Chapter 6 – Healing

Unknown Location, Republic City

The wounded young prince opened his eyes; he was still dizzy from the blood loss and internal bleeding. He tried to sit but a sharp pain on his chest prevented him from doing so. He grunted.

"Hold on there, you're still recuperating." A raspy yet friendly voice said, Thor turned to see at the origin of the voice. But as he did he noticed that he was inside a luxurious apartment, where he was and who had taken him in popped into his mind.

"Who are you?" Thor asked the man who approached him; he wore a formal suit, and black glasses. The man's hair was a tone of brown that made it almost look reddish in color.

"My name is Matto, and don't move too harshly." Matto replied as he helped Thor sit up. "My friend found you beaten up in an alleyway three nights ago. What happened to you?"

"I stayed behind…I thought that I could take them all…but I was too weak." Thor responded as he placed one of his hands on his face in shame. "At least…at least they're safe."

"Who's safe?" Matto asked.

"Korra and the others." Thor answered.

"Korra? As in Avatar Korra? You're friends with the Avatar?" Matto asked and received a simple nod from Thor. "That explains many things, but I encourage you to not do anything dangerous like this again."

"Who are you actually and why are you wearing sunglasses indoors?" Thor kept asking.

"I'm a lawyer; I defend people most of the time. Oh and I'm also blind."

"You're blind?! But…"

"Some of us, lawyers, are very talented. You're healing quite quickly from the sound of your heartbeat but don't strain yourself." Matto said as he grabbed a nearby cane and handed it to Thor. "You have a lame leg."

Thor stood up and noticed that his left leg had been chi-blocked too much that it left it…weak. "Hopefully it's only temporary." Matto said as he heard him stand up.

"This friend of yours…who is he?" Thor asked.

"You'll meet him soon enough." Matto said as he walked towards the front door and grabbed his green overcoat. "Have to go; Kuro Shinzou is waiting for me in court. Good meeting you."

The man left leaving Thor alone, the young prince walked towards the opened balcony. The sun was on the sky shining brightly. He felt good, well good enough to walk back to the island.

Air Temple Island

The ferry arrived to the island's docks and Thor jumped out of it. "Uff…!" He grunted as he felt the pain of his lame leg and chest. "Not doing that again."

As he walked slowly towards the front door, he saw an elegant satomobile and the kids, Ikki and Meelo, playing in it. Thor smiled at the silliness of the children but wondered why there was a car there.

He was feeling extremely annoyed by his lame leg, how he waited anxiously to heal. When he made a turn towards the front entrance of the compound, normally where Tenzin and the others meditate, he found Bolin and Korra talking.

Thor saw how Bolin gave Korra a small bag full of stuff but couldn't hear anything they were saying. "Umm…" Thor felt that sting in his rib cage again. Nevertheless he would say greetings to his friends. "Greetings it is I!" He loudly yelled as he limped towards them.

"Thor!" Korra and Bolin yelled back in joy.

"Indeed, the mighty Thor has returned! Of course I may look like I've seen better days but I'm still strong! Agh…!" He grunted as his chest pained him again.

"Are you okay?!" Korra quickly asked as she touched his chest. "Your ribs…some of them are fractured."

"It's nothing…I had worse." Thor replied trying to sound all heroic around her but it obviously didn't work.

"Thor dude, how did you escape?" Bolin asked.

"I didn't actually, I stayed, took some down before they ganged up on me. Then they retreated…then I made a strategic retreat and passed out in an alley. Then a kind stranger took me to safety and a man of law healed me." Thor answered.

Korra then noticed that he was holding a cane. "Your leg is bad too…that's it, you're coming inside." Korra said as she pulled him by the arm.

They entered the temple and Korra called some of the Air Acolytes to patch Thor up properly. "Sir Thor, you have to remove your jacket and shirt so we can heal your fractured ribs." One of the monks said.

Thor took his upper garb off, revealing several cuts and bruises on his chest and back.

"Look at those scars…" Bolin said as he watched as Thor's smaller scars began to heal rapidly. In a pace never seen before, and the big ones started to get smaller and smaller.

"I'm not looking." Korra replied, she had been covering her eyes the whole time.

"Hey, you never did that when Mako and I took our shirts in the locker room." Bolin said.

"It's different…" Korra responded, Bolin grunted at Korra's response.

"This is actually very…agh!" Thor yelled as one of the monks pressed a big wet leaf on his exposed back.

Later that afternoon…

Thor rested on the grass fields on the west side of the temple, it was a small backyard of sorts, but it was calm enough for the young prince. He had the battle he so desired but it left him drained, bruised and not satisfied.

The sun started to set and the stars began to appear in the sky. When Thor looked at those stars they reminded him of the Sea of Space of Asgard. Vast and beautiful, very few things could match the natural beauty of the universe, but Thor had found something as amazing as the universe itself here, on Midgard.

"You scared us you know." Thor turned to see who talked to him, it was Korra. She walked towards him and sat by his side. "You scared me."

"I needed it; I needed to feel my blood rush through my veins again." Thor replied. "But I failed and I couldn't stop them."

"You're crazy, why would you need to risk your life for us like that? What are you trying to proof?" Korra said as she grasped his arm tightly.

"My father…before he exiled me, he told me that I had failed as a warrior and a prince." Thor's voice began to crack a little. "I wanted to be worthy, worthy of his affection again…I thought that maybe he was seeing me, and I wanted to make him proud."

"You don't need to proof anything to no one; I can see that you are worthy." Korra said. A moment of silence passed before Thor spoke again.

"Before all of this happened, I was so high of myself…I could grasp the fire of the brightest star and lift the heaviest of boulders but now…I feel so tiny. Humbled." Thor said as he looked at his hands. "Alone I'm nothing, but with you I don't feel so tiny anymore."

Korra smiled and placed her left hand on his right hand.

Streets of Republic City

"The Equalists are growing in numbers already." A dark red figure in the shadows said. "And the Council is doing nothing about it."

"They don't see the threat as we see it, not yet." Another figure replied, this one was wearing a white hood. "What happened to that kid you save from those extremists?"

"He is safe, he's friends with the Avatar and they now Amon's power." The dark red man answered. "They could help us in stopping Amon before his menace grows."

"No, we can't lead the Avatar to harm, she is too far important. We should rally the others, hit the Equalists when they least expect it." The white hooded man responded.

Then the sound of footsteps was heard coming from behind them, a white skull appeared from the shadows. "They're spreading; a man was killed today just for heating his tea with bending."

"You know what to do." The white hooded man said and the white skull re-entered the darkness once more.

"We are playing with something we don't fully understand Knight." The dark red man said as he turned around to leave. "This revolution could mean the end of us and the end of liberty."

The dark red man left, leaving the white hooded man by his lonesome. "The warrior of the Moon never dies as long as there is hope in succeeding."

The Council Chamber, City Hall

The following day…

"What are these documents?" Tenzin asked as he arrived to his seat in the council room.

"Two petitions from the Universal Church of Truth, whatever that is, and reports of Equalist activity." Tarrlok replied. "These Equalists are becoming a major threat against the welfare of benders in the city, we must do something."

"What do you propose Councilam Tarrlok?" The Earth Kingdom representative asked.

"A special task force composed of the most competent members of the police force, and the United Forces officers and enlisted from Kyoshi Island. A group that can stop the Equalists definitively." Tarrlok answered.

"Are you asking that we deprive the freedoms of these people?" Tenzin asked with a bit of disapproval in his voice.

"They gave up those rights once they started holding secret meetings and terrorist activity!" Tarrlok responded. "All I'm proposing is the support from all of you in stopping this infection from becoming too big to handle."

The councilmembers looked at each other and took a quick decision. They raised their hands in favor, all but Tenzin. Tarrlok smiled and took out a file from his suitcase. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division Initiative."