Welcome back to those that sticks around. Sorry for the long wait and terrible writing schedule. Let's begin.

BOOK 1 CHAPTER 11: AND IT ALL CAME TUMBLING DOWN

A new morning rose over Republic City, and the sound of light footsteps could be heard on the island's ground.

Jinora hummed quietly to herself as she skipped along on the track toward the male dormitories. She had several books on her which she clutched closely to her chest that she wanted nothing more than to discuss with Shen. She giddily makes her way to the side of the dorm, close enough to hear someone sweeping the floor just outside of the building hidden around the corner.

'Shen's already up. He's so diligent'

She smiled a turned the corner to greet him.

"Shen, good mor…. ning…."

Jinora stood there mortified to see not Shen but Mako was the one sweeping the floor. The two stood there staring at each other with the older boy stopped the task he had been doing to wait for the girl if she had anything to say.

Several minutes passed without a word, he got the picture and knew why the girl was here this early.

"Looking for Shen?"

"Yes." Answered Jinora, flat and simple, still has not escaped the initial shock.

"Haven't you heard? His dad gained consciousness in the middle of the night and Shen rushed over. He's been there ever since."

"Oh. That's great."

"Please don't be too disappointed in seeing me here."

"But, I am disappointed."

"Since when you're honestly blunt like Ikki?"

"Say 'Ahh'"

"Ah"

Talah brought the spoon of porridge with meat and vegetables to Bilan's mouth. The latter ate it up with a smile and was happy to eat the first proper meal after woken up several hours ago. Even better, it was his own wife who spoon-fed him as he sat on the bed with her in a chair beside him.

"How was it?"

"Delicious. I love your 'Ultimate Porridge' is amazing as always. The meat is cooked perfectly and tender, while the vegetables are soft and easy on the pallet. The porridge itself is tasty and flavorful. The first dish you served me when we first met years ago."

"Oh, sweetie."

Talah giggled, squealed, and blushed hard by just hearing the high praise from her husband. It made her feel they were in the early stage of their blossoming relationship around 20 years ago. The only differences were their son's and his girlfriend's presence.

Korra squirmed with uneasiness as she witnessed from her seat at the furthest corner of the room. She knows she should not be here and was only here to talk to Shen before leaving for the city with Tenzin. The said guy was too busy grinning ear to ear at the sight of his parents alive and well.

"Shen…"

"Shhh." He replied sharply.

"I need to go soon."

"Then go," Shen replied again without taking his eyes off the older couple.

"Fine," Korra said under her breath as she exited the room.

She peeked at her boyfriend as she closed the door. She wanted to be happy for him but her mind weighed with the whole upcoming situation with the new chief of police and Tarrlok. She loved him but it was frustrating how whenever he is fixated on something, he just pushes her and anything she has to say out of the way.

First his admiration with Hiroshi Sato and now his parents' well-being. Korra grew fondly of Shen's parents and she got along well with them but she wished Shen's gaze would fix on her just as much.

"Excuse me. Step aside. Coming through. Officer on the job here."

Shou repeats those phrases again and again as he makes his way through the heavy crowds of people with two cups of hot tea in his hands. He nudged people aside until he reached the front of the Police Headquarters. He eyed the line of police acting as security and saw Yaozun leaning against the wall alone far away from the whole event but close enough to hear.

"Here's your tea Yaozy."

He offered the cup but Yaozun stayed silent.

"…"

"Yaozy? You up?"

"Huh?"

Startled by his friend, he almost tipped over but regained balance with his hands on the wall.

"Were you sleeping?" Shou let out a chuckle.

"Resting. I spent a big portion of last night doing patrols on the island before joining the perimeter security here in the morning."

"You technically don't have to be here. You have been transferred to the island is an official order…. just not taking the suit with you."

"I don't think Saikhan and Tarrlok know much about it. Best to keep it that way."

Yaozun took a sip from his cup and the two friends and co-worker turned to the main event.

Police Captain, scratch that, the new Chief of Police was in the middle of his debut speech, and seems he is almost at the end.

"It was an honor serving under Chief Beifong for so many years and I wish her a speedy recovery. It is with great humility that I take her place as the new Chief of Police. Republic City is facing a threat like none the world has ever seen but there is one man who's been effective against Amon's revolution, Councilman Tarrlok."

Shou rolled his eyes while Yaozun just shook his head.

"That is why for all matters involving the Equalists, I will report directly to him."

The two men including Korra and Tenzin, which already present on the stage swiftly turned their attention to the politician from the Northen Water Tribe. This is a new revelation none of them would predict. They knew he would have a bigger involvement with the police but not as this big.

"The police department will lend any and all available resources to the councilman and his task force until we quell this insurgency."

The two detectives powerwalked towards the stairs as they heard Korra and Tenzin speaking to Tarrlok.

"You're not, in fact, the Avatar," Tarrlok spoke up.

Yaozun felt an invisible force slammed onto his chest. He had heard many of those showed disproval of the Avatar but this one rubbed him the wrong way. It is unexplainable why he felt so. Either this criticism was filled with malice towards one of the world's most important individuals or hearing his newly found friend's girlfriend being disrespected was uncertain.

Yaozun only knew that he hated it.

"You are merely a half-baked Avatar in training, which reminds me, how is your airbending going?" Tarrlok continues salting the wound.

On instinct or knowing his friend well, Shou blocked Yaozun from taking a single step forward with his elbow.

"Don't Yaozun"

'Say something Avatar. Like you always do.'

"Made any significant progress with that?" Tarrlok continued to mock her.

Her back was facing the two men but they knew Korra put her head down in defeat.

"I didn't think so. If you will not be part of my task force, then you had best stay out of my way."

Tarrlok looked over her shoulder and saw the two men eavesdropping on them. He smirked, knowing very well who these two were.

"You two. You're Former Chief Beifong's trusted lackeys, right? Please escort the Avatar and Councilman Tenzin back to Air Temple Island. We can't be too careful with these Equalists still at large."

Tarrlok sneakily gave Korra the side eye.

"Yes, Councilman." Shou obediently replied.

The party of four silently walked to where Oogi was resting. After a brief exchange, Detective Shou excused himself. The trio proceeded back to Air Temple Island while Shou remained in the city. He proceeded with his work and clocked out for the day.

After leaving the Police Headquarters, he drove a series of winding roads packed with heavy traffic. He made a small stop at a local restaurant before arriving outside of a large apartment complex. There, he parked his car and entered the building with a plastic bag in his right hand. We walked up several flights of stairs before coming face to face with a dark green door.

He looked to his right and then to his left which was just empty hallways and the stairs behind him, making sure he was not being followed or having any suspicious eyes on him. He crouched down and pulled on a thin metal wire that was tucked under the door frame. He pulled in a pattern which he was instructed to do beforehand.

No sound was heard from behind the door or anywhere in the vicinity but Shou knew this was according to plan.

Seconds after finishing tugging on the string, he heard the door unlocked and quickly entered.

"This is getting ridiculous."

Shou grumbled and slowly dragged his feet across the floor toward one of the rooms in the apartment. Before entering, he braced himself for one of two outcomes. Either he will get an earful from the person inside the room or if he is lucky just a mild snide remark.

He opened the door and greeted the person inside.

"Good evening, Chief Beifong." Shou cheerfully announced into the room.

"Quiet. And stop calling me Chief."

Lin Beifong lay on her back in her bed with the covers up to her waist. She had a foul expression on her face and clearly, Shou's entrance did not enlighten her mood.

"You will always be Chief to me and Yaozy. Here, I bought some take-outs like you instructed me not to do but I did it anyway."

Lin grumbled something under her breath as she eyed Shou's hands as he pulled the container out of the bag. She sat up against the headboard and he put the already open container on her lap.

She grabbed the chopsticks and began eating. She didn't bother to examine the content as she already knew what Shou got her as she always asked the same thing when they occasionally ate lunch together.

"So, what's the situation?" She began their agenda that day.

"Where to begin? I guess you already know, that Captain Saikhan been promoted to Chief of Police, immediately got himself wrapped around Tarrlok's fingers. Nowhere to be seen for the rest of the day, probably planning something with his new boss."

Lin wolfed down several pieces of barbeque meat.

"What about Yaozun?"

"He's begun his task of bolstering the island's defenses but still feels the need to join official duties on the mainland."

"Next time, keep him on the island. Can't afford him exhausting himself. What about the Avatar and Shen?"

"Those two? Shen's parents had already woken up from what Yaozy told me. As for the Avatar…she still needs some help and support. Tarrlok knew what her weak spots were and was not afraid to use them against her."

Shou saw the container put aside, indicating Lin already finished eating. He picked it up and put it in the bag to be thrown out.

"Tea?"

He asked and Lin nodded without a word. She's thinking about the new info Shou just told her. Knowing her former subordinate has taken her place, which allows, the politician she distrusts the most with free reign over the city with everything and everyone in it.

The Avatar is still in no shape to go against Tarrlok's regime, especially when her self-esteem could deflate with a single pierce. Despite that, she has Tenzin, and as sour as their relationship might be, Lin believes Tenzin will bring out the best of Korra's abilities.

As for Shen, Lin was happy to hear his parents were well but she couldn't expect him to do much outside of fighting the evil spirits.

'That boy has a one-track mind. It is either filled with his family or the evil spirits. He has no interest in politics. Unless he sees Tarrlok actively harming people, he will stay out of it. People with privileged lives are the hardest to see reality.'

Clinking noises and singing of the boiling water from the kitchen snapped her out of her thoughts. She could smell the relaxing aroma of her favorite herb tea. Sure enough, Shou returned to the room with a teapot of it with two cups. He poured some into one of the cups before handing it over.

"There's not much else I could share. Best for me to be off for now. I'll come back if there's any newsworthy that isn't on the radio. If Saikhan catches wind of this, I might be fired"

Lin scoffed at the statement.

"That's light. If it were up to me, you'd be imprisoned for sharing classified info with outsiders."

Shou jumped from his seat.

"Spirit Chief! That's a bit too much isn't it?"

That night, Shen was looking around the island for his friends. He had been either with his parents or doing chores he had been neglecting even though the air acolytes told him it wasn't something to be concerned about and asked him to take it easy. He feels he should return the favor anyhow.

"Where are they? I haven't seen them all day."

"What are you doing here Shen?"

Yaozun approached him from behind. The detective looks tired but still standing strong.

"Oh, just looking for the others. Been busy all day, and haven't had the time to talk to any of them. I left a note for Mako to sweep the floor in front of the dorm this morning as a favor but that's pretty much it."

Shen sat down on some nearby rocks with Yaozun standing over him. The boy looks defeated in his eyes. Lost and defeated.

"What's going through your head? I expect to see you happier with your parents recovered."

"I am!" Shen barked out loud.

"It's just, now they're safe and can look after each other. I feel I should reconnect with my friends more. With the potential war, the Equalists, and evil spirits attacks, I feel I wasn't a good friend to them in these past couple of days, maybe more."

Yaozun nodded in understanding. His mind went back to earlier where he rode Oogi with Korra and Tenzin back to the island. After piecing his words in his mind, he sat down next to the teen.

"Korra called herself a failure today."

"What?" Shen's body snapped upwards. "She said that? Why would she say that?"

"Tarrlok really knows how to push her buttons. Airbending is a real sensitive topic with Korra and he's not afraid to hold back. He taunted her to the point even she could not counterpoint."

"That…jerk. How could he…What happened?"

"Tarrlok has always been a petty and egoistic man. Korra called him out on how he could be buying the police force and refused to rejoin the task force really a blow to his ego. Korra may or may not be an asset to his regime but an obstacle by your side is better than a free one."

Shen took a deep breath and let the news flow in his mind. Now is the time to join in and help those that had been helping him.

Mako and Bolin for their undivided friendship.

Asami for believing in him

Korra for her love.

Yaozun watched as the teen stood up and dusted any dirt on him. Turned towards him and smiled.

"I got to go, detective."

REPUBLIC CITY DOCKS

"Hey go check over there."

"Yes sir"

Several metal-bending police were patrolling the docks. They received several reports of suspicious activities of shadowy figures by the workers during nighttime. They searched several warehouses and containers and did not on planning to leave anything out.

"Record the location and the size of the warehouses to get an idea of how many more officers are needed here in future inspections."

The team leader ordered his subordinates. His sharp eyes zoomed across the docks. Up, down, on the roof, in the corners. He would not let anything out of his sight.

Seconds after he turned his head away, the sound of wet footsteps could be heard. The leader whisked around and shot out his cable into the darkness of the night followed by a noise of the metal rod colliding with the side of a warehouse.

Feeling his attack had not made contact with anything significant; he retracted the metal cable as his team assembled behind him. Whoever it is might have dodged his attack.

"Republic City police! Show yourself!"

He nodded and his team closed in.

The group approached the location where the sound of wet footsteps was last heard. In a couple of seconds, the suspense would turn into chaos.

One of the officers heard the sound behind him and shot out his cable but just like his superior, it contacted with nothing. Even before the cables retracted, another sworn he heard the sound once again coming from their front.

Unlike his squad mate, he rushed on ahead and earth-bend a boulder towards it, only for it to shatter and reveal nothing.

"Men. Calm yourselves." The leader told them. "This is just one of the enemy's tricks…"

The words got stuck in his throat as a bright flash of light blinded him followed by a deafening blast in his ears.

"Ambush!" He called out of tried to get his vision back. He squinted his eyes and turned violently in a circle multiple times to locate the enemy.

"Any of you see the suspect!?"

His cries went unanswered.

"Team!"

Still no answer.

Shaking his head helped his vision to come back. He was about to lash out at his subordinates for their lack of communication to only feel his words once again stuck and his stomach turned as he saw all his squad mates lying motionless on the ground, burnt, and charred.

Only incoherent sounds came out of his mouth as he tried to make sense of what he was witnessing.

He turned to get reinforcements to only came face-to-face with the most hideous creature he ever saw.

"Evil spirit!"

The spirit that stood several feet from him was wet and slimy. The most noticeable feature was a jellyfish on its head with the tentacles hung down all the way to its knees.

"Freeze! Don't move"

The officer gets into position before bending several blocks of the earth towards it. The Unknown lazily dodged several of them before the biggest chuck slammed into its entire body.

The officer smiled triumphally at his success and walked closer. Within several feet, he paused as the spirit rosed back up and gave him a crooked smile.

"Fun?" The spirit gurgles as if it has an accumulation of saliva in its mouth that it refuses to swallow.

The spirit took a step forward, with water dripping from its body, leaving a circular wet patch on the ground under its feet. At this point, the officer began to have mixed emotions and decisions. Will he stay and fight and could end up like his team, or retreat and potentially let this monster escape?

The questioning in his head may only take several seconds, but that is more than enough for the spirit to raise its right hand above its head.

"What are you…?"

"Benders. Should not. Fight. Back."

BANG! BANG!

Several explosives mercilessly hit its body and violently staggered it backward.

G3 came running onto the scene, reloading the hand cannon, and unsheathing his dagger.

"Get out of here!"

The armored policeman proceeded to wrestle the monster and dragged it further away from the warehouses. Once far enough, he unleashed several beatings.

The evil spirit seems uninterested in fighting and lets the policemen wail on it non-stop.

"What's the matter?"

A punch landed on its face.

"Fight back."

A kick contacted with its thigh.

G3 pulled out his dagger and slashed upwards on the spirit's front, leading it to tumble backward and roll onto its back. A low grunt could be heard as it groaned either pain or just annoyance of the whole ordeal it had to go through.

It slowly pulled itself together and got up back on its feet.

G3 gripped his dagger and prepared for round two. Not wanting to let the momentum die down, he charged forward and readied his weapon to strike.

The Unknown was startled to see its enemy charged head-on and immediately raised its right hand and called forth its secret weapon.

True to its nature, a bolt of lightning descends from the sky in a fraction of a second and strikes G3 without any warning, causing massive sparks and explosions. The Unknown giddily chuckled to itself on a job well done, thinking it had won but that wasn't the case.

Either he didn't notice he was struck by lightning or there was some adrenaline left in him, G3 brought down the dagger with a massive force onto the Unknown's head and straight down the middle, before crashing down to the ground.

With both parties traded blows, both knew they would have a hard time continuing the fight. G3 had a hard time breathing, his vision darkened and the numbing sensation slowly engulfed his whole body.

"I need to get up. Move damn it!" G3 cursed his uncooperative body.

SPLASH

With incredible pain, G3 looked up to see the evil spirit gone and concluded it must have jumped into the water, explaining the splash.

"Spirits. Years of training, never been on the receiving end of a lightning strike before. Hahaha."

G3 laughed at his predicament as he slowly lost consciousness, hoping he would be in a better place when he woke up and not on the cold hard ground.

"He looks terrible"

"Meelo hush. He might hear you"

"He's out cold Jin-Jin. Don't be such a worry wart."

The voices of Meelo, Jinora, and Ikki were the first thing Yaozun heard in the void of darkness he was currently in. He could feel his body responding better than it did back at the docks. It seems hours might have passed and someone did find him and brought him back to Air Temple Island.

Although, the bigger question was, is he in his room? Why are these three in here?

Yaozun slowly opened his eyes and yes indeed he was in his room, with the three Airbender children huddled at the feet of his bed, looking at him with a combination of worried and annoyed.

"We lost count of how many times either you or Shen was knocked out when fighting the evil spirits," Jinora said, unimpressed.

"Your armor all barbequed up. Good thing everything is alright on the inside." Ikki said it triumphally.

"Shen brought you back. He was panicking most of the time but Daddy and Korra got him to calm down" Meelo walked towards to the side of the bed.

Yaozun let the info make its way into his brain and let it process there. He blinked a couple of times and slowly turned his head sideways to face Meelo.

"Thanks. But, may I ask, why are you three in my room, and what time is it?"

"Ooh, Ooh. I can answer both of those questions." Ikki carelessly airbend herself onto the bed and right on top of the resting detective, earning a groan from the man.

"Ikki" Jinora burst out.

"I will answer the second question first. No reason. It's just telling you the time is straighter to the point than giving you the answer to your first question. Okay? Okay. Cool. It is almost eight o'clock at night. You had been out for 24 hours."

"That long?" Yaozun interjected.

"Yup. For your first question, Shen was adamant about staying with you earlier since he blamed himself for what had befallen you, but, according to Daddy, this Evil Spirit seems to be more of a menace than the previous ones and he reluctantly asked Shen to patrol the city."

The facial expression on Yaozun's face turned into a questioning one.

"Why would Shen blame himself?"

Jinora walked over to the other side of Yaozun's bed.

"He did arrive late to assist you in fighting the Evil Spirit. You wouldn't be in this state if he arrived sooner and Shen wouldn't be a worrying mess."

Jinora didn't give much more explanation but Yaozun easily noticed the side-eye Jinora gave him.

'Man. She is really upset with me for making Shen worry.'

"So…." Ikki chimed in to continue her explanation. "…we promised Shen to stay here with you to keep an eye on you and report everything back to him. Explanation done."

The man on the bed turned to face the ceiling and contemplate the situation he was in. The Evil Spirit does have a surprising trick up its sleeve and could catch anyone off guard. If he was not mistaken, it easily took out multiple police officers who were unaware.

Shen, no, even the Avatar would find it troublesome to deal with.

He needs to go back to the city and warn them. With no time to waste, he jumped off the bed and grabbed his uniform hanging on the wall.

"Hey. Where do you think you're going?" Meelo flew and landed on his back.

"I need to get back out there. Shen and the Avatar need to be informed of this."

"Are you really strong enough to get back out there?" Ikki asked.

"Doesn't matter. I have my responsibilities." Yaozun answered as soon as he finished tying his shoes.

"What about your armor? Last time we saw it, it half fried." Jinora questioned him further.

The detective turned to Airbender children. They rarely have time together to interact outside of business matters and this is one of the weirdest circumstances yet, Yaozun felt closer to them already, as if they had been through this whole Equalists and Evil Spirits from the very beginning, which is not entirely far from the truth.

He knew that among the last Airbenders in the world, these three had a huge burden to bear, whether they knew it or not. They were smack dab between two groups that can't wait to see them gone. Now, he's there, as a bender and police officer, he must fulfill his role, no matter the cost.

"It's okay. I've been fighting longer without it. I'll be fine. I need to go now. Go back to your rooms and get some rest. You three earned it."

He gave them a light pat on their heads. Ikki and Meelo enjoyed it, while Jinora pretended, she was indifferent to the gesture.

Before leaving out of the door, he took one last look at them, "Thanks, you three"

"Go kick their butts, G3-Man!" Meelo shouted.

With the detective gone, the three let out a loud sigh.

"Well. That's our quota for a heart-to-heart moment with the cute detective done." Ikki exclaimed.

"What?" Jinora's head snapped to her sister.

"Oh, nothing"

Yaozun walked in a hurry toward his workshop. His heavy thumping footsteps couldn't be ignored by the nearby Air Acolytes and White Lotus members but they knew that was a man on a mission right there and knew better than to ask him or slow him down.

"Captain Yaozun is in a hurry, doesn't he?"

"Is it true he was struck by lightning?"

"Struck by lightning and already got back up a day later? He's something else."

At the workshop, he saw a note taped to the door with terrible handwriting on it.

THANK ME LATER YAOZY

"Damn that guy."

Yaozun could not prevent a happy smile from appearing on his face and knew whatever surprise behind the door will a damn good one especially if it came from Shou. He was about to reach for the doorknob when it turned and the door swung open to reveal Shou on his way out.

The two friends stared at each other for several seconds as Shou looked down at the note in Yaozun's hand.

"Well. This is awkward. Didn't expect you to come so soon."

"I can come back later if you want," Yaozun suggested.

"Nah. Might as well show you now."

The two entered the workshop and Yaozun was surprised to see his G3 armor was in great condition, well, better than it was when it was struck by lightning. It was placed neatly on the table, ready for its wearer to ride it into battle once more.

"It could be done a lot earlier…" Shou showed his greasy hands and filthy clothes. "…there's a lot of parts to go through. I never worked on this before and couldn't risk getting help from the guys from the force."

Yaozun smiled again and nodded. "Time for me to move out."

Despite the wholesome moment, their banter as friends and rivals couldn't be put aside as they continued to question each other's actions that got them up to that point.

"How did you get struck by lightning? Don't tell me they didn't teach you in the academy." Shou questioned.

"I faced countless scenarios up against lightning benders but never of that literally not needing the pose and move set of one. That should be impossible" Yaozun answered annoyingly as they walked to the jetty.

"I could sense a lightning bender's stance miles away and could reflect it, even with my G3 armor."

The statement took Shou off guard. He wouldn't expect his friend to say such a thing and knowing the man in front of him, he knew it was more than an empty suggestion.

Shen rode his motorcycle from one end of the city to another in search of this evil spirit that gave Yaozun and the city's police force such trouble. He had been at this for two days straight and the only thing that kept him going was his parent's recovery and his vow to pull his own weight in helping others in return for their support through his own hard time.

Reaching a long stretch of road, he arrived at the rendezvous point where he and his friends promised to meet up. He approached a parked car by the side of the road where Mako, Bolin, Asami, and his beloved Korra waiting in their own vehicle.

"Shen" Bolin was the first to notice him and the two high-fived.

Korra saw her boyfriend and jumped off the hood. She embraced him while he was still on his motorcycle while Asami and Mako just smiled.

"So," Korra started, "… how are things on your end?"

"Nothing. The evil spirit must be on high alert and keep itself in the shadows after its fight against the detective. What about the Equalists?"

Asami, who was in the driver's seat, gave a light thump on the ham radio in the car.

"Nothing. It's like they knew we're on to them."

Mako leaned into the passenger seat.

"Maybe they're just scared. We did bust their asses several times already." He said with a proud laugh, which earned him a smack on the shoulder from his girlfriend and a remark from Bolin.

"Keep telling yourself that bro."

Their little light-hearted reunion was cut short when the radio came to life, which caused their attention to snap towards it.

"All available units, please respond to the fifty-six hundred block of Dragon Flats borough. Equalists have taken to the streets, consider them armed and dangerous. Proceed with caution."

"That's just gone from zero to one hundred very fast," Bolin exclaimed.

Mako got into the passenger seat whereas Bolin and Korra got into the backseat. Shen revved up his motorcycle and followed his friends in the speeding car.

The five friends sped up towards their destination, which is part of the city's residential area where numerous flats and apartment buildings dotted the landscape and where hundreds of citizens called their home.

A confrontation in the residential area was never a good thing as lots and lots of people could get hurt in the crossfire. Shen peered to his right and left and realized the surrounding areas were quite dark.

"Why the power's out?" Shen heard Korra ask.

Shen looked up and saw several police airships circling the area. The lights from the airships were the only thing illuminating the sky.

The group stopped their vehicles and made quick access to the situation. The friends looked at each other in confusion when the whole situation was made clear in front of them. None of the hundreds of non-benders in the street, protesting, were members of the Equalists but just ordinary civilians.

"Wait a second." Asami breaks the silence. "None of these guys are armed or dangerous."

Shen got off his motorcycle and took a few steps forward. He is now witnessing mentalbending police holding the unhappy protesters behind several blockades. He scanned the crowds and saw people of all ages. Adults, the elderly, and even little kids standing in the streets shouting something at the police.

"What's going on here? Why was the police announcement just now so inaccurate?"

Shen felt a hand gently intertwine with his. He looked to his left and saw Korra standing there. She looked up to him with gentle eyes, assuring him that she would make things right. Their heart-to-heart moment suddenly got interrupted when Chief Saikhan's voice boomed through a microphone.

"All non-benders, please return to your homes immediately."

"Yeah. As soon after you turn our powers back on!" Yelled one of the male protestors.

"Please disperse immediately. Failure to comply will result in arrest." Saikhan continued talking to the crowd, ignoring their demands.

"This isn't happening. This isn't happening." Shen muttered to himself.

The few times in his life, he's witnessed the council and the police forces actively treating people like criminals when they did nothing wrong. He felt his legs becoming weak. Standing in the middle of the conflict, a protest rally no less, seeing his fellow non-benders being rounded up makes him want to throw up.

If fate had it any other way, he and his parents could be in the middle of that group of people, having a standoff with the police.

"Look, Mommy. It's the Avatar!"

A little girl's voice snapped Shen out of his little plight and looked up to see Korra stepping up to the plate and standing literally between the people and the slowly becoming oppressive council.

"Everyone, please stay calm. I'm gonna put a stop to this."

Her eyes were bewildered all over the place looking for the one man responsible for this whole ordeal.

"Tarrlok, you need to turn the power back on and leave these people alone."

Shen smiled at Korra's determination. Maybe he should do something as well. Maybe if he transforms into Agito and joins in the people's side, Tarrlok might back down and not dare to challenge the warrior that saved the city from the rampaging evil spirits.

ZHING!

The familiar flashes of visions flooded into Shen's head whether he liked it or not. He saw the jellyfish monstrosity standing on top of a building with countless skyscrapers in the background. What really drained the blood from Shen's face was the spirit looked down right onto the protest that was taking place at this very moment.

Any benders here could be its target.

'That monster is here. It must be attracted to the chaos and all of these metal bending police.'

He shot from one direction to another. Turned around 360 degrees multiple times in hopes of miraculously spotting the spirit in whatever amount of time he had left before it attacked any of the benders.

"Shen. Shen. What's wrong?"

Mako saw the Shen's not in his right head and immediately rushed over to his friend's side.

"The evil spirit. It's here. I need to locate it."

"It could be anywhere."

"Where's Asami and Bolin?"

"They went to help Korra."

Shen took a deep breath and calmed his head.

"Go. Help the others. I will handle the spirit. I hope the detective will get here soon."

"Be careful Shen."

The two of them share a handshake before Mako bolts to help the others. As he arrived at the frontline, he could hear the conversation took place.

"Avatar Korra, you and your playmates have no business here." Tarrlok sternly reminded them but Korra and Asami would not back down.

"We're not going anywhere. You don't have the right to treat these innocent people like criminals." Korra took another step forward.

"Innocent? Innocent!?" Tarrlok raised his voice and pointed accusingly at the people. "This is an Equalist rally. There's nothing innocent in the slightest about this"

"They're not Equalists, they're just normal people who want their rights back." Asami began getting into the fray.

"Yeah, dude. You kinda cut off their necessity for power. They have every right to be angry." Bolin pointed out.

"Enough! If they can't see the sacrifices that need to be made to wipe out the enemy, they might as well be one of them! Officers! Round up these Equalists!" Tarrlok barked out the orders.

Metalbending officers begin to earthbend, removing the legs from the barriers and forcing the people back as they coil the barriers around them, trapping them in a makeshift prison.

The metalbenders slammed their legs into the ground, causing large mounds of earth to rise underneath the nonbenders, lifting them off the ground.

Fear and panic begin to spread through those not caught, and start running away, either on their own or holding tight to their family members. Those who were caught and felt brave enough decided to climb over the barriers and jump down despite being several feet in the air and above the ground.

Some jumped down unscathed but some were not lucky and injured themselves as light as a scrape to broken and fractured bones. Their cries of pain were ignored as metalbending police lifted them up and shoved them into the back of their police trucks.

On top of a nearby rooftop, the Jellyfish Unknown looked down into the crowds below. Its sight landed on various types of people which signifies the roles they possess.

The majority were running, screaming, and resisting arrests. They must be the lower habitants of the power hierarchy.

The ones in the black armors were the ones following orders were given to them without questions. They are either loyal and obedient or stupid and gullible.

The last group was the most interesting which comprised the least people. They stood with authority and wore no facial expressions as if this meant nothing to them. The tall dark-skinned man caught the Unknown's attention and can't wait to execute its plan.

"Why are you doing this?!" One of the protestors shouted out as he was shoved to the ground.

"We just want our power back. Find it in your heart and think of the children!" A woman wailed as she hugged tight her daughter while being dragged off to who knows where.

"You benders are evil!"

The spirit heard loud and clear the voices below despite hundreds of them overlapping one another. It raised its hand high above into the air.

"Benders. Evil. Must die."

"Henshin!"

A flash of light came from behind and Agito tackled the spirit to the ground but there was enough time for it to get the initial strike.

Tens of lightning strikes rain down from the sky and while some hit their intended target, the ones that missed caused just as much damage and havoc.

Several police officers were struck, leaving them either dead or half dead. Police vehicles were also victims as lightning struck them, causing multiple to explode, hurting police and civilians indiscriminately.

"Evil spirit attack!" A police officer screamed.

"We're saved!" A protestor shouted as he ran away from the police clutches.

Tarrlok was spared from the initial strike as one of the lightning strikes landed several feet from him. But that did not cause him to waver but only to fuel his anger and hatred. He growled that his operation just went from bad to worse and there was no way to cover up the rest of the council.

He noticed a quarter of the police were incapacitated and the 'Equalist' that hadn't been captured fled the area. He needs someone to channel his frustrations. He noticed the Avatar and her friends helping the culprits escape and found the perfect target.

"Officers! Arrest the Avatar's friends for obstructing justice!"

The remaining police force surrounded Team Avatar. Some already grabbed onto Asami using a water whip and the rest used their metal cables to apprehend the two brothers.

"Tarrlok!"

Korra earthbend two massive boulders, ready to retaliate.

"Unless you want to join your friends in prison, I suggest you put those down and go back to the Air Temple. I'm willing to look the other way for you because of our past relationship but for them, I have to make an example."

"Listen to him, Korra. It's not worth it." Mako told her.

"We'll be okay," Asami assured her.

"Remember Korra. We're not alone in this." Bolin was the last one to say a word of encouragement before they were escorted to a police truck that wasn't damaged in the lightning strike.

"Don't worry, I'll call Tenzin. He can get you out. I'll let the others know."

Korra fearlessly mentioned 'the others' in front of Tarrlok as she wanted to strike him with the news that Team Avatar was not done by just arresting three of them.

"I don't know who are these 'others' but I will find them and they will receive the harshest of punishment." Tarrlok threatens her.

Korra smirked and looked straight into Tarrlok's eyes.

"You can strike us how many times you like but Team Avatar will never go down."

The evil spirit flew and crashed into a wall of a shop. Agito continued to get the upper hand similar to G3 and did not give it any opening to counterattack.

"How did you summon those lightning strikes?" Agito demanded as he got the spirit into its feet and kicked it further down the street.

The spirit recovered and raised its hand.

"Oh no you don't."

Agito rushed forward but several lightning strikes hit his surroundings. He tried his best and managed to avoid the lightning strike but it threw him off his balance. The spirit took this chance and began to slash and kick Agito as he was still on the ground.

"Shen!"

G3 came running from behind and grabbed the spirit, pulling it away. They made their way towards a wider and more open area to fight.

The spirit was outmatched with the two fighters teamed up against it.

"Shen. Finish it."

"Roger."

Agito crouched down and prepared for his kick. The horn split open and the mark of Agito appeared under him.

The spirit saw the threat and got ready for his own final attempt to stop the incoming attack. G3 saw the hand being raised and knew it would be coming for both of them.

"Not this time."

G3 stood firm in front of Agito and prepared for the inevitable. In just seconds, two bolts of lightning make their way down towards the designated target. As soon as the lightning struck G3, the detective immediately got into his lightning bend stance.

The lightning strike that was meant for Agito also makes its way towards G3, surprising his friend and the spirit.

With his armor surging with lightning, G3 extended his fingers and returned a powerful blast of lightning toward the monster and struck it right in the body.

Agito, sensing the signal, finished his attack preparation before jumping high into the air, over G3, and delivering the final blow, killing the spirit instantly.

The detective walked over to his friend and the two stood in silence watching the burning remains of the spirit. Another menace had been dealt with in the city.

"Detective. Did you hear about…"

"…the rally and the arrests?" G3 finished the question Agito was asking.

"Yes. I've heard all about it. I also heard that Mako, Asami, and Bolin were arrested by the police but the Avatar were let off with a warning."

"What?"

Agito was surprised by the revelation. It would never cross his mind that his friends were being arrested. They could do things such things that could land in hot water but now it is confirmed they were arrested really was news for Agito.

"I would not ask what you kids were planning beforehand but I figured foul play from Tarrlok is in the air here. We need to be careful here Shen. You, me, Shou, and Chief Beifong are among those who still elude from Tarrlok's gaze and we need to keep it that way. Once we are in his 'vision', there's no telling what he might do to dig dirt on us."

"Understood detective" Agito shortly replied. "Let's go home. I bet Korra and Councilman Tenzin losing hair in trying to get the others out of jail. By the way, how's Detective Shou?"

"The last time I talked to him was before I left the island. He is probably somewhere in the city dealing with the rally. Better not to disturb him."

Back at Air Temple Island, Shen carefully and quietly dragged his feet toward Korra's room. He knew he would get an earful if anyone saw him there. He gently knocked on the door and it only took several seconds before the door swung open.

"Korra. I've heard."

Korra wasn't in the best of condition. Her eyes were slightly red of anger and she was a bit short of breath, probably just finished an argument with a poor soul.

"Is everything alright on your end Shen?" she asked.

"The spirit is dead. Look Korra, I'm sorry for not being there. I wished I got back sooner…"

"Shut up."

Korra wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into the room. Their lips met each other after who knows how long they were apart. Shen returned the gesture as they competed in who could hug the other the tightest.

They slowly made their way to Korra's bed. The moment Shen felt there was an obstacle in their way, he flipped and let his back land on the bed first with Korra on top of him.

Thankfully the sound of them crashing onto the bed didn't raise any alarm for anyone in the vicinity.

Their passionate session continues a bit longer before separating to get a good breath of air. Shen was ready for another go but saw Korra wasn't.

He saw how her mind wasn't in the right place and no one needed to tell him, it clearly wasn't in the bedroom with them.

"Korra? Don't be sad. Our friends will be okay. We will get them out."

Korra placed her face onto his chest and just hugged him tight.

"It was all my fault. I should just…just…bend that guy out of existence."

"I know you would. You did the right thing. Tarrlok would just manipulate the situation and get all of you into deeper trouble. At least they are just being detained right now." Shen chuckled as he pushed the Avatar off him and laid her beside him.

With their faces red after the make out session, laying on the same bed in the darkness of the night with no one to tell them to stop, one had no idea how long they wished to be in this position but unfortunately, that night wasn't the best of nights.

"Looks like it's just us now," Korra said, not taking her eyes off her boyfriend's brown ones.

"Looks like it. So, let's work together to save our friends. We work as one. Okay?" Shen added.

"Let's." Korra agreed as she lay there and ran her hand through Shen's hair, while the boy caressed Korra's beautiful cheeks.

It felt like they had fallen asleep for some time when Korra woke up. She saw Shen still fast asleep next to her. She looked out the window and it was still dark out; the time was probably still early in the morning.

She looked at her boyfriend and felt a sense of dread as she needed to break the promise they made earlier. She bent down and kissed Shen's cheeks and lightly brushed his hair.

"I need to do this Shen. I'm sorry."

"Shen? Shen? Stop daydreaming honey."

Shen snapped out of his daydream to see his mother smiling at him. She was wearing their family catering uniform. He looked at himself he, too, was wearing the same uniform. They stood behind a table filled with a variety of dishes and his mother diligently served food to the guests that came up to the table.

Why is he wearing this? Where are they anyway?

Shen looked around to see they were in the middle of a party on Air Temple Island. Hundreds of guests attending the party stood around talking and chatting merrily with each other. There are some he recognized like Asami, some of the Air Acolytes, and even Councilman Tenzin and his family.

"Um, mother?"

"Yes, Shen?"

"Whose party is this and what's the celebration?"

Talah looked puzzled at Shen's questions. Slowly but surely, the puzzled look turned to a look of sympathy and pity.

"Oh Shen. I guess you're still not truly over her." Talah slowly patted Shen's arm.

"What are you talking about mother?"

"I know. I know. I wished you and Avatar Korra would last as well. You two seemed to love each other very much but I guess it was not meant to be when she broke things off. I should have suspected such things and denied the catering requests at her engagement party."

Shen's jaw dropped as the bombshell dropped on him. Korra broke up with him and got engaged while his family acted as the main catering service at the party? Aren't they in the middle of a crisis in the city with the Equalists? This must be some sick twisted drama. He needs to find Korra, now.

"One of everything please."

A female voice forced Shen to turn around. The voice came from none other than Korra. She was wearing a traditional water tribe engagement dress with her hair done in a traditional water tribe style.

She was beautiful.

Her smile slowly diminished at the sight of him. In the end, there were just two sad teens looking at each other.

"Hello Shen. I guess your family decided to accept the requests after all." She said with a sad tone.

"Korra. We need to talk right now." Shen reached out across the table but Korra flinched backwards, avoiding his touch.

"Whatever it is you must talk about Shen, you can save it. It is over between us." Korra spat out with such venom and disgust.

"What? We're not done. There's no way I would let you go. I rather die than lose you."

"You clearly didn't think that way on the day I broke the news to you. You seem quite happy."

"No!" Shen shouted, earning looks from the guests, "I refuse to believe this."

"Oh, you better believe it. An amazing woman like the Avatar only deserves the best man in the whole of Republic City. That's why for the betterment of the city, we've decided to announce our engagement and celebrate."

A man's voice came from behind Korra. He walked up towards them and lovingly put an arm around her waist. Korra doesn't seem too happy to see the man but she went along with it for one reason or another.

Shen looked up at the man and felt his whole world come crashing down on top of him.

Tarrlok.

"What are you doing here? Get your arm off of Korra." Shen demanded.

Tarrlok scoffed at the young boy.

"Why? Is there something wrong with a man showing affection towards his fiancé?"

'Fiance? Fiance?'

"Shut up!" Shen's anger and jealousy could not be contained anymore as he jumped over the table, grabbed Tarrlok by the collar, and away from Korra.

"Stay away from her. She's mine. I love her and she loves me. Not you."

Tarrlok just continued to smile at the foolish boy in front of him. How much level of ignorance and blindness could be displayed in such a short period of time?

"How pitiful display by a lowly peasant. Korra dear?"

As soon as Korra's name left Tarrlok's lips, Shen felt the air knocked out of him as he flung backward into the catering table. Korra just earthbend a slab of the earth into him to keep him away from Tarrlok.

Their eyes made contact but no hint of love, sympathy or compassion could be found in Korra's.

"Thank you, my dear."

Tarrlok walked over to Shen and helped him up to his feet but he firmly gripped onto Shen's shoulder and arm. He stared into the younger's man eyes with malice and hatred.

Once he gathered his thoughts, he whispered to Shen.

"I despised you the moment I saw you at the gala. Always been close to the Avatar's side and try to keep her on the 'right track. Let me tell you boy, the age has changed. New era, new cycle, new Avatar. The world is ready to move on. They don't need an Avatar anymore to guide them and they certainly don't need an 'Agito'.

"Argghh" Shen screamed out as he felt intense pain all over his body. He felt like his body and his joints were forced to twist and turn in various angles and directions. He looked at the people around him, but none of them lifted a finger to help him.

Some of them stared with sadness, some of them were looking around in hoping others would help him. Korra and his mother couldn't even look at him as they closed their eyes and turned around. Lastly, Tarrlok looked on with a grin and let out an evil chuckle.

"I…will…make sure…. Korra beat the living….out of you!"

After the declaration, a deafening shimmering sound could be heard and a blinding light shined from Shen's waist.

The Agito's belt.

The light shines brightly, illuminating the whole area. As it died down, Shen found himself awake in Korra's dark room, with no Korra to greet him. The shimmering of the belt continued but it was not as loud or blinding as before.

"Korra? Where are you?" Shen called out but no one responded.

Shen tried to stand up but he still the horrifying pain pulsing through his body although it was milder compared to his first time experiencing it in the dream.

He holds on to the bed for support. He needs to find Korra. If the dream was any indication or a premonition, he needs to find her and make sure she's safe.

'Where are you taking me!? Let me out!'

Korra's voice boomed in his head, causing him to lose balance once more, and landed on his back on the hard floor. She sounds furious, frustrated, and desperate. What trouble she could be in?

"That's Korra's voice. Why is she screaming? Let her out of where?"

'Say goodbye to Republic City, Avatar Korra. Because you will not see it again.'

"Tarrlok!"

That was Tarrlok's voice. There's no mistake. First the dream and now his voice in Shen's head? He must be up to something and he's done something awful to Korra.

'You can't do this!'

"Korra! Arghh!"

With the accumulation of the pain he felt in his body, the belt that wouldn't stop shimmering and shining, and the voices projected into his head, Shen was at his breaking point. After one final agonizing scream, Shen fell into a deep trance.

His eyes shot open and didn't blink once. It stared straight on ahead. His body stood up, with the belt continuing to produce the noise and the blinding light, he walked out of the room and towards his unknown destination.

As he walked out on the island, a lone member of the White Lotus was standing guard, sipping his hot drink, saw Shen walking across the lawn. He wasn't too hard to spot as the belt illuminated the whole area.

He rushed over to the teen.

"Mister Xiang, what are you doing? It's nighttime. You need to go back to your room."

The teen ignored the guard and walked past him. The guard muttered to himself in frustration before standing in front of the teen warrior once more.

"Final warning. Return to your…woooh!"

Shen, with a single shove, threw the guard through the air and landed near some thick bushes, knocking him out. Now with no one to stop him, in a trance or not, he must proceed with his mission to find Korra.

Shen rode his motorcycle towards the location where he believed Korra was held captive. He had no idea where exactly but the belt and the light helped by guiding him. No doubt the sound and the light from the belt would attract lots of attention but the street was vacant and empty.

The rally earlier really struck fear in the populace and the citizens did not dare to step out of their homes.

ZHING!

Shen saw none other than himself in the vision with the point of view coming from behind him. Whatever approached him from behind was coming in fast.

"Henshin"

He transformed into Agito and predicted immediately when to duck as a hand went to his head. He looked up to see a Jackal Unknown running right beside him and managed to keep up with the motorcycle.

They traded multiple blows with Agito keeping a good balance and avoiding crashing his ride. Agito went in for a kick but the Jackal jumped away, disappearing. Sensing the danger wasn't over, Agito stayed vigilant.

His high alert paid off as the Jackal returned, ambushing him from above and diving straight towards him. Agito prepared for the attack only to see a giant shadow cast over him followed by a loud roar.

Naga appeared above both Agito and the evil spirit and used her massive paws to effortlessly slap the Jackal away. The evil spirit launched high into the air and crashed into the parked cars by the side of the road.

Agito stopped his motorcycle to see if the danger had gone and fortunately, he didn't sense the spirit anywhere. Naga approached Agito and nuzzled up to his cheek. The armor-clad warrior patted her nose and the polar bear dog let out a whimper.

"This is the second time you came to me to help find your missing master." Agito chuckled, amused at how these situations keep repeating themselves.

"I have a gut feeling where she might be. The belt will guide me, somehow."

Agito looked down at his belt and touched it for comfort. He was glad he had the belt to help him guide the way. Naga responded with a happy bark and the two teamed up as they raced each other throughout the entire journey.

Unbeknownst to them, the powerful Lizard Unknown had been watching the whole ordeal ever since their last encounter. He stood high and mighty on top of a tall building, watching his nemesis speed off to find the Avatar.

"aGiTo"

The flames on its body pulsated bright red and flames spewed from its maw. It is ready to fight and put an end to Agito with the help of these interesting non-bending humans.

TO BE CONTINUE…