A/N: Chapter three is now up! I hope you all like it. Also, please leave a review, the feedback really helps me. Thanks!

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Chapter 3: PSA

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Korra woke up the next morning groggy and slightly disoriented. It was obvious that she was not in the air temple, seeing as it wasn't the sound of Tenzin's kids laughing or squabbling loudly that had woken her up. No, it had been one of the few nights that the young avatar was able to get a full 8 hours of rest.

With a satisfying yawn, she sat up and stretched her arms out. Korra looked down and saw that she had spent the night sleeping on a mattress. What had happened last night? She thought back to her night with Bolin and suddenly panicked. Had something happened that she completely forgot about? What would Mako say if he found out?

She took a deep breath and reassured herself that nothing had happened. There was nothing suggesting that she had done anything.

Suddenly, she heard whistling coming from other room, and the smell of fresh bacon wafted through the door. Korra shuddered once the smell hit her; it was the scent worthy of the culinary gods. She stood up from the mattress and went to go check it out.

In front of her was Bolin, whistling a tune as he fried a few strips of bacon. She looked around, but didn't see Mako anywhere. Where was he this early in the morning?

Korra looked back to Bolin, who hadn't seemed to notice that she was up. She decided to let him know that he was going to be sharing the bacon, and tapped him on the shoulder. Bolin looked behind him and smiled happily when he saw her. "Morning, Korra! You want some bacon?"

"Mmm, that sounds nice," she responded, still half asleep

Bolin chuckled, "You can hang out on the couch until it's ready. Mako went out to grab some fruit, so he should be back soon."

Korra merely nodded and trudged over to their worn out green couch, where she plopped down lazily. "So I was thinking," Bolin said as he finished up cooking breakfast.

"Don't hurt yourself," Korra remarked with a smirk

"Haha, Korra," Bolin laughed sarcastically, "Now as I was saying, I was thinking that we had a pretty good time last night. We should totally get noodles more often, make it some sort of ritual or something."

Bolin turned off the stove and handed Korra her plate of bacon. He then sat down next to her and began munching on his breakfast. "I had a good time too," Korra told him as she took a bite, "but you know what would be cool? If we tried that fire nation restaurant just down the road."

"Oh yeah, the spiciest curry in the entire nation!"

Korra nodded, "I heard that the food there is so hot, you have to sign a waiver for physical and psychological damage."

"Psychological damage? How does that work?" Bolin wondered

Korra shrugged, "I have no idea, but apparently if you eat your entire dish without needing medical attention, you get your picture put up on the wall and a free cheese wheel."

"Haha, sounds like a date!"

As soon as Bolin realized what he had just said, he covered his mouth. Korra looked away, trying not to make I contact. Did I really just say that? Bolin thought, sweat beginning to bead up on his forehead, what if Mako had heard? The earth bender cleared his throat and apologized awkwardly, "I'm sorry Korra… that's… that's not what I meant…"

"Uh… yeah… of course not," Korra muttered, still not looking Bolin in the eyes. Just when things couldn't get more awkward, the two heard Mako slam the door behind him. The turned to see the fire bender with a crumpled up newspaper in his hand and a shocked look on his face.

"Bro?" Bolin asked nervously, praying his brother didn't here the slip up.

"I can't believe it…" Mako said in disbelief, his eyes still wide and void.

Korra quickly ran over to her boyfriend and asked, "Please Mako, you have to-"

"Councilwoman Chinatsu is dead."

Both Bolin and Korra sighed with relief. Then the two processed what Mako had just told them. "WHAT?!" Korra gasped, snatching the newspaper from his hands, "But… but how?"

"I don't know," Mako answered, "But apparently someone was able to infiltrate her manor at night. It's unbelievable, she had put so much money into security after her kidnapping!"

"Who could possibly get past all those guards," Bolin asked, now hovering over Mako's shoulder, trying to get a glimpse at the newspaper.

"It doesn't matter how, all that matters is that a member of the council has been murdered," Korra said. She grabbed her coat off the couch and motioned for the two brothers. "Come on, we have to go down to check out the crime scene!"

Lin stared down at the gruesome scene that lay before her. A headless body with a huge stab wound in the stomach. Red markings on what was left of the neck suggested strangling. The ransacked looking room and the discarded electric glove suggested a struggle, or at least an attempt to struggle. Last, but not least, the decapitated head resting on the desk with a single photo next to it. The killer had taken a photograph of himself, not that it really helped at all, seeing as whoever it was wore a mask.

"I swear, with all the masked freaks around I'd say we're protecting a circus, not a city," she muttered to herself as she moved to a different part of the room to investigate.

As the police chief was examining the electric glove left behind by councilwoman Chinatsu, she heard one of her subordinates call for her. She turned around and saw a rookie officer standing stiffly, as if he were waiting for military commands. "What to you want Officer…"

"Matsuda!" the man answered diligently, "Officer Matsuda mam!"

"Right…" she said, "Officer Matsuda, do you have something to report?"

"The Avatar and two of her friends are outside the perimeter demanding entry. Should we allow them to help with the investigation?"

As much as Lin hated to admit it, Avatar Korra had gained her respect. After defeating Amon and restoring bending to those who had lost it, the young woman had earned her place in the city. Against her better judgment, she told Officer Matsuda, "All right, bring them to me."

The rookie nodded and scampered off. Less then a minute later, he came back with Korra, Mako, and Bolin following behind. "Chief Bei fong," Korra greeted. The avatar ran over and shook Lin's hand firmly. Lin smiled slightly and replied, "Avatar Korra, I hear you wish to assist with the investigation."

Korra nodded and puffed up, giving her best avatar look. "It's my duty as the avatar to assist with the protection of the city."

"Alright, I'll give you the rundown," Chief Bei fong motioned for the three to follow her over to the body.

When Korra, Mako, and Bolin saw the headless corpse, the three almost did a double take. Bolin bent over, looking away. "Ugh, I think I'm gonna puke," he belched, holding his mouth closed with his right hand.

"If you feel the need, do so away from the scene," Lin barked, pointing to the exit. Bolin wanted to stay involved, so he managed to swallow his bile and turned back to the bloody mess.

"From what we can gather, the killer was able to infiltrate her manor, killing any of her hired guards that got in his way. He broke the door down and attacked the councilwoman. Chitsanu obviously tried to defend herself with that electric glove," Lin pointed to the discarded and damaged glove on the ground, "But was unable to do so. The Killer probably threw her around some, hence all the broken things lying around, most likely gripping her by the neck as he did so. He then stabbed her in the stomach followed by a clean decapitation."

Korra stared at the body in disbelief. "Who would do something like this? I mean, I've seen people die, but this… this is something else."

"If you're wondering who, he was nice enough to take a picture," Lin told her, pointing to the photo lying on the desk, "Just don't touch it, alright?"

The three nodded, and moved over to the desk to investigate. Of course, the first thing they noticed was the missing head, sitting upright on the counter. Mako looked away for a bit and muttered, "The guy who killed her definitely has a penchant for the extreme…"

"And for dressing up too, apparently. Check out this picture." Korra pointed to the photo sitting on the desk. In it was a man wearing a hood and a skull mask holding up the liberated head of councilwoman Chitsanu. As the avatar looked closer at the picture, she noticed something even stranger about the man.

"Look at his eyes," she told the two brothers, "Does something seem strange about their coloring?"

"Korra, the picture is black and white. I don't think there's a way to tell if the color of his eye is strange," Mako commented

Bolin suddenly gasped, causing his brother to shoot him a dirty look. "Bo, now's not the time to be dramatic."

"But look, Korra's right!" Bolin exclaimed, pointing towards the killer's eyes, "His eyes aren't white, they're black!"

Mako took a closer look and recoiled backwards when he saw that his brother wasn't just seeing things. "What does this mean? Are we dealing with something that isn't human?"

"From your reactions, I assume you all saw the eyes," Lin guessed as she walked over from the dead body, having finished examining it.

"Do you know who or what this guy is?" Korra asked

Lin shook her head, "I haven't figured out anything about him, but I think he intends to let us all know who he is."

"What do you mean?"

Chief Bei fong pointed to the time written on the corner of the photo. "This killing was obviously meant to grab our attention, but I think it served another purpose."

"What purpose could a senseless act like this serve?" Mako asked, observing the writing carefully

"I think the whole point was for us to see the message written for us on that picture," Lin explained, "I think the killer wanted us to see the time written on this photo more then anything. At twelve o' clock tonight, something is going to happen, and if I had to guess, it's the killer telling us he's going to kill again at that time tonight, and his target will most likely be another major player in Republic City. This is all a theory, though, I'm yet to find any evidence to support it."

Korra looked sadly at the decapitated head. Councilwoman Chitsanu had never been her favorite council member, but she wasn't a bad person, and certainly didn't deserve this fate.

She tried to rack her brain thinking of possible motives the killer might have. What possible reason would there be to target Councilwoman Chitsanu? Looking at the gear the man was wearing in the picture, it was obvious he wasn't some poverty stricken bum out for revenge. Also, no normal person could kill his way past all those armed and trained soldiers.

"Do we know if this man is a bender?" Mako asked Lin, trying to find some sort of lead he could go on.

She shook her head, "There were no signs of water bending, no burns from fire bending, and no irregularities in the ground around the manor to suggest earth bending. If the killer can bend, he sure as hell was using it."

"So we've got nothing," Korra growled in frustration, her fists clenched angrily

Chief Bei fong responded, "No, we do have something. We have the time he gave us and an idea as to what his next move might be."

"So what do we do, just wait until midnight?"

"That seems to be our only option." Lin stooped over and picked the electric glove off the ground. She then handed it to Korra and told her, "Take this glove to Asami Soto and see what you can learn about it. Also, stay with her through midnight. Her high standing in the city could very well make her a target. Keep a radio nearby, though, so if crisis breaks out you can provide immediate response."

"Sure thing Chief Bei fong," Korra answered with a respectful nod. She waved for the two brothers, who were still staring at the photo, and called, "C'mon you two, we have a job!"

[11:55, Soto Manor]

Korra, Mako, and Bolin were all slouching on Asami's leather sofa as the heiress worked tirelessly on the electric glove, taking it apart bit by bit to try and find anything that might be helpful to the investigation. But she had been searching for most of the day, and still couldn't find anything. Asami was becoming increasingly frustrated with her job. She felt as if the avatar and the police had been wasting her time. It didn't help that her three guests had the radio on at full blast while she was trying to work for something they wanted.

Finally, after hours upon hours of trying to focus while listening to corny talk show hosts trying to make jokes, Asami snapped. She tore her goggles of angrily and spun around in her chair, glaring daggers at the three people relaxing on her couch. "Will you please turn that damn thing off! It's a bit hard to focus with constant chatter coming from that damn machine!"

"Don't yell at us," Mako snapped, glaring right back at Asami, "If you hadn't made the glove, we wouldn't be here!"

Asami was taken aback by her ex's accusation. "Excuse me? I'm not the one who was building these things! My father and Amon were making the gloves, not me!"

"Don't try and use that excuse! We checked the date on it and found that it was made less then a month ago!"

On the couch, Bolin seemed to be trying to dig his way under the pillows, while Korra cowered next to the armrest. The tension between the two was beyond tangible.

Asami crossed her arms angrily, "Well when a member of the council of five asks you to make her something to defend herself with, you don't just say no."

"Why not? That thing was specifically designed with malicious intent towards benders! It is a machine made only to harm, and you're still manufacturing them!"

"Alright, so I did allow electric glove manufacturing to continue. Why do you care?"

"Why do I care? Why do I care?!" Mako sneered, "You're becoming more and more like your old man every day."

"Mako!" Korra shouted in disbelief. She could not believe that he had just said such a horrible thing. Bolin seemed equally as astounded, his eyes practically popping out of their sockets.

"Bro…" he murmured, "not okay…"

Asami pulled her goggles back on and turned her back on all three of the benders. "You three may see the gloves as a direct attack on bending, but most non-benders see it as their only means of protection. Even though you may not want to acknowledge it, the most prevalent type of crime is bender on non-bender acts of violence. Some benders constantly use their powers to abuse and oppress those who don't share that gift. For those who don't have natural power, things like these electric gloves are their only means of defense. Believe it or not, not all non-benders are out to get you," she explained them calmly and coldly, not even glancing again in their direction.

Mako's frown fell from his face for a second, but then quickly returned as he stood from his seat and stormed out of the room. Asami continued to work on the glove silently. Korra was about to get up and follow him, but Bolin placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "This is a brother talk," he told her. Bolin then stood up and chased after his brother.

Korra decided if she wasn't going to comfort Mako, she could try her luck with Asami. "I'm sorry for what he said," Korra apologized, hoping that Asami wasn't too angry to at least talk to her, "Mako… he's still not completely over what happened."

"It's fine, Korra," Asami sighed, still not looking away from the glove, "It's not like he doesn't have a reason to be mad."

"What to you mean," Korra asked, a bit confused by her sudden change of heart.

"He really cares about you, Korra, I hope you know that," Asami said as she continued to take apart the glove, "I think that he sees these gloves as partly responsible for you being in danger, and there for can only think of them as dangerous and ruthless weapons. It's just like how he sees my father and I. Since he was a large proponent of the Equalist movement, and I'm his father, Mako can never fully trust me. He may try, but deep down he will always see me as a danger."

Korra knew that Asami was right; Mako cared about her to a fault. She was flattered that she was so important to him, but she had become an obvious weakness of his. Mako tended to get out of control when he thought Korra's life was in jeopardy, and with this new killer targeting important people; he probably saw it as a direct threat to her life.

"Huh, that's strange…"

Korra peeked over Asami's shoulder, looking at the disassembled glove. "What's strange?"

"This glove's been fired off once," Asami answered, staring at the glove as if it were some great mystery.

"Wait, what's so strange about that?" Korra asked

"Let me explain. These gloves are designed to fire off an overcharged shock each time one of the pressure spots have been activated. The shock makes the gloves quite effective, but unfortunately also makes them have a very short life. Each time the glove sends out this surge, the wires inside are all slightly burnt."

Korra looked at the inner wires of the glove carefully, and saw they were all slightly singed. "So that means Chitsanu was able to shock the killer! But how was he still standing after such a powerful shock? I remember when I was shocked by one of those, and it knocked me out cold!"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out…"

"Hello Republic City! This is Yami Senzo, welcoming you back to 'The Scoop', your favorite radio talk show in the entire URN! Now, if you all recall, before the commercial break I was speaking with psychologist and investigator, Long Chang, about the recent murder of Councilwoman Chitsanu! Mr. Chang, how are you?"

"I'm doing just fine Yami," the guest answered with a light chuckle.

"So can you shed some light on this situation? I know the basics, but can we get any specifics on how exactly Chitsanu was killed?" Yami Senzo asked eagerly, knowing that a comment from the investigator would cause his ratings to skyrocket.

The Arbiter watched from the shadows of the broadcast studio as Long Chang began disclosing a few harmless details to the public, such as cause and time of death. He made sure to keep an eye on the clock as it ticked closer and closer to midnight.

11:57…

"So the murderer stabbed the victim, and THEN decapitated her?" Yami Senzo gasped in fake disbelief, "How terrible!"

Long Chang nodded, "Whoever killed the poor woman is a very sick man…"

11:58…

"And I imagine the police were on the scene right away?"

"No," Long Chang said, "The killer killed off everyone who would have been a witness. The only way the authorities found out was because an employee of the mansion, whose name will remain anonymous, found the trail of blood the killer had left."

11:59…

"I've heard rumors that Avatar Korra was on the scene, assisting with the investigation, is this true?" Yami Senzo asked

"Avatar Korra was in fact assisting with the investigation. She was with Chief Lin Bei fong as Republic City's finest scoured the area for clues," Long answered

Yami Senzo laughed heartily, "Well good for her. That young Avatar is really something special!"

"Yes she is, Yami," Long Chang agreed

12:00…

The Arbiter smiled under his mask as he dropped down behind the two quietly, drawing his katana as he snuck up on them. "Sorry Yami," he whispered under his breath, "Your show's been cancelled." The masked man drove the tip of his katana through the headrest of Yami Senzo's chair and through the back of the talk show host's head.

Long Chang fell out of his seat when he saw the thirty inches of cold steel burst out of Yami's forehead, splattering blood all over his new suit. The Arbiter turned towards the terrified investigator, who began to stammer, "N-no, no please! I-I'll give you what you want, I swear!"

The Arbiter laughed at his desperate attempts to beg as he backed Mr. Chang up against a wall. "Heh, I seriously doubt that." With another swift movement, he cleaved open Chang's neck. Long Chang gasped and gurgled for a couple seconds as he fell to the floor, bleeding everywhere.

Once the two hosts had been dealt with, the Arbiter picked up the microphone that Yami Senzo had dropped and poked it a couple times to make sure it was still on. He then brought it up near his mask and said in an icy and threatening voice, "Hello Republic City. This is the Arbiter speaking."

Korra and Asami had been diligently studying Chitsanu's electric glove, with the radio on in the background. They had been able to tune out the Yami Senzo's talk show now that they had found some sort of lead to follow.

"Maybe that armor he was wearing was electric proof?" Korra suggested, remembering the murderer's strange attire.

Asami considered the possibility for a second, but then shook her head. "I don't think there's any armor that could have withstood the shock from this glove. You said it yourself, it's pretty powerful."

Korra shrugged in defeat. "Well then I got nothing."

"I'm so glad the avatar is taking such an active roll in the community, you know? Having a figure as popular and strong as her for the people to follow is just what this city needs. Am I r-GYUGH!"

Yami Senzo's sudden strange outburst startled both Korra and Asami. The two of them turned to the radio and looked at it suspiciously. Korra quickly moved over and fiddled with the volume knob, trying to bring up the volume. As she turned the dial, another sound was heard. "N-no, no please! I-I'll give you what you want, I swear! AAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!"

"Mako, Bolin! Get in here, quickly!" Korra yelled at the top of her lungs

Almost immediately, the two brothers were at her side, Mako with a crazed look in his eyes. "What's wrong Korra? Did something happen? Are you alright?" he sputtered, checking her over for wounds.

"I'm fine," Korra reassured him, "But whoever's on this talk show isn't!"

"What do you mean?" Bolin asked, looking over the radio in question

"I think two people were just murdered during a live broadcast," Asami told him

"Murdered? How?"

Korra quickly shushed him and watched the radio intensely. After a couple seconds of silence, a new smooth voice was heard. "Hello Republic City. This is the Arbiter speaking."

"The Arbiter?" Mako whispered, "Who the he-" He was immediately shushed by the other three, who continued to stare at the radio intensely.

"Most of you don't know me by that name," the voice continued, "rather you know me as the man who murdered fire councilor Chitsanu. Yes, I'm sure you've all heard of her unfortunate passing by now, the order has made sure of that."

"This guy's the murderer?"

"SHHHH!"

The voice chuckled, a sound that sent chills down Korra's spine, and penetrated her very soul. "By now, I'm sure Chief of Police, Lin Bei fong, is already on her way with her arrest team, so I'll make this quick. Avatar Korra!"

Mako, Bolin, and Asami all turned to Korra, who was still glaring at the radio.

"Avatar Korra, you have failed to perform your duties. You heard me; you have failed at your single purpose on this earth, yet you continue to fool yourself into thinking your performance has been acceptable. The fools of this city have held you up to be the shining example of heroism."

"Don't listen to him, Korra," Mako warned her, but it was too late. She was already captivated by the Arbiter's speech.

"Let me tell you all the sad truth of the matter," the Arbiter said, his voice gaining power as he continued, "The avatar has let you all down. While you may see her victory over the Equalist movement as a triumph, it is anything but. Avatar Korra played around with two pro benders while the blood bender known as Amon gained support and manufactured weaponry. She whored herself out to a professional fire bender as the Equalists hurt and terrorized Republic City. She, along with the counsel, allowed the situation to escalate to the point where war with what used to be a small group of extremists was inevitable. And now, thousands are dead."

The weight of the Arbiter's words hit Korra like a ton of bricks. He's right, she thought, her mouth gawking with disbelief, I did let the Equalists grow out of control.

For a few seconds, the Arbiter went silent, his words sinking into Korra like poison. Then, in a softer, but equally intimidating voice, he continued, "Every two days, I will kill a member of the group responsible for this failure. I am giving you one last chance, Avatar. Prove yourself to me. Show me you are worth the title the spirits have bestowed upon you. And if you cannot prevent the deaths of all those who did nothing to protect the people that trusted them, then I will come for you. I will kill you so that a new Avatar may be born, one who will stay true to their responsibilities. My first target is Southern Water Tribe Councilman Ulva."

The radio signal was suddenly cut off, leaving only loud static, blaring through the speakers.

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A/N: I hope you liked the chapter. Please leave a review!