looking for us,' Asami added.

'Very well. It should be safe by now, but I think David should accompany you, just in case...'

'Alright,' Korra said. 'Let's get started...'

##################

'What are those people doing?' Bolin asked, glancing sideways at the figure lying in the doorway on the other side of the street, heavily wrapped in coats and tattered blankets.

'A lot of people are homeless, here,' David said and Asami frowned.

'Why doesn't your government do something about it...?' she demanded and David sighed.

'They do what they can,' he said. 'But, it's a big city and there's not enough money to help everyone...'

##################

Korra opened her eyes, finding herself floating above the city, the buildings stretching out beneath her. Even though she knew that she was still sitting in the lounge back in the apartment and that it was only her astral self that was here, she still felt a second of panic before she realised that she wasn't falling. Focusing, she began to drift over the cityscape, stretching out her senses. Even from this distance, she can sense Mako back in the apartment and Bolin walking along the street a few blocks away.

'Korra...?'

'Whoa,' Korra said, dropping a few feet before getting a grip on herself and managing to turn round to see Leeloo floating next to her. Like Korra, her astral form glowed faintly as she drifted closer.

'Is he here?' She asked. 'The firebender...?'

'I'm not sure,' Korra admitted. 'I can feel something, but it's faint...'

She could feel something, like a prickle at the back of her mind, growing stronger as they drifted east towards a part of the city that was dominated by large, squat buildings surrounded by a dark haze of fumes.

'Where's that?' she asked.

'Manufacturing District 39,' Leeloo said, as they drew closer and the energy that Korra had been feeling grew stronger.

'Here's there,' Korra said. 'Come on. We've got work to do...'

##################

'It's looks like we're in the clear,' Asami said, as they were returning to the apartment. 'The police seem to have stopped looking for us...'

'I hope so,' David said. 'But, they'll have you on record somewhere...'

'Gimme the cash...'

Asami's head whipped round to see a wild-eyed, unkempt man behind them, levelling some sort of weapon at them.

'What's he holding?' Asami asked, out of the corner of her mouth...'

'...a gun,' David said, backing up until the man swung the gun towards him.

'Is it dangerous...?'

'Yes...'

'Gimme the cash,' the man repeated, just as Bolin stepped forward, stomping his foot on the pavement. The ground cracked beneath the man's feet, sending him stumbling, the gun clattering away. Before he could recover, Asami's boot lashed out to connect with his jaw, knocking him out.

'Wow,' David said, staring open mouthed for a moment, before pulling himself together. 'Come on, we need to get back...'

##################

Korra opened her eyes to see Leeloo sitting cross-legged on the floor of the apartment in front of her, while Mako was seated on the couch with his arms folded.

'Well?' Mako said, as she got to her feet, fighting a sense of disorientation. 'Did you find him...?'

'I know where he is,' Korra said, turning to Leeloo. 'How can we get to this Manufacturing District...?'

'You will need IDs to get through the security checkpoints,' Leeloo said. 'Cornelius can help...'

##################

'Yes, I can get some IDs for you,' Cornelius said, as they were seated around the table again. 'But, it will take some time...'

'Thank you,' Korra said, hesitating for a second. '...why are you helping us...?'

'It's...well, it's sort of...what we do...'

'What do you mean...?' Mako asked.

'We run...a network...that helps people who have nowhere else to go,' Cornelius said, standing up. 'I have to make a call and David will need to take your pictures...'

##################

Korra looked up as there was a knock at the apartment door, Cornelius opening it to admit a broad-shouldered, balding man dressed in a dark grey jacket and trousers.

'Korben,' Cornelius said. 'Thank you for coming...'

'No problem,' Korben said, taking his jacket off and hanging it over the back of the chair. 'I've got the IDs you asked for...'

'Korben!'

Hearing the shriek, Korra turned to see Leeloo bursting through the door from the back of the apartment, wrapping him in a fierce hug.

'Hey, Leeloo,' Korben said, his face breaking into a grin as he returned the hug.

'This is Korben,' Cornelius said, catching the expression on Korra's face. 'He'll get you into District 39...'

##################

'This is it,' Korben said, glancing back at Korra, who was jammed into the rear seat of his cab with Asami. Bolin and Mako sat opposite them in the rear facing seats, looking equally uncomfortable. 'We've just got to pass the security check point and we'll be in the clear...'

Manoeuvring into the line of traffic heading for the checkpoint, he set the cab to Auto and reached under his seat, pulling out a handgun.

'What's that for?' Mako asked and Korben turned to look at him.

'In case you haven't been paying attention, these IDs you're carrying are fake. My buddy Finger does good work, but there's always a chance that the Government have changed their codes. Now, shut up and keep your cool...'

Slipping the gun back under his seat, he disengaged the Auto as the line started to move, guiding them into a hanger, the door grinding shut behind them. As her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, Korra saw that four armed police officers standing against the walls. One of them approached and Korben rolled down the window.

'ID,' the officer snapped and Korben handed it to him, the officer snatching it and plugging it into his portable reader.

'Korben Dallas. Licenced cab driver. 12 points remaining on your licence...'

Korben returned his stare blankly as he removed the ID and handed it back to him.

'Please open your passenger door...'

'Sure,' Korben said, pressing a switch on the console and the door ground open.

'IDs,' The Officer demanded, Asami handing them over.

'Purpose of visit?' He asked as he scanned them through his reader.

'We're looking for someone,' Bolin said. 'Someone from where we come from. We think he came here a few weeks ago and...'

'Alright, alright. I didn't ask for your life story,' the Officer snapped, handing back their IDs. 'On your way...'

He stepped back and Korben closed the passenger door, guiding the cab out of the other end of the hanger. After weaving through the traffic for a few minutes, he settled the cab down into another hanger next to a battered green air car, shutting down the engine.

'This is it,' Korben said, gesturing to the door on the other side of the hanger. 'There's a small apartment through there and you've each got 500 credits on your IDs...'

'Thanks for your help,' Korra said, as they climbed out of the cab and Korben reversed out of the hanger, swinging into the traffic with a blare of horns.

'What do we do, now?' Asami asked, as they stepped into the apartment.

'I'm not sure,' Korra admitted as Bolin flipped on the tv and Mako frowned.

'Come on, bro,' he said. 'We don't have time for this...

...receiving confirmation that a massive security operation is now in effect. In the last hour, government sources have confirmed an attack has taken place at a supply depot in District 39...'

'You were saying?' Bolin asked, pointing at the image on the screen, which showed a dark-haired man using a jet of fire to destroy a police car.

'...okay...'

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Any reviews, comments or constructive criticisms are very welcome.