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RonaldM40196867: Earthbending for building stuff, or Firebending for fuelling stuff. And I think the most advanced tech is the Flying Machines.

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Bolin

The group stood in a long line in front of a desk, as President Raiko paced in front of them. He hadn't said anything for a long while.

They had not been in New Zaofu for very long before a summons had arrived from the President, requesting their presence. The message had been accompanied by fifty men of the United Republic Army, so it had been quite clear that attendance was compulsory. They had been accompanied back to the Presidential Office, where Raiko waited for them. He was clearly making a big effort to hide his emotions.

Bolin was at one end, with Opal next to him. They briefly made eye contact, and he smiled reassuringly at her.

"So let me get this straight," Raiko finally spoke. "You," he pointed at Opal, "heard that I had put Bolin in prison. Your first instinct was to break him out. Why?"

"I needed to speak to him," Opal answered. "I needed to see what was going on."

"Because he'd been working for Kuvira," Raiko supplied. "Something tells me that wasn't a career choice you approved of."

"And I needed his help!" Opal added, hastily.

"Ah yes," Raiko stopped in front of her. "This mission I've been told about. I'm not even going to bother asking why, it's obvious, but why particularly Bolin?"

"I trust him, and he knows Kuvira," Opal told him defiantly. "And you locked him up unfairly too! He'd done nothing!"

"I agree," Raiko replied, causing Opal to stop mid-rant. "I did. His imprisonment was entirely politically motivated."

"If you agree, why did you do it?"

"I ask the questions here!" Raiko snapped. "As it happens I was rather banking on someone breaking him out."

"You were?" Opal blinked.

"Of course!" Raiko told her, with more than a hint of smugness. "Or did you never wonder how you could fly your sky-bison in front of his cell window for so long and not be spotted?"

He waved a hand.

"But if I locked you up to appease Kuvira, and now there's no need to appease Kuvira, there's no need to lock you up. Congratulations Bolin, you're in the clear."

Raiko looked like he was chewing a thistle as he said this, but he still found it in himself to shake an astonished Bolin's hand.

"Opal, you're fine too," Raiko turned to the airbender. "I'm not going to punish you for doing something I set up. I commend your dedication to your family."

He gave her a genuine, warm smile, which immediately dropped off again as he looked down the line.

"Which brings me to you lot."

He stopped in front of Lin.

"I gave you one order, Lin. Just one! Don't let them run off! And what did you do?"

"I helped them!" Lin stared back defiantly. "Of course I did! She's my sister!"

"I know," Raiko sighed. "But that doesn't change the fact you disobeyed my orders. You endangered the lives of United Republic military personnel. You got yourself captured! And you risked Earth Empire retaliation against the Republic! Do you know how much I had to grovel in front of Kuvira's ambassador after you did what you did? And it was all for nothing because she's coming anyway. I'm glad you saved your family, because you might have doomed us all to do it!"

"I did the right thing," Lin replied simply.

"I'm glad you think so," Raiko said. "But you went against a direct order. Therefore, I have come to the decision to relieve you of command of the Republic City Police force. I would say it was a difficult decision, but it really wasn't."

Everyone except Lin looked shocked, but the now former police chief herself just nodded serenely.

"I understand, sir," was all she said.

"I need to trust my chief of police. I can't have them say they're doing one thing but go off and do another. And I can't trust you in that way any more."

With that, he turned away from Lin, who carried on staring at the wall with a determined gaze. Bolin couldn't read any emotion on her face at all.

Lastly, the President locked eyes with Varrick.

"Ah yes," he said, "Iknik. Blackstone. Varrick. It's been quite a while."

"I'm glad you still remember my name," Varrick replied.

"How could I forget?" Raiko shrugged. "You left quite an impression last time you were here. Give me one good reason I shouldn't just throw you back in the cells to complete your sentence?"

He paused, and then pointed at Zhu Li. "And your assistant too."

"We can help you!" Zhu Li insisted.

"How?" Raiko asked. "You might have some useful intelligence, I'm sure. But you're utterly untrustworthy."

"Kuvira's got a weapon!" Varrick insisted.

"Kuvira has lots of weapons, you're going to need to be more specific."

"It's not just any weapon, it's a superweapon," Varrick said. "As in, it's super dangerous."

"What's so super about it?" Raiko asked, curiosity overtaking him.

Varrick just smirked. "I'm so glad you asked."

He stepped out of the line and sat down in Raiko's chair as he began to tell a story.

"When I exited Republic City-"

"After kidnapping me for a stunt."

"Well, exactly," Varrick conceded, "after that, I travelled back to the North Pole in disguise. I saw the Spirit Portal. I saw its energy, and I saw potential."

"Potential for destruction? So you built it?"

"No!" Varrick looked hurt. "I didn't want to destroy anything! I wanted to create! A limitless source of energy! Spirit vines! Just one could power a city for years!"

He paused.

"Unfortunately, it can also release that energy all at once. Kuvira realised it, used it to blow up the pretender to the Earth Kingdom throne as he sat in his fortress. Then she began experimenting in setting the explosion off in a big metal barrel to direct the energy out of one end. She's made a Spirit Cannon."

"How many has she got?" Raiko asked urgently.

"Don't know," Varrick shrugged. "When I found out what she was doing with my research we decided we didn't want any more to do with it, and got arrested for it. That's where they found us."

"Do you at least know how to stop it?"

"Funnily enough, I do," Varrick spun around in the chair. "But the information's going to cost you!"

"I hardly think you are in any position to be making demands, Varrick," Raiko rolled his eyes.

"Alright!" The industrialist chirped. "Throw me in prison, and watch this city burn! I hope you like the colour purple, because you'll be seeing a lot of it."

He held his wrists out as if to be handcuffed, but Raiko suddenly looked uneasy.

"It can burn this city?" He whispered.

"Of course it can!" Varrick said. "It obliterated the mightiest fortress in the Earth Kingdom in a moment."

"It wiped out an entire mountain," Bolin supplied, "I was there."

Raiko looked like he was chewing his thistle again. He went to the window and stared out. He didn't move or say anything for a good few seconds. Finally, he turned.

"What do you want?"

"You're so generous for asking!" Varrick said melodramatically. "It's simple really: A complete pardon."

"What?" Raiko looked outraged. "That's not possible!"

"Isn't it?" Varrick raised an eyebrow. "So these stories that you let that old goat Hiroshi Sato out of prison to help your war effort are false, then?"

"Hiroshi Sato has served several years in prison," Raiko retorted. "He's done his time."

"I've done my time!" Varrick replied. "All three days of it!"

"Your sentence was quite a lot longer than that."

Varrick offered his wrists again, causing Raiko to wince.

"Alright, alright," he grumbled. "I'll do it. But you'd better be useful to us."

"You have my word," Varrick bowed extravagantly. "You know, I have the feeling that this is going to be the start of a very productive partnership."

Raiko did not look very enthusiastic.