Greetings to everyone out there, young and old; The Prime Writer has returned with another chapter for my most successful story thus far, A Speedster among Benders. I had hoped to update sooner, but I got caught up with the holidays and having to start schoolwork again, and we all know that real life has greater importance then Fanfiction. On the plus side, this is my longest chapter yet, with over 7,000 words; I hope you all enjoy it.
This is the continuation of the previous chapter, where Wally makes his first appearance to the people of Republic City and faces off against two of its major underworld figures. Some welcome his presence, others grow concerned, and still others see an opportunity to exploit; suffice to say, things will start to get complicated. Please leave all complaints as constructive criticisms and not as flames, and if you have any questions or suggestions, send me a message and I will put them into consideration.
Now for the disclaimer; The Legend of Korra is owned by Nicktoons, Young Justice is owned by DC Comics and Cartoon Network. Now that we're done with all that information, let us continue the story with chapter 5; please read and review when you finish reading, but I will understand if you choose not to.
Chapter 5: Welcome to Republic City, Part 2
The Republic Savings and Loans building was one of the older buildings established in Republic City, and one of the more important. It was also one of the very first buildings in the world, and the first in the United Republic, to both accept savings deposits and give loans to people with good credit. As such, large amounts of money are kept in the building, making it an attractive target for thieves and robbers. To counteract this, the RSL has one of the best private security forces in the city, including both benders and non-benders. Unfortunately, even all that security can fall to anyone with the right combination of skills, equipment, and determination. Two individuals who had the skills and equipment are currently walking among the injured and unconscious security guards who were entrusted with protecting the RSL.
One of those individuals is a fairly well-built man in his late-40s wearing a yellow and orange fireproof suit covering his whole body except for his mouth, nose, and chin; his uniform also includes an orange belt, a pair of fuel tanks on his back, and a pair of goggles over his eyes made of a special heat-resistant plastic. In his left hand is an orange flamethrower shaped like a handgun that can shoot out massive blasts of high-intensity flame, and is connected to the fuel tanks via a tube attached to the man's arm. That man is the pyromaniac mercenary known as Heat Wave, who sometimes sets ablaze whole villages just for the heck of it.
His companion is a man in his 30s with brown hair and eyes wearing a blue shirt with black pants and white shin-guards, and a series of holsters and pockets on his clothing that hold a wide variety of trick boomerangs. Some of those boomerangs have razor-sharp edges, some are smoke bombs, some are stink bombs, some are regular explosives, and some are incendiaries. That man is Boomerang, an assassin and mercenary for hire who always manages to get the job done.
Currently, both Heat Wave and Boomerang have infiltrated the high-security area of the RSL in hopes of completing a job they were hired to do by one of the major crime-bosses in Republic City. Basically they force their way in, grab as much cash and valuables as they can, and fight off the cops for as long as possible to distract them from the boss' real objective. Thus far, they think they've been doing a pretty good job at the first part.
They had arrived at the largest of the vaults, and Heat Wave had just started melting through the lock when they heard the shuffle of metal-clad figures coming up behind them. The mercenaries turned and saw a large contingent of metal-bender cops with fire-proof riot shields standing behind them, and near the back of them was a young girl in Water Tribe clothing. The lead officer spoke to the two mercs in hopes of having them give up without a fight.
"Stop where you are! Surrender peacefully and no harm will come to either side." The two mercenaries looked at each other before chuckling at the cops and readying their weapons.
Boomerang spoke first. "After careful deliberation, we've decided to reject your offer." With that, Heat Wave sent a blast of flame that was quickly blocked, while Boomerang sent a pair of smoke-bomb boomerangs that arced over the shields to create a smokescreen. However, the girl at the back engulfed the boomerangs in ice from a large water-pouch on her side, preventing the bombs from going off. Heat Wave was force to stop his attack for a few seconds to let it refuel, allowing the cops to close in on the two mercenaries.
Thinking quickly, Boomerang let loose several stink-boomerangs and smoke-boomerangs at the officers, blinding them and distracting them long enough for the two to push their way to the other side, only to run into the Water Tribe girl. Instead of throwing a water-blast like they expected, she surprised them by bending chunks of earth from the floor and sending them at the mercenaries. Boomerang destroyed the rocks with a pair of explosive boomerangs while Heat Wave sent a blast of flame at the girl. However, she surprised them again by parting the fire-blast with her hands before sending one of her own. Heat Wave managed to dodge and looked at the girl in mild shock.
"How did you...?" The girl smirked and answered before Heat Wave finished his question. "Ever hear of the Avatar?" Boomerang and Heat Wave looked at the girl and at the cops in the clearing smoke; it was time for them to scram.
Boomerang threw a couple more smoke bombs to cover their escape, but the Avatar followed them before the gas could affect her. Heat Wave sent another flame-blast at the girl to slow her down, but she parted those flames as well. In a change of tactics, Boomerang threw a pair of explosive boomerangs at the ceiling, sending rubble down and nearly crushing the Avatar, giving them a bigger head-start and allowing them to reach the elevator before anyone could catch up. They had made it halfway across the main room of the building before they were slammed by something that was moving at high speeds. The force of the impact was such that they were knocked back several feet and nearly blacked out from the force. When they picked themselves up, they saw a young man with red goggles and a red-and-yellow suit standing right where they were speed-slammed.
"Sorry to interrupt your getaway, but last time I checked this was a no-armed-robbery zone." The two criminals looked at each other before Heat Wave growled at the young man.
"I don't know who you think you are, but you're dead meat kid." With that, he sent a blast of flames at the stranger, but faster then either of them could track, he ran past the flames and appeared on the other side of them.
"Technically I'm a young man, and right now I feel quite alive." That was all he said before he ran straight at Heat Wave and delivered a high-speed haymaker right in his face. With Heat Wave knocked out of the picture, Boomerang sent a volley of razor-edged boomerangs at the stranger, but he just dodged them at high-speeds like no problem. When Boomerang paused to catch his breath, the stranger slammed into him with a high-speed run and spoke in a sardonic voice.
"You two done trying to use me for target practice, 'cause I got places to be and people to meet." Both mercenaries dazedly got up just as the Avatar and a group of cops appeared from the elevator. Without anyone noticing, Boomerang pressed a button on a remote detonator, blowing a hole in one of the walls and revealing a pair of cars with Triad drivers ready to drive off like the wind if need be.
The two mercs ran towards the cars while the others paused and got in them before telling the drivers to move out. The Triad drivers drove away as fast as they could, while Wally turned to Korra and the cops. "I'll go on ahead and try to slow them down, you guys catch up when you can."
Wally then ran out of the building before anyone could speak while Saikhan turned towards Korra. "Was that who I think it was?" Korra whispered to him "I'll tell you later."
While the cops were readying themselves for a chase, Wally had already caught up with one of the cars, specifically the one containing Heat Wave. Wally ran up to the front passenger seat and waved at the pyromaniac. "Leaving so soon?" Heat Wave panicked and tried to send out a blast of flame, but Wally dodged it with ease and appeared on the driver's side a second later.
"No need to go so quickly, the cops and I just want to talk to you...in prison." The Triad thug swerved and tried to ram into Wally, but he dodged and the vehicle ended up ramming into a street light and destroyed the engine. Before Heat Wave and the Triad driver could do anything, Wally grabbed them and knocked them out with a pair of quick punches before tying them up with some nearby chains and leaving them where the cops could find them. With that done, he chased off after the other car.
After a few minutes, using his goggles to follow the vehicles exhaust trail, he found the car containing Boomerang and quickly caught up to it. The back doors of the car opened up to reveal a group of six Triple Threat Triad thugs ready to face him. The two waterbenders created a thick fog while the two firebenders sent a large flame blast. Wally dodged the flames and ran to the side of the car and rammed into it, causing the driver to lose control on crash in an empty lot. Boomerang and the dazed Triad thugs got out of the vehicle just in time to see Wally come to a stop several feet away from where they crashed.
"Any of you considering giving up?" In response, Boomerang got out two more explosive boomerangs and the Triad thugs got into bending stances.
"I'll take that as a no." All of Wally's opponents launched a volley of earth, flame, water, and explosive boomerangs at him, but none of them hit their mark. Wally charged into the three earthbenders, including the driver, and knocked them out with a few punches to the jaws before pausing for a second. Boomerang took the chance to launch a razor-edged boomerang at Wally. He turned and saw the Boomerang, but was too surprised to get away in time. However, instead of hitting him as expected, the boomerang passed right through Wally and briefly glowed before exploding behind him.
Boomerang and the Triad thugs just stared in surprise for a few seconds before Boomerang spoke up. "What just happened?! That wasn't an explosive!"
Wally's brain quickly pieced together what had happened. When the boomerang came flying towards him, he was so surprised that he accidently vibrated his molecules through the boomerang, destabilizing it on a molecular level and causing it to explode. The only thing was that, last time Wally checked, he couldn't vibrate his molecules through solid objects; but that was another question for another time.
While the thugs were still distracted, Wally dashed towards the firebenders and quickly knocked them on their back before rushing over to the waterbenders and knocking one of them out while the other desperately attempted to attack. Wally dodged most of the ice spikes that were launched his way while he vibrated his way through a few, causing them to explode behind him. After knocking out the last waterbender, he turned his attention to Boomerang and the three remaining thugs, who had managed regain some of their wits but were still somewhat shocked at what happened.
"I know you don't really deserve this, but I'm going to give you one last chance to surrender peacefully. If I were you I'd take that offer, but that's just me."
In response, Boomerang readied a pair of razor-edged boomerangs while the firebenders got into combat stances and the last thug brought out a pair of butterfly knives. Wally shook his head in mock disappointment before running at them again. Dodging the fireblasts and the boomerangs, Wally put the firebenders into unconsciousness and just barely dodged a slash from one of the butterfly knives.
Wally threw a punch aimed at the knife-wielding thug's sternum, aiming to knock the wind out of him. Right before the blow connected, Wally noticed that his arm was vibrating at high speeds. When the blow connected, instead of being knocked back a few feet like Wally intended, the Triad thug went flying across the street and smashed through the glass windows of a nearby shop, only stopping after crashing through three aisles of radios.
Seeing what had happened, Wally stared at his hand in shock for a few seconds, long enough for Boomerang and a few of the reawakened Triad thugs to try and escape. Wally saw this and gave chase, but they made it to a train and just managed to escape him, forcing Wally to run alongside the train. A few seconds later, he heard a police siren and looked up to see a police airship following the train from the air, and he looked back to see Korra and Naga actually running on top of the train.
"It's about time you showed up; you almost missed out on all the action." Korra called out to Wally over the noise of the train.
"Saikhan has a plan to capture them. The train's going to start going through a tunnel soon and their going to get off at that point; that's when we need to bottleneck them and make sure they don't get away."
Wally nodded and ran ahead to make sure Boomerang and the thugs would meet justice. As Korra had said, a tunnel started coming up a few minutes later, and Boomerang and the Triad thugs had run out of room. They were forced to jump off the train before it went into the tunnel, at which point Korra and Naga came up behind them, Wally on their left, a group of cops in front of them, a brick wall to their right, and a police airship above them. There was only one thing for them to do: they put their hands in the air and surrendered without a fight.
Saikhan approached Wally and Korra when Boomerang and all the Triad thugs were arrested. "I still can't say that I condone vigilante work like that, but you both did well and deserve some recognition for your actions today."
Korra replied with "About time." as though it were obvious, so Wally had to speak up. "We're just happy to be of help." Saikhan's face fell into a grim visage when he continued.
"There's just one more thing we all have to deal with: Chief Beifong." Korra wasn't too perturbed and casually replied "Well that can't be too hard." That comment drew surprised but sympathetic glances from the nearby cops, and even a few of the Triad thugs. Wally was noticeably more cautious.
"Lets got to the police HQ and actually meet Chief Beifong before we jump to conclusions." Korra shrugged and walked towards Naga, who Korra had apparently picked up after Wally chased the mercs out of the building.
When she left, Wally looked at Saikhan. "So how badly screwed are we?" Saikhan sardonically responded with "Imagine a super-glued lightbulb, and you'll almost be in the same ballpark." This prompted a groan from the speedster.
About a half-hour later, Wally and Korra were seated in a metal interrogation room in police headquarters with their hands in cuffs and the police chief in front of them. The chief herself is woman in her early 50s with grey hair, green eyes, a stony expression on her face, and a parallel pair of scars on the right side of her face...and she isn't looking too happy with either of them.
"Lets see, on one hand you both caused significant amounts of damage to both private and public property. On the other hand, the two of you did assist my officers in capturing two of Republic City's most wanted criminals and a number of low-level Triads."
Without warning, she slammed the clipboard down on the table and glared at them. "But that doesn't mean that either of you aren't in trouble." Korra attempted to speak up in their defense.
"Look, we're sorry if we interrupted any 'important business', but Lieutenant Saikhan said I could come and..." Korra was cut off by an annoyed "Can it!" from the chief, who moved to the opposite side of the interrogation table.
"Saikhan's already told me about what happened and about the two of you. I know who you are Korra, and your 'Avatar' title may impress some people, but not me."
Korra seemed surprised and slightly annoyed by that response, so Wally chose that moment to speak up. "Listen Chief, I know neither of us are in your good books right now, but we were doing what we knew was right, not what the rules dictated us to do."
Needless to say, she wasn't impressed. "I can understand that but there are rules for a reason, and as Chief of Police its my job to uphold them."
Something clicked in Korra's head at that, and she spoke again in a more excited voice. "Wait, your the chief? Then you must be Lin Beifong, Toph's daughter."
Lin asked "What of it?" in a monotone voice. "Well why are we in here? You and Avatar Aang were close friends." Lin responded in a stern voice.
"That's ancient history, and it has diddly-squat with the mess you two are in. You can't just go around doling out vigilante justice like you own the place!"
Wally began glaring at Lin at that comment. "Are you saying you would prefer a pair of psychopaths causing havoc across the city over people who just want to help others?"
Lin turned her glare on Wally. "Don't get started with me young man. If anything you're in even bigger trouble then Korra for going directly against police orders."
Wally's face developed a look of honest curiosity. "What exactly are you talking about?" Lin looked at him with a deadpan expression.
"A red-haired young man with green eyes prevents the Avatar from making a scene with my officers, and when said Avatar goes with those officers to apprehend a pair of highly dangerous criminals, another young man with green eyes and red hair comes to their rescue. For a smart person it isn't too hard to connect those dots, especially given how uncommon red hair actually is."
Wally adopted a sheepish expression at the mild revelation. "Yeah, I should probably find a way to cover my hair." Lin continued in a more neutral expression.
"I also have the injury report from that Triad that got punched through a building." Wally's eyes widened in concerned interest while Korra looked at Wally with wide eyes.
"Whatever you did when you punched that triad broke seven ribs, cracked his sternum, created a massive bruise on his chest and caused multiple bruises to his internal organs just from that punch, and he also suffered from numerous cuts and lacerations and even more bruising on his back when he was sent through the windows of that shop."
Wally looked down in guilt for a second before he faced Lin. "I'm going to be completely honest with you when I say that I wasn't expecting that punch to be that powerful any more then you were. I can also say that I honestly get what you're saying about vigilantism, and that it can sometimes do more harm then good.
Lin seemed surprised that Wally was so quick to agree with her, but he wasn't done yet. "But the people who I used to work with, including family and close friends, they didn't do the sort of vigilante action you're probably familiar with. You and your cops can try and stop me all you want, it won't stop me from doing what I know to be right and helping anyone who needs it, at least people who aren't criminals. You and your officers use your earthbending and metalbending powers to help the people pf Republic City safe, and I used my powers to help people in my old home. Now I have a chance to help people here and I plan on taking it, and if you can't accept that then that's your problem."
When Wally had finished his speech, both Lin and Korra had stunned looks on their faces; Korra now understands the depths of what being a hero means to him, and Lin was impressed by the subtle passion and determination she heard in his voice, plus the fact that he stood up to her.
The three of them sat in silence for a couple minutes before a small slide on the door opened to reveal Saikhan's face. "Chief, Councilmen Tenzin is here." Lin sighed in annoyance before she uttered "Send him in."
The door opened to reveal a dismayed and thoroughly annoyed Tenzin, who looked at Korra and Wally with expressionless eyes, Korra speaking first. "Hey there Tenzin."
She looked down in shame after that, so Wally picked up where she left off. "We came to visit you but got sidetracked on the way to the temple."
Tenzin took a deep breath to calm himself and fixed Lin with a charming smile and attempted to flatter her. "Lin, you're looking radiant as usual."
Unsurprisingly, she didn't fall for it. "Cut the garbage Tenzin. Why is the Avatar in Republic City? I thought you were going to the South Pole to train her."
"My relocation was delayed due to the recent tensions between the classes." He lowered his gaze to a guilty-looking Korra and a sheepish Wally and spoke in a harder voice.
"The Avatar and her friend on the other hand, will be heading back to the South Pole immediately, where they will both stay put."
They raised their eyebrows in alarm and attempted to protest, but were quickly cut off when Tenzin continued speaking to Lin. "If you would be so kind as to drop the charges against Korra and her friend, I will take full responsibility for today's regrettable events and cover all the damages."
Lin thought this over for a moment before unlocking their cuffs with a reluctant "Fine" before she leaned closer to Tenzin. "Get them out of my city."
Tenzin neutrally responded with "Always a pleasure Lin." before turning to Korra and Wally. "Lets go you two." As they walked out, Lin motioned that she would be watching Korra. Korra mockingly mimicked that gesture before following Tenzin.
When they got out and into the thankfully empty reception room, Tenzin turned to them with a stone-faced expression; Korra spoke first. "Tenzin please, don't send us back." Wally quickly agreed with her. "Come on man, I know you have a heart in there."
Unfortunately, Tenzin's heart seems to have taken a vacation. "You both disobeyed my wishes and the orders of the White Lotus."
Korra wasn't giving up just yet. "But Katara agreed with me and Wally that we should came here; she said it was our destiny."
Tenzin's face started turning red from frustration. "Don't bring my mother into this!" Wally took over talking and approached Tenzin with a pleading-but-serious look.
"Look man, I know you and the White Lotus have good intentions, but keeping Korra locked away in the South Pole isn't helping her become a better Avatar. We got a good long look at the city today and it's really messed up, so we understand why you had to leave."
Korra took the brief pause that followed to speak of her own accord. "Republic City does need you, but it needs me to. And it needs Wally just as much."
Tenzin tried to argue against them, but found that he couldn't; they both made some good points. Any further talk was interrupted by a bored-looking officer walking Naga into the room and speaking to Korra. "Is this your Polar Bear-Dog miss?" Naga proceeded to give the man a big lick, messing up his hair and deepening his frown.
After leaving the police station, Tenzin led them to the city docks, where a sailboat chartered by him was waiting to take them to Air Temple Island. On the trip to the island, Wally decided to speak to Tenzin in one last attempt to change the man's mind. He found Tenzin looking with sorrow at the giant statue of Avatar Aang, standing over the harbor like a massive sentinel.
"You know we're both right Tenzin, you just need to acknowledge that fact and give us a chance." Tenzin barely even glanced at Wally.
"If your still trying to convince to let you stay it's not going to work. I've already alerted the Elders and they've sent a ship that'll take you both back to the Southern Water Tribe."
Wally remained unfazed by the statement. "You send us back, we'll eventually find a way here again. Korra's stubborn that way."
Tenzin sighed and turned to Wally with an expression of mild curiosity. "Why did you go with her? You could have easily convinced Korra to stay in the South and wait for me to train her, but instead you all but encouraged her to disobey the elders."
Wally responded with a sardonic smile. "Even if I tried Korra would never have just sat around waiting for something to happen, that's not her nature. It was only a matter of time before she made a move to make her own destiny."
Tenzin still looked mostly unconvinced, so Wally tried a different tactic. "In some ways, her trip here is kinda like Aang running away from the Southern Air Temple. He could have let himself be taken to the Eastern Air Temple, but if he did then he would have likely been killed off by the Fire Nation, the world would have ended, and none of this would be here."
Tenzin looked at Wally rather crossly with the mention of his father, but in his heart and mind he knew Wally was right, especially when he looked upon the saddened figure of Korra.
Before long, the sailboat docked at Air Temple Island, where another ship, carrying the White Lotus Elders, was waiting to pick up Korra; apparently they discovered her disappearance before Tenzin and alerted him to her sudden trip. As they were getting off the sailboat, a pair of Air Nomad gliders descended towards the group, revealing Ikki on one glider and Jinora on the other, Jinora carrying Meelo on her back. They all shouted Korra's name when they saw her and ran to give her a hug.
"Are you and Wally coming to live on Air Temple Island with us?" Korra answered Ikki's excited question with a dour expression.
"No Ikki. I'm sorry but they're making me and Wally head back to the South Pole." Ikki and Meelo whined in disappointment as Korra and Naga made for the ship, while Wally sent one last look at Tenzin, who sighed in resignation. Just as Korra set her foot on the gangplank, Tenzin spoke up.
"Wait. I have done my best to guide Republic City toward the dream my father had for it, but you're right. It has fallen out of balance since he passed. I thought I should put off your training in order to uphold his legacy, but you are his legacy."
What he said next shocked everyone present. "You may stay and train in Airbending here with me. Republic City needs its Avatar once again."
Korra gasped in surprise before a massive grin appeared on her face. "Yes! Thank you! You're the best!"
Tenzin's children squealed in excitement as she easily scooped everyone present into a massive bear-hug, but at thought came to her as she put everyone down. "What about Wally?" Tenzin turned towards him with a faint smile.
"Honestly if the two of you weren't so stubborn then none of this would've happened. Wally especially is the most important reason you're staying with us now. If he can help the city as much as he believes he can, then there's no reason he shouldn't stay with us as well."
Wally's eyes widened slightly as Tenzin said that before he pumped his fist and shouted "Yes!" He then scooped everyone in a massive hug as well, while Tenzin gave another sigh of resignation.
By the next day, word had quickly spread throughout the city that the Avatar and a new hero had arrived in Republic City and helped put a stop to a plot by two of its most dangerous criminals; needless to say, the media response was huge. Tenzin and a reluctant Lin organized an event where both Korra and Wally, the latter in his disguise, would speak to the people of Republic City about their intentions and plans for the future. When the deadline came, there was a massive number of reporters and civilians gathered at the podium that had been set up in front of City Hall, all of them taking pictures and ready to ask questions.
Korra was the first up on the podium, with a nervous-but-willing expression on her face. "Hello? I'm Korra. Your new Avatar." The reporters in the crowd went in a frenzy asking her questions about her plans.
"Does this mean you've moved to Republic City?"
"Were you trying to send a message to the Triads yesterday?"
"Will you be fighting crime, or the Anti-Bending Revolution, or both?"
"Will you and your mysterious friend be working with Chief Beifong and the police?"
"Who is your friend and how did he receive his abilities?"
Korra was quickly overwhelmed by the flood of questions coming her way. "Uh... yes, I am definitely here to stay, but honestly I-I don't exactly have a plan yet. See, I'm still in training and..."
Steeling herself, Korra gathered her nerves, took a deep breath, and spoke in a more confident voice.
"Look, all I know is that Avatar Aang meant for this city to be the center of peace and balance in the world, and I believe we can make his dream a reality. I look forward to serving you and thank you all for such a warm reception! Thank you Republic City!"
The crowd went crazy at Korra's speech and camera flashes dotted the crowd. Korra let them get the hype out of their systems before speaking again.
"Thank you all, but don't just cheer for me. Even an Avatar needs help every now and then, and I acknowledge that I lack the experience and worldly knowledge that the others Avatars received. That is why I will be working closely with Councilman Tenzin, Chief Beifong and the RCPD, and the newest hero of Republic City, The Flash."
With that, she gestured for Wally to come up on the podium, his costume now having the hair covered by some spare fabric used to repair his costume in emergencies. If the crowd seemed wild at Korra's speech, it was nothing to the reaction received by Wally. Wally let the people calm down for a minute before he spoke to the crowd.
"Thank you all for such an enthusiastic reception, even though I've only captured just a few criminals thus far. Hopefully the rest of the year will see me catching way more then just a few."
While some of the reporters were going to start asking some questions when a group of people pushed their way to the front, led by the same protester Korra and Wally saw soon after they arrived in the city. The lead protester then spoke towards Wally in his megaphone.
"Attention The Flash, we the non-bending citizens of Republic City implore you to leave behind those bender 'friends' of yours and join the cause of the Equalists. Help Amon in his attempts and we will tear down the bending establishment that has oppressed us for far too long!"
The various people gathered behind the protester started shouting their agreements, and some of the metalbender cops near the podium started moving towards the protesters. Wally spoke to the cops before things started getting out of hand.
"Hold on guys, There's a few things I'd like to tell these guys." With that, he turned towards the hopeful-looking protesters.
"A good part of what I was going to say before they came along was actually going to be about the separation between benders and non-benders, and how they're not quite as different as a lot of people believe."
At the looks of confusion displayed by the cops, reporters, and protesters, Wally continued.
"The social problems that I've witnessed here are a lot like some of what I witnessed back at home, and like here they often involve one group against another. However, so many people seem to be focused on what benders can do that they forget who the benders are: people. Benders are just regular people like everyone here, who were born with powers that they didn't ask for. And like all people, they have the right to choose their own path in life and make their own destiny. The thing about freedom of choice is that there are always people who choose to make the wrong decisions, but it can happen to anyone."
"Anyone can become good or evil by their own choice, whether or not that person is a bender. For example, Korra and Tenzin are two of the kindest people I know, but I can't say the same for the Triads, and I'm proud to say that I'm a friend of multiple non-benders, but I certainly don't count Heat Wave or Boomerang as my friends. There are a lot of ways the current civil unrest could go, but I'd like to think optimistically and hope that eventually, benders and non-benders can work together. Boomerang and Heat Wave are bad guys who worked well with benders from the Triple Threat Triad, so why can't good benders and non-benders work together just as well."
"I don't know how this is all going to turn out, but I will help both sides try and move towards an understanding without getting directly involved in either side. How this whole things turns out is up to everyone out there, the bending and non-bending citizens of Republic City. Avatar Aang built this city as a melting pot for all sorts of people from all different nations, a place where they could live in harmony and not a battleground between those who can bend and those who can't. Whatever happens, know this: I will never abandon the people of this great city, you have my promise on that."
This caused all reporters and pro-Equalist protesters, and even some of the cops, to cheer wildly at Wally's inspirational speech. As Wally looked over the cheering mass of people, Korra and Tenzin by his side, he couldn't help but smile.
Things were starting to look up.
While Korra and Wally were answering the questions of the people, others were listening in on the speeches as well...only they were not happy with what they just heard. In one dimly-lit room, a lean-but-muscled man in a mechanical suit with goggles on his face and electro-shock weapons holstered on his back shut off the radio and turned to his commander. "Amon, how do you want to handle this?"
Standing not far from the goggled man was another person, his build hidden by the baggy black clothes on his body. "So, the Avatar has arrived early."
The man-Amon-turned towards his comrade, revealing his face covered by a white mask with red markings. "It looks like we'll have to accelerate our plans." The goggled man nodded before a thought came to him.
"And that other person, The Flash, what about him? He has non-bending powers that could be of great use to us but he doesn't see the fact that benders aren't needed in this world anymore."
Amon looked thoughtful for a moment, considering the possibility , before he spoke again. "We will keep an eye on him, see if he can be persuaded to leave the Avatar and fight for our cause. If he will not...then he will share the fate of all benders."
In another room, one much more decorated then Amon's, a short, albinistic man listened with intrigue at the voices over the radio. Although that person is short of stature, the smirk on his face and look of ruthlessness in his red eyes are both signs that this person demands respect...and he is not afraid to get it at any cost. That person is Amorak, a powerful waterbender who leads the Red Monsoon Triad and one of the most wanted and dangerous criminals in Republic City.
Right now, he is deep in thought over what he just heard on the radio, and the little operation they botched yesterday. He had hired Boomerang and Heat Wave to assault the RSL building not to steal some cash or valued commodities, but to provide a distraction, keeping the cops focused on them while some of his other employees completed a more important objective that could potentially have an even bigger pay-off; he even went to the trouble of disguising some of his gang members as members of the Triple Threats, one of his most annoying enemies.
The distraction worked even with two of his best employees being arrested; thankfully the failure to rob the RSL wasn't very much of a loss and he could easily use his lawyers and a few well-placed bribes to free the arrested employees from police custody. But now he had more then just honest cops to worry about: The Avatar is in the city and she has a strange new ally, both of whom have every intent of putting men like him behind bars and the commitment to make that happen. However, he also saw an opportunity with their arrival.
He doubted that the Avatar could be convinced to join his gang, no doubt having been fed tales of greatness and pre-determined destiny all these years. The Flash on the other hand...he would make a fine addition to his roster of individuals with unique skills or abilities. No doubt it would take some time for him to convince the Flash to leave the Avatar and join him, but Amarok was nothing if not patient.
Sooner or later, he always achieves his goals...and woe to anyone who dares stand in his way.
And thus we end the 5th chapter of A Speedster among Benders. Please leave a review for all to see and send all comments, complaints, and questions in a message when you can so that I can answer them or put them into consideration. I enjoyed the chapter 4 reviews and hope to get some equally nice reviews for this chapter; a couple more chapters and I'll have over a hundred reviews for this story.
This chapter, Wally and Korra made their mark on Republic be helping to capture two of its most wanted criminals, and they are well-received by the public as a result. However, they do not yet know that the darker elements of the city are conspiring against them out of fear or opportunity, and they won't have any real clue for a little while. I've explained my policy on flaming several times already, so I'm just going to assume that you all know it; if I find any flames, which I hope I don't, I'll repeat my policy next chapter.
Next chapter, Korra has trouble adapting to life on Air Temple Island while Wally's still learning to navigate the ins and outs of Republic City and its people. Their favorite way to relax is to listen to games of a sport called Pro-Bending over the radio, much to Tenzin's ire, and eventually sneak away from the temple to watch a game for themselves. They end up becoming friends of the bending brothers Bolin and Mako of the Fire Ferrets team, and are introduced to the rough-and-tumble world of Pro-Bending, which Korra quickly grows to like more then her Airbending training.
How will Korra fair at her Airbending training? Will Tenzin let go of his grudges against modernization and allow Korra to make her own decisions? What sort of trouble will Wally and Bolin get into together? You'll have to wait for the answers to these questions in the next chapter of A Speedster Among Benders.