Lin slowly stood up, staring at them in surprise, "What are you doing here? How did you find me?" then her eyes widened as she scrambled closer to them, her hands gripping the bars, "Do you know what happened to Yuze? Where she is?"

"Yes, we know," Zhen nodded, "But first we need to get out of here, I could feel three Equalists coming this way, though from their phase they were just patrolling," at the questioning stare of the former Chief, the firebender answered, "Sifu thought me."

Lin looked at the teenager, impressed.

The earthbender of the trio stepped forward, cracking his knuckles, "Okay, Miss Chief, could you please back up a little?"

The woman did what she was asked to. Luhan gripped the two of the metal bars and then pulled them in opposite directions, making an opening enough for Lin to make through. The earthbender walks through the gaps facing the trio, "Thank you."

The trio nodded, then Jiayi spoke, "Let's go before they—" the waterbender sentence was cut off by footsteps stopping abruptly.

Everyone's head snapped upward and saw five Equalists standing at the end of the hallway. The two groups stared at each other, and if only the face of the chi blockers were visible they would see them blinking while staring at the other group.

Five.

Everybody turned their heads to Zhen who furrowed, a look of irritation on his face, "What? I'm still not getting the hang of it."

Jiayi cracked her knuckles, her eyes burning with determination, "We could take them."

But then they heard multiple footsteps from their back. They slowly looked behind and saw eight Equalist members standing from the other end.

"Or not," Zhen stated on cue, the Equalist began sprinting, "Okay, plan B."

"No, we will not do plan B! We should take them down— let me go, Zhen!"

The firebender ignored his female friend while Luhan proceeded to lift huge boxes of earth from the ground and push them toward the chi blockers. The Equalists jumped over it while those who didn't expect it got swept by it.

While the Equalists were distracted, Luhan bent the ground underneath them to make a hole. Fortunately, they landed on the floor without having any sprains. Everyone looked up to the hole as the Equalists looked down but before they could even have a chance to follow them, Zhen trusted his arm upwards, blasting flames from his fist. The chi blockers staggered backward to avoid the fire and Luhan took it to close the gap.

Luhan took out blueprints from the pocket of the Equalist's uniform he was currently wearing, which they had stolen from the locker room earlier. It was a bit loose for him actually, but Jiayi would beg to disagree cause it definitely was not, her chest have barely room to breathe in.

The blueprints on the other hand had been stolen in an office that was supposedly Amon's. They saw them scattered at the top of the table and were looking for the blueprint of the headquarters, but at the sound of approaching footsteps, they decided to just bring all of them before getting up to the air vents.

The young earthbender unfurled the folded papers, "So we are—" he turned the map and tilted his head, "In the—", he narrowed his eyes and moved to another one.

The sound of alarm echoed throughout the place.

"Luhan hurry up!"

Luhan shoved the papers to his firebender friend, "Why don't you look at it."

Zhen looked at him with irritation evident on his face before he looked down at the map. It was only a second had passed when he handed it to the former Chief who was wearing an inexpressive expression on her face. The firebender's amber eyes looked straight to emerald eyes, "We are orphans, we barely know how to read."

The way how casually the teenager said those words pierced through Lin's soul. Her face softened but it went back to being stoic when she saw how the three teenager's eyes looked away. Lin took the map like nothing had happened but mentally she was taking notes to have these teenagers in the school or get them a homeschool teacher, whatever they much prefer.

The former bender looked down at the paper and her brows knitted, as she went through others it only deepened the crease on her forehead, "Are we still in the Republic City?"

The teenagers nodded.

"We are in a mountain to be exact?" Jiayi said, "Why do you ask?"

"These are not the blueprints of wherever we are, not even the Republic City's," Lin's eyes narrowed as she scanned the whole paper, "These are the maps from different nations."

"What? Do you mean..."

"Yes," Lin lifted her head looking at their eyes, "It seems like our dear Amon was planning to equalize not just the Republic City but the whole world."

A silenced envelope between them with the alarm still wailing from the background.

Lin looked down from the fifth paper in her hand once again. Her head tilted as she stared at the illustration of a place she had never seen before on any books or maps of the nation. Her eyes went to the familiar symbol from the upper left. She took out the locket from her neck and flipped it. She compared the symbol from both objects in her hands; Four swords thrust in a shield with two dragons— one is white, the other one is black— circling each other like yin and yang. The only difference was the soaring dove between the dragons that was on the map but not in the locket.

"... no I think we need to go this way."

"How about you, Chief?"

Lin went back to the present as she heard her name being called. She lifted her head and saw the three teenagers looking at her expectedly.

"I think—"

All of them heard the rushing footsteps from each side of the hallway and Lin made a decision and pointed at the wall in front of her.

"... we should go ahead."

The trio looked at the wall, back to the older woman then to each other before they shrugged. Luhan closed to the wall and then punched it creating a hole for them to go through. The young earthbender entered the room, the other following behind him.

This action continued several times and then Luhan was staring down the river water. The young earthbender could feel his heart wanting to be free from his chest by the way it was pounding, a sweat gliding from his forehead down his chin and its drop fell to the water, but he was not sure if it even hit the water as he can't see it from the height.

Luhan slowly looked over his shoulder and saw the former Chief grabbing his suit. His body followed as Lin pulled his clothes back inside.

The young earthbender felt himself exhaling the air he didn't know he was keeping in. His hand went to his chest as he calmed himself, "Thank you—"

Everyone looked behind them and saw several members of the Equalists rushing towards them, making their way through the holes they made.

The three looked at Luhan and Jiayi grabbed both of the former's shoulders, "Jiayi, what—"

"Sorry, Lu."

"Huh— AHHHHH!"

Everyone looked down as the young earthbender fell to the water with a splash. Zhen followed after his friend by jumping, then Lin, and Jiayi was the last one who jumped; facing the Equalists and giving them the finger by doing so.

"I can't believe you did that!"

"Well, we don't have an option haven't we?"

"But a warning is very much appreciated!"

"Oh, quit whining like a baby, you're alive aren't you?"

"I am not whining like a baby! And my point still stands..."

Lin sighed as she slumped down on the ground of the river shore, her back leaning against the tree. Her chest heaved as she caught her breath. She could feel the uncomfortable way her wet clothes clung to her body beneath her metal armor.

"I apologize for the way they are acting," Zhen flops beside her.

Lin waved her hands dismissively. She glanced at the teenager beside her before going back to the two bickering teens, "How did you guys even find me?"

The young firebender shrugged his shoulders, "We abducted an Equalist, and with the proper use of electricity on the man's mind, the guy blurted the truth nonstop."

Lin glanced at the teenager.

"Yuze thought me."

"Huh," the former Chief reacted, half terrified, half amazed but mostly proud of her daughter, "How does she even come up with those?"

"I didn't know," Zhen said, "She said she always hung out at the library when she was a kid."

Another pang in her heart.

Kid.

She didn't get a chance to see her daughter grow; she didn't even hear her first word nor watch her take her first footsteps.

Lin mentally shook her thoughts out. She may have not been there when her daughter was young, but she could now be there when she got older.

The two watched as the other two continued bickering until Zhen felt it enough, "You two need to stop, we still have much more important things to do."

The two paused mid-sentence and walked towards them. Lin didn't let it show but she was impressed how the two changed their mood in just a blink of an eye as if they were not practically in each other's throat just a moment ago.

Lin looked at her daughter's students expectantly.

Jiayi was the one who spoke first, "There will be a rally happening today at the Arena."

"Rally?" the former Chief doesn't like how it sounds to her ear.

"Yes, it seems like Amon was starting on his game."

"We also heard from the Equalists talking earlier that Master Tenzin and his family have been captured," Luhan said.

"What?" the former bender whispered, couldn't believe her ear. Tenzin and the others have been captured? No. How did that even happen? She sacrificed herself for them to get away. She sacrificed her bending to keep the airbender legacy continue.

Were all of that just for nothing?

"Yes," the waterbender somberly said, "Though we don't know how they got captured.

At the thought of Tenzin and his family being captured, a dread enveloped her whole being, "What about Korra? Is she safe?"

"I suppose. We didn't hear anything about her but what we knew the Equalists were looking every possible place that the Avatar could be hiding."

A bit of burden has been lifted on Lin's shoulder at that but not completely. Her heart was still heavy. Her hands gripped at the sand as she met their eyes. If they were surprised by the emotions showing in the older woman's eyes, they didn't let it show through their face, "How about Yuze? Have you heard anything about her?"

"We did," Zhen nodded, "But not enough. All we know is she is still alive."

It should calm Lin's heart but it didn't. She will not be at ease until she sees with her own eyes that her daughter is still alive. She will not be in relief unless her daughter is safe.

The sands on her hands were almost painful at how tight she grasped them. Lin only let go when a hand unfurled one of hers. She looked up and saw the young waterbender looking at her with blue eyes full of understanding— all of them actually.

Seems like these teens have already come to love their teacher.

"Don't worry, Miss Beifong, we will rescue Sifu— all of them."

The other two teens nodded.

"So let's go and kicked some ass," Luhan punched his palm, "So that you could finally reunite with your kid!"

Lin's body tensed and her eyes widened, "How did you know that?"

"Know what— wait, what!?"

Everyone— even Zhen who's the most composed of them, looked at her in shock.

Then the former Chief realized something. Her hand palmed her face as she let out a deep sigh. She peered between her fingers, "You didn't, didn't you? That's just a joke."

Luhan gaped like a fish out of the water, wanting to say something but couldn't.

Zhen was the first to recover, "That's explained how you are more worried about her than the others."

Jiayi's the second one as she casually bent the water out of everyone's clothes, "Now that I think of it, you two have a lot of similarities, physically and attitude alike."

Luhan's the last one who recovered, answering the older woman's question albeit late, "No, I did not! I said that cause you act like a mother worrying about her kid. I have no idea you two really are!"

Lin let out another sigh then looked them dead in their eyes, her voice laced with a warning tone, "You all will not disclose this very fact to any soul, do you three understand?"

The three teenagers nodded.

Lin stood up, brushing the grains of sand from her hands, "Now let's go and rescue my daughter."

The four moved stealthily through the alleyways, careful to not be seen by anyone, especially the part of the anti-bender organization. Their clothes have been changed after they came into one of the closed stores andborrowedsome of their merchandise.

Zhen was wearing a white collar long-sleeve underneath a color pastel vest. His upper clothes were tucked in his khaki-printed trousers. On his neck is a neatly wrapped ash-gray scarf.

On the other hand, Luhan was sporting an olive short-sleeve polo; tucked in charcoal black trousers which were secured by suspenders. An ash gray newsboy cap at the top of his head.

Jiayi was clothed in a navy blue button-up polo with sleeves reaching just under her elbows; tucked in a printed rust panel skirt that reaches just inches below her knees. Black stockings cover her legs just in case there's a fight going to happen, which it definitely will.

Lin was donning a white long-sleeve blouse with a pussy boy neckline. Her bottom was an ivy green high-waisted wide-leg trousers. A dark-gray beret hat at the top of her head. And because she was well-known by everyone, she made a little bit of changes to her appearance. She removed all of the hairpins on her hair, letting her wavy hair cascade from her back and shoulder. Sheborrowedsome make-up from the store and did the work. A smokey green eyeshadow, eyeliner to enhance the smoky look, and red ruby lips. She fixed her wavy hair to cover her scars in the most natural way.

Times like this are what made Lin most grateful for all of the etiquette lessons she put up when she was younger."A lady, especially a Beifong should know how to fix herself"is what her late grandparents will always tell her and Su— that woman.

It seems like she did a great job of making her appearance as once she came out of the fitting room, her daughter's three students panicked, mistaking her for a stranger.

Even now as they enter the Arena, she will catch the three glancing at her, "Stop, staring at me," she whispered as they walked through the crowds.

"I'm sorry, it's just you look..." Lin sideglanced at the young waterbender, "Different."

Luhan bobbed his head, "I agree, you don't look like you."

The former earthbender looked ahead, her face not showing any emotions but internally she was pleased, "That's the point."

Her whole body became alert and she could feel the same from the teens as the platform from the stage started to rise up, revealing Amon.

Though the former Chief was impassive, her eyes however were conveying all of the ill she is feeling for the man. Her hand curled into a fist as the memories of how he hurt her daughter played into her mind. When she realized her chest was heaving with the intensity of the rage she was feeling, she labored her breath and calmed herself. She needs her mind to be clear.

Lin focuses once again on the man's speech.

"... left me scarred. That tragic event began my quest to equalize the world."

"That's a lie, Amon."

Lin looked toward the familiar voice came from, and so did everyone.

On the balcony, two people were standing tall staring down at Amon. People began speaking and shouting as the two took off their masks, revealing the Avatar and the famous Pro-bender, Mako.

"Or should I call you Noatak?" Korra asked, her eyes glaring.

It seems like his Lieutenant said something to his leader, as the latter raised his hand in denial. Amon stepped forward, "Everyone calm down. We have nothing to fear from the Avatar. Let's hear what she has to say."

Korra stepped closer and faced the crowd, "Amon has been lying to you. The spirits didn't give him the power to take people's bending away," she put her hands to the railings, "He uses bloodbending to do it," then she pointed at the man in the platform, "Amon is a waterbender!"

A collective gasp came from the crowds. Everyone began whispering to each other.

Luhan leaned closer to the older woman, "Is she telling the truth?"

Lin narrowed her eyes at the man, "I don't know."

"She's telling the truth," the three turned towards the young firebender, "I could sense Amon's heart beating erratically."

"You're desperate, Avatar. Making up stories about me is a pathetic last resort," Amon retorted.

"You're family wasn't killed by a firebender. His father was Yakone and his brother is Councilman Tarrlok."

Another uproar has come from the crowd.

"Amon's heart has gotten faster," Zhen whispered.

"An amusing tale but I will show you the truth," Amon said as he lowered his hood. Everyone gasped at the sight of the scar on the man's face, "This is what a firebender did to me."

Everyone began shouting at the Avatar after the revealing. Throwing accusations at her face.

"I don't understand," Jiayi muttered, her head snapped at her friend, "You said he was lying."

Zhen's eyes narrowed, his brows crunching in confusion, "Neither did I, but I'm sure he is lying."

A few Equalists gathered behind Korra and Mako and seems like they were planning to retreat but Amon had spoken.

"I wouldn't leave yet Avatar. You'll miss the main event."

Then they saw Tenzin and his three airbending kids being raised on the stage. Each of them was tied to a pole, a cloth covering their mouths.

"Tonight, I'll rid the world of airbending," then his left arm spread out as another platform was being raised, "And threats forever!"

Lin's emerald eyes remain staring at the woman on the stage.

The woman was hanging from the air by the chains tied at her hands connecting to the two poles from her sides, her feet were also bound to the lower part of the poles. A metal mask covering her mouth. Bruises and gashes are visible throughout her body as her coat has been taken out. Some parts of her red clothes had been darkened by blood.

Lin felt her heart drop to her heart, her lungs losing their function as she was having trouble breathing. She could feel her body faltering, and she may be on the ground right now, if not for the teens gripping her arms.

Her daughter.

The dread in her veins slowly transformed into rage. Her body trembled as her eyes were staring with such coldness at the man.

What have they done to her precious daughter?

"Here, everyone is what we all fear," Amon's voice was ringing through Lin's ear as her only focus was on the firebender on the stage, "This firebender had annihilated nearly two dozen of people, innocent or not, all because of the great power within her," then he gestures his hand to the woman on the stage, "Benders like her needs to be equalized. People like her need to be banished from this world!"

Lin's eyes widened as Amon started approaching her daughter, and shouted, "No!" just in time for the sound of two electricity tearing through the air. These bolts of lightning had come from different sources— Mako and Zhen. One hit the stage and the other one the ceiling.

These actions created disorder and panic in the crowd. The people began running towards the exit, getting away from the fight; however, Lin and the teens ran in the opposite direction. The former takes out the concealed batons from her legs. These are the ones that is owned by her daughter which the trio accidentally finds in one of the rooms in the place where she was held captive.

The Equalists recognized them and rushed to stop them on their way to the stage where another battle was happening.

While Mako was battling with the others, Korra used it as a time to free the airbenders.

Korra removed the cloth covering Tenzin's mouth and proceeded to go to the back. Her fingers blazing to melt the chains, "Where are Pema and the baby?"

"In prison."

"Beifong?"

"I don't—" he was interrupted by Jinora's muffled voice. He turned to his daughter, eyes filled with concern, "What is it, Jinora?"

Jinora nodded her head in a particular direction. He followed where she was gesturing and his eyes widened slightly, "Lin?"

"What?" Korra asked looking at her Airbending Master with a puzzled expression but the latter was looking somewhere else. She followed where Tenzin was looking and saw four people fighting some Equalists. The three teenagers were unfamiliar but her eyes squinted at the woman and blinked, "Wait, that's Beifong?"

Korra couldn't believe it. The former Chief looks different from what she knew. From the outfit, her hair not in its usual style, and the make-up on her face. Overall, she looks... hot.

Korra shook her head and focused on the task. Once she finished freeing Tenzin, the airbender joined Mako battling the Equalists while Korra finished releasing the airbender kids.

Tenzin came back to where his kids were after pushing the Equalists out of the platform.

The Avatar looked up at him, "You and the kids need to go," she saw the man glancing at her former master with contemplation in his eyes, "Leave her to us. Go find Pema and the baby," but Tenzin was still not moving, "Go!"

Tenzin nodded albeit a little bit hesitant, then gestured to his children, "Let's go and save your mother and brother."

Though the kids were also hesitating, understood the situation and followed their father out of the Arena. Korra on the other hand went to the unconscious firebender.

"Yuze?" Korra called out, her fingers blazing once again, "Yuze?"

A groan came out of the woman who was slowly being conscious. Her eyelids opened slightly, eyes roaming, "What..." she cracked then she found Korra standing beside her, doing something, "Korra?"

"Glad you're still alive," Korra stated, her voice was calm but her shaking hands told otherwise. At the sound of the older woman coughing, she let her fire heat to full capacity, "Hang in there, Yuze. Dang it, why it is not melting!"

"That's because it's not an ordinary metal, it is specially designed for firebenders."

Korra ducked just in time for the batons to swing over her head. She blasted fire at the right-hand man of Amon. She stamped her foot from the ground and a chunk of earth rose in the air; she did a round-up kick and sent the boulder towards the Lieutenant. The man receives the boulder, sending him a few feet away from them.

"Design for firebenders, huh?" Korra said, eyes taunting, "Is it earthbender proof then?"

The Avatar then proceeded to thrust her arms down. Cracks began to form below her going towards the two poles. The pillars started to shake until it broke into a million pieces. Korra rushes toward Yuze and catches the older woman before she reaches the ground.

The Avatar then put the older woman's arm around her shoulder. Mako who had just finished battling the other came on the other side to help the Avatar escort out the firebender, "Let's go."

"Not yet."

Then all of a sudden they lose control over their own bodies. They could feel their blood burning inside.

Mako and Korra groaned as their bodies moved against their will. Their arms let the firebender go, making the latter to slumped to the ground. Korra was raised to the ground and moved into the front of the one controlling her.

The Avatar glared, but a dread began to form in her stomach, "A—Amon."

Korra darted her eyes, knowing Amon just revealed his true self and expecting time from now that his own disciples would attack him, but her eyes only widened as she saw it was not just her and Mako that the bloodbender was controlling— it was everyone.

Amon saw the stunned look in the Avatar's eyes and spoke, "I'm not afraid to reveal myself to a few people if it means I can fulfill what needs to be done."

"W—what's your goal, Amon? Why... Why are you doing this?" Korra asked with difficulty.

Amon approached the waterbender, his hand reaching to her forehead, "Like what I said, the world is full of unfairness and inequalities, and that needs to be fixed."

Korra could only stare in horror as the hand made contact with her. Her eyes widened as she felt a cold sensation starting from her forehead and gradually creeping throughout her body. It's uncomfortable and painful. It was cold, so cold that it burned. Then nothing. She felt nothing.

Amon let the Avatar's body fall to the ground as he walked toward the firebender.

Lin tried to move her body as she saw Amon approaching her daughter. A horrible dread coursed through her veins as she saw Amon control Yuze's body to make her kneel. She wanted to scream, she wanted to lash out, but she could only stare as the man stretched his arm.

Yuze's eyes flattered; gazing to the hand then up to the man. She felt her blood run cold not for the man in front of her but for something else. The firebender croaked a warning, "Stop... You don't... know what you... are do...ing."

"Of course, I do."

Yuze closed her eyes as the hand made contact with her forehead.

Lin's heart tightened as she watched Amon take her daughter's bending away.

But something unexpected happened. An explosion suddenly erupted where Yuze was standing, making the bloodbender fly out.

With Amon being thrown out, everyone finally feels that control over their own bodies. Lin didn't take another second and rushed towards the stage, where her daughter was.

"Yuze," Lin called out finding her daughter in the cloud that had formed from the explosion, "Yuze!"

Then the dust started to clear out and she could make out her daughter again; however, this was not the same Yuze from before.

The woman standing in front of her has a complexion as pale as snow. Hair was no longer black, but it was white. A strange thing that looks like the scales of a dragon forms at her cheekbones. But what was more striking was her eyes, it's not emerald like her mother's, they were bright silver.

A chill went down everyone's spine as the firebender spoke with her voice laced with an icy tone, "I warned you, didn't I? And you still continue, you fool."

The seal has been broken.