Hey there. Sounds like people enjoyed the first chapter. I decided to change Alex's bending abilities, since Trondason pointed out that even with Alex's spiritual imbalance, he'll still be the strongest bender of all time by sheer number of souls working together. I had him weaker so I wouldn't make Korra redundant, but after talking to him I realise it can still be her story too. It'll just be about how Alex makes her feel like a fake Avatar and how later his true nature scares her. Oh yes, Korra will find out what Alex really is.

Chapter 2: The Other Avatar

Korra panted for breath as she finished running through the air course again, managing to make it through without a single hit. This was so irritating! She could do loads of the legwork and techniques, but not a single gust. And she was having to cut down on her training, not just for pro-bending practise, but because Alex was using it a lot. She shivered as she remembered how he killed that man in the park, how he splattered him into paste. And every day, she was worried that Chief Beifong would show up to arrest him.

"It's good to see you here again, Korra." Tenzin said as he walked over. "I must be honest, I thought you were cutting training for pro-bending. Alex and I are usually all alone."

"Well, pro-bending's important to me." She replied shakily. She wanted to tell him the truth. How his new student was a killer, full of rage and strength. But she was afraid. It was very clear that all the bending in the world wouldn't save her if he got his hands on her. If she talked, he might kill all of them and run off to seek out this 'Blackwatch' again. And he honestly seemed like he wanted to avoid killing more people, to try and make up for some mistake. Could she really, in good conscience, take that chance away from him?

Maybe. But he'd still probably kill her.

"I'll admit, he's not the easiest student I've had." Tenzin sighed. "He always seemed too… aggressive. Like something's troubling him. And he's always going off spirits-know-where. You wouldn't happen to know where he might go, would you?"

Yeah Tenzin. He's probably out and about hunting down people he says are willing to kill everyone. Oh, and by the way, he's probably killing them all. She just shook her head. "He said he's from a small island, right? Maybe he's just exploring the big city."

"Well, I hope he's alright. Those Equalists hunt down anyone that can use bending. And after that night in the Memorial Island…" Korra shivered as he mentioned that. She had been so stupid, calling out Amon to try and overcome her fear of him. She called for a fair fight between them, but he cheated. He had his chi-blockers tie her up and leave her vulnerable to him. Only the fact she'd likely become a martyr saved her bending. Everything went quiet as she remembered the nightmare…

It was late at night, and her open window banged quietly from the small breeze. She woke up, feeling a slight chill that had nothing to do with the wind as the near-silent patter of feet sounded outside her room. As she woke up, her window exploded as a chi-blocker jumped through it while others came in through her door. She managed to fight them off for a bit, but one sneaked past her and blocked her bending causing her to collapse in a heap. Amon came in from the shadows, glaring at her from his mask.

"Once I take your bending away," He said, "you will be nothing."

And that was when Alex slithered out of the shadows, his eyes glowing red and his body appearing to be made of mist. He promptly ripped Amon in two, splattering blood everywhere, before attacking the chi-blockers. They tried everything, but he tore through them like paper. He shrugged off their strikes, reaching out to snap them like twigs. They used smoke bombs, but his eyes glared out of the smoke as they were pulled in. As the smoke parted, he was standing on a pile of corpses, covered in their blood. He stalked over to her, not even saying a word.

The last thing she remembered was him squeezing her head until it exploded, and Tenzin and his family's heads on his belt.

"I'm sure he can handle himself." She said after a while, getting up to walk away. She needed fresh air. She needed a change in scenery. She needed something, anything, to chase the nightmares away. She was so busy thinking, she nearly walked into Alex. She stifled a scream as she backed away from him, instinctly preparing for a fight. Alex noticed, and just looked at her. His expression was always difficult to read. She couldn't tell if he was curious, confused, angered, or just planning to kill her on the spot.

"Ah, Alex." Tenzin said warmly. "We were just wondering where you were."

"Over by Sound-lake beach." Alex replied simply. "I find it to be a good place to continue my meditation. Peaceful, quiet. And no other people to distract me." He gave Jinora and Ikki a pointed look.

Tenzin laughed a bit. "Yes, they can be a bit… overexcited. But they mean well. Will you join us for dinner again?"

"Thanks, but no thanks. I plan to do some reading about the Hundred Year War back in my room. I'm slightly surprised we never heard anything about it."

"Well, if we've never heard of your island, I doubt the Fire Nation ever encountered it. If you feel hungry, we can prepare you something later." And with that, Tenzin left with his kids. Korra went to leave with them, only to nearly yell as she felt Alex's hand nearly crush her arm. She turned round to see him staring hungrily at her, his skin almost moving as he watched her. She remembered seeing that look on Naga when she played with her food. Like she was nothing more than a passing interest.

"Let go of me." She grunted, trying to pull free. Alex gave her a confused look, before letting go in an instant. Korra stumbled as she pulled away, fearful. And when she got scared, she lashed out. "What's your problem? Afraid I'm going to tell Tenzin about what you did in the park?"

"No. No, it's not…" He shook his head, like he was trying to remove an annoying bumblefly. "I… I need to meditate. No one is to interrupt me. No one!" He moved quickly, pushing past her roughly. She rubbed her shoulder in discomfort. It was like hitting a wall or something. As she watched him move frantically to his quarters, she stared at her arm. Bruises from his grip formed clearly on her skin. From the way he acted, he probably didn't even realise he was doing that.

How strong was he?

Alex groaned as he made it into his room, snarling as he felt the other minds pushing against him. It was all he could do to throw the locks he installed the first week he got here before falling in a heap. Granted, the wooden door would fall easily to his might, but nothing could really stop him if he wanted to. He could feel his body fall apart as he lost control, slithering everywhere while his victims tried to break free. But he couldn't lose them. The Virus could not spread. But he could feel himself slip away, losing control of everyone. As his eyes turned to biomass, he could hear them whispering.

You're a monster… Just die already!... You hurt them all… She does not trust you… Must be removed… How can one soul bend all four elements… Haven't had a real lady in ages… He could feel himself drowning in his own mind. But as things started getting darker, he could feel his biomass changing. Feel as something grew from him. Something curvier, female. And he could feel the biomass take on the texture of rubber. A wetsuit. No, a testing suit. A woman in a testing suit, pulling free.

"No!" He yelled above all the other voices, forcing her back down. She screamed at him, but he hung on. He was in control. He was the leader, the king. And she was never breaking free.

He didn't know how long he was there, pulling her back under and smothering her with the memories of others. All he knew was that he couldn't give in. He couldn't stop. And he could never let her meet Korra.

Or else the world was doomed.

"Heading off to practise." Korra shouted back as she left the Air Temple, her uniform thudding against her back as she started running. As if as an afterthought, she decided to check on Alex. She woke up in the middle of the night, thinking that she heard his voice. But no one else heard it. Maybe she was going crazy? Like all the stress was getting to her? Maybe, but she should still check. It would be bad for people if he went on a rampage. As she crept closer to his room, she thought she could hear something. A crowd of people, talking over each other. Things slamming into the walls. As she got closer, her foot stepped on a creaking plank. And the voices stopped. She tried the door, but it was locked. Wait, what? The Air Temple doors were never locked. "Alex?" She asked, waiting to hear something.

"Don't come in." He replied curtly.

"I was just wondering if you were ok. You never showed up for…"

"I'm fine." He was nearly shouting at her. "Just leave us alone!" The door shook and cracked as something heavy slammed into the other side, nearly getting her head. She tripped over her bag, before picking it up and running. Jeez, she tries to help the guy and he goes nuts. He really needed some professional help. As she raced down to the boat, something he said stuck in her mind. It wasn't till the boat was leaving, and she could catch her breath, that she finally figured it out.

What did he mean by 'us'?

"There you are Korra." Mako said politely to her. Things have been really fragile between the lot of them since the other night. After Korra admitted to Mako that she loved him, and he admitted later that he did too. How she kissed him, even though he was dating Asami Sato, and she was 'dating' Bolin. They nearly lost their place in the tournament because of their infighting. But they patched things over, mostly, and agreed never to talk about it for the rest of the tournament. "We were starting to think you weren't going to show up."

"I… was a bit behind." She answered. "Barely got on the boat. But now that I'm here, how about we get started? I'll go and get changed."

"Good. After the Wolfbats won so quickly we really need to make sure we're… Wait." Mako grabbed her arm, staring at her badly covered bruise. "What's this?"

"Oh that? It's nothing. I just uh… got hit by the training course." She could only watch as Mako removed her armband, revealing the distinct and clear bruises. Even she had to admit they were clearly finger-marks. Mako looked at her, already knowing who did it.

"Korra, you need to tell Chief Beifong about Alex. You can't keep covering for him. What if he kills someone else?"

Korra looked away, trying not to see the look in his eyes. "There haven't been any more reports about killings since the first one. And he seems to want to change. What kind of person would I be if I took away his chance to redeem himself?"

"The smart kind? Look, I know you're worried he might kill all the monks in he felt he was threatened. But he can't watch you forever. You just need to go to the Metalbending Station, and let them know about what he did."

"He hasn't done anything else." Korra was getting annoyed.

"Korra, listen to yourself." He grabbed her arm again. "Look at the bruises he gave you. This is definitely something. What if he does more than just bruise you?"

"I can fend him off myself Mako. I don't need a babysitter against one guy." Even to her ears, her words sounded fake. They all knew she wasn't strong enough. After the Metalbender Police investigated the factory the Revelation was held in, they found a giant hole right near the door. Where the Doorman, the 'D-Code', had been standing. If Alex could punch a man through a wall, then what else could he do?

Mako sighed, recognising her stubborn nature at work. "Look, we'll talk about this after the finals. But you can't protect him forever Korra. Sooner or later, you need to realise he's not normal. He's dangerous."

"Oh come on Mako." Bolin said as he put one arm around his older brother. "The guy helped save me. He can't be all that bad. And you yourself admitted that without him, I'd have lost my bending. I'm sure it was an honest mistake on his part." They both didn't feel up to correcting him. Bolin thought the best about almost everyone. And he had never seen Alex turn a man to paste in a single blow. "Now, let's get to practising. We're going to take that championship pot and make Tahno kiss it." That got Korra laughing, but Mako just still glanced at her arm. Honestly, he was way too overprotective. She was certain Alex wouldn't hurt her on purpose.

Then why haven't you told Beifong about him? A part of her asked. Or at least let Tenzin know what he can do? And what other reason do you have for being so frightened of him? Her paranoia was interrupted by the squealing of the radio.

"Good morning, citizens of Republic City. This is Amon." They looked in shock as the Equalist leader spoke through the radio again. "I hope you all enjoyed last night's pro-bending match, because it will be the last. It's time for this city to stop worshiping bending athletes as if they were heroes. I am calling on the council to shut down the bending arena and cancel the finals, or else there will be severe consequences." The radio cut out, leaving only static.

"You think they'll give in to his demands?" Mako asked her.

"I'm not waiting to find out. Let's get going." She replied as she rushed to get Naga ready.

There was no way Amon was going to get the arena closed.

They pushed the doors open with a loud bang, getting the attention of the Council members, including Tenzin. And he looked very annoyed that she was disobeying him again.

"Korra, you shouldn't be here." He said. "This is a closed meeting."

"As the Avatar and a pro-bending player, I have a right to be heard." Korra said as she, Mako and Bolin walked over. "You can't cancel the finals."

Tenzin sighed in exasperation. "Korra, I know winning the championship means a lot to you. But as far as I'm concerned we need to shut the arena down."

"Well, what about the rest of you guys? Tarrlok, you can't agree to this." She turned to the Northern Councillor. Tarrlok was a slimy politician, who manipulated her into agreeing to joining his task force. She left after being scared by Amon, but he was still doing everything he could to find and stop Amon and his Equalists. Surely he would stand against this.

"Actually, for the first time ever, I agree with Tenzin." He said as he stood up. "While I am still dedicated to stopping Amon, I will not risk innocent lives just so that you lot can play a game."

"It may be a game to you, but think about what it means to the city." Mako interrupted him. "It's the one place where benders and non-benders gather together in-in peace. To… watch benders…"

"Beat each other up." Bolin finished as Mako realised how stupid he sounded. "In peace. It's an inspiration to us all."

"If you close the arena, you're letting Amon win. You're showing everyone that you're so scared you'll let him push you around."

"I'm sorry Korra, but our decision is final." Tarrlok was about to bang his gavel, marking the meeting as over, but a metal cable shattered the head of the gavel. They turned to see Beifong enter the council room.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I agree with the Avatar." She said as she got closer. She always looked like a statue to Korra, with her metal uniform, her grey hair and her steely gaze. Korra always thought she was as likely to agree with her as Amon would hug her and call her his best friend. "I expected this kind of cut-and-run from Tenzin, but the rest of you? Come on. Show a little backbone people. It's time to show these Equalists the unity and strength of the bender society."

"We must prevent an all-out war between benders and non-benders at all costs." Tenzin argued. Korra had a mental image of Alex walking through a street of blood and non-bender corpses. "The council is not changing its decision."

"Now hold on Tenzin." Tarrlok said. "Let's hear what our esteemed Chief of Police has in mind."

"Thank you Councilman Tarrlok. My Metalbenders and I will provide extra security during the championship match. Our armour makes us immune to the chi-blockers' attacks, leaving them defenceless."

"And will you personally take responsibility the safety of all the spectators in the arena?"

"I guarantee it."

"Well then, who am I to argue with Chief Beifong's track record? If she's confident that her elite team can defend the arena, then I change my vote. Who else is with me?" Korra watched in amazement as everyone apart from Tenzin raised their hand. She Mako and Bolin shouted in joy at the change of events. "Very well then. The arena stays open. Good luck in the finals, Avatar Korra. And good luck to you, Chief Beifong."

They were still in the running.

Korra was still excited when she returned to the Air Temple. Beifong had ordered that everyone had to leave the arena while she and her team searched the entire building for any possible signs of tampering. So now she had a couple of hours to chill, mediate, and generally get ready for the big match tonight. As she went past the Air Bison pens, she thought she heard Jinora speaking to someone. When she went to look, she nearly had a panic attack.

"…And they use their knowledge of Airbending to help propel themselves into the sky and fly." She was telling Alex, who was looking at them almost hungrily. "There's not that many left though, so we keep most of them here to breed."

"Airbending would explain how they manage to lift themselves off the ground." He replied thoughtfully. "They lack an aerodynamic build needed for lift, and they appear too slow to move fast enough to generate the lift anyway." He stared at them a bit longer, careful not to get too close. Guess all animals didn't like him. "Jinora, say that hypothetically a large creature with wings was trying to fly. Could they do so with Airbending?"

"I guess so. With wings to catch the updraft it would be even easier. In fact, the creature could be even bigger or heavier than an airship if the Airbending was strong enough." Jinora finally noticed Korra watching them, and turned to wave. "Hey Korra. Dad said that your big match is still on, even with Amon threatening people."

"It is." Korra replied walking closer now that they had spotted her. "Tenzin wasn't really for it though. Beifong really had to twist his arm to get it to stay open."

"Mom and Dad said we couldn't come, since the Equalists made that threat. So I wish you luck in your fight."

"Thanks kid."

"I'm coming along." Alex said. "If the Equalists are going to attack, then you'll need all the help you can get."

"And the fact that Blackwatch might be there too doesn't have anything to do with you coming to my match." They both knew it was true, so he didn't even try to deny it. "Look, just don't do anything stupid. I doubt that just because you're fight Equalists will mean anything to Beifong."

"Don't worry Korra. I'm not stupid." Their conversation over, he turned to keep staring at the Bison. They started acting up under his gaze, moving away from him. Korra decided to sneak away, while he was occupied. But as she left, she realised that if he was here, then his room was free. Maybe she should get a sneak peek into it, see what he meant by 'us'.

"Hey Jinora. Why don't you show Alex some books about Air Bison physiology?" Jinora nodded, before grabbing him by the hand and pulling him after her. It chilled her slightly to see the young girl so close to him, but if he hasn't killed her yet, then she'd be safe. With him busy, she quickly moved to his room, the door closed and foreboding. But to her luck, it wasn't locked. I mean, why would it be? It's not like he could somehow walk through walls. She carefully opened the door, expecting to see a guest, or journals, or something that screamed 'clue' to her.

Oh, she got a clue alright.

Everything inside the room was smashed, clawed, or half eaten. The mattress was in ribbons, frame all mangled and leaking. Claw marks decorated the walls, and there were holes everywhere. The ground was cracked as if something heavy had pounded it, while parts of the roof and walls were missing as if something had pulled them out.

"What are you Alex?" She whispered to herself, as she saw some kind of red lining the deepest cuts in the floor.

Alex knew that Korra had been in his room. Though she didn't realise it, he had left a hair on the door that remained broken after she left, and recorded the noises she made as she entered.

What was he? A monster. A killer. A terrorist. All that and so much more. He was the end of worlds and civilisations, the destroyer of life itself. In a sense, he was a god, creating a new breed of beasts and more monsters.

But right now, he was a normal guy watching a pro-bending match. A blatantly cheating match.

"Oh come on refs!" Tenzin shouted, watching the match next to Chief Lin Beifong and Alex. "There was some funny business in that last play." Alex saw it too. The Wolfbat Earthbender lifted an Earth Coin right under Mako's foot to trip him up.

"Oh?" Beifong asked amused. "I never had you pegged as a fan of pro-bending."

"I've been brushing up on the rules so I can support Korra. That Wolfbat clearly bended outside his zone."

"The Ferret brothers are backed up to zone three and the Wolfbats smell blood." Shiro Shinobi said as he commentated on the match. Looks like Tahno snuck in an illegal icing move but once again there's no call. I don't know what match the refs are watching but it's obviously not this one." Alex watched as Korra was hit with a fire-and-water combo, knocking into zone three. "Oh ... a splash-and-clash sends the Avatar to zone three as well." Mako and Korra were the only ones left on the stage, right up until the Wolfbats unleashed a three-way combo to knock them overboard. "It's a knockout! The Wolfbats win the championship for the fourth year in a-. Hold on a second, folks! Scratch that! The Ferrets are still alive, but just barely." Alex looked closer, and saw that Korra was barely holding on, with Mako in the other hand. He estimated that Korra was going to fall soon. So instead, she threw Mako over the side, allowing him back onto the ring as she fell. Mako announced himself by hitting Tahno in the back with a fire blast. The guy looked like he was going to snap when he saw that they hadn't won yet. "What an unbelievable move! These Ferrets aren't just bending the elements, they're bending my mind! The underdogs survive to see round two."

Good. That meant that Korra and her friends still had a chance. He was tempted to stealthily consume one of the refs and vote fairly, but he knew it would be impossible to do so in such an open area. It looked like he was going to have to just sit and watch as the Wolfbats cheated their way to victory. He watched as both teams fought ferociously for the round, with a few illegal headshots thrown in by the Wolfbat Firebender. But by the end of it, both teams were tied. The Fire Ferrets won the coin toss, and so Korra stepped up to fight against Tahno, mano a mano. Tahno was so sure of himself that he told her to give him her best shot. She happily obliged him, knocking his helmet high into the air, and himself off the raised platform. Alex smiled as the round went to Korra. They just needed to win one more round, and the fight was there's. He already knew who was the better team. Korra and her friends were getting there by pure skill, while the Wolfbats had to resort to cheating to stay in the game.

He couldn't wait for a chance to put them in their place.

Redcliffe watched the pro-bending match in interest as he waited for the signal to begin the attack. It reminded him of his youth, watching wrestling matches and football games with his friends late at night. But he turned his mind back to the attack. His biggest problem right now was Zeus. The runner was somewhere in the city, and given his personal hatred for them he most likely didn't pass up this chance to fight them. Until they knew where he was, he refused to engage. Phillips was back in action, ready to take some vengeance for the brutal attack weeks ago. They had outfitted him with new body armour, meant to help against bending. But Zeus always had a new trick up his sleeve, and so this was a bit playing by ear. Maybe it'll help him survive, maybe it'll just get him killed. Until they tested it, they didn't know.

"You seem a bit tense." Amon said as he watched the match himself. He agreed to wait until they were ready before making his big entrance. He almost didn't recognise the dark-skinned man with the livid scars on his face. Since he wore a mask all the time, his real face was the perfect disguise. Just like how Batman could always hide as Bruce Wayne. "Relax. Things will go according to plan."

"When Zeus gets involved, nothing goes according to plan. We've been trained to fight things like him, and we still couldn't stop him."

"Then what makes you so sure he won't reveal his powers in public like this?"

"His best skills rely on no one realising what he is. If he shows everyone in the city that he's a monster, then he loses an edge. Whatever his plans are, he won't do that until he's got his army behind him."

"Then as I said, relax. Enjoy this mockery they call a sport. It's going to be the last match ever." Redcliffe wished that this last match was a bit more fair. The Wolfbats were cheating so blatantly even the commentator was pointing it out. The Fire Ferrets were giving their all, but their all just wasn't enough. He winced as the three players were knocked out of the ring by water with rocks in it. Clearly a broken rule. Amon sighed. "Well, I think we can't wait any longer. Now's the time for my announcement." He stood to leave, but Redcliffe grabbed him by the arm. Amon glared down at him, but he merely pointed to the ring. And the man jumping into it.

"Well it's looks like someone's raring to take on the Wolfbats' challenge." Shiro said in his microphone. "That guy managed to clear half of the arena in one jump. I don't know about you folks back at home, but we might be seeing an interesting match." They saw that the challenger was dressed in a black jacket, his hood down to reveal a blond-haired man with pale-blue eyes. The deceased Alex Mercer.

"Wait a moment and enjoy the match." Redcliffe replied. "It's not every day you see Zeus in action without him tearing your face off." The Wolfbats looked arrogant, probably expecting to win against a single opponent. He knew entire divisions that learnt the hard way what Zeus was capable of.

And the Wolfbats were learning as Zeus began with an Airbending combo, unleashing half a dozen shots in one go. "Well this challenger is certainly no green horn with skill like that. The Wolfbats are putting in their all just to stay in the ring. I doubt anyone's ready for what looks like an Airbending master." But The Wolfbats were getting better, now that they knew what to expect. Their Earthbender picked up 3 disks and threw them all at once, but looked on in shock as Zeus tanked them. If he could handle rocket fire, he could handle a few stones. "That's one tough man, taking those strikes like they're nothing. I don't know how long he can keep this up, but it's clearly having an effect on the Wolfbats." They started covering him with all their attacks, causing him to cover his face. "And it looks like he can't handle the heat any longer. What will he do now? Perhaps a special…?" They all watched as he pushed free, and lifted a dozen Earth Coins in one go. "Folks, I'm not sure what I'm seeing, but it looks like the challenger just used some major Earthbending. But then again, it could just be some precise Airbending." Zeus snarled at them, before facing Tahno's deluge. "And Tahno's resorting to breaking the rules again as he tries to hold on. How successful will it…" Alex waved his arms, and the deluge was directed around him while more water came from his side. "Holy moly! That is clearly Waterbending!" Tahno could only watch as the wave smacked him into the ground. "But if this stranger could Waterbend, does that mean that what we saw earlier was the real deal?" The Earthbender panicked, and fired a half-dozen Earth Coins back at Zeus. The monster punched them out of the air, bended several into the ground, and then pulled one into his hand. "Yes! He is definitely Earthbending! But that is impossible. There's only one Avatar! So who's the real thing?" Zeus chuckled, before throwing the disc with his hand. While his Earthbending wasn't going to hurt someone, his natural strength was capable of tearing apart metal. The Earthbender didn't even know what hit him as he was slammed into the far wall before falling into the water. "Ouch. He's gonna feel that in the morning." The Firebender let off a powerful burst, only for Zeus to harmlessly disperse it in time to launch his own fire blast. "And we have the last element folks! It is official! We have a second Avatar!"

"I thought you said he wouldn't reveal himself as abnormal." Amon whispered into his ear.

"Our research shows that Zeus deludes itself into thinking it's human so much, that it can be affected by the human emotions it imitates. I imagine that Zeus wanted to put these cheaters in their place, regardless of the attention. And besides, if he wanted to remain in the shadows, he wouldn't have jumped out into the spotlight."

"Well now it's just down to one on one, but from the looks of it I don't think much of Tahno's chances." Shiro said, as everyone watched hungrily to the final moments. Zeus had called forth a big wave of water, too big for a single Waterbender to accomplish. Tahno could only watch in horror as he got flooded off the stage, following his teammates into the drink. "And it's over, it's over, the fight is over! The new Avatar has pounded an entire team back to the bottom of the ranks!" Zeus paraded around, waving his arms like some macho wrestler. Redcliffe had a quick peek at the Avatar, and saw that she looked as though her whole world had dropped beneath her feet. Unsurprising, really. There was supposed to be only one Avatar, according to Amon. And now here was Zeus, using the elements better than she did. But she was still Blackwatch's other goal. Zeus was easy to explain; he had half a city inside of him. But they still wondered how a single person could bend all four elements. Not to mention why there was never more than one. But first, they had to play along to Amon's tune.

"Alright Phillips." He said to his mic, using a special frequency beyond most Blackwatch radios. "Time to get your sweet revenge."

"I look forward to it Sir."

Korra felt her legs give out beneath her as she watch Alex finish his match. This was impossible. Impossible. There was only one Avatar. There's always only been one. And yet he could use all four elements. All four! She couldn't even do anything with Airbending, but he's mastered it. Maybe they were all wrong. Maybe she was never the Avatar. Maybe, she was some kind of anomaly. A person that could bend three elements. But now what? Being the Avatar was all she ever really knew. Her most prized feature, the one thing she wanted to be the most. She didn't know how to be anything else.

"What am I?" She whispered to herself. She doubted anyone would know.

"I don't know Korra." Mako replied. "But I'm pretty sure you're still the Avatar." She looked at him in surprise. "I never believed that whole 'island' thing. I think he's hiding something from us. I think he knows more about Blackwatch and the Equalists than he lets on."

"Uh, just wondering, are we going to arrest him?" Bolin asked. "It's just, you guys kept telling me he's dangerous. And that was before we learnt he was an Avatar." He was right. Alex was just getting stronger the longer they knew him. But Mako was right too. Alex was hiding something. And they were going to get to the bottom of it.

"Hold on folks, I think we have another challenger." Shiro said as something large flew through the air at Alex. He dodged it barely, while the arena crumpled under his opponent's weight. "I don't know who he is, but this new guy seems rather… Equalist." Korra looked up in shock. He was right. While he was wearing an all-black outfit, that was the guy from the rally. The 'D-Code' Alex wouldn't get near. They faced against each other and spoke in that weird language, while everyone else was distracted by electric sparks in the crowd. It took Korra a few seconds to realise they were all coming from Metalbenders.

"Oh no." She whispered. "Guys. The Equalists are here." She turned to see Mako and Bolin surrounded by Blackwatch members, led by that lieutenant from the other night.

"Don't worry." He said in his deep, soft voice. "They already know." One of the Blackwatch guys pointed his stick, his 'gun' at her, and it made a small bang sound. Her right arm suddenly felt like it was on fire, causing her to fall down and scream in pain. "That was one 'bullet', Avatar. Those guns have hundreds of them each." His tone made it clear what he was asking of her. She pulled her hand away from her arm to find it covered in blood. She had no choice. As they started tying the three of them up, she could only listen to Shiro's commentary.

"Well it looks like the Equalists are using this chance to launch their attack, but the big guy is clearly on the defensive. I have never seen flames that big before." Alex was shooting a stream of fire at his opponent, while Earth Coins were launched by him twitching his shoulders. But then the D-Code ran out of the fire and knocked him over, his head crunching against the metal platform. That didn't stop Alex though, as he used some Airbending to blow the guy off. "This new Avatar is certainly a force to be reckoned with and clearly is not pulling any punches. In fact, it looks like both groups are planning to beat each other senseless or worse with strips of metal from the arena." Alex just seemed to shrug it off, until the D-Code crumpled hi metal on his head and pulled out a short metal stick. It made a loud boom, and Alex was actually pushed back as his chest fractured. The D-Code fired again, and again, pushing Alex back the whole time. She saw the metal on his head explode as blood flew everywhere. As the gun –for what else could it be – clicked instead of booming, the D-Code smashed it into Alex's head, before pulling out a small finger-shaped thing. But Alex fought back. He pulled a large amount of water, froze it into a giant spear, and skewered the D-Code right through and pinning him to the wall. "And it looks like I was right. That was definitely a killing blow. But wait, his opponent is still moving! Unbelievable! This guy just doesn't know when to quit!" The D-Code pointed the finger gun at Alex, and the room heard loud bangs as Alex jerked away, holding his hands over his eyes. Then, the D-Code threw a small metal fruit at him. The ground beneath his feet exploded, and he got thrown away. He was pulling himself up, but that last one was too much for him. The D-Code broke the spear in half, pulled himself off – leaving the spiked end covered in his blood – and jumped down to crush Alex under the weight of the frozen block. The hit threw Alex into the water, where he sunk like a stone and didn't get back up.

"Well folks, it looks like the Equalists want to show just who is tougher, and boy did they prove it. In fact, there is an Equalist in here with me, threatening me with a glowing gloved hand. No sir, I will not read Pro-Equalist tripe. If you're going to knock me out then just do it already." Shiro yelled into the microphone as sparks lit up his box. The Equalists dragged the Wolfbats back onto the wrecked stage, just as Amon used the central lift to get on top. They weren't looking so smug now, or angry. They were terrified. The Equalists let them go, and formed a ring around the two groups as Amon raced for the team members. They gave it their all, but Amon made it clear who was better. Everyone could only watch as he threw the Wolfbats around like rocks. As each member fell, his Equalists grabbed hold on them so he could remove their bending. Once Tahno himself had fallen, Amon walked menacingly over to them. Korra shuddered as her nightmares came to life.

"W-Wait." Tahno pleaded. "You can have the championship pot. You can have the trophy. I-I'll give you anything. Just please don't take my bending." But Amon was deaf to his begging, and they all watched as he placed his thumb on their foreheads. Korra suddenly was besieged by strange visions, showing Avatar Aang, Sokka, and Chief Toph Beifong. They were in a courtroom, watching a strange man. His eyes quivered, and then it cut to Aang leaving the Avatar state. She came back in time to see Amon grabbing the microphone as his Equalists threw the three disgraced pro-benders into the water below.

"I believe I have your attention, benders of Republic City." He said, looking coldly at them. So once again, the Wolfbats are your pro-bending champions. It seems fitting that you celebrate three bullies who cheated their way to victory because every day, you threaten and abuse your fellow non-bending citizens just like the Wolfbats did to their opponents tonight. Those men were supposedly the best in the bending world and yet, not only did a single man utterly destroy them, it only took a few moments for me to cleanse them of their impurity. And then my men managed to beat your 'new Avatar'. Let this be a warning to all of you benders out there: if any of you stand in my way, you will meet the same fate." The crowd gasped in horror. "Now, to my followers: for years the Equalists have been forced to hide in the shadows, but now we have the numbers and the strength to create a new Republic City. I'm happy to tell you that the time for change has finally come. Very soon, the current tyrannical bending regime will be replaced by a fair-minded Equalist government. You and your children will no longer have to walk the streets afraid! It's time to take back our city."

"How are we going to get out of here?" Korra asked Mako. It would be almost impossible to get free while these goons were watching them. Maybe their team leader had a plan. But before he could speak. One of the men around them started shouting and fired into the water. The team instantly ignored them, focusing on the water around them. One of them spoke into radio, and the D-Code jumped out of the water as the Lieutenant thrust his electric sticks into the water, and lit the whole thing up. They watched for several moments as Amon monologue in the background, until one of them fell from a spike. Two more fell as they started running, while one was pulled by black tentacles into the water. The D-Code picked up the remaining troops, and jumped high into the air. They watched as Alex crawled out of the water, shaking his head and groaning.

"Alex." Korra said gratefully. On any other day, she'd hate him for upstaging her, for making her doubt herself. But anything was better than this. "Thank goodness. Untie us already."

"Yeah, yeah." Alex said, his voice seeming deeper than usual. He shook his head one last time before he pulled apart the cables holding them like they were string. They quickly moved, trying to find Chief Beifong and Tenzin. They couldn't stop the Equalists alone. They needed allies.

"Before, the benders had an unfair advantage over us." Amon continued saying. "But now, thanks to modern technology and our new allies, we have levelled the playing field. Now no bender is safe from us. They will fall as easily as we used to. We will not stop until we bring equality to Republic City, and then to the world. The Revolution has begun!"

The glass roof shattered as an airship hovered high overhead, surrounded by small buzzing things. Cables dropped down to the Equalists, pulling them all up as Korra finally found Tenzin and Beifong. She shook them awake as the Equalists started escaping, right before Alex jumped after them. But the D-Code intercepted him, throwing him to the Arena just as the whole thing exploded. Her heart jumped into her mouth, but she could hear Alex's voice over the explosion. Beifong woke up and started struggling until she got to her feet. She saw what was happening, and used her cables to latch on after them. Korra needed to get up there. She had to capture Amon, if only to stop his plans.

"Alex!" She shouted, listening for him. "I'm going after Amon! Help me get enough clearance!" She jumped back down to the water, using her bending and her speed to launch herself upwards. She got great height, enough to clear any normal building. But it wasn't enough. She was running out of water. She was going to fall.

But then she felt the water jump underneath her. She quickly looked down to see Alex bending her higher, none the worse for the wear. Jeez, does this guy have any weaknesses? Whatever, he was helping, and she had to deal with it. The water forced her high enough to knock several Equalists off their cables, where she now stood and fired at Amon. She couldn't let him escape.

"Keep it up Korra!" Beifong shouted as she used her cables to move higher. But she had to drop down as one of the buzzing machines whirred as boomed at her. It was like a gun firing, and small cracks formed in the glass roof. They had nearly cornered her when Alex went flying through the hole, and latched onto it. It went into a spin as every other machine faced it and opened fire. The black hull burst into flames as the whole thing dropped through the glass, but Alex was already flying to another one. It flitted away, but Alex kept moving. As he got near another one, he fired a black, thick cable that latched on and pulled him. But Blackwatch destroyed that machine too.

She grunted as she got knocked off her platform. Stupid. She had been so busy watching Alex that she forgot about herself. She landed on the roof, which creaked ominously as she hit it. She sprung to her feet, dodging the Equalist attacking her. She moved quickly, focusing as much on punches as she did on bending. A large crowd of them approached just in time for Alex to slam into them. As he landed on the roof, the whole thing started breaking apart. The Equalists were running away as Alex fell through a new hole, getting picked up by several buzzing machines. Korra and Beifong had no choice but to run as the whole thing gave out beneath their feet. But they weren't fast enough. Or rather, the roof was too damaged. They both fell to the arena below. But Beifong used her cables to latch onto the Equalist banners that decorated the room while grabbing hold of Korra. Thanks to that, they both landed in the stands with only minor bruises.

"You alright Korra?" Lin asked as she helped her up.

"I'm fine. Thanks for the save." Korra replied.

"I'm fine too, in case anyone's wondering." Alex added as he jumped into their stands. They all watched Amon's airship flee the scene. "Blackwatch is getting smarter. They must remember the damage I did with helicopters before."

"Helicopters? You mean the buzzing machines?" Yet another invention from his island, if he was telling the truth. But how did he know so much? Maybe he used to work for Blackwatch, and ran off to get revenge. It was likely. By now, Mako, Bolin and Tenzin had all reached them. Mako stayed far away from Alex, but Bolin and Tenzin rushed past to hug Korra.

"I'm so glad you're all safe." Tenzin said, before turning to Alex. "And that bending. What you did should be impossible." Korra stopped listening as she saw Beifong slump down in defeat.

"He played me." She said, interrupting everyone. "I did everything I could and he still just about walked right over me."

"He played us all Lin." Tenzin said supportably. "The war for Republic City has begun."

Alex looked almost… worried. "And Blackwatch play for keeps."

And there we go. I hope I gave a good reason for Korra to not mention Alex to Chief Beifong. If I met some guy that killed a man with one hand, I wouldn't want to piss him off either.

I originally wanted to do a chapter about Alex being a part of Tarrlok's task force, but I couldn't think of enough stuff to make it long enough. So we'll just assume Korra recommended against it. Mind you, the original idea had Blackwatch attack the gala while being led by Philips so Alex can show off his powers and generally be a one-man badass machine, so we missed out on that. Oh well. I suppose having Alex being a big enough threat to mince Blackwatch as soon as he won't be seen as the next best thing. Shame Alex lost to Philips, but the Equalist attack on the arena is one of the big set pieces. And yes, Blackwatch made helicopters. They brought plenty of tech with them, we just haven't seen most of it yet. Apart from the tanks, assume that if it was in Prototype 1 and 2, it'll be in here. And that includes the Orion super soldiers.

Next time on 'Legend of Alex', we meet an Equalist supporter (Spoiler: Hiroshi Sato) who underestimates Alex, we see him tear through tanks like putty, and Korra learns what she's bunking with.