"Alright, you all know which routes to take to the courthouse?" Lin asked as they prepared to leave for the trial. They'd all be traveling separately to avoid suspicion and that meant she wanted to make sure that not only they didn't get lost, but that they heeded her word and stayed as far away from the others as possible. Teenagers had a tenancy to be attached at the hip, after all. So when she got the usual bored/exasperated 'yeahs', she glared, not trusting them to decide that it was no big deal if they all arrived together, at the courthouse of all places, where newspaper informants waited around all day for such tell-tale signs of a good story, "It's important that you don't show up at the same time or go through the same entrances."
"Yes, Chief." Mako saluted, transforming into the picture of a disciplined officer.
"Yes, Chief." Bolin saluted a spit second later, but obviously only mocking his serious big brother.
"Yes, Lin." Asami decided that standing at attention was a sufficient jeer, and she was even nice enough to give her an apologetic smile.
"Alright, Beifong." The always defiant avatar crossed her arms with a sneer. How much jail time was standard for four assault charges? Ten years, at least considering her record? But surely the judge would go easy on her, most of them were old enough to have children of their own, she was sure to get one that would understand why she did it.
"Get outta here, all of you." She growled, deciding that the jail time was just not worth it, not when she could come up with better ways to get them all back later, "Not you, Boy." She suppressed a smirk as he stiffened up and turned around tightly, "You, close the door. The rest of you, if I catch you eavesdropping..."the threat hung in the air, mostly to let their own active imaginations create vivid images of their coming punishment.
"But they were bad, too." He pouted, looking like a little kid, or a beaten polarbear pup.
"Calm down, Kid, I didn't hold you back to punish you."
"Really?" He perked up, "Why not?" it was obvious the boy regretted that question as soon as it left his mouth, and she was tempted to say that she'd get him when she didn't have a trial to guard.
"I wanted to tell you that I need you to do something for me."
"Oh, okay." Boin agreed without hesitation, "What?"
"I'm going to need you to look after the girl and your brother, alright?"
"No problem." He said with a smile, and without a care. This worried the chief, he should be more concerned. All the kids should be, but even after the Equalist Movement, they still had no idea how quickly things, even with the best laid plans, could go south.
"This is serious, Son." Lin put a hand on his shoulder, "All it takes is one mistake, and we have a lot of trouble on our hands. If it comes to that, I'm counting you to keep the other two safe." Granted, the other two were more than capable of taking care of themselves, but Bolin was the best fighter of the three. So even if he was the youngest, he still had to bear the responsibility of their safety.
"I will." He still smiled, but it was a serious smile now, that was good enough.
"Good, now get outta here." She went around to sit in her chair as he made his way to the door, "And don't do anything extremely stupid."
"I won't." the kid's smooth exit was ruined when he had to screech to a halt to avoid hitting a large red and yellow mass, "Oh, hey Uncle Tenzin."
"Bolin." The airbender nodded with a smile as they slid past each other, one out of the office and the other into it.
"Lin."
"Tenzin. What are you doing here?" Twenty yuans said she wasn't going to like this.
"The Council thought it would be best if you had help escorting Amon to the Courthouse." Ah, that was it. Lin might have known. And here she'd thought that she'd been behaving rather professionally towards and about the underhanded, lying, child-threatening, bloodbending, warmongering, terrorist bigot.
"They want you to babysit me." She delivered the obvious translation with a sneer, "I can handle Noatak."
"They worried that being in such close quarters, well you might be tempted to do something rash."
"The thought's crossed my mind." It certainly save the all a lot of time, he was going to be found guilty and executed. And if on the odd chance his brother managed to pay off not only the outside judge, but the outside jury as well, the man would be attacked before he got five feet out of headquarters. And she wouldn't do a damn thing to stop it, "But why should I face a murder charge? One way or another, he'll be dead soon enough."
"The end of a life is not something you should feel satisfaction over. Vengeance is a disease that will consume you, but there is peace in forgiveness." He couldn't just shut his mouth this one day, could he?
"Don't." She rose slowly, putting her hands on her desk and staring him down, "You have no damn right to talk to me about forgiveness, you don't have any damn idea. That monster's goons kidnapped my son. He took my bending. He threatened my family, and he got my officers killed. So save all of your self-righteous talk for your acolytes, and leave me the hell alone!"
"Lin, I cannot do that. The Council tasked me to assist you."
"Then assist me by shutting up and letting me do my job. He'll make it to his trial alive." She sat down and furiously filled out paperwork while he cautiously, and wordlessly, took a seat in chair across from her. The time seemed to crawl while they waited to get the former bloodblender out of his cell, and they spent most of that time in awkward silence.
"So..." Tenzin said when he felt that she had significant time to cool off, "...you seem to have all the security measures under control."
"Of course, I do."
"Though some of the measures that you have taken seem a little...extensive." He dared to look her in the eye as she put her pen down.
"I have a bad feeling about this, Tenzin." Lin admitted after some serious inner struggle. Nothing in her entire being wanted to admit that she was not confident, but that was probably obvious at this point.
"Me too." He rubbed his beard, "But after everything that happened, maybe our nerves are simply on end."
"Or maybe every time we tried to deal with this bastard, things went wrong." She flat-lined.
"That's a possibility, too."
"Come on, let's get this over with." Maybe a bit early, but damn it, sitting in the office was going to drive her up the wall, she could always walk slowly to Noatak's cell or something. "Tǎoyàn, come."
After Bolin avoided the collision with his uncle he joined up with Mako and Asami. Korra was scheduled to head out first, so the remaining three decided to kill some time in the break room. Asami was the first to ask him the obvious question,
"You're not in trouble are you?"
"What?" he waved her off, "No. She...well she just wanted to be...uh...motherly? And you know how she is about showing sentiment in front of people." Well, at least it wasn't a complete lie.
"We're not people." Mako muttered. Seriously, they were buying it? Was he finally learning how to lie...or was his line about his mom hiding any trace of motherly love from the world just too believable, "We're practically her kids, too."
"Well, yes," Asami patted his shoulder, "but we're just the stepkids, and we all know Bolin's the favorite." And he was the baby of the family, of course Lin was going to pull him aside and tell him to be careful.
"Bolin's the momma's boy." Mako grumbled, crossing his arms.
"That is true." She agreed, it wasn't as if that was some big secret.
"Hey!" His face twisted into an angry frown, "I am n-"
"Don't even try to deny it, Bro." The big brother stopped him from even finishing, he was only going to make it worse by denying it.
"Sorry, Bo, but you really are a momma's boy." The best friend said as softly as she could. It was the truth, and Bolin had to accept that. The momma's boy crossed his arms and pouted, imitating his mother's pout, ironically enough.
"Most guys don't have a mom as cool as mine."
"Noatak." Lin slammed the cell door open as Tenzin waited for her to bring him out.
"Chief Beifong," the terrorist closed his book and looked up from his cot, "how thoughtful for you to visit me in cell. I have been getting rather lonely in here."
"I'm not visiting, you're trial's been moved up." Her cuffs flew from her hands and to his wrists, and she pulled him up by them. "Let's go." They took the least traveled route to the garage, to the armored truck conveniently placed right at the hallway entrance.
"Is this really necessary, Chief Beifong?" he asked as she chained him to the truck wall, "Without my bending, I am harmless." Lin's mind instantly flashed to her time back in the equalist prison, when he used the same words to ask her if killing Zolt had been necessary. And she had the same answer as she had back then.
"That's what they said about Yakone." Her voice practically dripping in contempt.
"I am not my father." He insisted, insulted by the very idea of being compared to that man.
"I don't care." she said as she banged the wall twice to get the driver's attention. "Let's go. Tǎoyàn, guard." And off they went, during the long ride, Lin stayed as vigilant as her sealhound. She kept waiting for him to try to make his escape, surely a man like him couldn't be so dependent on his bending that he'd be lost without it.
"He didn't move a muscle." Tenzin observed as the bailiffs took the criminal into the courtroom, "His defeat must have left him broken."
"No." The Chief said sharply as she watched the doors as if she could see through them, "He's waiting for something."
"Lin, are you certain that-"
"Yes!" she seethed, no this was not nerves or fear, "He was underestimated before, and he took over the city. We can't afford to make the same mistake twice." As they entered the courtroom, the airbender was much more cautious than he'd been a minute before. Lin took her place near the judge, in front of her boys as she surveyed the room. Twenty guards, not including her or the boys. Two more at the entrance. Another one by the madman, his machine and his assistant. She hoped it would be enough.
"All rise, court is now in session, the honorable Judge Zhi presiding." They went through the formalities. The prosecution told the jury about a terrorist who came to the city under false pretenses, started a war, stole bending from innocent people, the defense made an elegant speech about a troubled man who took the wrong path for the right reason, and then the real fun began... the witness.
Out of the people she was concerned with, Mako was called first. The prosecution made him out to be a man looking for the woman who took him in and trying to defend the city at the same time. The defense brought up his sordid past to make him lose credibility.
Bolin was the next of her family, the prosecution called him a devoted son who protected the city in his mother's absence even while searching for her. The defense reminded the jury that due to his circumstances, he had a blind hatred of the defendant, and would do or say anything to see him put to death.
Asami was the third. Not surprisingly, the prosecution made her out to be the reluctant hero, who turned against her own father to defend what was right, and the defense asked just how Hiroshi had managed elude authorities for so long.
Lin was the last of them. She had to give a very detailed recount from the time Bolin had been kidnapped, to the escape. And how lucky she was that the megaphone man and Zolt's goons weren't there to add little details to her story that might get her put on trial herself. Prosecution said she was a mother, trying to save her family, and a Chief trying to save her city. Defense tried to claim that she was just fighting the son of her mother's foe.
Korra was directly after her. She had to tell the court about her duel with Amon, and various other things through the months, but they all wanted details, every single detail, about the final battle. Prosecution didn't have to say much, this was the avatar after all. Defense barely had the guts to ask by who's authority did she take Noatak's bending away.
The last witness was one that Lin wished they could have forgotten, Noatak's own brother. The prosecution got a lot out of him, but he was still a politician at heart, and he had a way of twisting it around to make his brother look like a victim. Then the defense got a chance at him, and sob story about their father bought him sympathy, she could tell.
The closing arguments were made, and the jury was sent out to make their decision. At only seven hours, this trial had been shorter than anyone had anticipated, even her. That meant that the verdict was going to be short too. And nothing could make her happier, the sooner this was over, the better. She still had a gut feeling about this.
"We're under attack!" A voice shouted over the radio.
"Get these people outta here!" She shouted. Mako and Bolin started herding people into the judge's quarters to be moved out the other side, Asami and Tenzin joined in the effort. Meanwhile, another voice rang out,
"Equalists attacking the south entrance!" The moment Lin heard that she grabbed Noatak up by the front of his shirt, "Call off your lackeys!"
"I didn't arrange this, Chief Beifong." He replied calmly, but if one were look, they'd notice a bit of sweat coming from his temple.
"Bar the doors!" She roared. Grabbing him and motioning for Korra to grab his brother. They heard the snapping of wood, the equalists were already at the doors, with a battering ram by the sounds of it, "You know where to take them?"
"I know." The ramming stopped. It should be a good sign, but it only brought them both to dread what was coming.
"Good, get them there." She ordered, shoving Korra, and her prisoners through the exit before twisting the metal of the handle to bar it shut. There was a second of quiet as she began to make her way to the front lines, that stillness seemed to last for eternity. Then the door shattered, sending her officers and debris in every direction. Lin it the ground, the sound of the blast ringing in her ears so painfully.
…..
"Is that everyone?" An officer asked as they made it out of the building. The reinforcements had arrived not a moment to soon, Bolin could only hope they weren't a moment too late either.
"No. Avatar Korra and Chief Beifong are still in there." With a lot of wounded cops, but they didn't need Tenzin to tell them that part, that was a given.
"I'm going back!" Bolin didn't wait for anyone to tell him okay to run back in, neither did Mako and Asami. Tenzin was right behind them with three more officers, together they all headed towards basement, where they'd take the bloodbender brothers in an emergency. Along the way, equalists came at them from the side. Without missing a beat, Asami extended a blade, gracefully cut the energy source off her opponent's glove and flipped him over her head. Bolin took out another with a cable, wrapping it around a leg and throwing them into the wall. Tenzin airblasted two more unconscious.
…..
They were running right past her, and why wouldn't they? Their leader wasn't there and there were only two other doors to leave through. Two very easy to open doors, with the explosives they were carrying. 'Get up, Beifong.' she ordered herself 'Push through the damn pain!' She willed herself to get to her feet, and to chase them through the second door.
"Wait, Chief!" Someone called, but they didn't sound frightened. She stopped, turned and saw the Water Tribe lunatic, in a soldier helmet, behind a fort of benches, waving his arm over his head at her, "Could you strike a heroic pose for the camera?"
"Why didn't you-never mind!" she started back on her chase, not caring about those idiots, there were more important things to worry about. "Tǎoyàn, find Korra!"
"Zhu-li! Grab the camera! She's about to do the thing!"
…...
Korra barricaded the door to the basement, and lit a fire in her hand. The sounds of a battle were taking place above them, and she hated she was stuck babysitting Tarrlok and Amon. People up there needed her help. A loud bang was heard as something, or someone, slammed against the door. And again. The avatar got into a stance and waited for the intruders to get through. They blasted the door open, ran down the steps..then were pushed down them by Tenzin's airbending.
"Quickly, Korra! This way!" He urged her out, and she didn't need to be told twice, she was ready to go knock some heads together. A group waited outside for them, including the rest of team avatar.
"Let's go." Mako tried to move the group.
"We don't have a clear path to any exit." A nonbending officer pointed out, but that was before a much larger group of equalists came running at them.
"Well, we can't just stand around!" Bolin shouting, pushing the man to get him moving.
"Brother." Noatak grabbed his brother's arm as they made a break for it, "I just want you to know, I'm sorry I had to take your bending." His heartfelt apology was answered with a nod.
"It's alright, Noatak."
…...
Tǎoyàn had Korra's scent, and it turned out that the avatar was on the move and going in the opposite direction of where she'd been told to go. Big shock. She followed the animal, hoping to catch up when she heard Bolin shout 'Well, we can't just stand around!'. What the hell was he doing in here?! She followed the voice and the hound down the hallway, plowing through the occasional equalist in her path until they finally came into her view. They managed to get themselves surrounded by the enemy. The idiots! Now all she had to do was get through the large number of equalists to get to them.
…...
A fight had started just after they got surrounded. They all instantly decided that if they were going down, they were going down swinging. Out of the corner of everyone's eye, the nonbender cop fell down. Tarrlok used this to his advantage, grabbing the side dagger that fell out of his hand. Those who saw it had thought he was going to use it to defend himself and so they continued to deal with their own opponents. But he didn't go for the nearest equalist, he didn't go for any cop, or Beifong, or Sato, but his own brother. Mako stepped in, extending his blade and blocking the knife from piercing Amon's heart, then kicked him away. He couldn't continue his attack because a chi blocker came up out of nowhere and got him in the leg. He stumbled, but recovered, bringing up the blade to use as a sort of shield against the new challenger while Tarrlok dealt with a new adversary of his own.
Bolin knocked his opponent down, then did a double take. He saw Tarrlok knock a woman to the ground, but he really wasn't seeing the man sneaking up on Mako with a knife, was he? There was no time to think, out of instinct he ran up and thrust his blade forward, right into Tarrlok's side.