A month later, things were going well. Better than well, Ren thought. He finally felt like his head was above water, thanks to Korra's hard work. She was fast becoming indispensable.
And she was a good friend. Better than most, despite her quirks.
As the day turned to evening, Ren was panting from the pace of work, but Korra was hardly breaking a sweat. "We've burnt through more contracts in a week than I could manage in a month," he marveled.
"Well, you're paying me well," Korra pointed out.
"Not nearly well enough," Ren disagreed, giving her a grateful grin. "How about we celebrate our good fortune tonight? I know a great Fire Nation restaurant downtown, and I've been meaning to meet my sister anyway."
"Sounds fantastic," Korra enthused, excitement dancing in her eyes. "I *love* spicy food."
"You'll love this place," Ren promised, packing away his tools.
Korra used her newfound wealth to pick up some clothes, and showed up in a blue dress. She tidied her hair a little, and *actually* washed herself off. It wasn't much, but it was the most effort she'd put into her appearance since arriving in Republic City.
"Wow, you clean up nice," Ren complimented her. He had never *really* seen Korra's physique outside of her usual baggy clothing. She had a better build than a pro-bending athlete. There were a few scars on her broad shoulders and defined arms, and a burn mark on her ankle.
"If you can call it cleaning up," Korra scoffed, smoothing out her dress self-consciously. "You look pretty spiffy yourself."
Ren had changed out of his usual grease-stained overalls and into dark pants and an asymmetric button-up shirt, curly hair somewhat tamed, with rolled up sleeves exposing his olive forearms. Ren walked Korra over to his garage, where he kept a wrecked Future Industries race car he managed to salvage.
"You sure this thing will get us there without blowing up?" Korra asked skeptically, eyeing the vehicle dubiously.
"Probably," Ren coolly replied with a smirk. "Not knowing is the fun part."
They ended up downtown, on a patio under the glistening lights of the skyscrapers. Korra's eyes widened at the sight of the towering buildings, stretching far into the starry sky.
"I haven't been downtown much," she admitted. "It's beautiful."
"Yeah. It's different up close," Ren agreed. "I'm not used to the skyscrapers either."
Ren opened the door for Korra, and she was immediately hit with the smell of sharp spices and sizzling meat. The host led them to a table right by the window, where Korra could take in the cars driving by, the airships soaring overhead, the strange people bustling along the sidewalks. For a moment, they were both mesmerized by the view.
"So I've said it before, but thanks for hiring me," Korra said seriously. "And putting up with my antics."
"Antics?" Ren echoed with a smirk. "What do you mean? I wouldn't call crushing a client's car under a block of ice an 'antic'."
Korra winced. "I'm sorry about that. I got a little carried away."
"She just asked where you were from," Ren teased.
"I like my privacy, OK?" Korra defended herself. "I... I've had a rough past couple years. *Maybe* I'm a bit paranoid."
"Just a bit," Ren agreed. "Seriously though, it's alright. Working with someone so hot-blooded has its perks, I guess."
"Like what?" Korra challenged, folding her arms over her chest.
"Well," Ren considered. "You're utterly determined to pick up anything you set your mind to. You're relentless, energetic... its kind of infectious. I wouldn't have gotten a third as much done this month without you."
"Hmph," Korra sniffed, trying to act unimpressed. But she couldn't stop the smile that tugged at her lips. "People have always told me to focus, meditate, calm down. They'd always say I was too impulsive."
"Those people are idiots," Ren declared bluntly. "That's not you."
Korra blushed. "Thanks. Still, sometimes I'd kill for half of your patience, or your calm demeanor."
"Maybe that's why we click," Ren suggested, taking a sip of his drink. "We balance each other out."
Before they could ponder that any longer, a woman in a tight green corporate suit approached their table. She had dark brown hair tied neatly into a bun, and sharp, piercing green eyes that looked exactly like Ren's. She looked every bit the corporate shark, but her smile was far too warm for any boardroom.
"Kylie!" Ren cried joyfully, jumping to his feet and enveloping his older sister in a huge hug. "I missed you so much."
"Heya Ren!" Kylie responded, returning the embrace with equal enthusiasm. "Spirits, it's been too long."
"I thought you forgot about me, working as some big time manager in Zaofu," Ren teased, pulling away to inspect her closely.
"Never," Kylie retorted, rolling her eyes affectionately. "I take my eyes off you too long, and you'll end up blowing someone up in that workshop of yours."
"Hey, watch it," Ren warned, feigning offense. "I've only done that a couple of times."
Kylie chuckled, and turned her attention to Korra. "Hi, I'm guessing you're Korra? Ren mentioned he finally hired some help. He was so excited, I knew it had to be someone special."
"Yep, that's me," Korra confirmed, shaking Kylie's offered hand. "The feeling is mutual. Ren gushes about you, Kylie. You sound awesome."
"That's a generous way of putting it," Kylie deadpanned, making Ren chuckle. "So, how do you like Republic City so far?"
"It's been... interesting," Korra hedged cautiously.
"Please, you don't have to sugar coat it for me," Kylie waved her off. "I was down there in the slums not too long ago. I remember how it is."
"It's been tough," Korra admitted frankly. "But I met some wonderful people, including Ren and you, and it makes it easier."
"Good. That was our experience too. There are good people in this city, you just have to find them," Kylie assured her, clapping her brother on the shoulder. "Now come on, let's order some food and drinks before we starve."
Over dinner, Kylie regaled them with stories of her work, of her coworkers, of the parties thrown by the wealthy elite. She was technically an executive at Future Industries, but in practice she got into the weeds with the engineers she supervised. Zaofu sounded particularly fascinating, an almost utopian city founded by the metalbending Beifong clan.
Ren caught her up on his own projects, describing his inventions and detailing plans for new ones. Korra listened intently, a little jealous at the ease with which they conversed. She always wondered what it would be like to have a sibling, and these two seemed particularly close.
The lights went out in the restaurant, and all the patrons grumbled and complained.
"That's weird," Kylie muttered. She looked out the window, and noticed the whole block was plunged into darkness. "This infrastructure is brand new. I worked on it myself."
A scream echoed out from across the restaurant. "My baby! They're taking my baby!" A woman screamed.
"Equalist!" Someone yelled.
Korra stood up, eyeing the darkened restaurant warily. She saw a hulking man in an Equalist outfit, running with a toddler draped over one shoulder.
"Stop!" Korra yelled. Bending drinks from the surrounding tables, she formed a puddle under the thief's feet. With a clench of her wrist, she froze it solid, causing the man to slip and fall.
The kidnapper caught himself before he hit the ground, and jumped to his feet with surprising speed. He whipped around, glaring daggers at the attackers who dared interfere with his mission. There was a stocky boy levitating a metal table and a small Water Tribe girl in a waterbending stance. Both were glaring defiantly, ready to fight. He assessed the benders, determining which one was the bigger threat... and made what would turn out to be a grave miscalculation. He charged straight towards the metal bending guy.
Ren rotated his makeshift shield to block the attack, but the hulking man was unnaturally fast, ducking under the table and sweeping Ren's legs out from under him in one smooth motion. The heavy table clattered to the ground, leaving Ren flat on his face. The kidnapper gave him a quick jab to a pressure point on Ren's neck, knocking him unconscious instantly.
"Hey! Don't touch him!" Korra roared, launching a spike of ice aimed right at the criminal's face. He dodged, only to see a fist coming at his jaw that landed with a solid thunk. The Equalist stumbled backwards, clutching his bruised chin.
He didn't have time for this. The man casually pushed back a woman attempting to tackle him, and lunged at the Water Tribe girl, intending to knock her aside and continue his escape.
But the girl was faster than he anticipated, sidestepping the blow and delivering a sharp kick to his shin. He howled in pain, dropping to one knee. The girl sent another kick flying towards his face.
He caught it, and threw the girl over his head, sending her crashing into a table. But she bounced back up immediately, charging him with renewed vigor.
Korra had misjudged her opponent as well. This guy was *fast*, moving with a grace and precision that belied his size. The attacker threw a punch, but Korra just barely managed to dodge aside, feeling the wind rush past her cheek. She responded with another kick, barely missing his side.
The kidnapper growled in frustration. He lunged at her once more, going straight for her neck. But the Water Tribe girl was ready, grabbing his arm and throwing him over her hip. He hit the ground hard enough to knock the air out of his lungs.
While Kylie tried to shake her brother awake, the other restaurant goers just watched from the side, half in shock, and half in terror. The fight played out like a mover running at triple speed, with the pair dancing around each other like whirling dervishes, knocking over tables and chairs, sending glasses and plates flying. A few brave onlookers tried to jump in, but they were quickly knocked back, like leaves in a hurricane.
Ever since Korra had left the compound, she had always held back in fights, wary of revealing her true nature. But this guy... there were a few people on the planet who could keep up with Korra in nonbending combat, and some random thug was doing just that. But she had no time to ponder this. Instead, she took advantage of another tiny opening, grabbing the attacker's arm and twisting it sharply, forcing him to drop the chair leg he was wielding as a club. She threw him over her shoulder, slamming him into the ground hard enough to crack the wood floor. Korra quickly bent some tea out of a pot, and lobbed it in his direction, clenching her fists to bring it to a boil. The scalding liquid soaked his shirt and seared his right torso, eliciting a scream of agony as it steamed.
Who the heck is this Water Tribe girl, the would-be kidnapper wondered. She was a menace. He saw stars as he thudded onto the ground. His whole body ached, and he heard police sirens approaching.
He could not afford to be captured. It was time to leave, now. Under his breath, he uttered "freedom for all," and took a more desperate gamble.
Korra barely dodged yet another punch from the man, but then something strange happened. Something she couldn't have predicted in a million years. A blast of air erupted from the attacker's fist, hitting Korra in the gut, sending her flying backward into a pile of broken barstools.
"What?!" Korra gasped, trying to regain her bearings. Did that attacker just airbend? But she didn't have long to consider this either. The man sprinted out the back of the restaurant at an incredible speed, escaping moments before Republic City's metal bending police burst in.
"Hold it right there!" one officer demanded, threatening to restrain Korra in metal cable. "You're under arrest!"
"Wait! No!" Korra protested, holding up her hands.
Out of the crowd, a short, balding man jumped between the officer and the Water Tribe girl. "Officer, you shouldn't be arresting this young lady, you should be thanking her. She saved my daughter from being kidnapped by that Equalist!"
"Councilor Soza!" the officer exclaimed, relaxing his stance as he recognized the man. "Apologies sir, just doing our job."
Soza waved dismissively, and turned around to face his child's savior. "Thank you so much, young lady. You saved my little Lily from who knows what. I am Soza, City Councilor," he said with a deep bow. "I'm forever in your debt, Ms...?"
Korra blinked. "Uh, Korra." she introduced herself, before returning the bow.
"Well thank you again, Korra, you are quite talented," Soza repeated. Another officer was already signaling for Soza to come over. "I must go deal with this situation, but please, if you ever need anything, anything at all, come to City Hall. Do not hesitate to ask me personally."
Meanwhile, Kylie had shaken Ren awake. His eyes were still bleary, but he seemed okay otherwise. "What happened? What did I miss?" he asked groggily.
"You got your ass kicked, Ren," Kylie informed him, helping him stand. "And Korra just put up the best fight I've ever seen."
"Ha, I'm not surprised," Ren laughed, rubbing the back of his neck gingerly. "Korra's quite a spitfire."
Kylie shook her head. "Ren, you don't understand. I've seen pro benders fight up close. I watched the Beifongs spar in Zaofu. The Beifongs, including Su herself. None of them could move like that. She was like a whirlwind."
"Really?" Ren asked.
Kylie nodded. "Ren, who the heck is your new friend? Where did you say you found her again?"
"She found me," Ren answered simply. "She was living on the streets just outside my shop, stealing to survive."
"That doesn't explain anything," Kylie insisted, shooting Korra a curious glance. "She's obviously trained. Educated too. What is she hiding?"
"I don't know," Ren admitted honestly. "I have theories. But all I really know is she's a good soul down on her luck, just trying to survive the city."
"Oh Ren," Kylie sighed affectionately. "You always had such a soft heart. It's your greatest strength, and your biggest weakness. Look, just promise me you will watch your back? Something is going on here, and I don't want you to get hurt."
Ren looked Kylie in the eyes. "I'll be careful, I promise."
Kylie hugged her brother, rubbing his back soothingly. "Take care of yourself, okay? I'll be back in town for a while, so don't be a stranger."
"I won't," Ren assured her, hugging her tightly.
Thanks to Soza's vehement support, Korra was soon cleared of any wrongdoing. The three left the restaurant, with Kylie splitting off to return to her downtown apartment.
Korra and Ren cut through a darkened alleyway, heading back to Ren's car. A steady breeze blew through the narrow passage, rustling Korra's dress. She was silent, lost in thought.
"Are you OK? That fight was intense," Ren observed, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Korra assured him, forcing a smile. "Just... there was something weird about that guy."
"Like what?" Ren asked curiously.
Before Korra could answer, a woman in a mask dropped from a roof right into their path, followed by four others. All of them wore gas masks, and dark jumpsuits with red Equalist symbols stitched onto them.
Korra turned around. They were surrounded. And out of the shadows, a man in a similar jumpsuit with a white theater mask appeared.
"That's... that's Amon!" Ren whispered, backing away slowly. "The leader of the Equalists." He adopted a bending stance, no doubt ready melt the Earth beneath the Equalists' feet.
"Wait," Korra yelped, placing a hand in front of Ren. For all her social failings, Korra could read stances and body language like a hawk, and this Amon guy was not threatening them... at least not yet. "What do you want?" she demanded loudly.
Amon stepped forward, eyeing the Water Tribe girl carefully. "We'd like to ask you a few questions about your recent activities," he stated smoothly, in a deep voice.
"Why should I tell you anything," Korra quipped, crossing her arms defiantly.
Amon stepped forward once again, invading Korra's personal space. "Because we can make your life very difficult," he threatened silkily.
Korra was not impressed. She stepped right up to him, standing on her toes and peering into his mask. "Try it," she dared. "Or are you all bark and no bite?"
Amon raised an eyebrow. He had carefully cultivated an image of fear among the populace, yet there was not an ounce of fear in her eyes.
And she was right. The Equalists do not attack the innocent unprovoked. Even if they're benders.
"Perhaps you are right," Amon relented, stepping back. "But the information we need is... important. We would like to know what happened in the restaurant earlier."
Korra put two and two together in her head. "You were watching us," she accused. "And that guy in the restaurant... he was wearing an Equalist outfit. But he was no Equalist, was he?"
"What would make you say something like that?" he parried.
"Nu uh," Korra countered. "First, I want answers. Then I'll decide whether to share mine."
"Very well," Amon acquiesced. His compatriots were getting antsy in the presence of potent benders, but he trusted his instincts. And he needed information. "You may have noticed that our movement has been in the news lately. Bombings, kidnappings, attacks..."
"Yeah, I've noticed," Korra interrupted.
Amon ignored her interruption. "These were not sanctioned by us."
"Right," Korra said sarcastically. "So all those bombs outside my home, ripping through innocent benders? They were just happy accidents?"
"We do not harm innocents," Amon insisted. "We are not terrorists. Our goal is liberation, justice, revolution, but not destruction. The Equalists may resort to subterfuge when necessary, but those responsible for the violence plaguing Republic City are impostors, committing atrocities under our banner."
Korra watched his eyes behind his mask. It didn't seem like he was lying, and it lined up with his behavior so far. "Fine," she agreed grudgingly. "Tell me about that guy in the restaurant. Why does he matter?"
Amon hesitated. "He is a dangerous individual," he began evasively. "We have been attempting, and failing, to capture him, and we do not know what drives him."
Korra eyed the Equalists around her, judging their stances once more. She took in the placement of their feet, their shifts of balance. She had trouble reading Amon, but the others were clearly self-taught Chi Blockers, not professional fighters. "No offense, but he was too good to be an Equalist," she explained.
"You think that little of us, bender?" one of the masked figures sneered, stepping forward.
Amon silenced him with a gesture.
"You don't understand. He wasn't just an expert, or a master. That guy was world-class," Korra elaborated, stepping closer to Amon. "He was precise, fast. A stone-cold killer. Amon, you have no idea what kind of fighter you are dealing with."
Amon narrowed his eyes, studying the girl. "There is something else you are not telling us," he deduced.
Korra looked to the side, biting her lip nervously. "I know this sounds ridiculous, but... The impostor is an airbender."
Another Equalist started laughing. "What do you take us for? Idiots? There are no airbenders left."
"I'm not lying," Korra argued. "Amon, you saw the fight. You saw that last punch. Look me in the eyes and tell me I'm lying to you."
Amon stared at her for several tense seconds, searching for signs of deceit. He did observe the fight from a distance, and initially he thought his own eyes were deceiving him. But what the girl is saying rang true. The way he moved, that last punch, the one that sent the girl flying back...
"I believe she is speaking the truth," Amon announced, turning to address his followers. That elicited a chorus of gasps. "This is more dire than we feared," he continued gravely. "Thank you for your assistance. You have provided invaluable insight."
"Sure," Korra replied dismissively.
Amon turned to leave, but the girl grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Wait!" Korra called out.
"Yes?" Amon prompted expectantly.
Korra gulped. "My name is Korra. If you find out anything about this guy, I want to know."
"Why would a bender be interested in a threat to Equalists?" Amon asked suspiciously.
"Because he terrifies me," Korra admitted honestly. "He's bombing my home. And I've got a bad feeling about him, in my bones."
Amon studied her expression. "If we meet again, I shall keep that in mind. Until then, stay safe, Korra."
With that, Amon and his followers vanished into the shadows.
Ren was just coming out of shock. "Did you just stare down the leader of the Equalists? And then give him your name?" he gaped. "Are you nuts?"
"Possibly," Korra shrugged.
Ren shook his head. "You are a marvel, you know that?"
"I try," Korra smirked. "But really, Amon wasn't what I expected. I know body language, Ren, and he had no intention of hurting us. I don't think he was lying, either."
"That's... reassuring, I guess," Ren said uncertainly. "Were you telling the truth? Was that guy really an airbender?"
"Yeah, I think so," Korra nodded. "Ren, he's bad news. I don't know what is going on, but I don't like it one bit."
"Great," Ren moaned. "Just what we needed. More chaos."
"Come on," Korra urged, putting her hand on his shoulder and pulling Ren towards the parking lot. "Let's go home, and just take things one step at a time."
As they drove back, Korra sat silently in the passenger seat, pondering the encounter. An airbender... with the sole exception of Master Tenzin's family, the world hadn't seen one of those since the Fire Lord wiped out the Air Nomads. What was an airbender thug doing in Republic City? And why would anyone impersonate an Equalist?
Korra thought she was running away from her destiny, but maybe she had just stumbled into it after all.