Chapter 29

Oogi growled as he descended from the sky, landing in a large open alleyway. The seven passengers hopped from their seats in the saddle as Mako and Bolin looked around, both recalling the last time they were here.

"The truck that took Bolin and Sota took off down this alley," Mako pointed, prompting everyone into a jog as they followed him.

"Which way?" Asami asked as they came up to a stop at a cross section with various routes.

"Hmm…this way kinda smells familiar," Bolin said, receiving a roll of her eyes while Lin brought her foot up to stomp the ground with her Seismic Sense. The quake relayed the area to not only her, but to Jun as well, who'd closed her eyes just as the former chief had. The quake was far more powerful and in-depth than she'd have been able to do, giving her a full map as she immediately identified something. Gasping, she turned to her right and pointed down an path.

"This way!" Jun said, rushing down the alley alone while the others turned to Lin who nodded her head in approval.

"She's got good senses. There's a tunnel nearby," Lin explained before they all broke out into a run to follow Jun who'd come to a stop in front of the gate to the tunnel. The girl stared at it quietly as the others joined her and immediately noticed the lines in the snow going inside. Lin approached the front and kneeled to examine them carefully. "Motocycle tracks."

"Korra has to be in there," Mako declared before adding a small, "somewhere," as the chief stood and raised the gate with her metalbending. The metal gave a hard slam that jolted Jun out of her stare with a jump, something Tula noticed immediately.

"Hold up; we've got a situation," she said before addressing Jun directly. "Can you handle this?"

"What? Of course I can? I don't know what- "

"Save it, kid. You look terrified, and it's pretty obvious it's because of your fear of going underground. Even a blind person could- "Tula could feel her face turning red as she realized what she just said in front of Lin and quickly corrected herself. "Anyway, we can't leave you out here alone, so you're gonna have to tough it out. But if you're gonna be freaking out, then you should head home now."

Jun bit her lip. It was a tough reality that Tula had presented her, but she was right.

"No…I can do this," she said, swallowing and taking deep breathes in and out. A sudden thump on her shoulder brought her attention up to Bolin. His smile was full of bravery and confidence as she held out the same hand to her.

"As long as you're with me, you've got nothing to worry about," he said confidently.

Jun was hesitant but slowly accepted it, asking quietly, "You promise I'll be ok?"

"Absolutely. I won't let anything happen to you, Jun," he swore while giving her a thumbs up with his free hand. Jun closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before opening them and nodding that she was ready. With their hands clasped and her grip tight, she took her first step. And then her next. And then one after that.

The group began walking in with Lin, Tenzin and Mako at the front, the Firebender creating a flame over his hand to use as a torch. Asami fell back, placing a hand gently on Jun's back to give her more reassurance while Tula brought up the rear behind them. Jun could feel her heart beating against her chest furiously as her breathing intake doubled.

Quicker and shorter breaths came the deeper they went, causing her to clutch onto more and more of Bolin's forearm as her eyes danced around at the wet earth above her. Of course, Bolin didn't mind as he understood how hard this was for her and placed his free hand on her head reassuringly.

"What's that up there?" Tula asked from the rear, seeing a light ahead of them. The light was coming down from the surface above, pouring enough for them to see four tunnels laid before them. Stopping to group up again, the Waterbender looked around in disdain. "Great. How do we figure out which one to go down?"

"Let's try this way," Mako said, preparing to walk down one of the tunnels.

"And what if Korra and the others aren't down there?" Asami reasoned with concern.

"Then we pick another tunnel until we find them," he replied before turning and continuing forward. The rest of the group watched in silence, Tula, Bolin and Jun particularly watching one member of the couple than the other. Asami closed her mouth, her displeased look following her boyfriend's back as she said nothing while the group continued after Mako. Everyone had fallen silent, not really wanting to break the tense atmosphere, but that would change quickly as Asami needed answers.

Falling into step with Bolin and Jun, she asked him, "Hey, is Mako alright? He seems really worried about Korra." Just Korra…she wanted to add but refrained.

"Yeah, we all are," he said, wondering what this could be about.

"I know but…he's your brother. Do you…think he like Korra as more than just a friend?" she whispered the last part behind her hand.

"Oh boy…" Jun mumbled, looking away from the two while Tula's eyebrow was raised in interest. Well, this was certainly not what she expected. Who would have guessed there was so much drama in the pro-athlete scene?

Bolin's posture stiffened and twisted uncomfortably as he was suddenly put on the spot. A nervous laugh came as he started to sweat a bit.

"What? No! That's just…gossip. Where'd you hear that? Crazy talk is coming out of your mouth right now."

Asami looked at him, stopping their progress to place a hand on her hip, scrutinizing him before looking down at Jun who'd turned away, her face bright red. Bolin followed her eyes, realizing too late that Jun was still holding on to him, and therefore knew if he was being honest or not.

"Jun…" Asami said, watching her squirm a bit.

"You're such an idiot," Jun mumbled to Bolin as Tula snickered. "He's lying."

"Busted," the elder twin said while Bolin started to sweat even more, suddenly feeling very ganged up on.

"Ikki spilled the beans the other day and told me about Korra and Mako. But that's all she knew about."

"What do you know, Bolin?" Asami asked him earnestly as she put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on. Spill it."

"Nothing!" he insisted even though it was useless. A few seconds ticked by before his resolve started to break, causing him to ramble. "I mean…there was this one time during the tournament when Mako and Korra kissed- "

"They kissed?" she repeated, her voice wavering as her heart broke. Mako…cheated on her? And with their friend?

Bolin could see that the hurt on her face, understanding that this was a hard thing to find out. Preparing to try to fix this, he was stopped as Jun suddenly squeezed his hand painfully, elating a yelp as he watched her grow angrier by the second.

"Jinora…when I get my hands on you…" she growled, eyes narrowed as she visualized the young Airbender. She would be having a rather aggressive chat with her later, that was for certain. Well, that was if she didn't put that jerk Mako in the hospital first.

"Smooth. Real smooth," Tula said, walking past them and up to Asami to wrap an arm around her.

"Believe me, I was upset too. But I'm over it. I don't think it meant anything," he tried to reassure. Asami could see Jun nod her head, confirming that these were Bolin's true feelings, but that did nothing to ease the heartbreak.

"I doubt that" she said, allowing Tula to lead her way. Bolin turned to Jun who looked back at him sadly before they started walking again as well but stopped as Jun's head jolted up.

"Someone's coming!" she whisper-yelled as she looked over her shoulder. The sound of motorcycles could be heard echoing down the tunnel toward them, prompting the others to stop and turn back as well.

"Hide!" Lin commanded, leading everyone to cover behind a nearby slanted pillar. Tires squealed as two Chi-Blockers rounded the corner, speeding toward them. The adjacent wall gave a groan as a section of it flipped open, revealing a metal pathway that left them all shocked. The two Chi-Blockers turned down the path, disappearing before the panel moved perfectly back into place to hide it.

With the coast now clear, the group rushed up to the wall, allowing Lin to run her fingers along the wall. It only took a few seconds, but she immediately found the tumblers, giving them a turn to deactivate the lock. Stepping back, she thrust her hands forward, pushing the wall up to open for them.

Turning back to them, Lin's eyes immediately fell on Jun, whose green eyes looked like plates with how wide they were. Sweat had built on her face which now looked a shade paler, if that were even possible. Her breathing had started to become labored as she tried her best to not panic at the site of the tunnel.

Asami cautiously held her shoulders, squeezing them as she stood behind her in an attempt to comfort her. Jun could only hear her heart thumping in her ears as her white knuckled grip on Bolin remained iron tight with each step she took. Her breathing hitched to a stop at the sound of the wall closing and her mind immediately comparing her surroundings to a tomb. This made Asami continue to worry about her, knowing that she wouldn't be moving an inch had it not been for the combined efforts of Bolin and herself.

Following the tunnel, the group found themselves in what looked like a garage that had clearly been the location of a recent fight. A large broken pipe could be seen nearby with a terrible attempt at patch work to stop the leaking water. Around it were scattered parts and broken bits of the wall from when a vehicle had crashed into it, while across the room they could see multiple scorch marks as well.

Lin could feel a pit in her stomach, wondering who could have done this and what the Equalists did with them. Her mind immediately jumped to Korra, wondering if she had tried to fight them off, before watching as the two Chi-Blockers parked their bikes and walked over to a tram. They weren't alone, a few others already inside and waiting while another with a clipboard pointed down the furthest of the three tunnels.

"That tram goes to the training camp," the man said to them before giving them the ok to go. The group watched as the tram took off, only to see a second come from the middle tunnel with a lone guard at the controls.

"All sectors clear, sir," Loa said as she stepped off the tram. Walking up to her commander, she added, "All prisoners in their cells and accounted for."

"Good. Your next assignment is to head to the medical wing. The med staff has demanded that that girl's dosage be increased, so you're in charge of that, got it? I don't care if you have to hold her down and force feed it to her; if it'll shut up all that moaning, you get it done," he said, walking toward the third tunnel to call the tram.

"Yes, sir," She replied with an eye roll behind his back as she followed him to the tram. She was the one who had requested that Essa's medication be increased, though unlike him, she was doing so out of hope that it would ease her pain. She needed her as comfortable as possible to help her recover because when the time was right, Essa would need all her strength to escape.

"That must be where they're keeping Korra and the others," Tenzin whispered as the group watched the two hop onto the third tram and take off.

"We need to get down that tunnel," Lin instructed, raising her hand in the air to indicate for them to wait before waving them forward once certain it was clear. Jun started to panic, her legs refusing to move, when she suddenly found herself scooped up into Bolin's arms as he carried her over to the tram of the second tunnel. He gently put her into a seat before hoping in next to her while the others all filed in as well, save for Asami who went to man the controls.

The tram came to life with a flip of a switch, shooting them forward down the tunnel and drawing them closer to the opening at the end. The orange lights above were dim as they zipped by, wind blowing through Asami's long hair as she hung her head out the side of the compartment and squinted her eyes.

At the exit to the tunnel, two guards had been stationed as per usual, when they were alerted by the flashing light above that a tram was incoming. Moving into position, they waited, watching as the tram pulled in and slowed to a stop with no one inside. The two were confused, wondering what was going on as they stepped toward it with their backs facing the tunnel.

"It's empty," the first guard, an older man, said.

"Yeah, I can see that," his younger partner replied sarcastically before dual metal whips shout out of the tunnel to grab them. The pair barely had time to yelp in surprise before they were dragged in and tied up.

Exiting the tunnel, the group made their way to the small steps that led to the upper floors of the prison block, dropping the two guards at the base.

"You two, keep an eye on them," Lin commanded to Bolin and Jun, something the younger girl was grateful for as she climbed back into the tram and curled up quietly. Bolin nodded his head, standing close to the tram while she walked up the small steps. Stopping next to Mako, she raised her foot to pull the metal of her shoe back and gave a powerful stomp. Her Seismic Sense washed over the prison area, giving her a clear picture of it and its occupants.

"Well, anything?" Tula asked hopefully as she and Asami walked up the stairs to meet them.

"My officers are inside. And so are your sister and the kids," she answered, standing back to her full height as Tenzin made his way to stand next to her before they continued to move up.

"What about Korra?" Mako asked as the three of them followed.

"I don't see her yet," she told him with a shake of the head. The five made quick work of walking through the nearly empty cellblock, something that concerned Lin and Tenzin. Did that mean that they didn't have as many captives here as they thought, or did it mean Amon was disposing of them?

The halls were quiet, something Shu was thankful for as he stood guard outside of his usual post with a grimace hidden by his mask. After reading that letter from home, he'd felt conflicted about if he was still in the right, making doing his job even harder now.

Leave it to his sister to make him question his entire purpose…

No. That wasn't fair. Loa wasn't to blame for this. This was the universe trying to curse him for his actions. Why else would it have made his little brother an Earthbender?

At the thought of this, Shu could feel his head throb again as well as his stomach churn. That thought had passed through his mind at least a thousand times over the last few days and it never got easier to process. Something that only a few years ago would have been a cause to celebrate in their family now filled him with dread as he wondered what he was going to do or say.

On the one hand, he could swallow his pride, admit that this was a mistake, grab his sister and head back home. The Revolution wouldn't be able to reach them, at least not for a while he figured…but how could he face his parents and explain to them how they'd become Equalists?

On the other hand…he could do nothing. Sit back and do his job like he'd been until eventually Amon's reach would make its way to his home. If that were to happen…

Shu's blood ran cold as he imagined other chi-blockers; his commands and fellow soldiers, storming through the streets and breaking into his house. He could hear his brother's screams of fear and distress, asking him "why?" like it had his dreams, and it made him sick.

After the first night, he'd tried to talk to Loa, hoping to apologize and talk about the letter, but she'd refused to speak to him. Though his sister's cold shoulder was nothing new to him, this was driving him mad, and he needed to speak to her. They needed to do…something. What that was, he had no idea, but his family was about to get caught up in this war if he didn't do something.

His thoughts were interrupted as the sound of footsteps approaching could be heard from the hall to his right. Turning, Shu was perplexed to find five strangers as they rounded the corner. Immediately, he reached for his boa, as did his partner, both twirling them and releasing them in an attempt to nab the intruders.

Tenzin made quick work of neutralizing the boas, blowing them and the two guards away with a powerful gust of wind from his hands. Shu cried out in distress before feeling his back slam against the wall, as well as his head. The world spun as he fell forward, falling on to his face limply while his partner slid down the wall, groaning.

Mai-Ling jumped up groggily from her sleep as the huge gust of window blew around their cell, startling her as she grabbed onto Sota who watched in shock as the two guards were incapacitated swiftly. A group of people rushed over to their cage, blocking the light from the hall as they clutched the bars.

"Mai-Ling! Sota! Thank goodness!" Asami cried in happiness as tears of joy ran down her face.

"A-Asami?" Mai-Ling stuttered, slowly letting go of Sota and stumbling forward to the front of the cell. Her cousin gently pulled her close enough to hug her through the bars and Mai-Ling could barely hold herself together as she gripped the cloth of her jacket. "You're hear…you found us…"

Sota's jaw was hanging but he too found himself on his feet and making his way to the front of the cell. Asami pulled him into a hug as well, holding the two gratefully as Tula rushed up to the cell. Her gasp was one of pain as she looked at her sister's condition, tears wanting to come but being held back by her shock.

"Essa," she whispered. A surge of anger washed over her, sending her rushing over to the still conscious guards as that leaned against the wall. Grabbing him with both hands, she dragged him to his feet and barely gave him time to steady himself before delivering a hard jab to the man's stomach. His grunt of pain was followed by another as she slammed his head against the wall, holding it there as she screamed, "What did you do to her!?"

The man coughed, straining to focus as he mumbled, "Please! I didn't do anything to them. I swear."

"Avatar Korra, where are you keeping her?!" Mako demanded, yanking the mask off the man's head.

Lin paid the two no mind as she tapped Asami on the shoulder and nodded for the kids to step back. As soon as everyone was clear, she ripped the bars clean off the hinges and tossed it aside. Asami rushed in, dropping to her knees again to properly embrace the two while Lin frowned sadly at their injuries. It was pretty clear to her now that the battlefield they'd seen earlier in the garage had involved these three.

And by the looks of it, they'd lost.

Waving her hands, Lin unlocked the cuffs on the two children, the metal restraints clanking to the ground immediately. The two gasped, examining their wrist in surprise before wrapping their arms around Asami again. Glancing from one to the other, Lin said nothing before she turned away to walk past Mako and Tula so she could find her officers.

Jogging up to the cell, Lin found the five officers, armorless and downtrodden, and immediately bent the bars apart. The five jumped up in shock, not expecting anyone to show up, let alone her.

"Chief Beifong?" one of her officers, the youngest of the squad, asked in disbelief. Lin could see the sad, tired look in his eyes and it told her all it needed to.

"I'm too late. That monster already took your bending, didn't he?" she asked him, receiving a sad nod in confirmation. "I'm so sorry. Come on. Let's get you out of here."

Leading them back down the hall she had come from, Lin found the group as they checked up on the others. Asami was going over her cousin's injuries, taking particular note of the light burns around her lips.

Mai-Ling, on the other hand, seemed more concerned about Sota as she held the back of his shirt up. Lin's eyes went wide at the large amounts of bruising going up his back, and it only made her more disgusted with these people. She could see the same sad, tired look on his face, and her heart sank.

Has he lost his bending too? She thought while Mako slammed the guard against the wall again, this time raising him off his feet.

"I'll ask you one more time," he threatened, pulling his fist back to ignite it on fire. "Where is she?"

"We don't have the Avatar," the guard rasped, gripping Mako's forearm in hopes he'd loosen his grip. "And the Equalists didn't attack City Hall. Tarrlok's lying."

"What?" Mako asked in disbelief as Tula called from inside the cell.

"Someone give me a hand!" she demanded, gingerly trying to lift her sister to her feet, but finding she was heavily sedated. Tenzin was nearby, examining her injuries with a frown as his feather like touch glided over her arm.

"Her shoulder's been dislocated and reset by the looks of it," he told them as two officers rushed in to help. The first squatted down, allowing Tula and the second officer to secure her on his back. As they finished getting her out of the cell, the second officer, as well as a third, offered to carry the two kids. Both accepted gratefully, allowing themselves to be piggy backed as Lin and Mako finished tying up Shu and the other guard.

"I scanned the entire prison. Korra's not here," Lin confirmed to everyone sadly.

"Why would Tarrlok make up a story about getting attacked?" Mako asked.

"Because he has Korra. He fooled us all," Tenzin confirmed, growing angry at the thought. Behind him, Sota's eyes grew wide as the words rang in his head. That crooked jerk had his sister!?

Before anyone could reply, an alarm began to blare through out the halls.

"Not good!" Tula shouted as they were all bathed in orange flashing lights.

"Everyone head get to the tram, now!" Tenzin commanded, leading them as they broke out into full on sprints. It took them no time to get back to where they left the tram, but to their surprise, Bolin and Jun weren't alone.

A third Chi-Blocker lay on the ground unconscious, a vial near her hand while Bolin threw the boa that'd been wrapped around his wrists on the ground. Jun was huffing heavily, her pupils shrunken and her body shaking. Her left hand was still outstretched, and nearby a metal panel from the wall that had been crumbled into a ball sat in the crater that had been made upon its impact.

"Let's go people!" The Earthbender shouted, taking Mai-Ling from the first officer as he reached the tram. Sota looked at the downed Chi-Blocker, immediately recognizing the medicine on the ground and assuming it was Loa. Part of him felt guilty that she'd gotten hurt, but he was more than willing to set those feelings aside as he was placed into the tram next, situating him next to Mai-Ling who was clinging to Jun in a tearful reunion.

In the seat behind them, Essa was being laid on her back while Tula crouched next to the seat to keep her in place. Mako and Bolin joined her to watch the rear just as a light was coming from deeper in the tunnel.

More guards could be seen headed their way, prompting the officers to rush up to the seats in the front where Tenzin and Lin waited while Asami jumped into the control seat. She had them flying down the track in seconds, thankfully keeping a sizeable gap between the two trams but that gap was closing quickly.

Getting an idea, Bolin grabbed his brother's shoulder to step just in front of him, prompting Mako to lean over the seat and cover the three kids. Waiting a few seconds, Bolin brought his hands up, and yanked them down and inwards, caving in the sides of the tunnel to cover the tracks behind them. A large cloud of dust covered his trap, making it impossible for the speeding tram to see or stop, and they were rewarded with the sounds of it crashing to a halt.

"Ha! Try to chi-block that, fools!" Bolin boasted as Mako stood back up with a proud smile for his brother.

"Nice one, Bolin!" Tula complimented him and leaning over the side to look forward. Her smile immediately fell at what she saw was waiting for them.

"We've got more company!" Lin called out, narrowing her eyes as Amon's Lieutenant sat at the exit with a host of guards and Mecha-Tanks ready to intercept them. Looking up, Lin bent the railing above just in front of the exit, creating a ramp for them to ride up. "Hang on!"

Sota's eyes grew wide before he dove on top of the girls, covering them as they approached the ramp. Jun and Mai-Ling clutched the front of his shirt, screaming into it as she felt the tram jump and lurch toward the ceiling. Tula did the same to cover Essa's head, while the rest of the cabin could be heard screaming as Lin shot both her hands out to create a hole that they shot into and out.

They crashed roughly a few seconds later, finding themselves just below the surface of the city as the tram rocked and shook across the floor. As it finally skid to a rough stop, everyone groaned, rattled to the core from the experience. Lin climbed out first looking around before bending the ceiling away again, this time the sunlight greeting them as it washed over them all.

"Alright everyone, gather around. We're getting out of here," Lin said as everyone got to work. The first group that she raised up were the kids, Asami, Tula, and the same officer who'd carried Essa before. Jun nearly cried in joy as she breathed in fresh air once more, her body shivering at the memories that she quickly buried while she held her friends tight to her.

"You're ok…you're both ok," she whispered happily as her two exhausted partners in crime rested, sleeping on her shoulders. They were beyond worn out and their weight was heavy, but she didn't care. She had her friends back.

"I'll summon Oogi to get everyone back to Air Temple Island," Tenzin said to Tula before turning to Lin, Mako and Bolin. "Once everyone is situated, the rest of us will find Tarrlok and see what he's done with Korra."

To be continued…