Chapter 26

Sota huffed in exhaustion. Bloodbending without a full moon…though he'd actually pulled it off, now he was paying for it. Bringing his thumb up, he wiped the blood from his nose, staggering to his feet as the light-headed sensation rushed to him. Get to the wall… he thought as he tried to catch himself unsuccessfully. His descent to the ground was halted as Mai-Ling threw herself under him, though she immediately struggled under his heavier weight.

"Spirits, how are you so heavy?" she commented, grunting while lifting him up with the strength of her knees. "You need to lay off the Seaweed Noodles."

Sota cracked a small smile of relief; she wasn't scared of him?

"Sorry," he apologized, his mind clearing up and allowing him to slowly ease off her. "I-"

"Am absolutely insane," Essa chastised as she rushed over to the unconscious Chi-Blockers. Yanking the keys from the girl's hand, she rushed over to the two, commanding them, "Gimme your hands."

Mai-Ling held her hands up and out to Essa who fiddled with the key for a moment before getting it into the slot, and turning, releasing the cuffs from her wrist. The Firebender rubbed her wrists, missing her golden bands that had been stolen from her to make way for her cuffs.

"You know, you could have warned me that you were gonna try something like that, Sota," Essa continued as she freed him as well.

Taking the keys, Sota returned the favor, saying, "And if I had, you'd have tried to stop me."

"Of course I would have! There's no full moon out, so why would I have thought that was a good idea? I can't even tell you how dumb it was to provoke a-"

"Hey!" The three turned to see another Chi-Blocker, rushing toward them with his glove extended, intending to put them down, but his movements were halted as Sota raised his hands. Focusing, Sota grabbed hold of him with his bending while Mai-Ling cupped her hands, shooting a large fireball into the man that sent him crashing into the wall in a smoldering heap.

Gasping, Sota let go of his hold, hands on his knees as a layer of sweat dripped down his face, as well as another few drops of blood from his nose. Mai-Ling turned to him, gently lifting his head to examine it.

"Your nose keeps bleeding when you do that," she said in worry. Looking him in the eye, she said, "You're hurting yourself too much. No more."

Sota looked at her, wanting to protest, but nodded in agreement. "No more, unless absolutely necessary," he said before raising up and wiping the blood away again. Looking to Essa, he said, "We need to find a way out of here."

"Well, thanks to you two, we now have a small arsenal to help us," she commented, going over the supplies. "Two smoke bombs, three boas…and one of those shock gloves. Alright." Standing back up, she handed each one of them a boa while pocketing the smoke bombs herself. "Help me get these cuffs on them and get them into our cell."

The two helped drag the first one, Shu if Sota had heard correctly, into the cell, making sure to cuff him before moving onto his partner. Essa did the same with the last one before giving the cell door a slam shut and locking it.

"We need to get down to that tram that brought us here and see if that leads to a way out. This is a make-or-break situation, you two. So that means stay on your toes and watch each other's backs."

"I'm not the best at bending, but I'll do whatever I can to get us out," Mai-Ling swore. Sota nodded his head in agreement, before the three took off, rounding the corner the Chi-Blocker had come from and heading for the exit.

Drawing closer to an open doorway, they could hear the sounds of a tram as it pulled in below them. Essa dropped into a crouch, holding her hand up to tell them to wait as she moved toward the ledge. Sota and Mai-Ling lowered themselves to the ground before pressing themselves against the adjacent wall to look as well.

"Looks like there's four more Chi-Blockers below us," Essa said, turning to them while pulling out a smoke bomb from her pocket. "We need to get to that control panel in the middle of the tram. I'll take those two. Do you think you can handle the two guards below?"

"You take the one on the left, I take the one on the right?" Sota asked Mai-Ling, receiving a nod that he gave to Essa as well. Holding her fingers up, she counted down from three before tossing the small projectile over the railing.

The Chi-Blockers below were startled as the grenade went off, shrouding the air in thick smoke that made it not only hard to see, but to breathe as well. The three escapees jumped into action immediately, vaulting over the railing to drop down on them. Essa was first, landing on the bar that helped to stabilize the tram on its tracks before launching herself down to tackle the first Chi-Blocker to the ground.

The man cried out in surprise before his screams filled the air as Essa pressed the palm of her glove into his chest, electrocuting him into submission. She quickly turned, still holding her breath as she located the second Chi-Blocker whose hand reached for the controls on the tram. Essa quickly grabbed her hand, pulling her away and thrusting her palm into the woman's back, watching as she slumped over after crying out as well.

Behind her, Sota and Mai-Ling pounced, jumping down from the beam toward their own targets into the smoke. Sota kept low to the ground, tying the Chi-Blocker's feet with his boa before sweeping his legs from under him. The Chi-Blocker tipped over, crashing forward onto the ground ungracefully before attempting to push himself up, only for Sota's foot to come flying across his face. The kick was swift and effective, knocking the man out instantly, much to Sota's relief as he stood and looked to Mai-Ling, who wasn't doing as well.

Mai-Ling tripped, causing her to fall backwards as the Chi-Blocker ducked her boa before lunging at her. The man tackled her to the floor, raising his hand to strike her. Mai-Ling screamed, pressing her hands to his chest and pushing him with all her force as she blasted him with fire. The concussive blast separated them, Mai-Ling tumbling back in a series of somersaults, while the Chi-Blocker was shot directly into the wall next to the tunnel.

"Mai-Ling!" Sota cried out, covering his mouth with his tunic as he hopped over the track and ran up to her. Reaching out, he took her hand to pull her up and asked, "Are you ok?"

Mai-Ling could only nod her head as she couldn't stop coughing from all the smoke and soot. Sota turned to see the Chi-Blocker slumped over unconscious just as Essa got the tram started.

"Let's go!" she called out. Keeping their hands linked, Sota pulled his friend into the cabin of the tram where both crouched down as Essa said, "Hang on!" before flipping the switch. The tram gave a lurch before speeding forward out of the smoke and down the tunnel. "Good job back there, you two. Are you alright, Mai-Ling?"

"Yeah, I'm ok," she said, finally able to breathe again as they barreled down the tunnel. Turning to Sota she apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, I know I'm slowing us down."

"You're not slowing anyone down," Sota reassured, giving her hand a squeeze as their hair blew in the wind of their acceleration. "You're doing great, trust me."

"It's not you I don't trust; it's me," she said, narrowing her eyes at the light that was drawing closer and closer. She was surprised when he squeezed her hand again, causing her to look at him and the confident smile he had on his face before he faced forward again.

"Well, I trust you," he confided in her, immediately making her heart skip a few beats. Mai-Ling turned forward once more; eyes now focused as a new wave of confidence rushed through her. She could feel the growing heat in her hand as he held it, as if he were sharing what he could with her, a feeling that spread from the tip of her head and down to her toes.

"Focus you two," Essa commanded as they reached the end of the tunnel. As the tram came to a stop, the three found themselves in what looked to be a garage. A few unmanned armored trucks sat in front of them as well as a row of bikes, illuminated by the fluorescent factory lights that hung above. Pointing toward the nearest truck, Essa told them, "Let's go."

The three rushed over, Mai-Ling and Sota to the passenger's side near the bikes while Essa made her way toward the driver's seat, only to stop at the sound of clapping coming from in front of them.

"I must admit, I'm rather impressed with you three," Amon said, stepping out of the shadows as he finished his applaud. He paused, relishing in the fear on the faces of the three before continuing, saying, "Particularly with you, young lady. I was beginning to think that the White Lotus were simply a shell of their former glory after that pitiful display at the Arena, but it seems unlike the Avatar, they still have potential."

Sota, grit his teeth, biting back the remark he wanted to make as his wild eyes never let Amon. He could feel his stomach twisting in fright as Mai-Ling's hand trembled in his along with the rest of her, but said nothing, fearing he may either vomit or screech till he was hoarse.

Looking to Mai-Ling, Amon stated, "And you, Ms. Sato. Your uncle has worked very hard for our cause; I'd hate to see you spit on all his good will." Amon only had time to take a single step forward before the smoke grenade exploded as it hit the ground in front of the car, clouding them all from his sight.

"GET OUT OF HERE, BOTH OF YOU!" The kids heard Essa cry out before the sounds of electricity could be heard crackling through the air.

Pulling her away from the cabin of the car, Sota immediately straddled the nearest bike, only letting go of Mai-Ling to cover his face from the smoke with one hand. She did the same, making sure not to inhale it in her scared state as she tried to get the bike to start already.

"Come on, come on, come on..." she muttered frantically as she tried twisted the handlebar while Sota kept his eyes on the fight as best he could.

Amon looked around the thick cloud of smoke, waiting to see what the Sentry would do. Her footsteps had disappeared, and the only sign she moved was the thump of the truck as she jumped onto the hood before launching herself into the air. Her electric glove crackled as she pulled back before swinging down at him, missing as he stepped to the side to avoid her.

Somersaulting forward, Essa turned to try to uppercut Amon, or so he thought, before she jumped up and kicked her foot out, hitting him square in the chest. Amon grunted as his back hit the side of the truck before deflecting her real punch as she attempted it with her ungloved hand. Using his shoulder, Amon shoved her back just far enough to deliver his own powerful kick to her chest, knocking the wind out of her as she tumbled backward, though she quickly rolled back to keep distance.

Essa cursed him to the Spirit World and beyond as she got to her feet, hand on her abdomen where he'd kicked her. She knew this wouldn't be that easy, but this was looking to be more difficult than she could handle, especially since close quarters combat was more of her sister's specialty than hers. But without any water to bend, this was the only hope she had.

The roar of a bike engine caught their attention as Mai-Ling cheered and instructed Sota on how to work the bike. The Water Tribe boy nodded his head, watching her hand motions and mimicking them, revving the engine twice as Mai-Ling ran around to the hop on the back.

Amon narrowed his eyes before dashing to his left, and into the remaining smoke to rush around the front of the truck. Essa felt her blood run cold and immediately dashed in the same direction from the back, coming around to the other side just outside of the smoke as Amon did, lunging for the two kids on the bike just as Mai-Ling wrapped her arms around Sota's waist.

Mai-Ling screamed, clutching onto Sota as he turned to see Amon heading for them, his hand outstretched as he attempted to grab them, only to be stopped just short of the boy's nose. Essa's blood pumped in her ears as she gripped Amon's arm and yanked him away from them, sending the two into a roll before they righted themselves, arms still locked.

He was impressed with the Sentry's resolve and skills, not anticipating that this girl could put up such a fight, but Amon had her where he wanted her now. Gripping one are tightly, he used his strength to turn her it over before raising his free hand into the air.

Essa had no choice; this was the only opening she was going to get, and she had to make it count. With the swiftest punch she could throw, Essa connected a charged hit to Amon's exposed side, pressing it into him. The man cried out in pain, but continued to bring his arm down, striking right into the shoulder of her left arm with great force.

Essa's scream of pain churned Sota's stomach as he heard her shoulder pop from the socket, her body going slack. Amon let her go, watching as she fell to her knees while desperately trying to hold her shoulder, but the pain was so intense, she could barely focus. Her mind was foggy as the adrenaline tried to rush through her veins to help her ignore the pain, but she soon realized that she was damn near on the brink of passing out as she started to sway back and forth.

Amon held his side, the string irritating him from the glove before looking down at and walking to stand behind Essa. Grabbing a fist full of her short hair, he yanked her limp head back, forcing her to face the ceiling. Her vision was getting blurry as Amon stared into the blue of her eyes. He could tell she was fading, prompting him to bring his free hand up before slowly lowering it toward her forehead.

"I will admit, you put up a good fight, girl, but the inevitable must come for all benders," Amon said. His hand suddenly went rigid, feeling stiff and unbendable. Amon was shocked as he could do nothing but watch as his hand twitched and spasmed beyond his control.

The fireball collided with him, knocking Amon away with a grunt as Essa's body dropped forward to the ground. The Sentry's skin felt cool against the ground though she had no time to think about this before she was swallowed up into the void of unconsciousness. Amon tumbled and righted himself just as a bike came charging his way, a very angry child at the helm. Narrowing his eyes, he jumped over Sota as he attempted to run him over, landing and dodging another set of fireballs flung by Mai-Ling as she hopped in front of Essa's body to put herself between the downed Sentry and Equalist leader.

Turning the handlebars to the side, Sota hopped off the bike and let it slide against the ground before crashing into the wall behind him, bursting a pipe that immediately began to spew steam. Rolling into a crouch, Sota and Mai-Ling watched Amon with wide, hate filled eyes as he turned to look from one child to the other.

"I see," he said as he watched blood drip from Sota's nose to the ground, vanishing in the steam that was starting to coat the floor. "Never would I have imagined that a Bloodbender would be within my mitts, much less that it be the brother of the Avatar." Sota didn't reply, instead wiping his nose quickly before standing and waving his arms around him. In a few swift motions, Sota collected as much steam as he could, bending it back into water that he used to cover his arms with a pair of water tentacles.

Amon continued, stating, "A boy with the ability to make another human his plaything, and a girl who's one tantrum away from scorching an entire block of houses to cinders. The fact wretched children like you could be as powerful as that, is the exact reason I began my movement."

"I don't give as crap about you or your stupid movement, you psychopath!" Sota shouted, eyes looking frenzied with anger. "You're gonna keep your hands off my friend, or else- "

"Or else what, child?" Amon demanded.

"Or else, I'll burn your bones to cinders!" Mai-Ling cried out, tears in her eyes as she looked at him furiously. Her heartbeat so fast against her chest, she feared it was going to come shooting out like a screaming fireball. Her stomach was twisted in a knot of anxiousness as her flight senses were screaming at her to run. However, the fire in her blood was screaming at her to fight back, to protect Essa and to prove him and her uncle wrong. To prove Sota right in putting his trust in her.

Inhaling a deep breath, Mai-Ling dropped into her first form and ignited her fists. She was ready.

As Amon stood, watching one child and then the next, he couldn't help the sense of respect he had for them. And yet, he also pitied them for he was about to give the two a rude awakening.

Amon immediately rushed toward Sota, the bigger of the two threats, but the boy was fast, maneuvering out of the way to avoid being grabbed. However, his feet barely touched the ground before Amon spun back, his fist coming across Sota's cheek.

The strike sent Sota spinning, and though it hurt, he ignored it to keep up the momentum to spin and try to uppercut Amon in the stomach. Amon grabbed his water covered hand, believing he had him incapacitated but soon felt a cold sensation as Sota smirked at him. Amon's eyes went wide as he realized his hand was completely frozen to Sota's as the boy froze his free hand, delivering a strong right hook to the same spot where he'd seen Essa electrocute him.

Amon groaned in pain, allowing Sota to unfreeze himself and jump back, crying out, "Mai-Ling!" as he did so. The girl was quick to respond, shooting a fireball that hit Amon as he guarded his face and caused him to slide back a few feet on the wet floor.

"You two are tricky; I respect it," Amon said, holding his side for a moment before righting himself as he stared at Sota who had moved himself in front of Mai-Ling and Essa. "I wonder what other cute little tricks you have."

"You haven't seen the half of it," Sota said, eyes narrowed at him in hatred. This fight couldn't last too much longer if they had any hopes of escaping, especially with Essa in the condition she was in. He was going to have to find a way to pin Amon down and freeze him. "Mai-Ling," he mumbled. "I'm gonna finish this so we can get outta here. As soon as I do, we need to get Essa into the truck."

"Got it," she replied, side eyeing the truck for a moment before focusing on Amon as he charged at them once more.

"Perhaps that should be your first lesson about my new world," Amon spoke menacingly. "No bender is safe from me…"

Sota readied himself as he charged to meet Amon again, freezing the ends of his tentacles into sharp ice tips. Amon narrowed his eyes and launched himself over Sota, flipping over him with ease and leaving the boy stunned.

Landing between the two kids, Amon stood to his full height as Sota turned on his heels and lunged forward to try and strike him with one of the icy tips, but Amon stepped just to the side, allowing him to miss before locking his arm around Sota's, trapping him.

Dread filled Sota as he realized he couldn't pull his arm back, just as Amon said, "Not so fast, boy," before lifting his right foot and kicking Mai-Ling square in her chest. The air left her body as she tumbled backwards over Essa, her fire extinguished immediately. She gave a loud cough and groan of pain as she held her arms to her stomach while laying on her back.

Sota cried out in distress as Amon spun them around before launching Sota threw the air. The world spiraled in his vision before he felt an immense surge of pain in his back as he crashed into a box, destroying it into pieces. The water he'd been bending splashed uselessly around him as he tried to bite back a scream, though his pained noises were more than enough for Amon.

Turning to him, he said, "You can save yourself more pain by giving up. If it weren't already clear, I have no issue with harming dangerous children."

Mai-Ling shakily got to her feet behind him, copying one of Mako's stances as she panted before throwing a few jabs of fire at him, smaller fireballs coming in a flurry. Amon turned and danced around each ball as they passed him, slowly closing the gap as he danced over Essa and landed in front of Mai-Ling, grabbing her left wrist.

Terror ran through her body as she reactively tried to hit him again, but stopped, screaming in pain as he twisted her arm upward and stated, "You should count yourself lucky, girl. Were it not for your uncle's usefulness, I'd have dealt with you much sooner."

"FUCK YOU!" she screamed, launching a burst of fire with all her might at him. Amon ducked, launching his fingers to strike her collarbone and arm. Mai-Ling screamed, her fire cutting off immediately as she felt her Chi paths become blocked and fell to her knees.

Amon let her arm go, watching it fall limply to her side before kicking her onto her back again and standing on her chest. Mai-Ling groaned as he lightly pressed her to the floor to keep her in place, trying to push his foot off her, but she had no chance against a full-grown man, much less one as large as him.

"Hush, child," he spoke as he started to lean down toward her. "It will all be over soon."

Sota staggered to his feet, body hurting like it never had before. But he could barely feel it through all the fury and hatred that was coursing through his veins as he focused on Amon. Lifting his hands, Sota felt the trail of blood running down his nose and dripping to the ground, but he didn't care. It was now or never. He was going to kill Amon.

His left hand twisted as Sota imagined a rope of water that came from Amon's body, twisting it as if wrapping the rope around his arm and to his satisfaction, the man's body became stiff and rigid before twitching as Amon struggled to move. It took all the control he had to look over his shoulder as Sota, who was panting as his left hand struggled up and down while his right hand bent the water he had back over.

Sota only had enough Chi left to cover his hand, but it was more than enough as he formed it into an icicle, the sharp point forming just a few inches from his fist. He swallowed a few more gulps of air before giving a loud war cry and dashing forward. His feet crashed loudly against the floor as the adrenaline in his veins pumped vigorously, fueling him to put everything he had left into this attack. As Sota finally reached them, he lunged with everything he had, going for the jab.

"I applaud your resolve," Amon stated, turning around and catching Sota's arm, the icicle less than two inches from his masked face. Sota's mind didn't even have the time or chance to process how or what happened before Amon rapidly struck him in the chest, blocking his Chi.

Not letting up, Amon grabbed him by the throat and pressed him to the ground, sending more pain up his back and nearly knocking him out.

"NO!" Mai-Ling cried out, trying to stand but falling back to her hands and knees. She was done, completely spent, and with no Chi, she couldn't firebend. Some of her hair had fallen out around her during the battle, making her look crazy as she shouted, "You can't do this!"

"Oh, but I can, girl," Amon said, picking up Sota's body and forcing the boy onto his knees, facing her. He was barely holding consciousness as he opened his eyes, looking into the tearful face of his friend as he felt the iron grip on Amon's hand on his shoulder to hold him in pace.

I failed…was all he could think as tears came to his eyes. Struggling to speak, he called to her, saying, "Don't look…Mai-Ling…"

"No! Please! Let him go!" she screamed as her tears hit the floor.

"You should feel proud, young Water Tribe Warrior. I'm sure your people and your sister will take pride when they learn of the fight you put up," Amon said, tilting Sota's head back. As he slowly lowered his thumb and pressed it to Sota's forehead, he finished, stating, "Your new life begins now."

Mai-Ling's screams were silent as the world seemed to stop all at once for Sota. He could feel something happening to him, the last of his strength vanishing in an instant before everything began to spin. Amon released his grip, and Sota could only watch his friend's face as he was swallowed up in the black void of darkness. His body dropped to the ground, only a few feet away from Essa who hadn't stirred once since their altercation began.

Her throat was dry as it tightened, the horror of watching her friend lose his bending sending Mai-Ling's mind into a confused frenzy. Her head dropped to the floor as her body racked with sobs, shaking up and down as she tried to take in more air. Amon stepped over Sota and started to make his way toward her now. He would take care of her next, and then finish with the Sentry before his men would be there. They were no doubt already on their way giving the loudness of the altercation.

As he reached her, he prepared to bend down and grab her, but stopped as Mai-Ling's fingers scratched at the floor. He could hear a growl in her throat with each inhale, and soon he noticed some puffs of smoke coming from under her. Was she really trying to firebend again, knowing her Chi was blocked?

"Foolish girl," he said, watching as she jerked her head up at him. Amon barely saw the light in her mouth before he put his hands up to cover his face as the pre-teen roared a stream of fire from her mouth at him. The heat was intense as it licked at his sleeves, but luckily, his gear had been prepared to resist high degrees of heat. What he hadn't expected was the amount of force she was able to project, finding him sliding back several feet before coming to a stop as she panted like an angry animal.

Amon could see the hate in her dark golden eyes, flinching as she took in another large gulp of breath in preparation of doing it again. Luck seemed to be on his side, however, as his Lieutenant came charging off of one of the trams, flipping through the air to land right behind her. The man immediately jabbed his shock stick into the girls back, choking out a scream from her as her body was electrocuted.

Pulling away, he watched as her eyes rolled back and her form went limp, faint smoke coming from her back where he struck her as well as her mouth. He grimaced at the girl, noticing the small burns around her lips before rushing over to Amon as Chi-Blockers rushed in from the trams.

"Are you alright, sir?" he asked as Amon dusted himself off. Shu and Loa rushed over to them, worried about what happened.

"I'm fine," Amon said, watching as Sota was dragged over to the girls and handcuffed. Noticing them approaching Essa, he declared, "Cuffs won't be necessary for that one. Take her to the infirmary and have her shoulder looked at before you put her back in the cell with these two."

"Yessir," the Lieutenant said before turning angrily back to Shu and Loa who were standing by nervously. "You two are dismissed. Head back to your quarters and stay there until further notice. We'll discuss this incident later."

"Right away, sir," Loa said, shoving Shu as they walked off with their tails between their legs. Her stomach twisted as she looked at the damage Amon had done, but especially to those kids. Their faces were bruised, and they were covered in marks, barely looking as if they were even breathing. This wasn't what she had signed up for.

"We should have you looked at as well, sir. We'll have a crew come in and clean up here," he said as he surveyed the battlefield of all the broken equipment, including the vehicles, boxes and pipes.

"Your concern is appreciated, Lieutenant, but it is unnecessary." Turning toward the path of his living quarters, he declared, "I simply need rest. Now that they've been broken, they won't be of any further problems."

To be continued…

Alright so some quick notes and fun facts:

I had actually planned to have this done about two weeks ago but I've been busy with helping my mom move and with being sick. I didn't want to rush it for obvious reasons because of how important of a moment this is.

Next: This had been a chapter in the making for a LONG time and had actually been originally set to go completely different. Originally, Jun and Tula were also going to be here, as well as the metal bending police and there was a huge battle I had planned to do, but as the story developed, I decided against it as there was no way I could make that all realistically work and still come out with the outcome I wanted.

By the time I got close enough to this chapter to start writing it, the thought of having these three essentially trapped with the main bad guy alone felt like the right move.

So let me know what you think. How do you feel about this chapter and how do you think the story will proceed from here?

Lastly, the next chapter of this story will be in mid-September so I'll see you all then!