A/N: Thank you to everyone who left reviews. Comments and reviews are my life's blood for working on my fics. The more I get, the more I want to write.

Warning: Contains plot twists, fighting, and only slight deviations from the original source episodes. The next chapter will be the season one finale. And my god will it be not the same as the episode.

With love,
Korrupted.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own LoK, or any of the characters aside from the OCs. Obviously. Because then I wouldn't have a need to write fanfictions as I can just make it cannon. And, sometimes, the fanfics are better than the actual episodes. I have read some really damn good ones in my time.

Korra stormed through the temple with an equally infuriated Tenzin behind her, strong gusts whipping his cloak around.

"He is a complete buffoon!" He stated firmly. "They have no charges that will stand!"

"Just because Tarrlok can't see he's the poster child for what Amon says we all are, he throws my friends in prison. Ugh! I want to bend some brain power into him and Saikhan!"

Lin walked into the room with her arms crossed, watching the general direction of the duo curiously. "What's got your loincloths in a knot?"

Tenzin huffed, the frown clear in his voice. "Korra's friends were thrown into prison for 'suspected Equalist involement', and we were unable to bail them out as Tarrlok had placed them in special holding."

"Well. What do you say about smashing his head in?" Lin inquired flatly.

"Out of the question."

"Lin, come and train more." The voice of Katara urged. "We need to keep working at this if you're going to be out and about as you'd like."

Unfocused eyes rolled. "I'm coming, I'm coming." She conceded, walking away a few steps before turning to point at the other two. "Don't you dare kick Saikhan's ass without me."

When she finally retreated, Korra looked at her mentor firmly. "We have to do something. They're in there because of me."

Tenzin sighed. "We can't act rashly, Korra. We both know it will only serve to force Tarrlok's hand further."

Huffing, the young Avatar stomped away, her mind already made up. If it was force Tarrlok wanted, then tonight she would force him to free her friends. She would show that jerk what happened when you crossed the Avatar.

Lin weaved and dodged Katara's water orbs nimbly, her godmother adding several ice chunks into the mix just to keep her on her toes. It was difficult to dodge and bend without her sight against a true waterbending master, but she was managing it with only mild frustration.

"You must be ready for anything your opponent can throw at you, Lin." Katara told her in a kind voice, Lin 'watching' her send a large water orb her way.

Feet planted, the metalbender moved to dodge the projectile, but she somehow lost her balance. The orb caught her chest, knocking her breathless, the water soaking her top and pants. Unseeing eyes stared at Katara, utterly baffled as to what happened. There had been no debris on the floor, nothing to trip her, or make her lose footing.

"I said you must be ready for anything, Lin." Katara chuckled in a humored, but oddly unsettling tone; there had been an underlying darkness to that sound.

Lin shook her head to clear it, readying herself once more. She must have misjudged her stance. This time, there would be no more slip-ups.

"Korra's missing!"

Mako's bellow was enough to wake the dead, but somehow not Bolin as everyone else came as quickly as their various sleep clothes would let them.

"What do you mean?" Tenzin questioned hurriedly, Lin and the younger airbenders hurrying over as well.

"Well, I looked everywhere for her, and then saw Tarrlok unconscious. Equalist gear and tracks everywhere! They have her, I know it." He growled.

Lin had already managed to bend her armor on, pulling her coat on next. "Let's find her. I've been itching for a fight anyways."

"I'm coming too."

Everyone looked at Katara in surprise, eyebrows raised. "You're down a waterbender, and I can heal. Besides, it's a full moon tomorrow. I can hold my own."

For a moment there was a silent debate through eye contact only, Tenzin breaking the awkward silence. "Alright. To be honest, we could use the help."

The group headed out, Katara freezing a large patch of water and effortlessly drifting them over to the main part of the city. As good as Korra was, even Tenzin could admit that she was not even half as talented as his mother. There was a fluid grace to her moves that was rarely seen these days, a raw power in those gestures from the training she had put herself through.

But at times, there seemed to be a darkness to her that no one could explain. Both Lin and Tenzin could recall Aang and Toph brushing it off, or telling them that some things were best left in the past. Either something in the Hundred Year War, or relatively soon thereafter must have changed her. Why else would her mood go from calm to a brewing storm at random?

Mako lead the group through several sewers, his golden hues scanning with extreme prejudice for any movement as they kept going. Lin held up her hand to halt the group, metalbending the chi blocker into the wall painfully hard.

Mako dashed up and held him firmly in place, ripping off his mask. "Where are you keeping them?!" He demanded in a snarl.

"You won't get anything out of me." Was his only reply.

Katara stepped up to stand behind Mako when the firebender grabbed the blocker by his throat. "You should tell us. He seems like he means business." She almost calmly stated, gesturing at the angry teen smoothly.

The man's face twisted in pain. "Alright, alright! P-prisoners are in the lower levels!"

Instantly, Lin bound him in earth and metal, the group moving on.

"I didn't think I had that firm of a grip on him..." Mako muttered.

Asami moved a bit closer, her eyes calm and understanding. "You're worried, Mako. We all are."

At long last, they reached the cells the metalbenders were held it, Lin all but tearing apart the bars to free them. She knew she was far too late to save their bending, but she could save their lives. "I am so, so sorry. I'm too late to stop Amon..." Her face turned, reading who was there. "Reisler, where is he?"

Jong stepped forward sadly. "He attacked Amon after he took away our bending. They... He didn't make it, Chief."

Lin felt like she had been punched in the gut, reeling slightly. Liam had been her friend for so long, most of her life as an officer. Amon would pay for this. "Then let's not let his sacrifice be in vain." She stated in a slightly choked voice.

She would get her men out, and she would find the Avatar. And then, she would make Amon pay.

"Korra!"

Mako was all but shoving everyone out of his way in his haste to get to the passed out girl, Lin standing beside Katara worriedly. Tarlokk was a coward, and a fool, but she still hated that he had tricked them.

"Move, make some room!" Mako demanded as he took her into his arms and carried her back into the temple.

Asami followed him quickly, wanting to be nearby in case she was needed, Tenzin stalking over to Lin. "I need to meet with the rest of the council. We must discuss many things, like Tarrlok and Amon. I need you to watch over my family."

Lin glowered in his direction. "I'm a police officer, not a nanny."

"Please, Pema is close to giving birth, and I don't know how much help Mother will need."

She carefully considered his words. "You are going to owe me, Tenzin." She hissed.

He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, Lin. This means the world to me."

Lin almost regretted her choice as she fought against the ever growing tide of Equalists, bending metal and earth to keep then at bay. She could hear Pema's cries as she worked through delivering Tenzin's child, the jumble of noises making it harder to process her seismic sense properly.

When the cable took her down, Lin snarled up to be greeted by a sharp shock from the electro rod. It took so much to keep from blacking out entirely, and Jinorra's voice broke through the fog.

"Leave my father's ex-girlfriend alone!"

Ikki's joined in next, the sound of her on an air scooter whirring about. "Get off our island!"

Katara was next to be heard. "Lin, hurry and get up."

She and Katara removed the cords, then began to attack the invaders along with the children, water, earth, and metal being hurled without reserve. The fight was already in their favor now, but Tenzin's arrival truly marked the Equalist's loss.

"We have to go, now. We were being ambushed on the way to the meeting. Amon is coming for Air Temple Island." He informed Katara.

His mother nodded sternly. "Go see your son, Lin and I will ready the bisons."

Lin quickly moved to saddle another, Korra and her group rushing over with Naga. "Lin, Amon is coming, we have to go!"

The officer nodded. "I'm going with Tenzin and his family. You, Katara, and the others go on Naga and Snuggy. We'll split up so that he has to pick a target."

She could almost see Korra's anxiety. "What if he goes after you guys?"

"Then we'll give him hell."

"Lin, please be careful." She urged.

Lin gently took Korra's face into her hands, tracing along her features carefully to take in her expression. Fear, worry, determination. The young Avatar had truly grown in leagues already, but there was so much more growing left to do. And Lin had a duty to protect the future of both the Avatar and the world.

Her thumb traced over those soft lips, and Lin smirked. "We're all counting on you, Avatar Korra. Now, run. Run like the Spirits are after you."

Reluctantly, Korra moved away from Lin to mount Naga, Bolin, Mako, Katara, and Asami clambering onto Snuggy quickly. She looked back once to her mentors, Tenzin guiding his family to the other bison. "Stay safe, all of you." She told them, then sent Naga running for the water.

The moment both Naga and Snuggy were close enough to the water surface, she pulled air bubbles around the heads on them all, and they submerged.

Lin helped Pema onto the bison, then was hoisted in by one of her cables. She could hear the airships looming closer, and the air bison lurch to take off. Maybe, just maybe they would make it out.

However, she could hear the nets rushing through the air at them, lashing out to slash them over and over again. Just a bit more, and surely Amon would cease his advance on them. What could the last remaining airbenders possibly have that he-

She turned her unseeing eyes towards the family. She could vaguely see the fear on their faces, how they all looked to her for safety. Amon would not rest until he destroyed the last airbenders, much like Fire Lord Orzi had tried before him. Lin knew that a sacrifice had to be made, and she could not risk it being a single one of them.

She stood slowly, turning to face the airships, trying to determine how far away they were.

"Lin, what are you doing?"

She glanced back to them again, her face determined, set. "No matter what happens, don't turn back." Lin stated sternly, swinging a coil of metal out to take hold of a beam on the ship.

She took a deep breath in, and jumped, hoping that she would make this leap of faith.

"LIN!"

Lin swung onto the top of the metal structure, instantly tearing gashes into the hull. She would dismantle this whole damn ship if she had to. The rudder what child's play to sabotage, finding herself quickly surrounded by Chi Blockers as she repositioned herself to fight.

Fluidly, she ducked under striking fists, flipped over shocking cables, and disabled her foes as she kept ripping the ship apart piece by piece. Lin felt her feet tangle, and a painful jolt before her mind went hazy, cursing her loss of sight.

Korra had to be safe. She had to.

Lin was tired, the ropes around her hands the least of her worries as her side bled. They hadn't thought she would put up such a fight upon waking, but she sure as hell was going to make them rue the day they dared to take over her city. While her body hurt, while cuts bled, her spirit remained unwavering; she was the daughter of the first metalbender, Toph Bei Fong. She would not bend to these men.

She listened to Amon's footsteps as he drew near, 'watching' him with her seismic sense.

"Lin Bei Fong. Tell me where Avatar Korra is, and I will allow you to keep your bending."

Lin knew her bending was her source of vision, her only last crutch to truly fighting this monster, but to give him Korra? To save herself and doom the girl? There was no price worth her honor. And so, she snarled up at him hatefully, "Never."

As he moved behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder and forcing her face towards the sky, Lin closed her eyes. She would never bend again, but she would never give over her pupil. Her friend.

She felt his hand on her forehead, her chi pathways almost instantly shutting down, and her eyes flying open. Darkness became darker as she no longer could use the vibrations to see. Pain became more painful as her body slumped to the side. Lin felt consciousness leave her, and she didn't even know if she would ever see anyone's face again.

"Korra..." She mumbled.

Korra felt like her head was on fire, looking around frantically. Something had happened on Air Temple Island, she could feel it in her soul. She looked at the waterbending master beside her in sheer panic. "Katara, I have to go. I have to go to Air Temple Island. Someone's in trouble."

The elderly bender nodded. "We will go together. Quickly, while the others are occupied with the refugees."

Korra had expected the island to be held under strict guard, to be watched ruthlessly, but they hadn't even heard another pair of footsteps. Katara was on guard, the duo moving quickly to the pavilion, finding a slumped and bound form laying on the ground, motionless.

"Lin!" Korra hissed, dashing over to her.

The moment she was touched, Lin began to stir, her eyes opening slowly. "Who's there...?" She grated out. "Korra? Is that you?"

Korra felt tears pouring from her eyes as she moved Lin to almost cradle her, watching the older bender looking at nothing, one of her hands using concentrated fire to snap the rope around her wrists. "Y-yeah, it's me. Lin, can't you use your bending to see me?" She knew the answer, but she prayed she was wrong.

Lin smiled weakly. "Can't see... Can't bend. I'm sorry, Korra." Tears ran down her cheeks involuntarily. "Amon took away my bending. I'm... Truly blind."

Korra took one of Lin's hands and brought it to her face, not caring that she was crying as she ran the hand along her features. She ran the palm over the familiar track that Lin would use, her own shaking as she did so. "I'm here, Lin. I'm here. I'm so sorry... I'm... I'm always too late to save you."

Amon... He would pay for this. Korra swore that she would make him pay.