Korra

I can't believe it! I'm going to learn airbending, finally.

Running faster than necessary to arrive early, I breathe in deep the smell of the wind in my face and the Juniper growing all over Air Temple Island. My new home, where Aang once lived. Maybe I can make a connection with him here. Maybe.

I'll just focus on the bending part so as not to get my hopes up about the spiritual stuff. Yeah, because that tactic has worked out real well so far.

I shake my head as I approach the two bending masters; Jinora and Tenzin stand serene and striking in their Air Nomad clothes. I bow respectfully to them.

"Greetings Avatar Korra," Jinora's gentle and inviting voice has lowered slightly since I heard it last. We grin at each other. "It's great to see you!" I exclaim throwing my arms around her, just like her younger siblings had done to me earlier.

Tenzin remains professional as ever, "Shall we get started then?"

Bolin

"Paboo, the team is depending on us, so no pressure but do you're best."

It had been a few hours and the yuans weren't exactly flowing, buuut Paboo was really pulling through, performing beautifully. And now a rather nice crowd had gathered, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I giiiiive you the AMAZING PABOO!"

"Nice! 6 yauns, way to go buddy!" Fondly petting the soft fur around his face, I feed Paboo what's left of our food. My stomach rumbles, but the empty feeling is a familiar distraction. "Ok ready to learn a new trick buddy?" His doleful eyes beg for more food, before they close and he nuzzles into my chest, sniffing for snacks and more ear scratches.

A fancy car bursts into my field of vision, rolling up on the sidewalk startling a few stragglers and a pit forms in my stomach.

"Bolin!" The first man to get out of the car gives me the kind of falsely jovial greeting you hear called out to suckers buying their first Sato mobile. Calyo's an informant from our old gang, the Triple Threat Triad.

This can't be good.

I plaster a grin on my face trying to look at ease, but I'm a little rattled. It's not easy to leave a Triad, least of all the Triple Threats. When Mako first told me we were out, I couldn't believe it. But since then, they haven't harassed us, asking for muscle or money like I expected them to—that is, until today.

"Hey man, how's it going?" As I stand to meet him, Calyo slings a confining arm around my neck and glances down at our scanty earnings incased in a tin cup below.

"Tisk, tisk, business has not been good for you my friend,"

"Well… It's are first day on the job, things'll pick up," This is fine, everything is normal.

He leans in even closer, if that's possible, taking on a conspiratorial tone like we're old pales and not a kid and the man who used to beat him for coming in late.

"Listen kid, I know times are hard for you an ya' brother right now, with the pot and all, so Zolt wants to help you out."

My heart rate picks up real fast, "Uhh that's real nice but—"

"Na—na now listen. It's a real straight job, ok? You serve as some extra muscle, tonight and tonight only, and we pay you're teams ante, what'da say to that!" He exuberantly slaps me on the chest, licking his lips expectantly.

"The whole 10,000 yuans?!" I ask incredulously, "just for one night of guard duty?"

"Yep , tha's right. Boss needs some extra good men around him for a deal tonight, so what'da say, Bo? You in?"

Korra

"Be the leaf!"

"Milo, I swear to all things holy, if you say that one more time, I'm go—"

"Korra come on! You can do it!" Eke's encouraging shout cuts me off, and Jinora slides her calm reassurance smoothly into the gape. "Focus, Korra. We know you can do this."

I stare down the accursed wooden-hang-door-thing for the millionth time, contemplating how many ways I could destroy it with literally any other type of bending, but no, I have to go through… weird Airbnder sh—.

"I'm starting them again! This time, think of the panels as opponents in a match. You have to avoid them but can't strike back." I look at Tenzin skeptically, and he responds, "Well, probending also has 'weird rules' as you call them, and you accept them in the ring, why not here?"

That's… actually a really good point.

"Ok do it." I order, determined to succeed this time. But as Tenzin starts the panels spinning, I realize in the ring, I had to relax and let the strikes move past me in order to win. Determination was good, but for this I had to be… well…peaceful.

So, taking a deep breath, letting the tension drain slightly from my muscles I enter the turrny-torrnado-of-death. I make it half way before slipping up, one wooden board nocks my arm roughly out of balance and I fall from the circle.

But I could feel it that time! The flow of energy was just right. Grunting, grinning, I struggle back to my feet. "Excellent, Korra!" I can hear true excitement in his voice and when I look up, he's smiling too. "Now if—"

"Oh, there's a handsome man racing towards us" Jinora says in interest, producing a grin from me at the candid description. Though she's a bending master and only about a year younger, her innocence really shines through sometimes.

Mako was indeed running quickly, and the look on his face caused my smile to fall. When he reached us his breath was ragged, and he seemed a loss for words.

"Hey Mako," Straitening, I walk over to meet him, "What's going on?"

He looks contrite, glancing at Tenzin then back at me, "Sorry to interrupt, but have, uhh, have you seen Bolin?"

"No. I haven't seen him since practice. What's wrong?"

"ahhh…" He glances at the others again, "Nothing, it's fine, I just thought I'd check, ahh sorry again." He swiftly turns to leave; I glance at Tenzin and Jinora, silently asking if I can go after him. Receiving a "humph" and a nod respectively, I give chase to my troubled friend, all thoughts of practice forgotten.

"Hey tough guy!" I call, putting a hand on his shoulder, turning him to face me. "Wanna tell me what's really going on?"

"I don't know yet," His gaze keeps shifting, feet and hands in constant motion, "I just know that Bo is missing and I have a bad feeling."

"You have a bad feeling about what?"

"I don't know! It's not like he hasn't been home late before, I just, I don't know… when he left earlier I… we talked about money and that's always hard." Here Mako shuffles his feet slightly looking down. He's been looking out towards the city the whole time but when he goes on he's just glaring at the ground, as though it's the source of their financial troubles.

"I think he might do something stupid" Mako finish's grimly, finally looking up to meet my eye.

"Okay," I say with a nod, trying to convey reassurance and strength.

"Then lets find him before anything bad happens" I turn and start heading towards the stables where Naga's resting.

"How?" Mako asks, clearly skeptical.

I glance back trying and failing to keep the wicked grin off my face,

"Naaaga" I call, and then quickly step aside and open door to her stall.

Bolin

The car slows, increasing the nauseous feeling in my gut, as we approach the gang's hideout, the Butterfly Garden: our old home. As we pull up to the seemingly normal multi-story restaurant, memories flood in unbidden. Mako and I sparing in the ally, skinny limbs flailing, Mako carrying me home after I broke my leg, Mako—

"Bolin! Come say hi to the old family."

After a round of reintroductions, mostly consisting of them marveling at the amount of muscle I've gained, we set up a loose perimeter around the building, checking all the access points at regular intervals and chatting casually.

Okay, maybe this won't be so bad. Mako will never have to know. I'll work tonight, get outta here with the ante and save the day, Bolin style.

Relaxing into my post at the front of the restaurant, I lean against the building, arms crossed and ask my partner, "So who's the big meeting with tonight?"

"You haven't heard?" Jin's the type of guy everyone fears at first, big intimidating stature and low slow voice. But he's one of my favorites from back in the day; he made sure we had food.

"Those…equalists," He seems to chew on the word before slowly pronouncing it, "They've been causing a lot of trouble for us; stealing taxes, beatin up our guys..." He doesn't look angry when he says this just shrugs as if to say, "That's what happens in this line of work,"

Then he goes on, "I guess some of the other triads are having the same troubles, so, the bosses are meeting up tonight to, I assume, discuss eliminating them."

"Really? They have that many people…uh, hating benders?" It's hard for me to imagine the restless, cranky protesters I've seen in the street as an organized group, capable of harassing not just one, but all three of the major triads.

Jin nods slowly before going on, "Seems like these, equalists," again, the word looks like it just doesn't taste right in his mouth, "have been gatherin for some time. Many of them have been trained in Chi-blocking."

"Chi-Blocking!" I find myself only able to stupidly repeat back what he's saying. All of this news hasn't been getting to me in the training room. "That's a serious skill." I mumble thinking of the old stories of the Hundred Year War, when Chi-blocking was rare.

"Look alive, Bo" Jin nods his head in the direction of a fancy car slowly pulling into the lot, the sun has fallen, street lamps are being lit. A picture of what this place looked like the first time Mako and I defended it together, swims to the surface of my mind, but I shake my head and stand straight, I need to focus now.

Mako

"GAHH! I can't BELEVE he went back with the triad! And now he's gone." My nostrils flare as I huff out air and glare down the ally where Bolin's eyes begged for help before disappearing behind the walls of the city. Clenching my hands, I try again to summon my element. Nothing.

"I can't bend! Ah! I can't bend!" Korra's voice is panicked and I look over to see her face is as well.

"Calm down. Those were chi-blockers." You'd think as the Avatar she would have been trained to handle that. I stare down the ally again and hear Korra say, "Chi-blockers? I thought that was a rare skill. And why did they attack the triple threats?"

Sprits, having Korra around to ask questions, I clearly don't have the answers to, is almost like having Bo back.

I throw up my hands, "I don't know! How would I know what's happening here?!" Despite knowing nothing good can come of yelling at the only person helping me, the words come out harsh and loud.

Korra however, just quirks an eyebrow, excepting my outburst, "Ok let's just… start with what we know." She walks over to the monster dog and absentmindedly pets it's head while talking out loud.

"So we know Bolin was promised money to work with the Triple Threats but then something went wrong… the equalists kidnapped everyone in that restaurant," Her blue eyes flash up at mine, "If they're that powerful, why didn't they kill the whole gang? Why kidnap them instead?"

Hmm… that's a good point. Usually when gangs hit each other there's a lot of blood shed, not so tonight. "I don't know… you're right, there has to be something bigger at play here. These equalists are obviously more well equipped and organized than anyone anticipated." I fold my arms with a hand on my chin.

"I ran into a man when I first came to the city, he was basically preaching about being an equalist. We could corner him and ask a few questions." The way she proposes this, with one fist clasped in the other and a wicked grin on her face, makes me think their first encounter can't have gone well.

"Here," she calls, pulling up on the reins. "This is where he hangs out, yelling at people." She effortlessly leaps to the ground ten feet below looking around while I try not to be too clumsy crawling down the side of the beast version of Korra.

Grabbing the reins again, she leads us over to the grass under some cherry trees. "We can wait here until he shows up in the morning." The deceptively snuggly looking monster nuzzles it's head in Korra's lap, who pets it affectionately before looking up at me with a dazzling smile. "Join us," she says gesturing to the ground next to her.

I gingerly settle down, my back a careful distance from the dog. Reclining back into the soft fur, Korra's eyes remain observant, wary despite our lack of sleep, gazing out at the open plaza.

All's quite far a few minutes, then comes the question I've been dreading, "Mako, why would Bolin go with the Triple Threats?"

It's not accusatory; it's just a question. And she's been invaluable so far, helping without question; I owe her some kind of explanation.

"Well… We kind of used to work for them." I watch for her reaction.

Her eyes widen predictably, "What!? You… you were criminals?" the betrayed look in her expressive eyes infuriates me.

"No! We never… it's not that simple! We did what we had to do to survive. I had to protect my brother and in this city, sometimes that meant breaking the law. What would you have done?" My breathing is embarrassingly heavy. I didn't think it would be that hard to admit, but for some reason, with her, everything is more difficult.

The play of emotions across her face is lightning fast, confusion, frustration and sorrow all take a turn before it settles into introspective as she finally breaks eye contact and stares unseeing into the night.

"There's so much about this city and it's people that I just don't understand." There's little inflection in her voice when she says this. Mostly, she just seems lost. Then she turns back, "Will you tell me about it? What happened to you? I want to understand."

Her eyes are concerned, completely sincere and the last reaction I expected. It seems she genuinely wants to know and is readily admitting that she needs help.

When talking to Asami, subjects like this are actively avoided, being from the upper class means there are some things about my life she will never understand and it's best to not talk about it. But maybe with Korra it would be different.

I blink at her for a second then swallow hard. "Okay what do you want to know?"

She folds her hands over crossed legs and says, "Start with the triad."

Korra

Mako struggles to start but once he does, all the horrifying details come out in a rush.

"Bolin was only eight and in another part of the city when it happened. At the fruit stand my parents owned, I followed my mother around sneaking berries and bothering her with questions about the people walking by. She never acted irritated though, by all my pestering, she just taught me things about life and people and living in the city. She and our dad came to Republic City to make a new life and they were doing pretty well, despite all of the prejudice directed at multicultural families.

I guess it was a shock to our parents that both Bo and I were benders since neither of them was, especially since we're two different types of bending. For us, it was exciting and fun but… there was no opportunity for formal training; the only time we used bending was while playing with other kids in the neighborhood, and even then not much. People had a bad habit of harassing the brothers from two nations.

So when a firebender attacked our stand one night, I was almost useless, the guy knocked me aside no problem. Later, bystanders all said the guy was crazy, shouting and raving, giving them no time to act. But we were in Triple Threat territory; they were supposed to protect us. We should have been safe.

I don't remember how much time passes after that but the rush of fear I felt when an expensive car drove up to the curb we're slumped on is something I'll never forget. An… imposing man stepped out; you could tell he was a Triad leader, the fancy car, squinting weary eyes and bodyguards made it obvious. Eyeing the area, the bodies, and… us I guess, Lightning Bolt Zolt, leader of the Triple Threat Triad for almost two decades approached us with an offer. We could live at the gang's base in exchange for being errand boys.

Angry, confused, with strongly ingrained fear and mistrust for the Triad all befuddling my head, all I could do was grind my teeth and squeeze Bolin's hand too tight. His presence kept me sane. When he first ran up shouting my name loudly, I raced toward him, arresting him before he got close enough to see the bodies.

But he could smell the smoke, and I could see the moment of horror as his nose wrinkled and he recognized the sent of burnt flesh in the air.

I finally understood then, what my mother had always said about loving someone more than yourself… about doing anything to protect them. The only way to keep Bolin and I safe and together was go with the Triad.

So I swallowed my fear and anger and climbed into the back of a car that I knew inspired both terror and hatred in those who saw it. Feelings that will also apply to us the moment we became attached to it.

We never thought of ourselves as gang members, I think I made it clear that Bolin and I would be leaving someday.

In-between errands or prepping food and cleaning in the Butterfly Garden where we lived, Bolin and I trained. That was our ticket out. We both saw what happened to people without power, and we decided together that we would be the best bending brothers the world had ever seen.

On top of that, I still watched people, learning how things in the gang worked, who liked who, where the power was, how to stay unnoticed.

Zolt noticed. He wanted to send me to spy on people, other triads, and pick up valuable information. This was finally an edge, something I had that he wanted. Putting myself in that kind of danger was not something I was willing to do for free though, so I asked Zolt to teach me to bend lightning a—"

Mako halts his compelling narrative to give a huge yawn and I realize we've been up most of the night. During the whole revelation he's animated, sharing and expressing, way more than I expected. I'm almost speechless. But then he stops talking completely, tired eyes lost somewhere in a haunting memory.

"As much as I want to hear more, I think you should get some res." I state firmly, leaning back into the bed of my friends soft fur to hide my regret.

"I do, or you do?" Mako throws back challengingly. My eyes pop right back open and glare at him, "I don—" I start outraged before I notice the twitch of his mouth.

He's teasing me! Grinning despite myself, I quickly glance away to compose my features, "Fine. Whatever, we're BOTH tired ok?" He's grinning now too, and finally relaxes back into Naga's side; closing his eyes "I suppose a few minutes won't hurt."

Bolin

This can't be happening, this can't be happening. Wow, that's a cool move. This CAN NOT be happening.

Everything seems so surreal onstage; the noisy crowd, the scary punch happy people holding our arms and especially the sight of Boss, of Lightening Bolt Zolt losing a fight. If Zolt hadn't been a presence in my life for the last six years, I would have thought this was a play with perfect timing and choreography, as Amon swings around to place his hands on Zolts neck and forehead. Lightening shrinks becoming fire until nothing is coming out of Zolts hands and he drops to the floor.

That's when I start to panic.

What just happened? Is taking someone's bending away really possible?

Is it MIND-CONTROL?!

Revolution, spirits, benders, equality… My head is spinning trying to make sense of everything. This guy is blaming us for everything wrong in the city? And he can take away bending? Is that right? Is that why Jin's normally stoic face is panicked as he's roughly shoved onto center stage?

Think. Calm down and think. Usually in dangerous situations, Mako and I are together, but I'm alone this time.

Jin drops to the floor, twitching like the others, gazing in horror at his hands. It doesn't take a genius to know he's trying and failing to bend. They drag him off stage and we share a brief look of shock and terror before a trickle of sweat drips into my eye and he's gone.

I shake out my damp mop looking over to the only other person on the stage, Amon. He stands calm, eerie, as though appreciating the beauty of the cityscape from a tall building.

My hands are untied; I'm shoved forward, and automatically assume a fighting stance… but then, I let my arms fall. Fighting didn't seem to help any of the others and I get the feeling, this guy likes talking.

"I don't understand." I say loud enough for the crowd to here, nervously rubbing my freed wrists. "You say that benders are the reason for inequality but if that were true my brother and I wouldn't be homeless."

Amon who had made a step towards me, stops. I can't see any facial expression but I can tell he's listening so, internally scrambling, I go on.

"I mean… it doesn't make any sense. Not all the rich people in the city are benders and most of the benders in the city have menial working jobs anyway. Bending doesn't change weather or not someone is rich or poor or… or greedy or kind. Blaming bending for the poverty in this city is like saying that smart people have an unfair advantage over the rest of us, and should be attacked. It just doesn't make sense."

The whole room is waiting for a prompt attack, verbal or physical, either way my breath is already coming in little pants. I run a hand through my sodden hair.

When he finally does speak, it's in the unnervingly calm voice of a man in utter control of a particular situation.

"I recognize you." He says, slowly prowling forward. "Bolin, isn't it? An orphan from the slum districts… Until recently, that is. Tell me, how is it that you and you're brother escaped poverty?"

Shit. He's closing in to stand right before me, tall and threatening. I swallow so hard I think my Adams apple is bruised.

"We haven't escaped it. Every day—"

"But you have escaped! You live in the very place where bending is fundamentally hailed as divinity. So I'll ask you again, how is it that you no longer live on the streets?"

His manner is animated, demanding as he gestures toward the city and back at me.

I know what he want's me to say…

"Bending," I finally choke out. Under the mask, I can almost see a triumphant smile as he straightens from leaning over me.

But instead of Amon's antagonizing voice, I hear from the crowd, "Yes bending!" and miraculously, Mako leaps up onto the high stage. "He's a bender and he uses his abilities to gain just a little leverage in this world. But it's not enough… it's never enough! No matter what we do it's always a struggle just to feed ourselves, to live. You say bending creates an imbalance? You're wrong. The only thing creating an imbalance in this city is money, and the few people who have it."

Silence. It's hard to argue with Mako when he's like this, all fired up about injustice and discrimination. It's hard to contain my first reaction of screaming and jumping on him, but I settle for clasping my own hands together, fighting off tears.

Amon takes a step forward, as if with a rebuttal, and I'm immediately back in combat mode, but he doesn't get the chance make a move.

Instead, the sound of an explosion and a wave of moist, white air surrounds me first and then the screaming starts.

We're lost in a sea of fog but I can feel the heat of Mako's firebending as he lets off a huge burst in Amon's direction, then he whirls around shoving me, "Run Bolin!"

"Mako! I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE HERE!"

"I know Bo, come on!" Leading the way, Mako leaps off stage dodging attacks and I hurl myself after him.

A dark shape swings at me out of nowhere and I duck back instinctually, shifting into my rooted stance and punching back with both fists, feeling them make contact as the body collapses.

Mako's firebending gives him away ahead of me and I dash to catch up, ducking to avoid another assault, he grabs hold of me as I reach him and we switch enemies, efficiently knocking them out. Breathing heavily, mostly blind and frantically trying to get out, we stumble through blank hallways and finally out a side door, steam billowing out in our wake.

Between heaves, Mako has time to gasp out, "We're supposed to meet Korra here!" before a mustachioed man wielding dual fighting sticks hurdles through the doorway we just vacated.

Agile flips get him within punching distance of Mako while I shoot small accurate projectile at his back. He manages to get a good hit on Mako's stomach before my fire draws his attention. Darting at me way faster than I'm ready for, he sends me scrambling back, haphazardly throwing shoddy barriers up between us. Then I manage to shove him back with a series of fist-sized rocks by which time Mako's recovered and is on the offensive again, we come at him in a pincher move.

Then for a moment it seems as if time slows, we close in, landing a few hits then taking a few from his batons. But this time, when his sticks make contact with our bodies, an electrical current is conducted straight into our nervous systems.

We go down screaming.

I've seen people get electrocuted before, but I've never felt the white hot fire lace up through my bones, emptying the mind of all thoughts except escape and the time before pain.

Twitching on the ground I hear from somewhere above me a soft, raspy voice, "You benders need to learn, there's no place in world for you anymore" followed by a tremendous rumble and a fading shout.

"I wouldn't count us out just yet."

Still dazed I look up to see our attacker gone and a beautiful angle bathed in lamplight has replaced him. Korra has a fierce no-nonsense edge to her as she releases a sharp whistle, then reaches for our arms to help us up.

"Get up, let's go!" She commands as a massive, panting, furry white blur races up to us. I hysterically climb aboard the mythical creature, holding tight to Mako who is holding tight to Korra who is reassuringly in control as she urges the creature into a mad dash through the once ordinary streets.