The explosion was followed by three more as Lin, Iroh II, Bolin and Asami ran. It was close by so they didn't need to use the airship, or one of the cars, but the location was still a good run for the four of them and the United Republic army forces as they followed. The screams and yells grew louder as they approached. Soon they arrived on a street were Earth Empire, United Republic military and police were fighting, but what they fought looked something out of a horror book.

The people, or things, were dressed in a similar outfit to the Equalists. But there were several noticeable changes. For starters, their forearms were gone. Replaced with blades of glowing blue light. Some of them did have forearms, but they looked metallic and skeletal. Around their arms and legs were glowing blue and red tubes of some kind that entered the suit at odd points. Their use unknown to the people attacking. But it was their eyes that the group focused on. A deep blue with something… dead inside. It was hard to describe, but there was something about those eyes that unnerved them.

"What are those things?" Bolin asked, a little unnecessarily as no one had any answers.

"Just take them out!" Iroh yelled as he charged in with his hands engulphed in fire.

He aimed for the closest target and slammed its head with his fist. The thing staggered back but quickly recovered slashing its blades at the young General. Moving back quickly, Iroh managed to doge a couple of swings, but on of them cut his uniform open. It was a light slash, but it was clear how sharp the blade was from that touch. Lin then moved in moving into a metal bender stance to try and bend the blade. But failed.

"It's made out of something pure," she growled before spinning and moving to slam some earth into it.

It sent the person or thing stumbling back and into a wall. It did little noticeable damage as it came swinging back at them with speed. Lin deflected the attack with Iroh moving in for the kill and moved in, focusing a jet flame at the things heart. Sparks and some form of electrical discharge shot out from where the things heart should be. The glowing blue parts turned white as it backed up and exploded.

The resulting explosion showered everyone nearby with black blood and electronics. Asami picked a piece up and looked at it with some disgust. She tossed it and slide her glove on before moving in with Bolin to take the attackers on. Asami moved to the right while Bolin took to the left, cutting out sections of the street with larva, to break up the unknown attackers ranks. It worked cutting them off from reinforcements, but didn't work as well as he hoped as they still moved with a skill and swiftness he hadn't seen before.

"Pathetic," a voice then called out as a rock slammed into Bolin.

"Owww," the earthbender moaned as he rubbed the side of his head.

"Bolin, look up," Asami said as the two were joined by Iroh and Lin.

A lone person advanced, his hair pulled up into a short ponytail while a green band was wrapped around his head. Instead of the blades, he had the metal hands of some of the other attackers. A smirk moved across his face as he moved to send a wave of rock at them forcing them back. Asami was sent flying a few feet and landed in a heap, the unknown weapon sliding off of her belt. She groaned and tried to recover, before the attacker moved for another attack forcing her to leave the weapon.

The leader then did the same move towards police, United forces and Earth empire units pushing them all back with an earth wave mixed in with large rocks to target the mecha suits. Blue portals opened up behind him and more of the attackers came running out.

"Kill them all!" The man yelled as the attackers advanced.

The number of attackers now outnumbered the joint forces, pushing them back, of not outright killing them. The ones with the metal hands began to bend the elements to help their arm-blade companions. Several of the officers and soldiers died from the blades as the attackers moved to take them down. Blood started to run into the cooling larva rivers, hissing as it evaporated. As the four fought them back Bolin managed to get a look at the leader and blinked.

"Hey Lin, doesn't that guy look familiar to you?" he asked pointing.

Lin looked towards the guy and blinked as recognition. "How is he alive?" she asked.

"Chief!" one of the officers yelled by a radio. "Someone just broke though one of the barriers!"

"Who? Did they…." She trailed off as the sound of a motorbike engine echoed in her ears.

She turned to see the bike accelerate forward exceeding recommended speeds. She was about to yell, but a ramp appeared before her causing her to curse before turning. Their way had been blocked, and she needed to focus on the attackers coming at them. Readying her metal whips, she focused on the closest attacker. The sound of the bike flying over their heads made everyone, even the attackers, look up. The person on the bike claimed off of it in mid air and began to glow blue, along with the bike.

Their arm moved as did the bike at speed. It was like she was using metal bending to throw the bike into the attackers before bringing up stone pillars to land on. But there was something off about the bending that Lin noticed while Bolin noticed something else

"Slopy," Lin said as the woman landed on ground floor and stood.

"Red hair…" Bolin muttered as the attackers focused on her and took a step back.

OOOOO

Kwon twisted the handle, gunning the engine to as much as it could handle as she sped by the streets of Republic city. The explosions getting her focus and giving her a location as to where she needed to be. The city was laid out somewhat similar to New York in square grids, making it easy to navigate towards the explosions. As she approached, she blinked at a roadblock that had been set up, barricade and all.

The police were yelling, ordering her to stop. She didn't and crashed though the checkpoint, seeing a battle up ahead. A lot was going on that she couldn't make out, she needed to get higher. Focusing on her new power she aimed at a point of someone in front and threw her first up creating a ramp. Looking down, she found a latch that would lock the steering. She flipped it and pushed her arms backwards focusing her fire into jets, pushing the bike further than it could.

The bike rocketed up over the fight allowing Shepard to get a look as she climbed off of the machine, feeling the biotic particles surge though her body. She smiled and used the particles to wrap around the bike. Her tattoos began to glow as her body pulsed with her native-born power as she threw the bike into the largest collection of the attackers she spotted. The bike crashed into them, killing several outright from the explosion and sent a few scattering.

As she fell she moved her hand in a rapid motion to bring up a stone pillar which she landed on then a couple more to jump down on until she reached street level. Once she was street level the attackers backed up as they stared at her, only the boy in the headband didn't move.

"Am I mean to be impressed?" he asked. "That was the most slopy…." He began but trailed off as the attackers spoke one word.

"Shepard…" they hissed, making the leader look to them in confusion then at her.

"Shepard?" he questioned. "Wait, Commander Shepard? The ones the big guy keeps talking about?" he scoffed. "You don't look like much,"

"Looks…." Kwon began as she walked over to where she spotted her gun. "Can be…" she reached down and picked it up. "…deceiving,"

In one swift motion she turned to fire at him. Not knowing what the weapon did, he stayed allowing for two shots to hit him. On in the shoulder, the other in the arm. He yelled out in pain as the attackers moved to confront Shepard.

"You are going to pay for that you bitch!" he yelled as he moved to throw a rock at her.

Kwon turned and stopped the rock in mid air as the two began to struggle, trying to push the rock back at the other. Eventually, the boy won out by doubling down his power and one of the attackers jumped her causing her to lose focus. The rock slammed into her sending her flying into a wall. She spat out a gobbet of blood, before pushing herself off of the wall and fired at the two closest attackers before driving as one made a strike for her head.

She turned and took it out with a shot to the head before activating fire rounds on her pistol, looking towards the attackers. "Let's see how this works," she smiled. "Hey bandana boy, how do you like fire?" she said before shooting at him.

He tried to stop the bullet, but his reaction time was off by a lot and his outfit caught fire. He yelled out in panic as he tried to put it out while Shepard ducked from a blow and cartwheeled out of the way from a water attack by one of the attackers with hands. As he boy put the fire out he watched in surprise and fear as Kwon moved with a kick which ignited with fire and slammed into an attacker, breaking its faceplate.

"Avatar?" he asked but shook his head. "Fall back," he ordered as a green portal opened up behind him and he left.

The attackers quickly followed, with Shepard taking several more down with her gun. Breaching heavily, she slid the gun into her belt while moving over to one of the bodies. The sound of approaching footsteps, didn't deter her as she tried to open up the suit.

"That was so cool," a voice said. "You where, whwa and he was like ahhh,"

"Glad to have an admirer," Kwon said, focusing on her task.

"You're Kwon Shepard," an older, more experienced voice said. "You banged up some highly trained guards,"

"Yeah, sorry wasn't sure what to do," the Commander shrugged as she pulled off the faceplate and backed up. "Oh shit,"

"Oh gross," the cheery voice said followed by similar exclamations by the others.

"W… what is this?" the older woman asked. "What happened?"

"I… i…." the world began to spin for Kwon as she looked around with faces turning blurry. "I…" was all she managed before the world went dark.

OOOOO

The tall, girl she couldn't think of a better name to called herself, looked around the… she hesitated to call it a room. But she didn't know what else to call it. It had four sides, a floor and a roof with lights shining down on them. There were about 50, maybe more, people in the room with her. One of them, a black-haired woman who the tall girl felt she could trust for some reason, walked up to her. Much like everyone, she stood shorter than the tall girl. Her head reaching her bicep.

"No one seems to know anything," the black-haired girl said. "Not who they are, why we are here or what is happening," she sighed. "It's strange,"

The tall girl nodded. "I feel that his is wrong somehow, nit just this but all of it. Like we don't belong here,"

Raven hair nodded in agreement. "Some, something just feels wrong. What should we do?"

The tall girl paused for a moment before answering. "The only thing we can do, wait," all she got was an annoyed nod in response.

OOOOO

The woman moaned as Bolin, Lin and Asami carried her off of the airship with some difficulty. Despite the red head's small frame, she was still quite heavy to carry. Part of the reason was likely due to her muscles. But they managed to get her off the airship and headed towards the sprit pool. Jinora, Kai, Kya, Katara and Pema came out to look at the woman who practically saved the city alone.

Above them Varick, Baatar and Kuvira looked down to see the woman being taken in.

"She doesn't look like much," Varick said.

"No, she doesn't, but don't forget, she took out a platoon's worth of invaders," Baatar replied.

Kuvira said nothing for a moment before turning and running out of the room, ignoring the yells of the two scientists. She ran into the main chamber of the spirit pool and watched as the woman was trapped of her outer clothing. Other than a few glances, most of the attention was on the woman as the extend of her scars and tattoos were revealed. Bumi and Lin, two of the people who had probably seen more damage in their lives, just stared wide eyed at how extensive they were.

"H..how is she alive?" Jinora asked.

"That's what we are going to find out," Kya said with her mother nodding.

The two water benders, helped with Asami and Bolin, eased the woman into the spirit waters. Once she was in, the two young teens backed up letting the healers to do their work. Just as they started to move the water, they almost immediately stopped. Their eyes were wide as plates as they looked to each other.

"Jinora's right," Kya said, her voice betraying confusion and amazement. "How in all the spirits name is this woman still alive?"

"Let alone being able to walk," Katara added.

"What's wrong Gra-gran?" Jinora asked. The group around the healing waters just looked with a combination of curiosity, concern and fear.

Katara looked to her then back to the woman. "A lot, I cannot explain it all but… this woman should not even be alive. She has scars and small metal pieces scattered across her body. Not only that, but her bones are very strong and her muscles are almost three times the stronger than normal. I'd say that she would be stronger than Kyoshi or Korra. Her lungs are also larger than normal, similar to air nomads. It helps with the oxygenation of blood,"

"That explains how she was able to move like she did and not get tired," Mako muttered.

Katara nodded again. "But that's not the most concerning part," she looked up to Kya who nodded and turned to the group.

"Most of the scars she has are on the inside with the small metal pieces on them," she explained.

"Like.. like me?" Kuvira spoke up eyes wide, but to her and everyone else's surprise, Katara shook her head.

"She had the same thing in the back of her neck, but unlike you she has these metal parts dotted all over her body," Kya clarified. "Like… like stitches. Like she was… like she was…"

"Pulled apart and put back together?" The woman asked as she opened her eyes and looked down at herself. "It's a little early for a bath for me,"

"This is not a bath, this is to help you heal," Katara replied. "But I'm not sure if they can heal all of these wounds,"

"Ignore them," the woman said. "I got them from the military and when I was younger. As for the 'stitches', again ignore them. Avoid them if possible because they are holding me together,"

"We'll do what we can," Kya said.

"Wait," Kuvira butted in. "The thing on your neck, what is it?" she indicated to the back of her neck making the woman frown.

"H…how…" she shook her head. "I…I…it's a biotic implant. It helps regulate biotic powers," the woman said. "I'll tech you when I'm healed. But make sure to eat a lot of calories. Biotics drains…energy… fast…" the woman fell unconscious again leaving the room with more questions than answers. But all outside Kya and Katara left as the two master healers to their work.