Both Lin and Yuze's face became serious. The conversation and revelation earlier have been pushed to the back of their mind. They need full attention and concentration on the fight that will surely happen.
The mother-daughter duo heard multiple footsteps and gasped behind them.
Lin looked over her shoulder, ordering the people, "Everyone hide inside and remain calm."
But as soon as the earthbender finished her sentence, a scream came out from Pema. Lin turned around, "Pull it together, Pema. Didn't I just say stay calm?"
"Mommy, what's wrong?" Ikki asked in a concerned tone.
Yuze paled as she looked at the groaning pregnant woman. She has a guess of what was happening.
The first lady of Air Nation lifted her head as she declared, "The baby is coming."
Lin's eyes widened and her mouth fell open in shock and horror.
"Oh, no," Jinora said, her hands went to her mouth.
"Not now baby!" Meelo commanded as if it would stop the baby from coming out.
"Oh, shit," was all Yuze said.
And though Pema was writhing in pain she still had time to glare at the firebender, "Language!" before a scream tore out of her throat once again.
Two acolytes approach the mother in labor and assist her inside where she will give birth. The three kids watched their mother as she entered the temple.
"Kids," the kids turned their heads towards the firebender. There is not even slight a hint of humor on Yuze's face which they are not used to seeing, "Go inside."
Ikki stepped forward her eyes looking up to the second ship's arrival before returning her gaze to her favorite person, "But we want—"
"Just do what I said."
The middle child of the airbending kids was about to protest when a hand on her arm stopped her. Ikki looked at her elder sister, "Let's go, Ikki."
Ikki hesitated for a moment before she nodded and together, the three of them obeyed what the older woman said.
Both women turned towards the entrance as they heard multiple footsteps.
"Ready to kick some ass, Beifong?" Yuze asked her hands reaching her back where her batons were.
"I'm always ready," Lin replied, her stance may look relaxed but her mind was alert. She glanced at her daughter, "How about you... Beifong?"
The mother immediately regretted it as she saw her daughter's body tense.
Lin looked away, a slight pang of hurt in her heart. Once again she wants to break into the jail where that bitch is imprisoned and beat the hell out of her. If it's not just the law getting in her way, that woman was already gone in this world.
The firebender saw how the older woman's face changed in a minuscule of time before it became blank again. Yuze's heart pang at the thought of hurting the feelings of the woman beside her, even if she didn't mean to.
"I'm sorry," Lin whispered, her eyes looking ahead, "I shouldn't have said—"
"Don't apologize," Yuze stopped the woman, "My mind might be still processing it, and my emotions were still in turmoil, but my heart already knew who you were," then her eyes met with the older woman, "Even though I still don't realize who you are to me."
Lin's eyes began to get teary again. Damn it. This kid is getting her emotional.
Yuze's eyes widened as she saw the older woman's eyes glistening, "Gosh, what has gotten into you? Don't be so mushy!"
The earthbender huffed, "I'm not."
"Was it your age the reason why you're getting soft?" Yuze teased, not used to this new side of the earthbender.
"You're the only one who's capable of doing this to me, kid," Lin stated her hand reaching her face, index finger wiping her eyes in a graceful manner.
Yuze groaned, "Please, stop that. I'm not used to you being this... this..."
"Motherly?"
"I don't know, but this!"
Lin laughed heartily, her lips forming into a smirk, "Well you need to, I need to catch up with all of those years you've been away from me."
Yuze didn't know if she should be terrified or if her heart would swell up at the older woman's declaration. She shook her head as the Equalists came into their view, "Let's continue it later, the bastards are here."
"Oh, so you want me to be motherly to you after this?" Lin's brow arching, as her eyes twinkled with mischief. She chuckled as her daughter groaned once again.'I think I'll enjoy taking this role.'
But the earthbender didn't forget about the fight and after her teasing her face came back into serious. As the Equalists came approaching, Lin shot her cables grabbed two people, and bumped them together. The Equalists with the batons came rushing towards the former Chief, but Yuze came from Lin's behind and intercepted the attack with her own batons.
The two baton wielders engaged in the battle. One tried to help their Lieutenant but they were caught by Lin's cable and threw them to the one rushing to her. Lin felt the presence of someone attacking her from behind. She turned around and stamped her foot to the ground, raising a pillar that knocked the person from their back. The earthbender turned around again and stamped her foot to make another pillar and kicked it, making the upper top fly towards the other.
On the other hand, Yuze swiped the baton that the Lieutenant tried to jab with. She then brought them together and swiped the Lieutenant's legs, making him fall to the ground. The firebender brought down the end of the batons to the Lieutenant's stomach, but the latter avoided it by rolling and swiping Yuze's legs in the process.
Lin stood up from crunching down after she made three pillars when she saw the supposed to be the leader of the group about to strike her daughter down with his baton.
The earthbender intercepts the attack by shooting her cable towards the Lieutenant. The man saw the attack from his peripheral view and blocked the metal cable with his batons, twirling it in the process to tangle the cable with his weapon then he pressed the button. Electricity flowed through the cable, reaching the owner and making her electrified, and since Lin was wearing a metal armor, the pain was tripled and the earthbender kneeled in pain.
Yuze's eyes widened in horror as she watched the older woman go down then it transformed into anger. She did a twirl with her hand on the ground, blasting blue flames at everyone around her, but her main target was the Lieutenant coming to her mother's boss.
The Lieutenant flew after being blasted by the fire but managed to control his body mid-air to land on the ground with less damage.
Yuze then brought her batons down with forced her to stick them into the ground. Then she used her bending to shoot electricity to the ground, and with the skill of a Master, she controlled the current to just on the Equalists, avoiding Lin completely.
The chi blockers screamed in pain, writhing and falling to the ground. Some of them are unconscious, and some of them are barely conscious.
Yuze stood up twirling her batons and sheathing it into her back. She turned towards the earthbender and ran towards her, "Are you al—"
The firebender saw Lin's eyes widen while looking at her back, "Watch out!"
But the earthbender's warning was already too late as two bolas already encircled Yuze's arms and legs. The firebender fell to the ground with a loud thud. She groaned as she lifted her head and her eyes widened. Not so far from them was another group of Equalists. Yuze looked up and her eyes narrowed when she saw another ship join the two ships in the air.
The firebender spat the blood from her mouth, and scoffed, "What? You all needed three groups just to defeat us?"
The Equalists ignored her taunting and advanced towards her when a voice spoke from above.
"Stay away from my dad's ex-girlfriend and Yuze," Jinora said while riding a glider. Once she got on the ground, she swung her glider to blast a gust of the wind on the man at the very front of the latest batch.
"What the—" the firebender stated, a little bit in shock.
"Jinora you shouldn't be out here!" Lin reprimanded the airbender kid.
But then another sound of spiraling air was heard and they saw Ikki riding an air scooter, "Get out of our island!" she declared as she bumped at the few members stopping behind Lin.
Lin struggled to stand up, "Girls you need to go inside this instant."
"Just what she said!" Yuze exclaimed.
Ikki looked down at the firebender who was still lying on her stomach. The kid smiled teasingly, "Stay down there, Yuze. Daddy said you should lie down and rest, after all."
The firebender squirmed trying to get free but to no avail. She gave up and glared at the kid, but without truly heat behind it, "Brat."
"Taste my fury!"
Everyone looked up and saw Meelo jumping from the roof, landing with his butt at one of the Equalists' faces, and firing the most deadly and dangerous weapon the world has ever faced. Fart.
"I don't know if I should be impressed or disgusted by that," Yuze expressed her thoughts out loud.
The boy landed on the ground, and Lin shouted, "Meelo, be careful!"
But Meelo didn't hear what the older woman was saying as he was on fire (even though he was an airbender). He blasted a gust of the wind towards one of his attackers, then another at the other attacker, then fired a fart at another one, and do a finale with him curling his body forming a dome of air around him then let it out, screaming in a barbaric way.
Lin stared at the boy and deadpanned, "Never mind."
Then they heard another multiple footsteps and were about to prepare for another fight when they saw it was just the White Lotus sentries.
"Oh, look who arrived!" Yuze shouted, but then received a jab of earth from where she was lying, "Aww!" she glared at the older woman who was looking at her sternly. Yuze felt a shiver down her spine and stopped herself from commenting. The ones who knew Yuze looked at her weirdly, cause they knew a single glare would not stop Yuze from doing anything.
They didn't know the reason behind it, but if they knew, they would understand the firebender.
Who wouldn't be scared if your mother scolded you?
After the Equalists were tied, Lin instructed the White Lotus sentries to lock them up, and Yuze was freed from the bolas, Oogi landed at the courtyard and Tenzin and the team Avatar hopped off him. The three kids rushed to their father informing him about him fighting the bad guys. Tenzin was angry at first but after the compliment from Lin and Yuze, it disappeared and changed into a proud one.
Then Lin urged Tenzin to be with his wife. Everyone entered the temple and into the room where the mother who had just given birth was with the newborn baby, named Rohan.
Everyone stared at the Airbender family with a smile on their face. Lin on the other hand, while staring at them had reminded her of the time she gave birth to her daughter. A hand on her arm gets the earthbender into the present. She looked at her daughter who was raising an eyebrow towards her.
Yuze leaned forward and whispered, "You're getting all emotional again, Beifong."
Lin glared at her daughter and rolled her eyes when the younger woman's smirk widened. The older woman then smirked. Time to take her role. Lin leaned forward and whispered, "That's because I remember that day when I push you out of my vagina."
Lin let out a small laugh when she saw Yuze's face showed a mix of disbelief and disgusted expressions. Just then she noticed everyone was looking at her, the others even weirdly as this was the first time they heard that noise come out of the Chief of the Police. The earthbender cleared her throat and acted as if nothing had happened.
Korra shook her head and stepped forward, "I'm so sorry to interrupt but more ships are coming."
Ikki turned to his father, "Everything's not gonna be fine. Isn't daddy?"
Tenzin looked at his family and then at his newborn child, "I'm afraid it is not," then he gave his son to his wife and stood up. He gestured to the four to come with him outside.
Everyone gazed at the sky where two more other ships were flying towards them. The Avatar then turned towards her airbending Master, "What you wanna do, Tenzin?"
The airbender sighed, "I need to protect my family and get them as far away from this conflict as possible," then he looked at his old friend, "If Amon got his hand on my children, I hate to even think of it."
"If you're leaving then I'm going with you," Lin announced without a second thought.
"But—"
The earthbender raised her hand, "No arguments," then she stared dead into Tenzin's eyes, "You and your family are the last airbenders. There's no way in the world I'm letting Amon take your bending away."
"Thank you, Lin," Tenzin expressed his gratitude as he turned to the Avatar, "Korra, I want you to leave this Island and hide for the time being."
Korra frowned, "I'm not giving up."
"I'm not asking you to," Tenzin said, "I said a word to the United Forces. They would be here soon. And once my family is safe, I will return," he turned his body to fully face the Avatar, "With the reinforcement, we could turn the tide in this war."
"What you're saying is," Korra sighed, "We need to be patient."
Tenzin put a hand to Korra's shoulder making the latter meet his eyes, "You're learning way."
Korra smiled at the praise.
"If Korra will have to hide, I'm coming with her," Yuze steps forward.
Korra looked at the older woman, "Yuze—"
"No buts," the firebender said then she put a hand to Korra's hand, "You're like a younger sister to me, I'll not let them hurt you."
Korra's lips pressed together before she nodded. Yuze also nodded and lifted her head, her eyes meeting with Lin's. The younger woman saw the concern and conflict in the older woman's eyes, but there was also understanding in them.
For this is what coursing through their blood. The duty to serve and protect everyone around them.
Everyone left for their preparation of departure but the mother and daughter remained outside. A silence enveloped the space between them until Yuze broke it.
"Beifong, huh?" Yuze said pertaining to the similarity of the two of them.
"That was who we are," Lin said before she faced the younger woman. Her hand reached her daughter's shoulder, "Promise me, Yuze, you'll be safe," then her hand raised up until it reached Yuze's face and cupped it gently, "I just got you back. I don't want to lose you again."
Yuze nodded, "Promise me you'll be safe too," she put her hand atop the hand on her cheek, "I need to hear the whole story."
Lin nodded, her eyes were burning at the thought of being away from her daughter again. She tried to restrain the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes, but she couldn't.
Yuze's brows knitted together, she could feel tears gathering in her eyes. She stretched her hand to wipe the older woman's tears, "Didn't I tell you to stop crying?"
Lin reached the hand holding her face and bit her lower lips to stop herself from sobbing. She closed her eyes as she leaned forward to press her forehead to her daughter's, "It just— You'll be away from me again. We just had reunited again and fate is forcing us to separate."
Yuze bit her lower lips as tears started pouring from her eyes. She may not know Lin as a mother, but she could still pain in her heart, "You don't have to worry, we'll still see each other after all of this."
Lin sighed as she leaned back just enough to see the face of her daughter. Trying to memorize it as her fingers caressed Yuze's cheek making the latter close her eyes at the gentleness of it. The mother leaned again but this time her lips pressed to her daughter's forehead for a few seconds before she embraced her daughter.
The two of them stay like that for a long time. Taking every last second they are together cause they don't know when they will see each other again.
After everyone finished preparing for their departure, bid their goodbyes, and promised to each other. With one exchanged look from the mother and daughter, the two groups separated.
While they are flying, Lin might be physically in there but her mind is somewhere else, and she doesn't know but she has this feeling that something bad is going to happen. But she reassured herself, that her daughter would be safe, that she would see her daughter again.
Lin pushed the thoughts aside and focused on the task beforehand. She looked behind them and saw the airships were approaching them fast. The earthbender looked at Tenzin who is in the head of Oogi, "They're gaining on us!"
Tenzin also looked behind before he whipped the lead rope, "Faster Oogi!"
The sky bison obeyed his owner and went faster. But the Equalists didn't want them to escape and fired a net towards them.
Lin saw this and shot her cable, busting the net. Then she shot another cable from her other hand, grabbing the rope of the destroyed net. She gazed back at the family of last airbenders, and made a decision.
She closed her eyes, seeing her daughter's face. Before she opened her eyes, full of determination, "Whatever happens to me don't turn back."
Tenzin looked back, "Lin, what are you doing?"
Lin ignored the airbender and ran on Oogi's tail, jumping when she reached the end. Using her bending, she let herself ascend towards the airship. Once she got on the top, she took a stance and made an opening from the ship then ran, bringing that small tear with her and making it larger as she moved.
Once the earthbender finished she jumped on the ship and did the same thing, only this time she was stopped when two bolas wrapped her around her body, electrocuting her in the process.
Lin was barely conscious as two Equalists were by her on each side, dragging her through the ground. Then the chi blockers let her go, and with no support, she fell to her knees in front of the man she mostly despised. She glared as she saw the man step closer to her.
"Tell me where the Avatar is and I'll let you keep your bending."
Lin's glare intensified and spotted, "I won't tell you anything, you bastard."
She may not see it but she knew behind the mask, the man was smiling, "Very well."
Lin prepared herself to lose her bending. Losing the part of herself, of who she is. She may be disheartened but the thought of her daughter being safe was enough to calm the raging storm inside her. She accepted her fate, her destiny, as long as her daughter was all right, that's all she needed.
The leader of the Equalists was about to walk towards her when a voice spoke from behind.
"Amon, we got her."
The Equalists parted and Lin's world slowed down. Her blood ran cold, and her heart dropped to her stomach. Her lungs forgot to breathe as her eyes trained on the familiar form of a certain firebender that was close to her heart.
Her Yuze, her daughter was being escorted by the Equalists. A mask covered the lower part of her head, a pair of shackles that covered the entirety of her hands, and boots with chains on her feet. All of them were made of metal. To prevent the firebender from producing flame on anyways. She could see her daughter was struggling to walk, even just standing from the weight of her restraint.
Lin's body reacted when Yuze fell to the ground, body giving up from the weight. But the earthbender was held back by Amon's followers. She glared at the man in front of her, squirming at the hands of the Equalists holding her down, "Release her."
Amon's head tilted, "Oh, you are concerned to this?" he kicked the firebender's body. Lin's teeth bared ready to lurch out but a hand pressed down her weak body, "I apologize, Chief Beifong, but I can't do that," then he crouched down, yanking Yuze's hair, tearing a painful scream from the latter's throat, "You see, she is a threat, a risk to this world," the firebender's eyes finally opened and widened as far as her swelling eyes could do as she met with Lin's.
Amon's next words made Lin see red, "She needs to be gone."
She needs to be gone?
Lin's mind began to cloud.
Her daughter needs to be gone?
Her body trembled with uncontrollable rage coursing throughout her.
Her daughter... be gone?
"What's happening!?"
"I thought you blocked her chi?"
"We did, Amon. We don't know how she could still bent!"
Everyone tried to stay on their feet as the ground shook with great intensity that some of the stones from the surrounding fell off, cracking beginning to form from the ground up to the walls.
Then the surroundings became suspiciously still. Until all of a sudden hundreds of rocks rise into the air. They saw how they were compacted until they were sharp. The daughter of Toph lifted her head, eyes were closed.
A deep breath, and with eyes snapped open, the rocks lurched everywhere, avoiding the firebender on the ground.
Some successfully avoided the attack, some were unlucky and fell to the ground screaming, and some were unfortunate enough they didn't get a chance to scream and simply dropped to the floor— dead.
Amon stood up and saw his comrades in pain. His eyes went back to the earthbender who was preparing for another attack. He started moving before the former Chief could even have a chance to strike again.
Lin saw him coming and charged another batch of sharpened stones but he was the only one she was targetting. Amon tried to avoid all of them, some were successful, some were not, but the man didn't stop running despite his injuries.
Amon was getting near and Lin flicked her hand then a pillar of earth rose to the ground. She punched the pillar and half of it flew towards the Equalist. But the man did a somersault to avoid the incoming boulder.
Amon landed directly behind the former Chief. Lin was about to face him but a hand held the back of her head. And everything seems to become slow. Lin's eyes met with Yuze who was staring at her in horror.
Then she heard a muffled scream from her daughter the moment Amon's thumb came in touch with her forehead.
And everything went black.
Lin doesn't know what time and how many days have already passed as there's no window or anything that will indicate the time, here where she was being held captive.
She only knew if it was day or night, whenever a member of Equalists would bring her food to eat. But that was not also reliable, as the time of them delivering her food was not persistent. Sometimes they would not even give her something to eat, just water.
Lin has nothing she can do in her cell, except think about her daughter, praying to the spirits that she is alright and how she hates herself for not being able to save her daughter, to not being there to rescue her.
A grunt was heard outside her cell but Lin didn't know nor even care what was happening out there until a voice familiar voice spoke.
Lin lifted her head and there, in front of her from the outside, stood three teenagers.
"Ready to be free, Miss Chief?" Luhan grinned.