Note: Well, this is the final chapter. We've made it to the end. Of course, there will still be an epilogue to wrap things up (which might be out by the weekend), but for now, this is it. We know that we've been really bad with release dates (usually only one chapter every month for nearly two years), so we suppose it's ironic that we finally got our act together right as the story wrapped up. This will probably be the last note we leave on this story, so from the bottom of our hearts, thank you. Seriously, thank you guys. You've all been awesome. You've helped us become better writers, and for that, we are eternally grateful. We know it's not easy sticking with a story for two years-especially since our characters and pacing sucked sometimes-but you guys put up with us, and that requires a dedication we probably wouldn't have ourselves. We're really proud of what we accomplished. So, this is it. This is the final chapter of Crescendo. That's weird to write. Anyways, we're GodSaveTheKings, and we have no idea what we're going to do next after this. Peace out. Enjoy.

"Korra! We're falling towards home!" shouted Ikki. Korra tried to regain her footing, but the airship shook once more and knocked her off of her feet. Her shoulder felt like it was being torn through with a spear. She could hardly concentrate, locked onto the intense pain shooting through her arm. She saw Shang tumble lifelessly across the floor; Katarina lunged at him, hugging him for dear life.

"We need to do something fast!" said Jinora, watching the earth rapidly approach from the front window.

"I know." Korra said, agitated. "I'm trying."

"Try harder!" screamed Ikki.

Katarina shrieked. "I never should have agreed to this stupid job. I want to go home! I want to go home!"

Korra looked out the window. The ship was in a nosedive. If she did not act quickly, they would crash and burn on the island. Thinking fast, she shot to her feet, and sprinted towards the window. The ground quaked and she stumbled, but she staggered upright and hurried forward. She hated what she was about to do, but there wasn't any time.

"Korra, what are you doing?" asked Jinora, panicked.

"Something very stupid," Korra stated.

She gripped her wounded shoulder, turned her side to the window, and closed her eyes. Then, with all of her strength, she threw herself at the glass, shattering it into thousands of razor-sharp shards. She flew outside of the airship and tumbled down the front, slamming uncontrollably against the metal frame, which battered and bruised her skin. She slid down the rounded surface, just as determined, waiting until she reached the tip of the fortress, where she rolled off the ship, and began to fall. The wind blasted her face, the wind howled in her ears, and she spun around in circles, but she remained unfazed. She straightened out her flight and targeted a smooth spot of stone on Air Temple Island. Pressing her arms at her side, she propelled down like a rocket, steering towards the patch of dry land. She heard the metal ship groan as it fell behind her, chasing her to the earth. In the distance, she saw the last of the rafts heading towards the mainland. It was time to act.

When the ground was only fifty meters away, she took a deep breath, and cupped her hands around her lips. She blew as hard as she could, directing the funnel of hard air down to slow her descent. The pressure built steadily beneath her. The rush of the wind slowed, and though her landing was far from graceful, she made it to the stone structure without much more than a few scratches.

Another explosion ripped through the air. The other rocket gave out, and the ship fell faster, crumbling in on itself. Korra planted her feet firmly into the ground, encasing her legs in stone so that she would not fall. She outstretched her arms, closed her eyes, and concentrated. The screeching stabbed at Korra's eardrums. She needed to stay focused. It was only a matter of seconds before the airship crashed. She shut out the noise, and focused.

"Inner peace," she said under her breath. "Inner peace."

Her eyes shot open, glowing a brilliant white. The stone cracked and splintered at her feet, and the air became still. She felt the energy of the world coursing through her veins, pulsing in every muscle, vibrating in every neuron in her body. Her blood became electricity, her bones steel, and her voice an inferno. She felt immortal, invulnerable; all of the power in the world rested at her fingertips. She spoke, and time itself stood still.

Korra thrust her hands downwards, and the airship responded. It jerked forward, straightening out its flight pattern. It began to slow; the exterior of the ship crumpled under the pressure, but Korra held it together, guiding it to the ground. Her arms trembled as it drew closer to the ocean, gravity tugging it down and forces tearing it apart. She could feel it start to rupture.

"Come on," she moaned. "Almost there…"

The nose of the ship touched the water, and the strain on Korra's shoulder nearly overwhelmed her. Even in the Avatar State, it proved to be too much. She lost control for only a moment, but in that time, the back fell hard into the ocean, sending massive waves in every direction. Korra acted fast, running to the shore and creating a bridge of ice that rocketed towards the ship hundreds of meters away from the shore. The ice instantly froze everything it touched, creating a bed for the airship to rest on. With one final groan, the airship settled into place, as the waves it created dissipated into the sea.

Korra dropped to her knees on the rocky shore. The surge of energy faded. Her eyes returned to their normal blue. Her shoulder was on fire, and her head felt like it had been run over with a semi-truck. But the airship had landed. Shang was dealt with. Asami was safe. That was all that really mattered.

It took an hour for the sirens to arrive. By that time, Ikki and Jinora had rounded up Shang and the rest of his crew, and subdued them on the island. Korra could barely move; every ounce of energy had been drained out of her. She had never attempted to bend something that large before all at once, and it took its toll. When Lin finally drove up to her in a patrol car, and observed her from behind, the detective was just as worn out as she was.

"So… looks like you've been keeping yourself busy. I see why you haven't answered my calls," Lin sighed.

"Did you get Shang?" asked Korra.

"Him and his wife are headed back to the precinct for interrogation. We'll have to find room for all the rest. The guy's barely conscious. It looked like his head was bashed in with a lead pipe. Must have had a pretty bad fall during the crash."

Korra said nothing. Lin immediately understood, but didn't bother following up.

"What happened to you?"

"I just survived a freefall and bent an airship out of the sky," Korra explained weakly.

"Not that," Lin shook her head. She pointed to Korra's mangled arm. The Avatar shrugged, rose to her feet, and extended her limb to the Police Chief.

"Want to give me a hand?" she asked. Lin nodded, and grabbed onto Korra's shoulder. Korra held her breath.

"This might hurt a bit."

"Just please get it over with."

"Okay," Lin agreed. "I'll go after a count of three. One…"

Lin suddenly jammed the joint back into place, and Korra screamed in agony. She collapsed onto the ground, tears in her eyes.

"I told you it would hurt," Lin said dryly.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!" Korra cried. "Fuck you, Beifong!"

"Hey, in my experience, it's better to make it a surprise. Also, watch your language. There are kids around."

Korra struggled to her feet. Despite Li's best intentions, the pain had not subsided. "Isn't it supposed to stop hurting by now?"

"Not if you tore something," Lin explained. She pinched the sides of her nose with two fingers, and closed her eyes. "This day keeps getting worse and worse."

"What are you talking about?" Korra groaned.

Lin struggled to speak. She hardly believed the words coming out of her mouth. "Mako… he was taken."

Korra snapped to attention. Suddenly, the memories of what happened before Shang's attacks came rushing back to her, and she desperately grabbed Lin by the arms, shaking her violently.

"It's Sy!" she shouted. "Sy is the Hanzi Killer. She has to be. You have to believe me-"

"Calm down," Lin said, shaking Korra off. Korra noticed how unusually calm she was. There wasn't any worry in Lin's face, or anger, or sadness. There was merely acceptance, an acceptance that she had failed once again to keep her friends safe, an acceptance that this was the reality she would have to become accustomed to from now on. "I already know that his girlfriend is the Hanzi Killer."

Korra was shocked. "Wha—how do you know? Why aren't you going after her?"

"Because the Hanzi Killer didn't kidnap Mako," Lin explained. "About half an hour ago, we got an anonymous call about a disturbance at Mako's apartment. When we got there, we found the place ransacked and Sy lying in a pile of blood on the floor. A note was taped to what remained of her face, listing all the evidence that she was the Killer. Right now, the girl is being taken care of in a hospital bed. Mako disappeared without a trace. I barely had time to investigate before I heard explosions coming from this side of the city."

"That doesn't make any sense," stated Korra. "If someone was going after the Hanzi Killer, why would they also go after Mako? How did they even know that Sy was the Killer? Are you sure she didn't set this up?"

"You didn't see her injuries. Trust me, she's innocent. For this, at least."

"Well, who else could have done it?" questioned Korra. "I mean, would anybody else even be investigating the Hanzi Killer?"

"To my knowledge: no. Mako was the only one assigned to the case. Well, except—"

Lin's eyes went wide with terror. She turned and sprinted towards her car. Korra followed suit.

"Lin, what's wrong?" Korra asked, confused. "Do you know who took Mako?"

"I think so, but we need to hurry," Lin said quickly. "If I'm right, then we have a problem much bigger than the Hanzi Killer on our hands."

Mako did not see the blade enter his hand, but he definitely felt it. He rolled over, fighting back the scream that would only give his opponent more satisfaction. His bone was fractured, nearly protruding out of his blackened arm. The gash in his hand was not bloody; Jackdaw superheated the knife, burning the flesh as he cut into it. The Black Alchemist snickered at Mako's excruciating pain.

"Well, that was quick. I thought you were supposed to be better than that, Mako." He waltzed over to the detective, and stomped on his chest, compressing his sternum. "I heard that you once sacrificed yourself to save Republic City from Kuvira's army. Where is that passion? That intensity?"

Jackdaw stepped on Mako's hand, and lightly ground his boot into it, coating the open wound with dirt and grime.

"Maybe we can shock that intensity out of you."

The mad king raised his foot, and crushed Mako's hand with a vicious stomp. His fingers snapped like twigs, each making a delightful pop as they broke. Mako couldn't hold back. His wailing echoed throughout the den, drawing cheers from the onlooking crowd. Jackdaw, not yet satisfied, created a flame in the palm of his hand, and held his knife over it. When the steel glowed red, Jackdaw knelt down, and traced a zig-zagging pattern up Mako's broken arm.

"Have any fight left in you?" asked Jackdaw. He picked up the arm and shook it around, letting the bone fragments dance within Mako's flesh. He smiled. "Oh, I see the problem. Only the radius is broken. See, there are three major bones in the arm. Right next to the radius is the ulna…"

Jackdaw cracked the bone over his knee with a snap.

"…and right above that, we have the humerus, also known as the funny bone."

Jackdaw twisted Mako's arm until he heard a crack, and the sweet sound of the detective's screams. Next, he grabbed onto Mako's shoulder, digging his slender fingers into the muscle.

"Now, if we were to continue upwards, we would reach the scapula."

Crunch.

"Followed shortly by the clavicle, aka the collarbone."

Snap.

"Then," Jackdaw whispered into Mako's ear, "we get to do it all over again on the other side."

Jackdaw created a path of destruction down Mako's body. He enjoyed Mako's cries and whimpers as he cracked a bone in two. Granted, he would have liked more of a challenge, but he was having an absolute ball. He picked up each finger individually, giving them special attention as he splintered them. The swelling was immense, causing Mako's entire arms to be coated black and blue. The policeman faded in and out of consciousness, but Jackdaw slapped him awake. The criminal grabbed Mako's right foot, and hoisted it in the air, twirling a blade in his free hand.

"Can I be honest with you for a moment, Mako?" Jackdaw asked quietly, so that the others would not hear him. "I never really believed in anything the Black Alchemists told me. You see, those psychopaths believed in strange rituals, and other worlds, and a whole bunch of spiritual nonsense. Me, I'm a guy who believes in simpler things, like cigarettes and blood. The only reason I joined them was that they gave me something to do and someone to kill. When Lin gave me the option to sell those bastards out for my freedom, it was the easiest decision I ever made in my life. I guess what I'm trying to say is: Most causes aren't worth believing in. Think about it. You've been following Lin's cause for years. What has that ever gotten you? You work long hours every week, risking your life on a daily basis. You live in a shitty apartment with nothing to show for it. The only person who ever managed to care for you turned out to be using you for her own nefarious gain. The only thing following that cause has gotten you is locked up in this pit with me. It's the same thing with these people here. They don't matter to me, or anyone else. They could never take over this city. But they're dumb enough to believe. Who am I to stop them? All they can do is help me get the only things I want in this world: cigarettes and blood."

Jackdaw smirked. "Luckily, you have a lot more blood left to shed. It's time for you to learn about the human leg. Let's start with the—"

Suddenly, there was a loud crash, and the door to Jackdaw's Den blew off its hinges. The audience was shocked into silence. Jackdaw dropped Mako's leg and stared curiously at the doorway. Standing silhouetted in the frame was one very furious young woman, with a squad of police cars waiting just outside. Korra stepped onto the dirt pitch, and locked eyes with Mako. She showed no emotion; she merely glared at him, studying his broken form. She directed her gaze at Jackdaw, a skyscraper of a man, who grinned wildly at the thought of the Avatar entering his domain.

Korra spoke without empathy. "So, you're the one whose been causing all of this trouble."

Jackdaw replied, "So, you're the Avatar."

"I am really not in the mood for this," stated Korra. "I've been having a very bad day so far, so I'm going to put this bluntly: If you don't drop your weapon and surrender in the next ten seconds, I am going to hurt you. Badly. Ten… nine…"

Jackdaw, undaunted, turned to his audience. "Look who it is, boys! The Avatar has decided to grace us with her presence. How about we show her what happens when she steps on the wrong side of town?"

Gradually, the crowd cheered their leader, although significantly less enthusiastically than before. Annoyed, Jackdaw spoke louder.

"Come on, guys. Do you really think that she holds a candle to me? Me? Are you forgetting who I am? Compared to her…"

Jackdaw turned around, and froze. Korra stood inches away, staring up at him with dead, glowing eyes.

"One."

Jackdaw's reflexes kicked in. He whirled his arm in a wide arc, and swung at Korra's head, aiming the tip of the blade directly at her eye. She raised her hand, blocking the weapon with her palm. The metal bent sideways upon touching her skin. She retaliated with a blast of hard air to Jackdaw's stomach, sending him flying back into the dark corner of the Den. He jumped to his feet, brimming with confidence, and launched a powerful wave of fire at her. The flames consumed her, illuminating the darkened pit in an orange light. Mako shut his eyes. He couldn't bear to watch. Jackdaw shouted over the crackling of the flames.

"I've always wanted to kill the Avatar!" he laughed. "You're not so tough! I thought you actually wanted a fight?"

He retracted his hand, and the fire subsided. Instantly, his smile vanished. Korra stood in the same spot on the ground, unharmed, undeterred, and unhappy. She put forward her hand, and beckoned him over.

"Then why don't you give me one, Domin?"

Jackdaw sneered. She was mocking him in his home. His home. No one disrespected Jackdaw. He was the greatest fighter in the world, and he refused to be talked down to by such a pathetic little girl. Enraged, he charged forward, brandishing his silver blade. He attacked rapidly, dishing out a series of stabs and slices that were each capable of taking her life. He was quick and unpredictable, yet incredibly precise, keeping a steady fluidity as he clawed at her with his knife. And yet, no matter how hard he tried, Korra dodged his every attack effortlessly. Right when his strike was about to connect, she stepped to the left or turned aside and let the knife-edge pass harmlessly by her. Her lips never broke horizontal as she moved. Furious, he whipped another knife out of his back pocket, and picked up the pace. He was throwing out three of four attacks every second, but he only met the air. Korra could not even be bothered to look intimidated, and he snarled as he missed a wild jab at her neck.

"You've never fought an airbender before, have you?" she asked plainly. She suddenly grabbed Jackdaw's wrist and twisted. He screamed, dropping the knife to the ground. "Lin told me that you've been locked up for so long that you never would have had the chance to face one of us. When you've mastered it, you're able to sense the change in air pressure whenever an opponent is about to attack."

Jackdaw tried to counter with his free hand, but Korra leaned back and kicked Jackdaw in the knee, dropping him to her level.

"I know every move you're going to make before you do."

A pillar of earth sprung from the ground, breaking through the wooden flooring, and encased Jackdaw's hand in stone. It dragged him down further, while Korra pinned his other hand to the ground and buried it in the dirt, hardening the surrounding material so that he could not escape. The crowd watched in stunned silence as Korra perched over their leader, who was unable to fight back. He spat in her face.

"You know Korra… you're a real cunt," Jackdaw said snidely. "Why don't you go piss off and die somewhere, huh? Maybe your next incarnation will at least have the balls to kill me."

Korra, expressionless, took two steps backwards, examining the wicked creature the lay captured before her. She knew the eyes of the police and the Den were all upon her. After a careful moment of consideration, Korra stared directly into Jackdaw's icy, blue eyes, and then kicked him in the jaw as hard as she could. His teeth shattered like glass, and fell into the dust. He wailed like a wounded wolf, his mouth bloody and hollow. But Korra wasn't done; she lunged at him, stabbing one hand into his forehead and another into his chest.

Jackdaw felt a poison rush through his body. His life was being drained from every pore as the Avatar's putrid energy discharged into him. Korra ripped his spirit into pieces, taking it away in thick chunks. His bending drizzled out of him like sap from a tree. His muscles atrophied and his bones became brittle. His throat could not form words and his mind could create not a single thought. Gazing up at the godly woman with dilated pupils, a truth washed over him. Under the power of the Avatar, he was nothing, an insignificant worm, a broken shell of a man. Compared to her, his life was meaningless. When he was finally emptied, and his bending was no more, he passed out, slumped over in his chains, mentally and physically defeated.

Korra took a deep breath, and turned to address her astonished audience.

"Anyone else?"

Of course, none of them said anything. She didn't expect them to. With Jackdaw taken care of, Korra walked over to Mako, and knelt by his side. She gently placed a hand on his chest, and finally, cracked a gentle smile.

"Hey, Mako," she said softly. "How are you doing?"

"You… you actually won," Mako said, amazed and terrified all at once.

"Well, I couldn't let him keep beating you up. That's my job." Korra tried to play it off as a joke, but the pain in her voice was unmistakable. She carefully picked Mako off of the ground, and balanced him on her uninjured shoulder.

"Korra, Sy is… Jackdaw said she…"

"I'll explain everything," said Korra. "Right now, let's get you somewhere safe."

Lin and her forces swarmed the Den like hornets, as Korra carried Mako out into the bright daylight, where a broken world eagerly waited to greet them.