In a small clearing away from a road between two largely insignificant Earth Kingdom towns, a terrified and confused middle-aged man was behind held down by a broad-shouldered stranger, whose face was obscured by a mask and a ragged hood of an altogether torn cloak.

The masked man pleaded for the stranger to let him go, as he had nothing of value, but his tormentor was deaf to his pleas. He forced his victim to his knees, and placed one thumb on his forehead, and the other on his sternum. Even though nothing visible happened, the kneeling man screamed and thrashed on the ground, clutching his head, before finally coming to a stop. He was dead.

Amon looked down at the cooling corpse. Evidently, applying his techniques to real, living benders was something different than it was when he'd first practiced it in the Spirit World. Every so often, a subject died. No matter. He'd have plenty of opportunity to practice on his way to Republic City. And those benders whose powers he successfully took were later killed, regardless – he had no need for notoriety at this point.

Then, however, he clutched his chest. Regardless, he had little time. With every passing day, and every time he used his power, he could feel the spirit's essence claw its way deeper into him. Spirit possession was fatal for humans. What was happening to him seemed to be spirit possession occurring extremely slowly. Which would kill him or drive him mad eventually. Not in a year, most likely, or even two. But slowly and surely. Amon had little concern for his own life, but it did mean he did not have that much time. He had to get to Republic City swiftly, and begin plotting his next move.

"I made my way from the Eastern Air Temple here quickly after returning from the Spirit World," Amon said. "I only stopped to procure supplies. I could take off my mask more often back then, which helped. Unfortunately, I can do it less and less often now." As he spoke, black veins appeared on his face. Hiroshi and the Lieutenant were taken aback.

"Is that-" Hiroshi began.

"It is," Amon said, nodding and putting his mask back on. "As I told you, spirits are tools. But dangerous tools. I paid a steep price for getting what I needed. It was a price worth paying, but steep nonetheless."

"So… you're going to die," Hiroshi said, his voice concerned. "Or go mad. It may take some years, as you said, but you will. What's your plan, then? Can your powers be passed on to others?"

"I do not know. My power… it's not a skill, as such. It's enlightenment. I will try to guide anyone willing and able down that path. But it is by no means guaranteed. As for my plan… it is to make the Avatar force death's hand. She will kill me."

He was met by stunned silence.

"What?" the Lieutenant finally asked, shocked and dismayed. "But then she would win!"

"And it will be a paltry, physical victory. The Avatar, destroying a non-bender? Not very remarkable. But in a war of ideas, which our revolution will be, it will be a crushing defeat. It will show the world that the Avatar is willing to kill to preserve the status quo that gives all the power to benders. And to protect her own unique power."

"And how do you know she will kill you?" Hiroshi said, sceptically, rubbing his chin.

"I will force her to. I will strike at the very core of her identity by threatening to take her bending. What is the Avatar, without bending? What is the Avatar, if someone obtained the ability to take bending away and is willing to use it? She will break. I will destroy her. Not physically, but in spirit."

"Wouldn't just taking her bending be simpler?" the Lieutenant asked. "It would be a tremendous blow against all benders. Their hero, their symbol, torn down."

"And it would make her a martyr. Benders, and non-benders, of all nations would turn on us and destroy us. The Avatar would be reborn eventually… and I truly do not know if their bending would be intact. I do not even know if I could take her bending at all," Amon said, with brutal honesty. "No. To fight benders physically is to fight on their terms. A non-bending revolution will be a war of ideas. We need to show the non-benders of the world that they no longer need to be afraid, or to bow down to benders."

"And then what?" Hiroshi asked bluntly.

"Once the non-benders realize it, there's nothing the benders will be able to do to stop them," Amon said. "There's more of us. Our labour makes this world spin. It always has, but now the technology belongs to us, as well. Benders would need to adapt, or be destroyed."

His eyes rested on Hiroshi, boring deep into his.

"In a world where non-benders have taken their rightful place, no drunk earthbender is going to kill innocent people through negligence. I am willing to sacrifice myself for such a world."

He then turned to the Lieutenant.

"In the world I'll create, everyone's merits will be judged fairly and equally, without non-benders having to live in the benders' shadow."

The Lieutenant nodded, smiling grimly. He hardly needed convincing. Amon's cause and methods appealed to him strongly. Hiroshi, however, was not so easily swayed. He took off his glasses and began to wipe them with a handkerchief. He always did it while thinking, especially when he was troubled by something.

"That's a… compelling vision," he said. "But what you're suggesting… it'll be a disaster. A war in the streets of Republic City. My city. I contributed more to its growth than most. I don't want it to burn in a revolution."

Amon got up and began pacing the room slowly.

"That is true, Hiroshi. Your vision is one of the driving forces behind this city… and the root of the Equalist movement. But tell me – how much has truly changed? Is the power in the city not in the hands of benders, and people supported by them? Is the Republic not simply a protectorate of the bending nations? Did one of the Councillors not receive his position only because of his unique bending ability? Is the ultimate judge and arbiter of the world not a bender?"

"Yes. That's all true. But what you're planning to do… starting a revolution, challenging the Avatar-"

"I only plan to do what is necessary," Amon said. "It will take no less. The world is stuck in its old ways, even though it adopts the trappings of a new era. Technology and politics are just a veneer of modernity over a society that still bows down to the power of bending. It cannot be changed the way you've tried it, by vigilante justice and political manoeuvring. It will require a revolution. We need to rise up, and take what's rightfully ours. The benders will not simply give it to us."

"They've always only given us scraps to keep us docile," the Lieutenant chimed in, fully on Amon's side. "Like making Bumi a general. It sounds nice, until you realize he's the only non-bender in the brass and he's an idiot."

Hiroshi opened his mouth to speak, but Amon cut him off.

"I don't want to diminish your accomplishments, Hiroshi," he said. "Or your efforts, which have been tremendous. But you've hit a glass ceiling, have you not? Even a man with your resources and your determination can only do so much. Because the world is rigged against us. Always has been. You've been trying to make change happen gradually. And it has paved the way for a revolution. But now, the revolution must happen. Nothing less will do."

Hiroshi got up as well, and faced Amon. He was shorter than the masked man, and nowhere near as imposing. He normally did his best to match up to the people he had to deal with, but now he was clearly off-balance, torn between his conscience and the truth he heard in Amon's arguments.

"But the methods- you're talking about tearing society apart. Challenging the Avatar. Taking away people's bending- do you know Ga Min is dead?"

"I have heard. She was clearly too weak to live like we do. Such it is with benders. I will show them the truth of their so-called superiority."

Hiroshi wiped the sweat from his brow. His words were pouring out quickly, now.

"I never wanted her dead. Taking her bending… there's some justice in it. But not this. Do we want benders to die?"

"We do not. Indiscriminately killing would make us no better than Ozai, Yakone or their minions. Ga Min's death was her own doing. She could have chosen to do something with her life after I took her bending. Instead, she chose to drink and attack firebenders. She had never known what it's like to have to tread carefully around benders. No bender knows that. We need to show them, in a way that they won't be able to ignore."

Hiroshi walked over to the grimy, barely transparent window and stared through it, although in truth he barely saw it at all.

"Is there really no way other than a violent revolution? I've tried to work within the system. I've always wished the Equalists weren't necessary. I don't feel as though I've really achieved anything. But I'm still loath to hear you plan to tear it all down."

"I will not tear it down. The organization you've built will make the revolution possible. Without it, I would have to spend a lot of time rallying the people. Time I might not have. Thanks to your efforts, I – we will have a powerful movement to start with. And it will grow. Your attempts to work within the system fell on deaf ears among the bending elite, but the non-benders saw them. They have seen the hypocrisy of those in power. And they have been shown that they can and should want more. Which we will now give them. They will rally behind us."

"Not to mention the weapons," the Lieutenant added. "I'd hesitate to take on benders without your technology."

Hiroshi shook his head and sighed heavily.

"This is not what I want," he said. "But maybe… this is what I must do. Yasuko's death has been avenged. But it will be hollow if we can't prevent her fate from befalling others. I wish… it didn't need to involve such drastic measures."

"Every drastic measure we take is to make sure they are never needed again, Hiroshi," Amon responded, his voice surprisingly gentle. "We will do what we have to do so that others do not. Our hands will be stained with the aftermath of the revolution, but we will pave the way for other non-benders to live in safety and equality. Sometimes, when a bone is broken, a healer needs to break it again in order to set it properly so it can mend. Some people will need to do terrible things so that no one else is ever forced to make that choice."

The inventor rested his forehead against the glass.

"I need to… I need to think about it. I've learned a lot today. Too much for one day, perhaps. I cannot make a decision her and now."

Amon shrugged. He had changed, for a time, while telling his story. Became more alive. Now, after putting his mask on again, he became as cold and unmoving as before. Every movement of his body was measured and conservative.

"That is your prerogative. But you should not take too long. Time is of the essence. My condition aside, we still have a lot of work to do before we can launch our revolution. And I don't need to tell you that what you've heard must not leave the three of us."

Hiroshi left in silence. He found Zia sitting in the dust-covered kitchen on the ground floor, clearly bored. However, she got up, with clear excitement on her face, upon seeing him.

"Mr. Hiroshi! You're back. What did Amon tell you?"

Hiroshi sighed and looked at her with a tired expression on his face.

"I have learned much. Amon is everything he claims to be and more. He has great plans, and now I need to decide if they are to become my plans as well."

"Well, that much was always obvious," Zia said with a shrug. "A man like Amon won't be content with being just a chi-blocker in our group. I'm assuming you can't tell me what those plans are yet."

"I cannot. I… have much to think about. We must leave now. It's already late."

Once the industrial tycoon was out of the room, Amon sat back down on his mat. The Lieutenant stood by the door.

"That was a story to remember," he said. "I know better than to disbelieve you, of course. Do you think Hiroshi will come around?"

"I am confident he will. I have been plucking at the correct strings. He sees now that the time for action has come. Ga Min's death was unexpected, but fortunate. I didn't expect her to go so far as to get herself killed, but it unbalanced Hiroshi. He feels the need to rationalize her death, and if he does not go along with my plans, he will feel as though her death was for nothing."

"It also means we'll be spared some rumours about a woman who lost her bending," the Lieutenant observed. "Just an earthbender too drunk to bend getting in a fight with some Agni Kais. Not an uncommon event in the poorer parts of the city, even if it doesn't result in someone's death that often." He paused. "Did you have any part in this?"

"I have many ways of accomplishing our goals, but no. I did not arrange it. Manipulating triad members is beyond my reach… for now, at least. That said, it did not surprise me. Ga Min was a foolish woman, and losing her bending broke her. Now Hiroshi has an added motive. Let's hope the rest of the Equalists fall in line. If Hiroshi supports us, it will mean a lot. The rest will be left for us to handle."

The next day, Hiroshi once again met his daughter in the kitchen, during breakfast. It was a ritual of sorts for them, as his busy schedule often prevented him from seeing Asami. They cherished being able to talk in the morning. Now, however, dark clouds gathered over them both. Hiroshi was still conflicted over what Amon had told him. And now, it seemed, something disturbed Asami as well.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" he asked, adopting a veneer of calm. As always, he resolved to keep Asami out of his activities.

"I just read the news. There was a murder in one of the poor districts… it says the victim was an earthbender, called Ga Min. Wasn't she-" Asami trailed off. Hiroshi's blood froze. It was a while before he spoke. He had not expected Asami to find out. Foolish of him. She'd always been observant. Just like him… and Yasuko.

"The woman who killed your mother. Yes," he said, tiredly. "I heard about it as well. It shook me up a bit. Reminded me of… well, what she'd done." He sighed. "Her death was just as senseless as your mother's had been. Foolishness, alcohol and bending." The last word dripped with more anger than he had intended.

"Oh, dad," Asami said with a sigh. "Now I wish you hadn't seen this. Those memories… they never go away, do they?"

"They don't." Hiroshi sat down heavily. "It's just our lot in life. Bending comes at a price. One that is paid by innocent bystanders, rather than the benders themselves."

Asami was visibly worried now. Just what had set her father on this train of thought?

"What's wrong, dad?"

Hiroshi waved his hand.

"Nothing. It's just… I'm not getting any younger, and the world isn't getting any better. Every now and then, it can overwhelm a man."

Asami got off her chair and walked over to her father, embracing him.

"I wish I could help," she said earnestly.

"Oh, you are helping," Hiroshi assured. "Seeing you young and happy, following in my footsteps and embracing your passions… it helps me more than you can imagine." That, at least, he spoke with honesty, from the depths of his heart.

"I love you, dad," Asami said, spontaneously.

"I love you too, sweetie," Hiroshi responded. Asami kissed him on the forehead and stepped back.

"I need to run now. I have an idea I want to try out and the workshop is going to be crowded later."

Hiroshi chuckled.

"One day your inventions are going to surpass mine. Of what I'm sure," he said as Asami departed. Once she was gone, he stared pensively through the kitchen window. Yes. Everything he would do would be for the sake of Yasuko's memory and Asami's future. She deserved a world where her brilliance, kind heart and ardent spirit would be allowed to flourish and reach their full potential, which he knew to be great.

After reaching his office, Hiroshi sat there in silence for a long while. One thing seemed clear to him: in order to make the great decision looming ahead of him, he would have to get back to the roots. Speak with his people. Would they approve of what Amon had in mind? He called for Petuwaq to come to the office.

"You wanted to see me, Mr. Sato?" the secretary asked when he arrived at the office.

"Yes. I have a question. Can you remind me why you joined the Equalists?"

Petuwaq raised his eyebrow, confused, but answered the question.

"It was simple. My father couldn't pay the Terra Triad's protection money, so they made his bookstore collapse. And the Equalists felt like they were the only ones willing to do anything about it."

"Ah, yes," Hiroshi said, nodding. "We caught those who did it and made an example of them. It was a brazen attack, even for the triads. And then you decided to seek employment in Future Industries."

"And I didn't hesitate when I got the chance to work for the Eqalists, too," Petuwaq said. "The Council wouldn't do anything about it… still won't. They're stuck in the past. They haven't noticed that bending isn't what it used to be. That's assuming it ever was the noble art that they say it was. I think it's always been just something the strong used to lord it over the weak."

Hiroshi nodded slowly.

"I suppose it has. Thank you, Petuwaq. You may go."

"You're welcome, Mr. Sato. But… why did you ask me in the first place?"

"I found myself in the need of perspective," Hiroshi said. "And reminding myself about why I started this movement. I can only do it by asking those I lead."

"Why did I join?" Zia asked, confused. "I thought you knew, Mr. Hiroshi. But sure, I can remind you. Since the Earth King and the previous Avatar never bothered to disband the Dai Li, they started slowly creeping their way into the throne's favour again. By the time Kuei was replaced by Hou-Ting, they'd pretty much regained their position as the power behind the throne. I wasn't going to stand for that, so I left. The rest of the Kyoshi Warriors didn't stick around for long after I'd left, too. Benders are never going to consider us equals unless we force them to."

"I lost my job because of a bender," said Minh, a rank-and-file Equalist training with one of Hiroshi's shock-gloves – a short and stocky, but deceptively strong man. "I was a plumber, see, maintaining the water supply. But then some pencil-pusher in the city office figured that it'll be easier to hire a waterbender for the position. So they did hire one and fired me, along with two other non-bending technicians. That's not fair. Is it our fault we can't bend? I just want to make an honest living, and if I need to shock some people first, then I guess that's what I'll do. Spirits bless you for inventing those gloves. I'm not cut out to be a chi-blocker."

"It's just so frustrating to see this city be run the way it is," Hiroshi heard in response to his questioning from Audris, a tall, attractive young woman with brown, braided hair and pale skin, who handled communication and recruitment for the underground movement. "The Council is made up of benders from the other nations. They say their positions have nothing to do with bending, but we both know that's nonsense. There's this persistent idea in all the other nations that benders are just better at representing them. Besides, why should the Republic be run by foreign representatives? But when I and some others tried doing something about it, we just got a long lecture about tradition, harmony and the legacy of Avatar Aang. What did Aang know about running a country? Or the plight of the common people? The Council needs to go, and the Equalists are the only one to say it out loud."

"My boyfriend was killed by a bender," said Ka-Ling, a grim, serious man, tall and sporting a long, thin goatee, working on developing the Equalists' weapons. "No, not a triad member, although his street was crawling with them. Just his stupid neighbour. They'd had an argument about him and his buddies getting rowdy late at night after a pro-bending match. Or something, I forget. Things got heated and Makittuq's neighbour decided to use some firebending to scare him. And he used too much of it." Ka-Ling stared at the disassembled shock-glove on the table in front of him. "And I keep thinking. Maybe if Makittuq had had one of those with him, he would still be alive?"

"I have an older sister," recounted Mauja, one of Zia's chi-blocking students, a seemingly meek woman of Water Tribe descent. "Unlike me, she's a waterbender. We used to be close, but… she joined the Red Monsoons. Said they offer her better opportunities than anyone. Maybe she's right, I don't know. But ever since, she's grown apart from me. I tried to talk to her, but her new friends in the triad didn't like that. She's always been a good bender, so I guess she was valuable to them. Eventually, she had to pick between me and them. She chose the latter. After that… I just felt I had to do something, you know? It's not right for bending to tear a family apart like that."

It was late evening when Hiroshi found Amon in one of the Equalist training facilities. This one was located in an old school, long since closed down. The industrialist was clearly tired, having not slept. Between inquiring his Equalists about their motives and pondering their answers, he found neither the time nor the ability to sleep.

The masked man stood in a doorway, surveying a group of chi-blockers being instructed by Zia. When Hiroshi approached, he spoke nonchalantly, as though he was picking up a conversation that had been interrupted moments ago.

"She is the most skilled chi-blocker I have ever seen. The Earth Queen was a fool to discard the Kyoshi Warriors in favour of the Dai Li."

"Her abilities have been of great service to us, indeed," Hiroshi said, for lack of anything else. "As I recall, she wished to speak with you. Perhaps test herself against you, even."

"I would be happy to oblige. But first, Hiroshi… I need to know what your decision is. What future do you have in mind for this movement, and what place do I have in it?"

Hiroshi sighed heavily.

"You… were right. There is a flaw in this city, this nation and the whole world, that none of my efforts can set right. We need something more powerful. We need… you."

Amon remained immobile, and when he spoke, his voice betrayed no satisfaction or mirth – merely an acknowledgement of Hiroshi's correct decision.

"That is good. Together, we will make this group into what it could have been all along. Now you must send the word. The Equalists need to be informed of the new leadership. There is much work to be done."

He turned around to look at Hiroshi.

"The revolution begins here. Its beginnings are humble, but most great things begin in such a manner."