Hey there. Really sorry this took so long. I had a bit of writers block (not helped by already making plans for Book 4) and I spent way too long just gaming away. I'm hoping that the next time won't be as long, but given how Dragon Age Inquisition is coming out next week, I'm not too hopeful.

Still, at least you guys get to enjoy this cool chapter. And you get to see that Alex isn't completely OP.

Chapter 8: Blood-stained Power

Trees. Trees. Platypus Bear. Stream. Snow. Snow. Rocks. And whadda you know? Snow covered rocks. Alex huffed in annoyance as he stood knee-deep in snow. After realising that Korra had left the city, Alex had the others stay behind to find out more while he went after her. But after that slight pulse that led him out this way, he wasn't able to sense her again. He had gone all over the nearby countryside, even halfway up the mountains without even a sign. "What about you, Naga? You got anything yet?" The Polar Bear Dog looked at him and huffed as well. After eating a few dogs back home, he knew enough to understand her. "Well keep looking. She's got to be close if I managed to pick up her pulse." Naga growled at him. "Hey, quit complaining. Back home I either lived in a city or hid my powers. This is new for me." A doggy laugh now. "Well I don't see your nose doing any better, bitch." Another growl, now a bit more threatening. "What? Humans called female dogs bitches long before they used it as an insult." A whine. "You're kidding me. Since when has the animal kingdom ever been politically correct?" He sighed. He was arguing with a mutt. A mutt smart enough to understand things like 'political correctness' and shit, but still just a dog. At least she was allowing him to get a bit closer now. He looked up as the sunlight broke over the mountains, creating a display his artistic minds said was 'beautiful'. All Alex cared about was that it meant he'd been out here for most of the night. "Ok. Everyone's got to be waking up back in Republic City and throwing a fit over Korra going missing. Assuming they know and all that. I'll head back to Mako and the others and see if they learnt anything new. You stay here and keep looking for her." A panting huff filled the air. "Fine. I'll see about getting you some food. Some huntress you are." He took off in a rush, leaving a trail of flying snow behind him and now running on top of the thick snow. He didn't want to admit it to Naga, but Alex was actually a bit worried. Korra was a tough young lady, it came with being the Avatar. All the damage in the council chambers was clearly her work. True, she had a few losses to the Equalists, but that was a bit like Blackwatch losing to the Infected. It just shows how dangerous the bad guys were. So the idea that someone – or something – could manage to overpower her and run off with her was worrying. And it didn't help that he only knew that she wasn't in the city itself.

All this power, and he couldn't help out a… an ally. He hated it. He hated that feeling.

He swore that when he found whoever did it, there was going to be a bloodstain where they stood.

"Uh guys? Saikhan's giving us a shifty look." Bolin pointed out, the new Chief of Police glaring at them while listening to Tarrlok talking.

"Probably because we're all supposed to still be in a cell." Asami replied dryly. "We're just lucky that Beifong and Tenzin vouched for us." When Beifong had heard that she escorted them out, she didn't even bat an eye. She just stated that she had released them because they had been arrested under false charges. Saikhan didn't look happy about it, but he looked like he wanted to argue with Beifong even less. And so he had allowed them to stay. But Beifong's glare told them that she knew exactly how they got out. "Do you think Alex is having any luck finding Korra?"

"I hope so." Mako said angrily. "If he comes back without her, I swear I'm going to… to…" He stopped, clearly trying to find something he could do that wouldn't get him killed. Asami stepped outside the entranceway to see if she could spot him, when she noticed a small dark shape jumping from a roof. As it grew closer, she realised that it was Alex, somehow gliding through the air. He held his arms pointing back, while a red-and-black mist billowed from his body as though it was pushing him. He suddenly dashed through the air, before taking up his gliding position again. As he got close to them, he had his arms and legs in an X shape, slowing right down and dropping lightly to the ground.

Just one more physics defying thing Alex could do to add to the list.

"You guys learnt anything new from this end?" Alex asked them, not even the least bit tired from searching most of the night. Or at least, not appearing to be tired. Asami wasn't sure if he could get tired.

"Did you find Korra yet?" Mako asked him and looking angry. Asami was… worried about that. Mako clearly loved her deeply. They said the sweetest things to each other, had wonderful moments together. Now that her father was with The Equalists, he was helping hold her together. But she saw the way he looked at Korra when he thought she wasn't looking. And she saw the way Korra looked back. Korra was beautiful. Not to say Asami wasn't. She had been told many times that she was incredibly beautiful and could be a model someday. But Korra was beautiful in a different way. Whereas Asami was beautiful in a 'pretty ornament that sits on the shelf' way, Korra was beautiful from her strength. She was the Avatar, so she had that going for her. She was strong for her age, and liked to act a bit like a guy. And not to mention that she had a rack that made her look like a board. A small, deep part of her – the younger her – worried that Korra would use her Avatar strength to take Mako for herself. And she worried that Mako would go along with it.

"Yeah, I did. She's living in a gingerbread house on the Big Rock-candy mountain, and I'm asking if you guys heard anything because I'm bored." Alex replied sarcastically. "Asami, Bolin. Have you two heard anything new?"

"According to Tarrlok, there's plenty of evidence that Blackwatch and the Equalists kidnapped Korra." Asami told him. "He said that Korra came here to argue with him about our release, but before it went anywhere Blackwatch attacked. He tried to stop them, but the Equalists attacked him and ran off with her."

"Yeah. But here's the interesting part. All the evidence lying around now wasn't there when we got here in the first place. Of course, we had to go and find Beifong and tell her what we found. And we needed some food." Bolin added.

"You know, even if we ignore the fact this wasn't here before, there's a lot of stuff that doesn't add up." Alex said as he entered through the doorways. "For starters, there's no bullet holes anywhere. If Blackwatch attacked there should be lines of holes everywhere, and even some blood. If they knocked out Tarrlok, you'd think they'd have taken their shit with them when they left. That stuff's probably not cheap to make after all. And why leave Tarrlok behind? Sure, Korra's the Avatar but he's one of the city leaders and the guy most oppressing them. Even if you go with the idea that they want him to keep giving them ammo to fight with, taking him out would get a lot of non-benders on their side after last night's fiasco." He stopped walking and looked towards a stairwell, his eyes flashing orange for a second. "And finally, why would there be someone hiding behind the stairs?" He moved nonchalantly over to the stairs, keeping his eyes focused on the damage as though he was taking a better look at it. Without breaking stride, he reached out like a prickle snake and pulled a skinny man into the open with a yelp. It was a page. Asami recognised him because some people had trouble telling if he was a man or a woman. Alex turned to look at Tenzin, and handed the man roughly to Bolin. "Here. You guys talk to him. I gotta take my 'aggression' elsewhere, apparently." He then walked on over to Tenzin and Beifong, who it seemed were having a quiet, but angry argument with him. Asami smiled at the page, hoping it would calm him down.

"Hey. You don't know anything about what happened last night, do you?"

"I can't believe that you took over my identity." Beifong said angrily, poking Alex in the chest. "You abused my position to flout the law and make it seem that I was releasing possibly dangerous criminals. Do you realise what it would look like if you let out someone who actually had committed a crime? I'd be lucky if all I lost was my badge."

"But I didn't let out a real criminal. I released Korra's friends, who were arrested on false pretences." Alex replied, knocking her hand aside. "And Korra forbade me from just killing everyone in my way. I figured that the former Chief of Police would have enough clout to get them out without any questions."

"But it's still a problem, Alex. While I agree with letting them out, you can't just ignore the laws whenever it suits you. They're there for a reason."

"And they're only enforced through strength. That's why crime lords can go free. Because they're strong enough that you can't enforce the laws you love. Now, is there anything else you want to waste my time with? Because I want to find Korra as quickly as possible. And I bet that Tarrlok knows more than we do."

"What makes you say that?" Beifong said. "We've got all the evidence here to prove that The Equalists and Blackwatch were here last night. It's pretty obvious that they're the ones behind it."

"Tell me, Beifong. You ever heard of the concept of an 'orgy of evidence'?" She looked at him blankly. "Guess not. It refers to the fact that when someone frames a person or group, they leave out so much evidence that it's almost impossible to believe they really did it. Given how organised the Equalists are, there's no way they'd leave so much of their stuff lying around, even if they were interrupted. There are no bullet holes in the walls, so that rules out Blackwatch. And I was here last night, before all this crap ended up lying around. And I bet Tarrlok said that he had been out unconscious for most of the night."

"Yes. He did." Tenzin replied. "But I don't see why he'd cause Korra to disappear. They might not have agreed with each other but she's still a powerful icon. Tarrlok wouldn't just make her disappear."

"He would if there was another Avatar who's more willing to do whatever it takes to destroy the Equalists."

Tenzin and Beifong frowned before nodding in agreement. "Tarrlok. I'd like to ask you something important." Tenzin shouted.

"I suppose if it's important." Tarrlok replied. "But shouldn't you be off hunting down the Equalists already? I'd shudder to imagine what they'd do with Avatar Korra if we don't stop them."

"Actually, I don't think the Equalists were the ones that took Korra. You said that you were both ambushed by the Equalists last night, they knocked you out with a shock glove, and then took Korra with them when they left."

"Yes. I thought I made that very clear already."

"Then maybe you could explain why it was that when I got here last night, the only thing I found were the craters and damages caused in a bender fight. You can't expect us to believe that they came back just to leave evidence behind." He stood a little straighter, growing in height to tower over the councilman.

"That's because they didn't." The clerk had joined in on their conversation. He was trembling like a leaf, but also looked determined. "I saw Korra and Tarrlok fighting, when he subdued her and stashed her in a Satomobile. And I think he did it because… Because he's a Bloodbender."

Tenzin glared at Tarrlok. "This is your only chance, Tarrlok. Surrender and tell us where you took Korra." He and everyone else got into a bending stance, ready to fight.

"No. I don't think I will." His eyes quivered as he pointed his hands at them. The group clutched at their chests in pain before dropping to the ground, knocked out from the attack. All except Alex. He smirked as Tarrlok looked at him in shock.

"I don't have any blood Tarrlok. Your bending's not going to do you any good against me." He turned his arms into tendrils, ready to grab him when Tarrlok tried his bending again. Alex thought it was pointless until his tendrils seemed to hit a brick wall. Before he could do anything, Tarrlok somehow redirected them to skewer the walls. Alex reverted to a liquid state to try and escape, but he felt his biomass get thrown around with ease. By the time he had stopped bouncing around, he knew that Tarrlok had left the building.

How did he do that? Sure, his biomass mimicked blood, but he doubted it was close enough for Bloodbending to work. And it didn't do a thing when he pretended to be a human. Only when he loosened up to attack.

"Of course." He growled as he reformed. "I'm such an idiot. I should've realised that the first time." Liquid. His natural state was a liquid. That was how Tarrlok managed to beat him. Well, it wasn't going to happen again. And this just proved that Tarrlok and his knowledge was simply too dangerous to keep alive.

He was going to end up being lunch.

It was a bit of a quiet day that day. The benders were busy feeling terrified, wondering what would happen now that Avatar Korra was captured, while some of the non-benders were wondering why Amon had taken someone willing to finally stand for their rights. This quietness was ruined when a Satomobile truck came racing round a corner, nearly taking out another Satomobile waiting for a light. It swerved from side to side as the driver regained control, zooming down the road and nearly running over people crossing the street. They waved their fists at it until they felt a rush of air overhead and saw Avatar Alex running after it. He must've used Airbending to go that fast, as he reached it in seconds. With one hand he somehow pulled giant claws from somewhere and ripped through the roof, before he was struck by a stream of water rising from the container on the back of the truck. Where the water struck his skin and clothes seemed almost to write, before black ropes flew from him to strike the walls. Avatar Alex broke them easily enough, but the water just kept striking him over and over again as more ropes appeared. Growling, his skin shimmered as black armour appeared from nowhere, before he was somehow flung heavily from the truck. He crashed through a building before exiting the other side fully armoured. With amazing speed, he flew towards the truck with one leg held out, crashing through the container and flooding the street with water. Fragments of his armour broke off and tried to stab him, but he shattered them and ripped the cab off the truck. The driver crashed into a post and went flying, only for Alex to fly after him and grab him in one hand. People were surprised to see that it was Councilman Tarrlok in his hand. Avatar Alex looked around at the crowd, before simply running back towards the Council chambers.

Everyone started muttering to each other, wondering what was happening between them.

Kill him. Consume him. He's too dangerous. Bloodbending is power. It is a threat. The others would never agree. We need to know. All the voices, all his instincts were telling him to kill Tarrlok and be done with it. But Korra would probably want him to live first. To answer for his crimes. Now that Alex knew how he could be affected, he wouldn't be at risk from him anymore. But to have that kind of power…

Hang on. What could he do with Bloodbending he couldn't already do now? And who's to say he could replicate the ability to use it at any time? For all he knew, it would just end up being a big hassle for little power.

Still, it was an option now. He could get it, somehow.

"You got him." Beifong looked amazed. Well, as amazed as her face would let her get. "I thought we had lost him for good."

"He gave me a bit of trouble with that Bloodbending, but I think he's not going to be a problem anymore." Alex replied, throwing Tarrlok heavily into one of the council chairs, still bound with his Biomass. It was as hard as a rock, with no way for him to twist it. "Now, how about you spill where you're keeping Korra before I rip the knowledge from your skull?"

Tarrlok started chuckling to himself, smirking at Alex. "Oh, do you really think you've won? Do you really believe I'm not a threat to you right now?"

"Well, you're bound in hardened biomass without a way to do any bending, you don't have any water to throw at me, and I'm just looking for an excuse to murder you. So, yeah. I'd say I've won."

"But what about your allies?" Alex lost all sensations as his head exploded. He let his body fall as he regrew his ears elsewhere, hearing the sound of metal lines ripping through his biomass bind. It sounded like he had everyone else under his control again.

Well, you know the old saying. You can't make an omelette without knocking around a few heads.

He leapt to his feet while regrowing his head, dodging to one side as he saw Bolin clumsily throw a rock at him. He slapped the boy aside and threw Asami over his shoulder lightly, before pushing Tenzin and Mako into a wall. As Beifong rushed him, he casually ducked under her strike and slammed her into the ground in time to absorb the biomass Tarrlok threw at him. The Bloodbender tried to reach the doors, but Alex stabbed him right through the head with a whipfist. His skull ached for a moment as he processed all the memories he got. And boy, Tarrlok had issues.

He was actually the son of Yakone, a Bloodbending crime lord who once nearly ruled this city. Toph Beifong and Councilman Sokka, both heroes of the Hundred-Year War, found him guilty of all his crimes. Yakone managed to Bloodbend everyone into submission, including Avatar Aang, and then tried to flee. But the Avatar State proved too powerful for even Bloodbending to stop for long. Aang caught him, removed his ability to bend, and threw him in jail. But Yakone still had contacts and money. He managed to get himself out, get a new face, and fled to the North Pole. Against all odds – and Alex's expectations – he ended up falling in love and having a family. He might've even abandoned any ideas of revenge if not for his sons inheriting his Waterbending skill. Filled with dreams of revenge and ruling Republic City with an iron fist, he took his two sons out every full moon and put them through hell to perfect their Bloodbending. Tarrlok was always the weaker one, unwilling to hurt others for their training. His older brother Noatak was always the more skilled one, having proved himself long before. One night though, Yakone ordered his sons to Bloodbend each other to prove they could. Tarrlok refused, as Yakone almost attacked him until Noatak used Bloodbending on him. Refusing to become a tool for a broken man, Noatak ran into the night and was never found. Losing his best chance broke Yakone somehow, and he gave up on ever getting revenge. Tarrlok grew up to become a changed man, no longer hindered by compassion, and determined to control the city through the Council.

But Alex wasn't interested in that right now. Sure, it was interesting enough. It showed that the guy had issues. But right now, what he needed was Korra's location.

There. High in the mountains. Easily overlooked. No wonder he and naga missed it.

"Oh, I feel like I got bench-pressed by a sky bison." Bolin groaned, getting to his feet. "And my face has gone completely numb like a dragon's tail smacked it."

"Close enough. Tarrlok forced you guys to fight me. Now before you all start complaining about your bruises, I know where Korra is. We should go and grab her before something else go wrong."

It would be just his damn luck for Blackwatch to go after Korra right now.

Well, he was almost right. It was just the Equalists who were leaving Tarrlok's hideout. He'd love to go and attack them right now before they got too far, but the hunter in him reminded him to be cautious. Korra could be elsewhere right now. She could even have escaped them. And low and behold, his pulse returned from behind him. He was glad she was away from them, but that just meant he could throw a tree at them without worrying about hitting her. He laughed as they yelled and screamed as the giant tree crushed their car, rushing off after Korra before she vanished again. He caught up to her as she rested on Naga's back, the Polar-bear Dog looking pleased with itself. It barked at Alex.

"Don't get cocky, mutt. You found her by sheer dumb luck. At least I learnt where she was being kept."

"…Found in a cabin up high in the mountains. It appeared that someone besides the Equalists had captured her as they were reported as arriving there earlier this day. In other news, the Council released an official statement for Avatar Alex's attack on Councilman Tarrlok. According to them, he was secretly the son of the once-feared crime lord, Yakone. Brought up with his knowledge of Bloodbending, he captured Avatar Korra and attempted to frame the Equalists to further aid his goals. Sadly, he used his Bloodbending to commit suicide later this day. Councilman Tenzin hopes that with his actions now ended, Republic City could perhaps move onto better…" Amon flicked off the radio, breaking it in the process. His tears ran through the fake scar he applied, and he slammed his fist through the table.

Tarrlok, dead. His own brother, gone. Noatak remembered him when they were younger, before Father forced them to learn Bloodbending. He had always been a gentle, sweet kid. Even when facing Father's threats, he felt horrible about controlling others. When Noatak decided to run away, he invited Tarrlok along of for him to stay for Mother's sake. While at the time he was frustrated that he'd stick around with such a hateful man, he regretted not at least seeing Mother one last time. He found out later that she died of a broken heart, missing him dearly.

It was bending. Bending was the root of all their problems. It was bending that allowed Chin the Conqueror to take power. It was bending that caused the Hundred-Year War. And it was bending that allowed gangs to run wild, while the bending elite looked down on their lesser brethren in scorn.

And it was bending that led to his brother's death, as Zeus devoured him for power.

As he heard knocking, he quickly grabbed his mask, hiding his true face for this idealised one. "Enter." He said, not letting his emotions bleed through. His loyal lieutenant opened the door, standing to attention as he always did.

"Interesting news, isn't it Sir? That Yakone's son was part of the establishment this whole time." He said simply. This man was always loyal to the Equalist Cause. Capable, strong-willed, resourceful. It was imperative he never learnt just how far Amon was willing to go to win.

"Indeed. And it gives us even more reason to begin our attack. A Bloodbender was on the Council itself. How many people had their lives ruined because of this man? How many criminals got to go free to serve his whims? Prisons might be filled to the brink with innocents while the guilty roam free. Contact General Redcliffe that we plan to attack tomorrow at noon. Every man and woman who desires equality will march behind us. Our numbers will continue to grow, until all are equal."

"Of course sir." The Lieutenant bowed politely before leaving him. Now that no one was watching, Noatak relaxed his stance. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his only possession, his most cherished item. An old photo of him and Tarrlok, smiling as they held a giant fish with Yakone. He too was smiling, not a vicious crime lord, but a happy father. He wished dearly that they could go back to those days.

"Brother. You may have become nothing more than Father's weapon. I will avenge you. I will destroy Zeus, and all his allies."

"Here Korra. This will make you feel better." She smiled as Mako handed her a warm cup of tea. She was resting after all the events that led to her capture, regaining her strength. She had been without food or water until they found her in the mountains. She took a long, deep drink before placing the cup next to her on the table.

"So, you guys said you already found out that Tarrlok was Yakone's son. And you already know he was a Bloodbender. But what I want to know was what really happen to him. Alex, did you eat him?" She gave him a strong look. He wasn't too worried about it. She honestly cared about him and wanted him to avoid becoming a monster again.

"After he revealed that he was a Bloodbender and that it could actually affect me, I chased after him to stop him from running. Things got a bit hectic, but I made sure to bring him in alive. I figured that as long as he had his arms bound he couldn't do anything. But I was proven wrong, he tried to escape again, and so I ate him before he tried it a third time. So, did I do anything wrong?"

Korra sighed. "No. You did everything you could. He just kept thinking he could beat you in a fight. But I'm surprised that Bloodbending could work on you in the first place."

"It's only when I'm less solid, like if I'm shifting. And right now as far as I know, there's only one Bloodbender left out there."

She nodded. "Katara. She learnt it from the first Bloodbender, Hama. She doesn't use it, but she knows how it works."

"…Right." So, they didn't know that Tarrlok had a brother. Then again, he could've died all those years ago. They never ran into each other, and the odds of surviving out in the cold was low, even for a Waterbender. His bones are probably picked clean by some polar bear or something.

And if he wasn't, then Alex would have to stop him.

"Alex, could you pull up that chair over there for me?" Pema asked him, almost limping into the room. The Doctors inside him noted that she was almost due. If need be, he could help her with the birth. But they probably had someone ready for her. He lifted the chair with one hand and plopped it down behind her. "Thank you. That was very kind of you. I'm sure Mako would be interested in learning how helpful you've become."

"Where is Mako, anyway?" Korra looked around, noting that he had vanished while they were talking.

"In the kitchen, having an argument with Asami." Alex replied, listening in on them. It sounded like she found out about a kiss Mako had with Korra ages ago, while he and Asami were dating. "Something about a kiss after a Pro-bending match."

"Bolin." She groaned as he twirled his fingers in embarrassment. "You didn't."

"I'm sorry Korra. But she got really worried about how Mako was acting, and she heard from Ikki about how you like Mako, and things kinda led into each other. I don't do well under pressure."

"Right. So I'm betting 20 Yuans he gets slapped by the end of the argument." But Asami then left the kitchen in a huff, storming off elsewhere. "Damn. I lost my bet before we even agreed on it."

Korra started laughing, but she stopped when she heard the sound of an explosion. Everyone rushed out to see Equalist airships and Blackwatch copters hovering over Republic City. Fires blazed from almost every district. It was like a nightmare.

"Dad!" Ikki shouted. Tenzin had left earlier to discuss with the Council about Tarrlok. Knowing Blackwatch he was either dead, or more likely being dissected.

Not our problem.

Actually, it is our problem.

"Jinora, Ikki, Meelo. Stay here with Lin and protect your mother." Korra was giving orders. "Everyone else, let's move. Alex, see if you can clear the air a bit."

"A bit? By the time I'm done they'll have lost their control over the skies." Alex replied, forming his whipfist as he ran out to the sea. Without even pausing he ran across the surface of the water, Waterbending it under his feet to lift him. Once he had a copter in sight, he pushed a pillar of water to launch him skywards before firing off his whip. It slammed into the side, and he was ready to reel himself in and take over.

Which was when the missiles exploded on the copter.

Bereft of anything to hold on, Alex was forced to glide to a nearby building before he crashed to the ground. As he did so, another copter hovered overhead and rained missiles down at him. Without missing a beat he formed Heller's shields and took a page from his book, bouncing the missile back at them. As the burning wreckage fell to the ground below, he stopped to plan his next move.

So, they primed them to explode if they caught him latching on. Smart. Even he couldn't take that kind of damage for too long. And they already showed that hijacking it would take too long before they just shot him down. Guess they finally figured out that Alex with a tank was just as dangerous as him without it. Before, this would've taken quite a while to do, all while being attacked from all sides.

But bending has given him a few new tricks to play with.

Spotting another copter bombarding an apartment building, he ran straight for it and curled into a ball. The first moment they knew he was there was when there was a Alex-ball sized hole in their fuselage. While they were dropping down, he ripped off their missile pod. He smirked as he integrated his nervous system with the onboard computers.

"Yoink." He snarked, before firing it off at other copters. The radio he kept alerted him to the sound of many confused pilots as they came under fire, before screaming as they died. Once his immediate area was empty of copters, he turned the pod to focus on the blimps. Or zeppelins. Whatever they were, they were big, slow, and most importantly filled with flammable hydrogen. It was easy to cause them to explode.

So he was annoyed to discover that they were armoured with sheets of metal, causing the missiles to inflict only superficial damage.

"Great. Now what am I supposed to do?" Even with his enhanced sight, he wouldn't be able to hit the same spot over and over with missiles. He only had a few left, only enough to leave him a large enough spot for one missile to pierce. So what else could he do? His musings were interrupted when a dozen Equalists dropped down around him. Evidently, while he was busy attacking one of them, another Zeppelin had manoeuvred over him. To an ordinary man, this might be a problem. "Maybe if I lit one of you guys on fire and threw you at the thing. Maybe that would work." They rushed him, but with casual ease he slammed his fist together, throwing the lot of them off the roof. A series of faint thuds told him that they weren't getting back up. But then they brought in a mecha tank, made thicker and sturdier than the last ones. When Alex slammed his blade into it, the blade bounced off and left only a shallow groove in the metal. It punched at him and tried to shock him, but that was only an irritating annoyance. A very irritating annoyance. His rage bubbled over, and his blade suddenly felt like it was on fire. Even he was shocked about the fact that when he swung his blade again, it actually was on fire. The superheated edge sliced through the metal with almost no resistance, cleaving the tank in half. Alex stared at it in surprise before grinning evilly. An idea had come to him. On his other arm, he fashioned a long spear and had it create a flammable fat over the outside. In under a second, he had lit the whole thing on fire and hurled it upwards at the zeppelin like a javelin. The point of it pierced through the metal canopy, and carried into the hydrogen-filled bag above.

Watching the whole thing burst into flames was glorious.

Well, at least he now had a means of taking out the Zeppelins. Forming a longbow from one arm and a spear, he repeated his trick again on the zeppelin he had been attacking before he was so rudely interrupted. Like the first one, the spear pierced the bag and set the whole thing on fire, destroying it with ease. That left two fewer zeppelins to worry about.

Which was good, since everyone else seemed to have finally noticed him.

"Time to swat some bugs."

To say Tenzin was worried was like saying that the Cabbage Merchant had a slight bit of bad luck. It just failed to fully explain how little it explained. He was the only councillor still free, with his fellow leaders all rounded up. Reports were flooding into the Police station from all channels, informing them of how little of their forces were still fighting. They had barely managed to send out a call to the United Forces before all communication beyond the city was cut. And he deeply worried for his own family. There was no way the Equalists wouldn't hesitate to attack the last known Airbenders in the world. One endangered bending nation, gone just like that. But it was what he knew of Blackwatch that he truly feared. Alex and Korra made it clear that they wouldn't hesitate to cut apart his family to learn what made them different.

He had to save them. He had to get out of here.

"This is patrol 4-15." The radio squawked. "We've just reached the station. I can see it right now. And the Equalists have some large tank just down the road from us. It has two short barrels on either side, and a really long barrel as a main."

"A really long…?" Tenzin shivered. That sounded exactly like the tank they used against Alex's monster form. He remembered the wave of pressure that was made by the explosion, and how it tore through everything in the immediate area. "We need to evacuate. Now!" Chief Saikhan stared at him for only a second before calling for a general evacuation. The officers literally tore the walls apart in their efforts to escape from the building. Tenzin was among the last to leave when he heard the sound of the tank firing at them. Using the wind to push them all further away, he was bowled over as the station completely exploded. Where there had once been a massive building, now there was nothing but rubble and melted metal. With their fort destroyed, the Mecha tanks rolled in with one hand replaced by giant magnets. Still shocked by the explosion, none of the officers were in any condition to fight back. Tenzin believed that this was the end.

Which was why, as proof that the universe loved dramatic timing, a Satomobile crashed into the front-most tank, trashing it completely.

Korra and her friends ran to attack the remaining tanks, with Korra throwing water down the exhaust ports of one tank and wrecking the insides. The next tank pointed some stubby barrels at them and fired a rocket, only for Korra to block it with a boulder. Bolin fired several small rocks into the barrels, and when the tank fired again it just blew itself up. Another tank fired an electrified cable at Mako, but with his training in Lightning redirection he simply used it to electrocute the tank into submission. The final tank was accidently shot by the Blackwatch tank, while Asami used an electrified glove to knock out the two Equalist members about to grab him. As she tried to drag him to safety, the tank pointed its barrel right at them. This was it. This was the end.

And then something heavy slammed into the tank, squashing it flat and creating a wave of dust. When it cleared, they saw Alex sitting on the wreckage and smirking at them.

"Do you think they'll mind if I borrow this for a bit? A few bugs are still buzzing about out there." Korra nodded, before looking in horror beyond Alex. Tenzin groaned as he saw the Equalist Airship hovering over Air Temple Island. Most likely, they used the confusion to sneak past Alex.

His family was in danger.

Alex had to admit, this was a fun day. And an interesting one too. While he knew the theory of Lightning Redirection, he didn't think it would've worked on a Mecha tank's lines. Good to know in future. Getting electrocuted was irritating. Without waiting to fully land, Tenzin had jumped off and ran inside. Lin was waiting for them with the White Lotus sentries, looking rather pleased with herself.

"Good work rescuing Tenzin. I thought you lot could handle it." She congratulated them. "And while I don't completely like you Alex, taking out so many ships on your own was downright impressive."

"And the best news is that you can't really arrest me anymore. You know, since your police Station was completely destroyed. My guess is that they wanted to kill everyone inside of it before they could get out, with the Equalists nearby to capture any survivors. Good thing I dropped in to stop their tank." By now, Tenzin and Pema had come back out, holding onto a baby boy. Jinora, Ikki and Meelo looked happy to have another sibling.

"While I'm glad that we're all safe, I'm afraid that we can't stay here much longer. They might have airships in reserve, just in case this kind of thing happened. We're sitting turtle-ducks if we stay."

"Yeah. And Blackwatch wouldn't hesitate to blow this place to kingdom come if they got rid of any resistance."

We need to split up and go into hiding. From there, you can begin surgical strikes against them and take out their strongest weapons. With any luck, you'll have weakened them enough for the United Forces to roll right over them all by the time they get here."

"Us? What about you? Where are you going?" Korra asked him.

"I'm getting my family out of here. If Amon or Blackwatch get their hands on them… I can't risk that."

Beifong nodded. "Then get going. The rest of us will head for the sewers. If we find any Blackwatch or Equalist Bases down there, we'll just let Alex deal with them." Tenzin nodded back, before leading his family towards his Sky Bison. Once, they were all on, he smiled down at the group.

"Good luck to you all."

"There is still no sign of Zeus after his attack on our air fleet, General." Officer Quinn Said over the radio. Redcliffe hoped that Zeus hadn't managed to hack this frequency. It would be just like him, laughing at them as they tried to find him.

"Understood, soldier. Luckily, we have a contingency for the worst-case scenario. In the meantime, keep looking." He ended the call, watching his team installing the contingency inside the Council Chambers. It was easily defensible, easy to surround with troops, and it was right in the centre of Republic City. At this moment, Commander Williams stepped forward. Probably giving a report on the Equalists.

"Amon and his troops have captured most of the high-ranking benders in the city, and are using their forces to blockade entire districts. They're also receiving aid from the non-benders too afraid to have fought back before. As far as we can tell, at least a third of the entire population is standing with us."

"Good. Make sure to remind him that we want at least one Airbender intact, and Councillor Tenzin once he's finished with him." They were doing sort of ok with experimenting and looking up old tomes in the library, but it was hard going. Few Airbenders were left to warrant an entire class for. But Williams just kept standing there.

"Sir. Are we really sure about this?" He looked at her, causing her to stumble over her words. "I-I mean, I understand Zeus is dangerous enough that this may be required, Sir. But surely there's another way of stopping him. With this, we could end up destroying ourselves and the entire city. We'd be back to square one."

"Williams, our mission is to put the destruction of the Virus before anything else, including our own lives. If we have to sacrifice everything to stop it, then that's what we will do. No one is safe, nothing is sacred. Understood? Or maybe that's the virus in your blood talking."

"…No sir. I understand. Our mission comes first." She saluted him, before stomping out of the room. Redcliffe watched her go before turning back towards the weapon. Yes, he was hoping he wouldn't have to use it either. Yes, he wished he wouldn't have to sacrifice all these men. But this was a game of chess, with the opposition left with a single king. As long as the king was still free, it wasn't over. He glared at the thermonuclear bomb as the technicians finished the final details in installing and setting it up.

And if you had to sacrifice all your pieces for the checkmate, then so be it.

Dun-dun-duun.

…Sorry. Couldn't resist.

And yeah, about the Bloodbending. I had a bit of difficulty with that when I first thought of this story months ago. Alex doesn't have any real blood, so you couldn't affect the liquids in his body. But then again, he's basically a giant puddle of biomass in human form, so you should be able to affect him. In the end, I decided to have him like this. A bit like that old science experiment with the jelly. The one where if you stab it it's as hard as a rock, but if you push on it it's like jelly. Alex has a lot of biomass compressed into a human form, so it's like pushing water from a rock. It's only when he's healing, shapeshifting, or using tendrils that he becomes fluid enough to affect. This means that he doesn't just steamroll Tarrlok without a hassle or get his ass handed to him by Bloodbenders.

And yes, Tarrlok died. For those of you who've read my Ben DxD story, you'll have noticed that I didn't really change the status-quo. This was because it was my second story, and I wanted to strike a balance between having Ben do everything while letting Issei still get stronger and more important. But with Legend of Korra, we know that (Spoiler) Tarrlok dies at the end of Book 1. And he only shows up earlier after Amon captures him to explain who Amon really is, how he removes people's bending, and to kill them both. So I could have Alex eat him without worrying about messing up anything important later on.

And also, Alex takes out most of the Airships. That means that Tenzin can run, and Beifong gets to stick around with her bending. Sure, the police station was destroyed, but what else would Blackwatch do? This will all lead up to a bigger fight in the end.

Finally, the Bomb. Yes, Blackwatch brought one with them. Why? Probably because they're paranoid and crazy-prepared. Better to have a city-destroying bomb and not need it, than need it and not have it. Those who have played Prototype 1 will probably be able to guess what will happen with it (and let's be honest, it's not like I can do anything different without completely derailing the story) and you'll be right. Bonus points if you can figure out how Amon will snuff it.

So anyway, see you guys hopefully a lot sooner than this.