Chapter XXIII: Blood For Blood
The five of them walked into Tenzin's office as he was on the phone with someone, and the look on his face when they walked in nearly made Saltrall bust out laughing.
"I have to go. Call me back the minute you hear anything." Tenzin said as he hung up the phone and stood up, incredibly surprised, "Lin? Wh-wh-what are y- You should be in the hospital!" He asked before pointing at the others, "And you four! You should be in prison!"
"I figured you could use our help finding Korra." Lin said flatly before motioning towards Saltrall, "And our friend the Time Lord says you didn't believe him about Tarrlok."
"W-well, at the time it seemed completely wrong to think he did it!" Tenzin replied defensively before sighing and putting his head down in defeat.
"Saltrall I must apologize for not believing what you said, I should've trusted your word" He said, looking at the Time Lord.
Saltrall just smiled softly, "It's alright Tenzin, I forgive you" He replied before looking at a map behind Tenzin, "However, we still have to find her,"
They eventually decide to go check out the Equalists first, just in case, and make their way to the underground tunnel system the Equalists use. Saltrall suggested they split up but Mako pointed out that they had no other leads, so they all went to the tunnel together.
Lin metalbended the gate open and they began walking through the dark tunnel, Mako and Saltrall lighting the way with firebending and Sonic Screwdriver.
"Let's try this way." Mako said, pointing down a tunnel when they reached an intersection.
"And what if Korra's not down there?" Asami asked?
"Then we pick another tunnel until we find her!" Mako replied sharply. Saltrall turned around and saw a hurt expression on Asami's face as she went and walked next to Bolin. Saltrall fell back too, saying he would light up the rear in case they missed something. Instead he walked with them to see what they were talking about.
"Hey, is Mako all right?" She asked, "He seems really worried about Korra."
"Yeah, we all are!" Bolin agreed, nodding slightly.
"I know, but, he's your brother. Do you think that he likes Korra as more than just a friend?" Asami asked, stopping and looking at Bolin. Saltrall stopped as well, looking at both of them.
"W-What? No! That's, just gossip, where'd you hear that?" Bolin said, his voice getting higher pitched, "Crazy talk is coming out of your mouth right now. Heh..."
Saltrall just shook his head a little and dragged his hand across his neck, trying to tell Bolin to stop.
Asami put a hand on Bolin's shoulder, "What do you know, Bolin? Come on, spill it."
Bolin put his hands up defensively, "Nothing! I mean, there was this one time during the tournament when Mako and Korra kissed, but-"
Saltrall groaned and facepalmed as Asami interrupted Bolin.
"They ... kissed?" Asami asked in shock, looking at Mako's back.
"Believe me, I was upset too, but, I'm over it. I don't think it meant anything." Bolin replied, trying to shrug it off.
"I doubt it," Asami said, visually upset. Suddenly Saltrall drew his Sonic and froze Bolin's mouth closed.
"Okay, Bolin, grave's only need to be six feet deep, you can stop digging yours deeper now," He said patting him on the shoulder.
Asami looked at him shocked, "You knew too?!"
"Dah, well, I mean, I was there so I guess... Yes?" Saltrall said shrugging his shoulders guiltily.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Asami demanded, "You didn't ask!" Saltrall replied defensively, "I mean if you had just walked up to me and asked, 'hey, Saltrall, you're a swell guy, tell me, have Mako and Korra been making out behind my back?' well, I'd say no because they haven't, but if you asked me if they'd kissed once I'd have said yes." He rambled off, trying not to dig his own grave any deeper.
Asami just glared at him before they heard motorcycles approaching and they all hid. Soon they came across a tram tunnel and they all hopped on one but jumped off midway through the tunnel.
Lin used her metalbending to rope the two guards into the tunnel and pointed at Asami, Bolin, and Saltrall.
"You three, keep an eye on them." Lin ordered as herself, Tenzin, and Mako moved further into the prison.
"Hey, whoa, no, I'm coming with!" Saltrall said as he hurried after them, trying to get as far away from Asami as possible after Bolin's revelations in the tunnel, but he stopped and unfroze Bolin's mouth first.
"Don't get yourself killed," He told Bolin as he pointed at him authoritatively before running after the others.
By the time he'd caught up Mako was interrogating an Equalist.
"I'll ask you one more time," Mako said angrily, igniting his free hand, "Where is she?"
Saltrall pulled him away from the Equalist, "Easy Mako, I'll handle this." Mako sighed but stood down, meanwhile Saltrall pulled out his Sonic and held it to the man's head.
"Now, tell me where she is!" He said, opening it.
"We don't have the Avatar, and the Equalists didn't attack City Hall. Tarrlok's lying." The Equalist said, terrified for his life. Saltrall smiled.
"Oh, I already knew that, I just don't get to do that very much anymore," He said, standing and looking at Lin, "Man that feels good, now I know why you did it to me so often."
Mako sighed and shook his head while Lin rolled her eyes and they all began to make their way out of the tunnel when they confirmed Korra wasn't there.
After fighting their way out of the tunnel they made their way back to city hall to confront Tarrlok face to face. When they arrive Chief Saikhan is waiting, but Tarrlok is nowhere to be seen. Soon he walked up behind them.
"Have you got news of Avatar Korra?" He asked as everyone turned to face him.
"We do," Tenzin said angrily, pointing at him, "You kidnapped her, Tarrlok!"
"I am shocked you would accuse me of such an evil act! I already explained: Equalists attacked us and took her!" Tarrlok said, his voice teeming with apparent innocence.
"Bullcrap!" Saltrall shouted, pointing a finger at Tarrlok.
There was a small back and forth before a voice came from above.
"It's true! He took her!" The council page said from behind a pillar on the balcony, "I was here when Avatar Korra arrived last night, but Councilman Tarrlok ordered me to leave. I was on my way out when I saw Tarrlok bring her down to the garage."
"That is nonsense!" Tarrlok shouted as he pointed at the page, "Everyone knows you're nothing but a squeaky-voiced liar!"
"Why did you wait until now to 'fess up?" Lin asked him as she folded her arms across her chest.
"I was terrified to tell because..." The page began, looking down, but Saltrall spoke up before he could finish.
"Because Tarrlok is a bloodbender!" He said with anger in his voice, pointing a finger at the councilman.
Tenzin turned to Tarrlok, "Don't make this worse for yourself." He said, taking his airbending stance, "Tell us where you have Korra."
"No, Tenzin, wait!" Saltrall said as both him and Lin bended at Tarrlok, but they all groaned and fell to their knees as he bloodbended them, all except Saltrall, who was ready for it this time.
"What? How are you still standing?!" Tarrlok asked, shocked, putting more focus into his bending.
"Because, GAHHH!" Saltrall began, crying in pain, "I'm a Time Lord, I'm not like you," He said as he started to take a few steps towards Tarrlok, trying to raise his Sonic.
Tarrlok stopped him, however, by making him drop his Sonic and forcing him to his knees. Saltrall kept fighting and, as all the others fell unconscious, he kept trying to crawl towards Tarrlok, only to be thrown against the desk as Tarrlok fled, thinking he had knocked Saltrall unconscious as well.
Saltrall remained conscious, however, and crawled over to his Sonic.
"You won't get away that easy," He said to himself, picking it up. He looked around and found a stray hair of Tarrlok's and picked it up.
"Bingo," He said, scanning it, before standing on shaky legs, he couldn't stay up and he collapsed against the desk. He dragged himself up and used it for support. Taking a few deep breaths and using his Sonic, he made his TARDIS materialize nearby. He walked over slowly and shakily, but eventually opened the door and collapsed inside. He crawled to the console and used the railing to pull himself into a chair.
"Now," He said, pulling out his screwdriver's power core and sticking it into a spot on the console, "Let's find out where you're running off to now you piece of crap..."