Hello everyone! Welcome to the newest chapter.

Before we begin, I have a fun fact for you all: Today is the Anniversary of the "Legend of Sota". 8 years ago, I started this story, and though some things in life got in the way, I'm happy that not only am I able to breathe more life back into it, but that there are people who still enjoy it.

There's a lot to come that I have planned, but for now, we're declaring July 14th as Sota's birthday. So happy 8th birthday to the 2nd best sarcastic Southern Water Tribe Warrior!

Once last note: The Events of this chapter will be divided into both Korra and Sota's perspectives, and unless stated, they will be happening concurrently. Because of this, I have divided it into sections; think of these are your commercial breaks.

Enjoy!

-Blak-Ice-

Chapter 20

Part A:

Korra blinked as she sat up. Her head was foggy, and her muscles were tingling as she tried to free herself from the bindings around her, Mako and Bolin.

What happened? She thought, trying to recall the last few minutes. After getting knocked into the pool from the Wolfbat's cheating tactics, Korra recalled popping out of the water and tossing her helmet off to get more air. Mako and Bolin did the same, only for the three to look up to the stands where electricity was seen flying all over.

Korra hadn't had time to comprehend what was going on as a thud brought their attention back to the platform behind them. A lone figure was crotched before standing to his full height and twirling two batons that crackled to life with electricity.

Amon's Lieutenant looked down upon the Avatar and her teammates with contempt before raising his foot and batons. The Avatar tried in vain to stop him, projecting a stream of water to try to stop him, but failed as the electricity contacted their bodies. The three Fire Ferrets screamed in pain as their muscles twitched and spasmed, and though the three tried their best to resist, they were soon all out cold.

Korra shook her head a bit, clarity getting better by the second. No, she hadn't been fully knocked out. Not yet, anyway…

She recalled seeing something…no…someone before she went out. The man was tall, a full beard on him while not a single hair rested on his head. Instead, a blue arrow was tattooed, pointing to the strong look of disapproval he wore while standing next to a woman. Korra could tell she was a metalbending officer, but as she pointed, it looked as if she wasn't even looking at the person she spoke to.

"Aang…" Korra said, recalling his face in her mind. Was he trying to reach her again? Was this another vision?

A sudden flash changed the scene, disorienting her for a moment as the other man she'd seen before sat in front Aang, back turned with a devious smirk on his face and a focused one on Aang's. The scene changed again, this time to the man as he stood to his feet, a look of delight on his face. Korra had no time to see further as the vision was replaced with another, this time of Aang as he floated, eyes and tattoos glowing and the wind bellowing around him and the man. There was no doubt in her mind that that he was in the Avatar State, and her thoughts were confirmed as the final vision on Aang came. His eyes and tattoos stopped glowing but it was as if she could feel that there was more to the look on Aang's face as he continued to stare on in focus before seeing the final vision, this time of her little brother, standing in the snow with the full moon above.

It was a memory; one she knew all too well and wished she would forget as the terrified look on his face faded away as the visions stopped.

Korra blinked. Aang was trying to tell her something. But what was it?

The elevator rose to the top, carrying Amon and his chi-blockers to center stage. Screams of terror could be heard from the audience as Tahno looked around, confused, and not pleased.

"What's going on here, ref?" he asked, backing up a few steps as he sneered at Amon.

"I don't know!" The elderly man said, backing up nervously as well on his own platform with a shrug.

The Wolfbats continued to keep the distance between them and the Equalist, but knowing that they were running out of space, Tahno declared, "All right, you want a piece of the Wolfbats? Here it comes!" before whipping water at Amon.

The masked man was unimpressed as he effortlessly dodged the attack and pounced forward toward them. The Wolfbats threw everything they had at him, but it was pointless as Amon slipped past Tahno and headed straight for Shaozu. The firebender had no time to react as Amon twisted him around to hold his arm and toss him.

Tahno tried to assist his teammate but was quickly shut down as a boa wrapped around his wrist, bringing him down to the ground. Behind him, Ming was also quickly dispatched as well as his wrist were tied over his head, quickly followed by his legs.

The crowd looked on in terror as first Shaozu was forced to his knees before Amon to have his bending stripped away. Then was Ming, who barely put up a fight as his ability was stripped as well. Lastly was Tahno, and the pale water bender could only look on in fear as two chi-blockers held him, and Amon looked down upon him.

"Wait, please don't do this! I'll give you the championship pot, I'll-I'll give you everything, just please don't take my bending!" He begged.

"Don't look," Mai-Ling whispered as she clutched Jun's shaking frame. Her voice was soft but shook a bit as she tried to stay calm and quiet in the dark room. Looking behind her, she asked, "do you see anyone else?"

"No," Sota replied quietly as he peered out into the hall, his back to her. He held the door open just enough to see, waiting quietly to see if anyone would come looking for them or if their commotion had drawn the attention of any more chi-blockers. His heart pumped hard as the adrenaline still coursed through him, and he once again thanked the Spirits that he'd come prepared as he looked at his wrists.

"Run this by me again, just so I can be sure that I fully understand," Jinora said as she looked at the new water satchel that Sota had on the floor. On the table next to her was his bag, which he had emptied earlier, leaving his scrolls and other items laid out across it.

"I'm borrowing this water satchel from the White Lotus so I can carry more with me," Sota said, carrying a large pot of water into the room. With a grunt, he placed it on the ground before taking a seat next to Jinora.

"How much water can fit in this thing?" she asked, gingerly picking up the satchel, only to find it heavier than it looked.

"Up to 4 gallons," he replied nonchalantly, missing the shocked face she made as he reached into the bag.

"4 gallons!? Sota, you can't actually- "

"No, I'm not gonna fill it up all the way," he said as he pulled two small pouches out. "If I did that, I would be way too slow, and it would be way too heavy. Halfway should be enough, but I'll have to use it sparingly. Which is where these come in."

"What are those, anyway?" she asked, watching as he slid one of the pouches over his hand, stopping it on his bare forearm. Jinora squinted as she watched him tighten and then tied the first end on the underside of his forearm.

"Remember that story that your Gran Gran told us about how she and Chief Biefong- or, the former one anyway, were caught by the Fire Nation during the war?" he asked as he checked the rope's tightness. Satisfied that it wouldn't be enough to cut his circulation, Sota proceeded to tie each rope, 3 in total, before reaching the final one at the bottom of his wrist.

"Of course. She said that she had to use her own sweat to make enough water for them to get free. But what does that have to do with these…things?"

"I haven't really come up with a name for them yet. At the Compound, she used to water whip me if I ever forgot to bring my satchel around. Even outside of training. She always used to drill it into my head to never go anywhere without it or a way to defend yourself," he confirmed, turning to the other one and beginning the process of strapping it to himself as well. "Well…after what happened with the at that Equalist rally, I wanted to find a way to be even more prepared. So, I asked your mom to help."

"My mom?"

Sota nodded, turning, and submerging his arms in the water up to his elbows. "With these, I'll can take on the Chi-blockers and protect myself at the same time."

"Sota?" he heard, causing him to look at his friends. Mai-Ling asked, "What do we do, now?"

"We should find the first exit out of here, that's what!" Jun whisper yelled, holding her right forearm close to her.

"What about Asami and Uncle Hiro? They could be in trouble," Mai-Ling protested. "We need to go find them, and- "

"Now is not the time, Mai-Ling!" Jun replied, receiving a displeased look from her. "Those guys are crazy and probably crawling all over the place, and you wanna pick a fight with them? Did you forget we're kids? What do you think we can do?"

"We can- "

"Guys! Stop arguing," Sota commanded. The two girls looked at each other, and then at him, so he continued. "Mai-Ling, I know you're worried about them, but Jun has a point. We should go find either Korra or Tenzin first."

"But Korra and the guys are downstairs in the locker room," Mai-Ling said in worry.

"And Tenzin is upstairs with Chief Beifong. Which means they've probably got their hands full," he said, turning back out into the open stage where Amon stood with his Chi-blockers. The Wolfbats had been discarded, no longer able to be seen by the three, though the large Equalist banners that now hung around certainly could be.

Part B:

"I believe I have your attention, benders of Republic City," Amon said as he spoke into the microphone. "So once again, the Wolfbats are your pro-bending champions.It seems fitting that you celebrate three bullies who cheated their way to victory because every day, you threaten and abuse your fellow nonbending citizens just like the Wolfbats did to their opponents tonight."

The Wolfbats groaned, each sluggishly pulling themselves out of the water, while Korra, Mako and Bolin finally started to fully wake up and pull themselves together. The Lieutenant had long since left them, nowhere to be seen, allowing the Fire Ferrets to listen to Amon's speech.

"Those men were supposedly the best in the bending world and yet it only took a few moments for me to cleanse them of their impurity. Let this be a warning to all of you benders out there: if any of you stand in my way, you will meet the same fate."

The crowd gasped and Korra grit her teeth; this smug bastard was really starting to get on her nerves, but now he had the audacity to threaten the city like this too?

To her left, Mako sat up straighter, turning to her and Bolin to ask, "How are we gonna get out of here?"

"Now, to my followers: for years the Equalists have been forced to hide in the shadows, but now we have the numbers and the strength to create a new Republic City,"Amon declared while Bolin looked across to their platform. A reddish and white covered object was coming toward them in the water, and this instantly brought joy to the young man's face.

"Pabu!" Bolin cheered as the Fire Ferret swam to them, chittering as he paddled. Climbing out of the water, Pabu leapt over, squatting on Bolin's leg as he said, "Listen up, buddy." His teeth began to chatter as he repeatedly made a chomping jester but not saying anything.

"Stop fooling around!" Mako said, he and Korra not amused.

"I'm not, I'm trying to save us!" Bolin protested as Pabu got to work biting through the rope. His tiny fangs gripped at it, twisting as he tried to rip the threads. Korra and Mako's demeanors changed instantly as Bolin said, "See? Pabu's not just a one trick poodle pony."

"For centuries, benders have possessed an unnatural advantage over ordinary people,"Amon's speech continued. "But thankfully, modern technology has provided us with a way to even out the playing field."

The crowd looked on in fear as a few of the Equalist held out their gloves toward them in the stands. Many gasped, scared that they would be electrocuted like the Police had been if they made any sudden moves.

"Now anyone can hold the power of a chi-blocker in their hand. My followers and I will not rest until the entire city achieves equality, and once that goal is achieved, we will equalize the rest of the world. The revolution has begun!" Amon's deep voice declared as he raised a fist into the air, drawing everyone's attention up to the ceiling. The crowd gasped again and began to murmur as an Equalist Airship drifted above the arena, covering the view of the sky that was once there.

Glass could be heard shattering as the dome was broken and ropes descended to the stage. Amon and his Chi-Blockers were quick to step onto the platforms on the ends of the ropes as they reached them, securing themselves before beginning to ascend.

Lin groaned as she sat up, finally regaining consciousness as the Equalist that had knocked them ran out into the hall. Standing at her feet, she saw that Tenzin was also coming to as he groaned and slowly tried to sit up.

"Tenzin!" she said, concern in her voice as she knelt back down to his level, before looking up at Amon as he escaped. The Airbender and Police Chief watched, disbelief on their faces, before a loud explosion shook the arena. The center stage was engulfed in flames and debris as chunks of it began to fall and fly toward everyone, causing the crowd to scream and rush for the exits in terror and panic.

Jun screamed as the building shook around them suddenly, and before Sota knew it, she was on her knees, hands covering her head as she curled into a ball.

"Jun!" He and Mai-Ling cried in unison, stopping in their tracks to turn to her. Mai-Ling was at her side instantly, holding her as she shook.

The arena shook violently as the sounds of stone and metal echoed around them, and the sounds of thunder came from above. Whether it was more explosions going off or the sounds of people running for their lives, Sota didn't know, however, what he did know was that whatever it was, he didn't like it.

"What's wrong? Is she hurt?" Sota asked, uncorking the two caps on his wristwear. If she had gotten hurt, he knew he'd need to apply emergency healing so that they could keep moving, or else they were sitting turtle ducks out here.

Mai-Ling turned to answer him, though stopped as her eyes grew wide before screaming, "LOOK OUT!"

Sota's instincts took over as he turned to see a man charging at him with another one of those gloves. Gritting his teeth, Sota threw his arm outward, using his left hand to draw water from the right sack, and vice versa with his right. The water flowed with ease as it travelled up his forearms and biceps, coating them in the water as the ends hung like tentacles from his hands.

Sparks of electricity crackled from the palm of the glove as the man thrust it forward, aiming to grab Sota. The boy in question made no move to run, instead, holding his ground as he shifted into his battle stance.

The two were face to face now as the man stood over him, reaching to grab Sota who threw his water covered left arm up to cover his head. The man smiled under his mask as they made contact, releasing an eruption of electricity into the air around them that left the air smelling of static.

The stage rumbled above the Ferrets as they looked on in slight distress at the chunks of the stage falling around them, while the building seemed to shake under the thunderous sounds of the crowd rushing to exit.

"It's okay, Pabu. Just a little explosion," Bolin encouraged, a slight nervous edge to his voice before he chattered his teeth again to his pet. "Keep chewing, you're almost through it!"

Pabu was back to work in an instant, getting a few more bites in before, much to their relief, finally chewing through it.

"Yes! Great job, Buddy!" Bolin cheered as the three got to their feet.

Korra wasted no time as she sprinted forward, jumping out and freezing the water below her feet as she skid across it. Coming to a sliding stop, she looked to the ceiling at the havoc Amon was causing before a look of determination came to her face.

She was gonna end this.

"Korra!" Mako called, drawing her attention. "We'll go look for Sota and the others!"

With a nod, she replied, "I'm going after Amon!" before doing a complete 180 to jump into the air. Twirling her body like a corkscrew, Korra plunged into the pool once more, allowing herself to sink before thrusting her arms down to project herself from the water.

A wave of water rushed under Korra, shooting her upward like a missile out of the water as she bent a cyclone of water around her body. Adrenaline rushed in her veins as she stared up at the hole in the ceiling and the airship above, causing Korra to grit her teeth as she pushed forward. Unfortunately, her hopes may have been too high as the closer she drew to it, the less water she had to bend around her, and soon, as the water slowed and dropped, so did Korra.

"Ahhh!" Korra cried out, reaching out helplessly to the fleeing villain as she started to fall only to hear the sound of metal nearby. A metal cable wrapped around her waist and Korra was stunned to see that it was none other than Chief Beifong who had rescued her.

Holding on to Korra with her left hand and swinging above the stands with her right, Lin used her momentum to pull herself toward the center of the stage near the smoke. Korra, getting the idea, grabbed onto the rope to stabilize herself before Lin, using her impressive strength, yanked her up, sending her flying through the hole and into the air.

Korra was quick to attack, reaching eye level with the Lieutenant and a Chi-Blocker on their platform, which she confiscated as she kicked first one and then the other off it. Swinging around the rope and steadying herself, Korra looked up, seeing that they had stopped raising the one she one, but not the others.

Above her, Amon looked down, his eyes full of contempt for her. The feeling was mutual for Korra as she watched in disgust as he ran away. Rearing back her right fist, Korra grunted as she unleashed multiple large balls of fire at him, missing him just before he could step off the platform and back onto his ship though knocking the Chi-Blockers off their feet around him.

Amon threw her one last look before leaving, and Korra glowered at him before looking around to see the carnage that had already taken place. Fire and smoke rose from all around the area as every ship, whether it be air worthy or seafaring, was destroyed and burning as they sank deeper into the waters of the bay.

Part C:

The smile that had been on the Equalist's face under his mask had faded as he stood in disbelief, electricity no longer coming from his glove. The kid was still standing, arm still raised to protect his head, only instead of water, there was ice now.

Sota gave a small smirk as he looked at the surprised look on the man's face, happy to see all his training recently was paying off.

"Sorry pal, but in case you didn't know, ice is an insulator, not a conductor," Sota said, rearing back his right fist. Taking a deep breath, Sota focused, forming the water into a tight, swirling ball around his fist. Clenching his teeth, Sota thrust his fist forward, crystalizing the water to form into a solid mass of ice.

The impact hit the man dead center in his gut, knocking the wind out of him as he tumbled backwards, putting distance between the two. A loud crash echoed in the hall as the man bounced off the nearby pipes before groaning and slumping to the ground.

Puffs of smoke came from his mouth as he exhaled and Sota cursed under his breath. He hadn't meant to make that much noise.

"We need to get moving," he said, turning back to his friends to see that Mai-Ling had been able to get Jun back on her feet. The pale girl looked shaky and as if she was going to be sick, but she was on her feet and that's what was important.

"Hold it!" a voice called from behind them. The kids turned to see two more Equalists charging at them from behind, gloves already starting to spark and crackle with electricity. "Get back here, you brats!"

"Watch out!" Sota shouted as he charged forward. With a sweep of his left hand, Sota iced the floor in front of him, allowing him to slide past the girls and put himself between them and the Equalists. Raising his right hand, Sota slammed his ice-covered hand down on the pipe. The ice shattered upon impact, and Sota grunted in pain at the feeling of his cold limb crashing into the metal, but he was grateful that his idea had worked as a rush of water sprayed from it.

Grabbing his right arm with his left hand, Sota stuck his hands into the freezing water and bent it forward, shooting a fierce stream from it like a hose towards the Equalists. With one powerful push, he shot a wave forward, flash freezing it and sending it toward them. The Equalists looked on in shock as a wall of ice formed in front of them, blocking their view as they came to a stop.

"Sota!" Mai-Ling said, about to take a step forward, when a sudden flash exploded in front of her along with sound of Sota screaming. "SOTA!" His body twitched and spasmed in front of her, drawing her eyes to the ground where she could see that he was standing in the puddle from the water.

Sota's body was numb with pain as the electricity stopped, leaving him twitching as he dropped to the ground, barely staying conscious. His ears were ringing, blocking out any sounds around him, including Mai-Ling, and his vision was blurring in and out as he looked to the Equalist he'd fought before. As he struggled to catch his breath, Sota cursed to the spirits that he had, once again, been too weak.

The man struggled to his feet, taking his hand off the wet ground as he glared at the kids in front of him.

"You are one seriously annoying kid, you know that?" he said, eyeing Sota. "I'm gonna be sure to drag you before Amon myself. Benders like you deserve nothing but the worst."

"Shut up!" Jun screamed, drawing his attention from Sota, past Mai-Ling, whose back was still facing him, to herself as she shook, back on the ground on her knees. "Just shut up!"

"Oh? You gonna stick up for your little bender friend? You're just as bad as him then. Amon will deal with your kind too."

"I SAID SHUT UP!" She screamed, letting go of her head and slamming her fists to the ground. The hall gave a mighty shake, stronger than what they felt from the explosion, as the sound of scraping metal began to fill the area.

The Equalist looked on in terror as he struggled to keep his balance, tipping over and leaning on the wall to steady himself. He looked all around, afraid that the hall was going to collapse on them and turned to the screaming child in front of him.

"You! You're doing this, aren't you!?" he shouted before narrowing his eyes. "Fine! Looks like I'll have to give you a taste too-"

He jolted as he felt his arm yank backwards, preventing him from moving forward. Turning, the man was stunned to see that his gloved hand was stuck, crumpled metal encasing it and sticking him to the wall.

"What!?" he questioned, sweat building on his forehead. The metal scrapping returned, drawing his attention to his feet, now stuck in place by metal sheets as well. Looking at her, he could see not only that her fingers were shakily crammed into the ground, the metal under them was twisted and mutilated as if she had shredded it with her nails. "Just what the hell is wrong with you benders!?"

Mai-Liong growled, rounding on him so fast, Sota could barely keep up with it. Her golden eyes were filled with tears, streams running down her face as she huffed and puffed. She stared him down, and the man could feel a sense of dread creeping into him at the look.

More sweat started to run down his face, his adrenaline pumping his blood faster and increasing his body temperature. At least, that's what he thought it was before noticing the ice wall behind her was starting to melt, the drops turning to steam before they could even hit the ground.

"You…" Mai-Ling mumbled, gritting her teeth, and clenching her fists at her sides, not even disturbed by the fact the hall was still shaking. Taking a deep breath, Mai-Ling pulled her chest and arms back, before letting out a mighty scream, thrusting her hands out in front of her to unleash a stream of fire from both her palms.

The fire engulfed the narrow space, and the Equalist could only scream as he tried in vain to free himself. The hall was blindingly bright as Sota squinted to try to keep the flames from blinding him, but just as the man's screams of protest were engulfed in light, Sota's vision was engulfed in darkness.

The last thing Sota remembered thinking as he lost consciousness, was, "Why didn't they tell me?"

Jumping through the hole, Lin was quick into action as she landed, firing her metal whip up to grab a Chi-blocker that was swinging toward Korra. Securing the rope around his leg, she yanked him down, slamming him into the roof.

Two more Chi-blockers shimmed their way down the ropes, kicking Korra off the platform and back down to the roof. The three landed, ignoring the crack under their feet as Korra crouched across from them, while the first Chi-Blocker that Lin had dropped got back on his feet as well.

Lin shot another rope up, grabbing the platform to try and ascend into the airship, but she was stopped as the Lieutenant came up behind her and struck her in the back with his electric batons. Lin groaned as she dropped to the ground, rolling onto her side. This caught the attention of the Chi-Blockers who turned to rush over and provide backup, forgetting about the Avatar.

The mistake would cost them as the first one was hit square in the back by Korra's fireball, sending him tumbling to his friends. As the man stopped, he looked to see her missing, though he quickly found her as she stepped on him to launch herself into the air. Momentum now on her side, Korra made quick work of the other two, jabbing a fireball at the second before spinning and kicking another at the third.

Still airborne, her attention focused immediately on the Lieutenant as he prepared to strike Lin once more. He never got the chance as the fireball that hit himself sent him flying, tumbling away from them as Korra landed next to Lin and kicked another fireball at him. He barely dodged in time but was able to get back on his feet and started to run to avoid the next attack.

Korra took off after him, dodging his baton as he turned to try and strike her, and flipping up from the ground to bring her feet, now coated in fire, down upon him. The two battled, her shooting fire at him, and him swinging the electrified strikes with all his might, hoping to bring her down, but this was harder than expected. Not that he expected the Avatar to be weak, but from what Amon has told him, she shouldn't have been this good.

Two of the Chi-Blockers were back on their feet and heading her way, boas at the ready, but they were stopped immediately as Lin shot her ropes out to incapacitate them. The ropes wrapped around them in a flash and before they could react, Lin whipped them around, flinging both away and using the momentum to bring herself back to her feet. She wasn't done yet!

Retracting her ropes, she looked up to see the platform still hanging, and immediately latched onto to it. Securing the rope, she started to retract it, the force lifting her off her feet and into the sky towards it.

Korra slid back as she blocked the electricity from his weapons, but the Lieutenant made sure to not give her any breathing space, forcing her back and into close combat. Korra dropped into her boxer stance, ducking, and dipping like she did in her Airbending practice, before seeing her opening as he jabbed his stick at her. Grabbing his left arm, Korra twisted it, using his own weight against him to kick and flipped him over her shoulder and on to his back, cracking the glass under him with the impact.

Bringing her foot up, Korra lit it on fire and tried to drop it on him, but the man was quick, jumping to his feet in a crouched position and spinning to block with his baton. Standing, he threw his own kick at her, missing as Korra ducked before jabbing more fire at him. The Lieutenant dodged each strike, deflecting with his baton when needed before going in for one final strike.

The world seemed to move in slow motion as Korra narrowly avoided, continuing the spin from her last kick to do so and elbow him right in the face. The man grunted in pain as he tumbled backwards and shakily got to his feet, only to see the Avatar charging straight at him before unleashing two arcs of fire from her feet. The attacks hit their mark, sending the Lieutenant tumbling over the side of the building as Korra landed on the glass with a hard thud, cracking it even more.

The sound of the glass cracking worried Korra for the brief moment she had to consider what was happening, before it shattered under her, sending her falling into the arena. Her screams echoed, reaching Lin who looked on in concern. The Police Chief looked up at the airship she was attached to, her mind not even taking a split second to decide for her as she released her hold on the ship, turning over mid air to point herself at the stadium roof.

Launching her whips, Lin attached herself to the metal frames surrounding the hole, and yanked as hard as she could, launching herself toward Korra. The Avatar continued to fall, getting closer to the ground every second before falling into the smoke and out of sight. Shooting her left hand out, Lin, attached herself to a banner, using her free hand to shoot the other whip to Korra.

Like a snake through water, the metal rope streaked through the air, right to Korra who grabbed it as tight as she could, holding on for dear life as they swung to the now cleared audience stands. Lin landed with a thud, planting her feet, and retracting her ropes as Korra tumbled next to her ungracefully.

"You alright?" Lin asked as she helped Korra get to her feet.

"I'm fine, thanks to you," Korra said gratefully as she accepted the hand and stood.

"Don't mention it, kid," she replied. The two turned see the fleeing Equalists airship, neither thrilled about how this turned out. "Looks like we lost this one."

Korra was going to agree but didn't get the chance to as Mako ran up to her, throwing her into a hug while Bolin followed up behind, an unconscious Sota in his arms. Mai-Ling was close behind him, her hand interlocked with Jun's. The young earthbender was silent though her frame was shaky still. Her hands were cold and clammy, and she was thankful for her best friend's still warm hand. Lin looked at her, noticing this but saying nothing.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Mako said as he let her go.

"Me too," Bolin agreed, Pabu secured on his head.

Korra smiled to him before dread filled her at the sight of her little brother. "Sota!"

"It's alright," Bolin assured her. "We found them in the hall after taking care of some Equalists that were trying to get to them. His arm's a little banged up but other then that, he seems to be ok."

"I'm sorry, Korra," Mai-Ling said she looked at the Avatar sadly. "We were ambushed by people with these electric gloves, and Sota bravely fought them off, but we weren't much help."

"Don't be sorry, Mai-Ling," Korra said, giving her a caring smile and a pat on the shoulder. "The important thing is you're all safe. And I know Sota, and he'd never forgive himself if you were worrying over him so much."

Mai-Ling gave a half smile back, feeling a bit better, and though she said nothing, Jun gave her hand a squeeze of encouragement to say show she agreed. The golden eyes girl was suddenly struck with dread as she said, "We need to find Asami and Uncle Hiro!"

"Don't worry, they're both safe," Tenzin said as he walked up to the group. "I made sure to escort them to the exit with other patrons. They're outside now, likely getting checked up and looking for you all." His eyes drifted to Sota, a concerned look coming to his face as well. "And I believe it best that we get you all down to get checked up on as well."

"I can't believe Amon did this," Lin said in shame. Tenzin placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as she said, "I played right into his hand."

"He played us all. Republic City is at war."

Sota groaned, his muscles still twitching and numb with pain, though that was soon relieved by the familiar cooling sensation of being healed.

"Easy there, baby brother," Korra's voice came. "I've got you, so don't move too much."

"Ugh," he groaned, opening his eyes. His blurry vision started to clear as the blue glow worked its magic, and he was soon greeted by the relived faces of his sister and friends. On his right was Korra, still in her uniform, along with Mako, Bolin and Tenzin. Chief Beifong had split from them as soon as they came outside, going straight to work to get everything locked down.

On his left, Mai-Ling kneeled, the worry no longer on her face and now replaced with a thankful smile. Jun stood back, looking at him from the corner of her eye as she held her head down and leaned against Asami for support. The older girl had her arm wrapped around her, while her father stood next to them, a smile on both their faces.

"Why does my body hurt so much?" he asked, turning his head slightly to her.

"Well, from what I heard, you were electrocuted while standing in a puddle," Korra said. "That's a pretty nasty shock for your body to handle, but especially for a kid your age." Her smile grew as she said. "You held in there though. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks," he replied, giving her a half smile. The pier had been flooded with people as healers and extra police has been called in to quarantine the arena. Sota, like a few others, was laying on a stretcher, his head elevated by a pillow.

"No, thank you, my boy," Hiroshi said. "You put yourself in danger to protect my nieces. And for that, I'm eternally grateful to you." A tap came to his shoulder, and Hiroshi turned to see a metalbender officer behind him.

"We're ready for your statement now, Mr. Sato," the officer said, pad and paper in his hand.

"Excuse, everyone," he told them before following the officer to the others to speak with them.

"So. How long you been cooking up these things?" Korra asked, bringing the focus back to her brother and looking to his wristwear as she continued to work over him. "What do you call those things, anyway?"

"I don't know. I didn't really put that much thought into a name for them," Sota replied, looking back to the sky.

"Well, with the way you used them, it was like seeing mini glaciers on your arms," Mai-Ling said. "Why not something like Glacier Gauntlets?"

Sota was quiet for a second, the smile slipping from his face. Mai-Ling noticed this, leaning back from him as he turned his head toward her. His eyes held something, and though she wasn't sure of what it was, the growing pit in her stomach reassured her that it was not something good.

"Yeah…maybe," he said, turning to look back to the sky before closing his eyes. "I think I'm gonna rest my eyes so more."

Mai-Ling opened her mouth to speak, but stopped as Jun placed a hand on her shoulder. The firebender looked at her, a few small tears in her eyes that Jun gently wiped away.

"We'll talk about it later," she whispered, holding her hand out for her friend. Mai-Ling accepted it, keeping her back turned to Sota and saying nothing, simply nodding her head as she held it down while Jun looked over her shoulder to say, "Get some rest, Waterboy."

Sota gave a grunt of confirmation that he'd heard her, and the three girls took their leave, making their way to Hiroshi.

Looks like he wasn't the only one hiding things.

To be continued…

Whoo. Alright guys, I hope you all enjoyed. This chapter has been one that I've been planning and excited to write for the longest time.

It's now confirmed, Mia-Ling and Jun are benders as well!

Did you guys suspect that? How does this make you feel? What do you think this means for them? Why do you think they never mentioned it before? How do you think Sota should feel about it?

I wanna hear all your thoughts so if you've got things to say, I wanna hear it.

Til then, I'll see you guys later.

Peace!

-Blak-Ice