Chapter 2

"Thank you all for joining me on this historic occasion."

Amon's voice rang loudly through the pro-bending arena. Large crowds gathered around cheering and clapping, all anxiously awaiting and wondering what their leader would do next. Posters of him in his mask hung around the auditorium walls at every corner. The bold texts of the word "peace" was proudly presented along with Amon's mask and ironically symbolized the Equalist's agenda of wiping out the art of bending.

Korra looked over at Mako and nodded. They had managed to sneak in dressed in Equalist uniforms and masks to hide their identity.

"When I was a young boy," Amon spoke. All eyes fell on him and the only voice left in the room was his, "a firebender attacked my family! It left me scarred."

A collective gasp echoed through the crowd.

"Ever since then, I've wanted to equalize the world."

"You're a liar!" Korra took off her mask, bringing attention to herself as Mako followed suit. "Your real name isn't even Amon; it's Noatak!"

The audience gasped again. Chit-chatter rumbled in the building.

"Stay calm, everyone," Amon remained unfazed but the eyes behind the mask narrowed. "Let's hear what the Avatar has to say."

"Amon has been lying to you all." She turned to face the people and pointed at Amon accusingly. She projected her voice louder, hoping that her revelations and her status as the Avatar would bring people to see the truth and stop rallying as Equalists. "Amon has been using bloodbending to take people's bending away! He is a waterbender!"

Immediately, Korra could sense the confusion below. Questions of "what is this?" and "is she telling the truth?" repeatedly passed down to one another. The crowd looked with vacant eyes at Korra and then Amon, and then back and forth, expecting a response.

The Equalist Lieutenant glanced askance at Amon, eyebrows knitted closely together, nose scrunched up. "What is this nonsense?"

Amon's voice hardened. "Desperate Avatar, making up stories about me is a pathetic last resort."

"No," she interjected, determined to reveal the truth, "Amon's family was never attacked by a firebender. His father is Yakone, and his brother is Councilman Tarlok!"

Korra looked over at Amon, hoping to get a reaction out of him. However, he stood there starring intensely back at her, unmoved by her accusations. He lifted an arm up, captivating the attention of the crowd again.

"What an amusing tale . . . But I will show you the truth."

"How are we going to get out of here?" Asami asked, struggling against the harsh blistery ropes that tied her back-to-back with the general. The rope was so tight against her chest and arms that she could barely move at all.

"I don't suppose you know how to metalbend."

"Remember?" Asami raised an eyebrow, even though she knew that Iroh couldn't see her face expression. "I'm a nonbender."

Iroh pouted dejectedly. "I guess we'll have to wait until someone comes to rescue us or if something happens, we might be able to escape."

"Unlikely," Asami muttered under her breath. She let out a huge sigh and leaned her head against Iroh's back, remembering how she had just been in jail recently after being arrested by Councilman Tarlok. He had wrongly accused her, along with several others, of being an Equalist. She looked straight ahead at the dark nothingness, only prison walls that surrounded her and the dim light that casted shadows on her face. "My life has turned around for the worst . . . I feel miserable right now."

Iroh could feel the weight of her head against his upper back, "Then would you like me to cheer you up?"

"And how would you do that?" Asami mused, "We're tied down. You're not going to suddenly jump up and start dancing and telling me jokes to make me laugh, are you?"

"Only if you want me to."

Asami smiled upon hearing his response. "While you're at it, please also massage my back and serve me ice coffee," she teased.

He chuckled. "Yes, princess."

"So why don't you tell me about yourself, general?" Asami blinked, realizing that she barely knew anything about him. "What do you do for fun? What's your life like?"

Iroh lifted his chin. "I like to drink tea and play pai sho."

"That's it?" She giggled. "Sounds like the life."

"Between being the general of the United Forces and being the Firelord's son, I have a lot of duties to attend to," Iroh explained as she nodded behind his shoulder understandingly. "What about you? Why do you hate your life so much?"

Asami bit her lip. "I don't hate my life. It's just . . ."

A pause.

"It's just that . . ."

Another pause.

Iroh looked thoughtful and then cleared his throat. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to –"

"I want to tell you. But I don't want you to pity me."

"I promise I won't."

"My boyfriend, Mako, left me - well, we kind of did break up - but still, he left me for the Avatar, Korra. I like Korra, and . . . I'm really happy for them. I shouldn't be bitter." She sighed, squeezing her eyes shut and tilting her head downwards. Asami was glad that they were back-to-back so he couldn't see her solemn face. "Sometimes I just don't know anymore."

She exhaled sharply and continued on, "And my father. He's the worst one, really. He turned out to be an Equalist! He worked behind my back, built a secret underground factory to make Equalist weapons, and turned against me and my friends."

Iroh's eyebrows drew together; he definitely did not imagine that this girl would have such a problematic life. He asked quietly, "Do you still love your father?"

She hesitated. "He is still family, after all."

"Don't worry too much," he told her, "You're a strong girl."

Asami smiled, genuine as always. She had ordered him not to be sympathetic because she didn't want to be seen as anything less than strong. Yet she hadn't told him how fearful she was to face her father again, something she wished that she never had to do . . .

She sat there on the cold floor tiles, wondering incredulously how she could spill most of her life issues to someone who had been a stranger to her until now. It probably was the need for someone to listen to her – and also the slight attraction she had for the general. She was in fact, thankful for the chance to be stuck in prison, in a very weird and ironic way. (Perhaps her life wasn't so bad. She could get used to this – leaning against Iroh and talking to him and all. She could get used to his company.)

"I will show you the truth."

Amon lifted up his mask, revealing his face for the first time to his supporters. Patches of discolored dark red marks ran across his face. His burnt skin resembled ripples of water. It was fairly obvious that he had been scarred by a firebender.

Korra's jaw dropped, standing in silence and shock. How could this be? She didn't understand this. At all. After everything she had learned from Noatak (about Yakone, about bloodbending, about their childhoods and upbringing), she had thought that for once she would be one step ahead of Amon. Nothing made sense.

"What?" Mako and Korra looked at each other in confusion.

"The Avatar is lying!" the crowd roared. Korra could feel the people's anger. The auditorium was filled with people shouting hateful words, crossing their arms or waving their arms wildly, and frowning their eyebrows.

"What?" No, no, no. This can't be happening. She took a few steps forward, pointed at Amon again, and desperately called out again, "He is a waterbender!"

Still, no one bothered with her statement – the angry shouting resumed.

"No one believes me." She backed up, turning to face Mako. Clearly, she had not thought out the plan properly. What was she expecting? To just point out that Amon was a waterbender and expect the rest of the rallying Equalists to believe her? She shook her head, defeated. She had no proof.

"C'mon," Mako tugged on her arm, "It's time for us to leave now. We can't make them believe us if they don't want to."

As they headed outside, Amon's voice interrupted them. "I don't think you will want to miss the main event, Avatar."

"And what might that be?"

"Today," he announced to the crowd, both arms in the air as if he were welcoming her, "the Avatar will be de-bended."

Something shone in Korra's eyes.

Fear.

"It's nice to see you again."

Footsteps echoed in the hallway, becoming louder and louder.

Both Asami and Iroh turned their heads to face the man walking towards their cell. She squinted and gasped quietly.

It was unmistakably him. She could recognize the short stocky build of him, taking a few steps forward, his circular glasses glinting in the dark, dark gray hair swept over to the right side.

". . . daddy?"