Chapter 34

"LET ME GO!" Mai-Ling screamed as she struggled to escape Shu's grasp as he tried to hold her in place. Sweat was pouring down the side of his face as she thrashed about wildly, terrifying the others around them.

"I could use some help here!" Shu shouted before she started throwing her head backwards into his chest. Her feet were off the ground as he gripped her in a bear hug, but her feet were starting to become a problem. "Grab her legs!"

Mako rushed over, doing his best to grab her ankles, but the effort was wasted as she suddenly brought her feet together and shot a stream of fire from them. Mako fell to the ground as he avoided the attack while the force of her power was enough to knock her and Shu backwards into a tumble. The two felt themselves come to a stop as his back hit the large pipe behind him, causing him to loosen his hold.

Mai-Ling was on her feet before anyone could stop her, charging for the edge only for her path to be blocked once more. Sota tossed his machete to the side without a second thought and stood his ground to brace himself for the impact. The two came to a painful crash as she plowed into him, but Sota held tight, even when his back hit the railing painfully.

"Mai-Ling! You have to calm down!" he shouted as she continued to try to push past him as she could see and hear the explosions. Her mouth opened, but instead of words, only an angry scream followed by a flash of fire were his response. The fire extinguished almost as soon as it started, but the heat that lingered was almost suffocating with how thick it was.

"Sota!" Jun cried out in worry.

Dipping his head, Sota wrapped his arms around her waist and pushed, knocking Mai-Ling to the ground. Using all his weight, he sat on her stomach and held both her arms down with his hands. Pressing her to the floor he leaned down and pleaded with her, "Please! I know you're worried, but if you go out there, you'll only get yourself hurt too!"

"Sota, get away from her mouth!" Asami shouted as Mai-Ling started to huff, taking in large amounts of air for another attack.

But Sota didn't move a single inch away, instead staring into her eyes the same he had the day before. Only this time when they shined, he stared back with conviction instead of fear. "Mai-Ling!"

To everyone's shock, she closed her eyes and shoved him off before pointing her head to the sky and shooting a fireball from her mouth. Getting to his feet, Sota ran to check on her with Jun rushing over as well as smoke poured from Mai-Ling's mouth and tears down her face. As Sota helped her to her feet, she clung onto him for dear life, coughing roughly from the burns she felt after trying to stop the fire from coming out.

"Everyone, back inside!" Mako commanded, leading the way back down the stairs. After ushering the kids, Shu, Asami and Bolin in, he turned to see as Korra was pulling up with someone in tow. "Korra!"

"I was able to get to General Iroh," she said as the reached the tunnel. Mako offered his hand to the man, pulling him out of the water, being careful of the injuries he'd sustained. His uniform was scorched and torn in places, and his left sleeve was missing, a large burn covering his upper arm. As he helped Korra next, the Avatar turned to her team, mirroring their said looks.

Moving back inside, the somber mood was evident to Loa when they returned.

"What happened?" She asked her brother as he sat down next to her. Shu looked up, eyes pointed to Mai-Ling who was sitting next to General Iroh as Korra healed the redness in and around her mouth from the wild spree of fire breathing she'd done.

"Sorry, I know it hurts," Korra said at the tears on her face, believing she was in pain. "Thankfully it doesn't look like the burns are bad, but you should be careful with that move." After a few more seconds, she smiled and nodded. "All done. You can swallow."

Mai-Ling nodded, gulping the cold water down in relief with no pain to be felt in her throat. Wiping her eyes, she looked up to her with a sad smile and said, "Thanks, Korra."

The Avatar nodded, grabbing more water and beginning to work on General Iroh's arm.

"Thank you, Avatar Korra," he said before addressing everyone. "My entire fleet was destroyed and all my men who survived will be captured. I was prepared to deal with Sato's Mecha-Tanks, but not these new high-speed aircraft."

"Excuse me, General Iroh," Sota said as he walked up. "You mentioned the men in your fleet; was there anyone named Rai-Ling Sato on one of the ships?"

"Rai-Ling Sato?" he asked, thinking for a moment before shaking his head. "No. None of the men on my ships had that name." There was a collective sigh of relief from Jun, Sota and Asami, but especially Mai-Ling.

"Every time we think we have an advantage, Amon outsmarts us," Korra complained as she focused on healing his wound.

"No matter what our plan is, he always has a better one," Bolin chimed in. The General paused before answering.

"Amon is winning so far, but we're not out of the fight yet," he said in determination.

"I like this man's confidence!" Bolin cheered. "So…how are we not out of the fight?"

"A second wave of reinforcements is on the way," Iroh said as Korra finished healing him. Standing to his feet, he said, "But I need to warn them. Do you still have a way to get a message out?"

"I know just the man for the job," Korra said, and the group set out to find Gommu, leaving Sota with Jun, Mai-Ling, Shu and Loa.

After a few moments of silence, Sota took a seat next to and reached out to Mai-Ling, gently taking her hand. She immediately gripped his in return, but her eyes were still turned to the floor.

"Are you ok?" he asked her quietly.

"I should be asking you that…I'm so sorry," she said before looking up to Shu as well. "And you too, Shu. I'm sorry."

"That's some serious firepower, kid," he said but sighed before saying, "Don't sweat it. I can't really blame you for freaking out over your brother."

"I guess the thought of him dying before I got the chance to apologize just…" she couldn't even finish the words, instead shaking her head in shame. Turning to Sota, she said, "I never wanted you to see me like that."

"You're my friend; It doesn't matter how out of control your Dragon's Rage gets, I'm here to help," he swore to her. Mai-Ling gave him a smile but the fear she felt of losing control and hurting him lingered. She'd stayed conscious this time, but what if the next time she didn't? What if she fully lost control and hurt him or Jun?

After sending a message to the reinforcements to remain on Red Sand Island, Team Avatar regrouped to formulate a new plan.

"Now comes the hard part," Iroh said as he laid out a map of the city area before them. "We need to ground those aircraft, otherwise Bumi's fleet will never be able to retake the city."

"They flew in from this direction," Mako pointed out to the mountain range.

"There's an emergency rendezvous point out there that I remember our commander mentioning back when we first joined," Loa said, turning to her brother who nodded his head. "My guess is that's the reason why."

"It's just over the mountain range, over here," Shu said, pointing just below Mako's hand. "I can take us there."

"Good. And if there's any other information you have that may be helpful, I'll need to hear it," the General replied before addressing everyone again. "We leave at dawn."

"It's time to take down my father," Asami said with conviction before addressing the girls. "Are you sure you can handle this?"

"Of course we are. Somone has to put a stop to all this, and you've all proven your need us," Jun said and though Mai-Ling was hesitant, she nodded her head in agreement.

As the group began to disperse, Korra stopped to narrow her eyes in thought.

"Wait," she said, grabbing everyone's attention. Sota turned to his sister and knew by the look on her face what she was thinking. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going with you tomorrow."

"What?" Mako asked in disbelief.

"Why not?" Asami asked sadly.

"I'm sick and tired of hiding from Amon; it's time I face him," Korra said, leaving no room for argument though she knew she'd get it from them.

"That's not a good plan. We need to stick together," Iroh said.

"I'm not waiting for him to hunt me down. My gut's telling me it's time to end this. On my terms."

"Say something," Loa prompted Sota, but the boy remained silent.

"Korra, this is not a mission you should be handling alone," Iroh continued to protest.

"She won't be. I'm going with you," Mako said as he walked back over to her.

"You don't have to do that," she insisted, but Mako shook his head.

"Yes, I do," he told her, staring into her eyes. Asami looked away at this; even knowing that they were done, it still hurt to have to see.

"Hmm," Iroh sighed in thought. "My grandfather would respect the Avatar's instinct. So will I."

"That's because your grandfather's never seen this Avatar's instinct," Sota finally chimed in with a smirk before walking up to his sister. "But I guess as long as Mako's with you, you won't get into too much trouble."

"Your confidence is appreciated, little brother," she rolled her eyes and laughed along with the others now that the tension broke, before the group walked off to rest. They had a big day ahead of them.

The morning was upon them before they knew it, and everyone was preparing to go. The group had gathered near the tunnel in preparation for their split, and everyone was doing a last-minute check over their gear to ensure they were ready.

Korra and Mako had changed into their disguises, though they'd yet to put their masks on. Asami and Shu were checking their gloves to be sure that they were fully charged and functioning while Loa was helping the kids.

"That belt might be a bit heavy for you, Jun," she said as the Earthbender adjusted the cloth around her waist.

"Not even a bit," she said with a grin as she secured her spool on her left hip and the metal knives Tula gave her in the right pocket. "I may look small, but I'm stronger than you'd think."

"Trust me, I think I know," she smiled.

"Are you sure you'll be ok here by yourself, Loa?" Mai-Ling asked as she adjusted the bag with the explosives on her back.

"I'm sure. I'd only slow you down with my condition. Plus, if something happens, we'll need someone to make sure everyone gets out of here to safety and to contact the reinforcements," she told her before Sota walked up to them. Placing a hand on his head, she jokingly asked, "You guys take care of my brother, ok?"

"You're not funny, you know that?" Shu replied as he walked up to and hugged his little sister. "You be safe, Lolo. If I don't come back-"

"Don't talk like that, Shu," she told him, upset at the thought. "You're making it back because no way am I'm going home with that news."

Shu chuckled and smiled. "Right. Just make sure to take your meds; you're never gonna see that Sentry girl again if you don't."

"Wait, you mean Essa? You've got a crush on Essa?" Sota asked teasingly while the girls smirked from watching Loa's face turn red.

"You forgot that you talk in your sleep when you're sick, didn't you?" Shu smirked as he let go, enjoying the annoyed blush on her face. "I'll see you when it's all over."

"You'd better, you jerk!" she threatened.

"Love you, little bro," Mako said as he embraced Bolin.

"Love you back, big bro," he said back with love and confidence. Mako would be ok. Bolin was sure of it. As the two split, Mako walked over to Asami and the girls.

"Asami," he called gently, a sad look on his face that she mirrored when she turned to him. "I'm sorry things got so messed up between us. But whatever happens today, I want you to know how much I care about you."

"I care about you too," she told him honestly before walking up and placing a kiss on his cheek.

Sota walked up to Korra without a word, a look of worry and uncertainty on his face. Korra gave him a lopsided smile, receiving a roll of his eyes before the two embraced in a tight hug.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" he whispered to her.

"You've never stopped telling me," She replied. "You be safe, ok?"

"You too. Especially around Amon. He's…" Sota paused, trying to think of how to put it, but nothing seemed quite right. "He's strong, Korra. Scary strong. He was able to break out of a Bloodbending hold so whatever you do, don't underestimate him."

"I understand," she nodded, though something about that made her pause before Naga walked up to the two, licking one then the other. Petting her, she said, "Take good care of Sota, Naga. I know you will."

The Polar Bear Dog dipped her head, allowing Sota to help Jun and Mai-Ling on before climbing on himself and taking control of Naga's reins.

"We'll take the lead and head over there in the truck Loa and I used to get around. You'll need to keep up without being seen," Shu instructed Sota who nodded his head in understanding.

With their goodbyes said, the groups divided and parted ways. Korra and Mako took the left tunnel while the others took the right. With a final wave between the two siblings, Korra could only hope that this would truly be the end of all this and prayed to the spirits that her brother would be safe.

"Good fortune and success to you, valiant heroes!" Gommu cheered them on as he stood next to Loa in front of the crowd. Her stomach twisted in worry but she had to believe that they would all be ok.

Pulling up to the shore of Air Temple Island, Korra and Mako climbed out of the water bubble she created and hopped on the rocks. Masking their faces, they climbed over the ledge and into the main yard just outside the Temple itself. Above it, an Airship could be seen hovering, but even from down so far, they could still make out the people on it as the man she was looking for rose up to it on a platform.

"There's Amon!" she declared as he stepped into the ship while the platform closed behind him.

"We need to get into the Temple," Mako said, watching the ship drift away. "Then, when he returns…"

"We ambush him," Korra agreed. Checking that the coast was clear, they started to make their way toward the long stairs of the Temple but stopped when a voice called from behind them.

"What are you two doing here?" The Lieutenant said, bringing their attention to him as he walked up to them.

"Uh, we were just transferred," Mako said as they looked at each other and then back to him. "My sister here was on leave after the jailbreak earlier this week."

"Ah, I remember you now. You two were the ones responsible for letting the Avatar's brother cause all that hell," he replied in annoyance. "I assume we won't have any other issues like that today, yes?"

"Of course not, sir," Korra said, though she had to hide the prideful smile in her voice at hearing that Sota had caused them so much stress.

"Good. Because you're getting transferred again. Amon wants extra security at the Arena today."

"The Arena? For what?" Mako asked.

"The Rally. You should have been briefed about this," he said.

"We'll be there, sir," Korra said quickly with a bow. The Lieutenant turned and began to make his way back, leaving them in place. Elbowing Mako, Korra whispered, "I know another way in," behind her hand, before the two started quietly shuffling away.

Dropping down over the side, they crawled against the wall before reaching a corner with a small wooden panel. Looking around to be sure it was safe, Korra grabbed the flap and opened it. The creak of the hinge was loud, but Mako ignored it and crawled in quickly, Korra following him and easing the entrance way shut. The two exited the basement to find the building empty of any other guards and made their way upstairs.

"Let's hide in the attic," Korra said, pointing to the ladder. Mako went up first, pushing the door open and crawling up there to find the light on.

"Uh, we're not alone up here," he said as he turned to see a man, locked behind the bars of a cell with the door chained.

"Tarrlok?" Korra asked in disbelief as they pulled their masks off.

"I don't suppose you're here to rescue me?" he said sarcastically as the light bounce off the floor and onto his face, illuminating the tired grumpiness he exuded.

"We had no idea you were here," she answered as they walked up to the cage. "Are there other prisoners on the island?"

"No. I'm the only one."

"And what makes you so special?" she asked bitterly.

Closing his eyes, Tarrlok took a deep breath before looking up and declaring, "I'm Amon's brother." Korra and Mako gasped, bitter taste immediately forgotten as they looked from him to each other. "Amon is from the Northern Water Tribe. He's a Waterbender and a Bloodbender, just like I was."

"What?!" Korra asked, still in shock.

"Did you know this all along?" Mako asked, narrowing his eyebrows as he frowned.

"No. Not until after he captured me," he replied, looking back to the floor.

"How did your brother end up becoming Amon?" Korra asked, her stomach twisting anxiously.

"It all began with my father, Yakone. With the help of his former gang, he escaped prison and underwent surgery to change his appearance. He assumed a new identity and settled down in the Northern Water Tribe. That's where he met my mother, a warm, caring woman." Tarrlok paused, a look of sadness coming to his face for a moment as he pictured his mother's face; a face he hadn't imagined in a long time.

"Before long, they started a family together," he continued. "Amon was the firstborn, under the name Noatak. I was born three years later. Noatak was a good-natured kid, always looking out for me…those were the good years before my brother and I discovered we were Waterbenders.

"At first, we were excited by our new abilities. But our training brought out a different side of my father," he said, thinking of the night his father yelled at him for not being able to do something as simple as keep a ball of water stable. His eyes narrowed at the memory, his distaste for his father emerging. "Even back then, my brother wanted everyone to be treated fairly and equally.

"When I was seven, my father took me and Noatak on a hunting trip, far away from our home. He told us his true identity was Yakone, Republic City's most notorious crime boss. And that he was once a Bloodbender of rare skill."

Those words made Korra's blood run cold as she remembered the feeling of Tarrlok holding her like a puppet and moving her against her will. Her mind went to her brother as she once again questioned who he could have gotten his ability from. Though she had ruled it out before, the question of who her brother's father was once again brought to her mind. She'd deemed it impossible that Tarrlok could have sired him, but was it possible that…Amon was Sota's father?

"The good days were behind us," Tarrlok said, interrupting her thoughts to continue his story. "Every full moon, our father took us on another supposed "hunting" trip, where he secretly trained us in bloodbending. We kept the truth from our mother.

"A few years later, my father taught us to bloodbend anytime, without the need of the full moon. We practiced constantly, and I hated every minute of it. I had no stomach for manipulating helpless animals…my brother, however, seemed to revel in his newfound power. He was a prodigy, mastering my father's psychic bloodbending technique by the time he was 14.

"Even though Noatak was my father's favorite, it wasn't any easier for him. He carried the burden of all Yakone's expectations and demands. Something changed in Noatak over the years. The loving brother I once knew became cold and detached.

"Our father pushed us to extremes," he said as he reached the last memory he had of his brother on the bone-chilling winter night. "And one day, he made us bloodbend each other. After I refused to do it, my father lashed out and Noatak came to my rescue, but…he'd fallen too far by that point. He wanted to run away but I couldn't bring myself to leave my mother behind in all of this.

"He was disgusted with me and instead ran off into the storm alone. My father and I searched for days, but we never found a sign of Noatak. We thought he perished in that storm. My mother was never the same after the loss of my brother. My father stopped training me…with Noatak gone, his hopes for revenge withered, and he passed away a few years later."

"That's…one of the saddest stories I've ever heard," Korra said in empathy, something she never thought she would have for Tarrlok.

"Avatar Korra, I am truly sorry for all that I did to you," Tarrlok apologized, grabbing his head as he said, "I thought I was better than my father, but his ghost still shaped me. I became a soldier of revenge, just like he wanted me to be…and so did my brother. The revolution may be built on a lie, but I think Amon truly believes bending is the source of all evil in the world."

"How did you figure out Amon is your brother?" Mako asked.

"When he took my bending, the sensation was somehow familiar. I later recognized it as my brother's bloodbending grip."

"So, he somehow uses bloodbending to take people's bending?" Korra asked, trying to wrap her mind around the idea that a Bloodbender could be so powerful. Though given Tarrlok's story, as well as her brother's warning, Amon was sounding more and more deadly by the minute.

"I don't know how he does it, but then again, I've never encountered a bender as strong as Noatak."

"How in the world do we beat him?" she pondered.

"We can't," Mako answered. "Any attack we throw at him, he'll redirect with his mind. That's how he's been able to challenge any bender."

"So much for our ambush. If we stay here, we're toast," Korra complained as she started to pace. A sudden idea struck her, bringing a smile to her face as she whipped around. "But there's another way to beat him."

"How?" Mako asked in surprise.

"This whole time, Amon has been one step ahead of us. But finally, we have the advantage; we know the truth about him. If we expose him as a bender in front of all his supporters…"

"At the rally…" Mako agreed, smiling as well as he started to see where she was going.

"We could take away his true power!"

"And undermine this whole revolution!"

Turning to Tarrlok sadly again, she said, "Thank you for your help." Tarrlok nodded, his part to play being done, and yet, Korra couldn't stand the thought of leaving him locked up. "We can't just leave him here."

"Go. Amon can't know anyone spoke with me," Tarrlok encouraged as he stood to his feet and walked to the bars to face her. "Defeat him. Put an end to this sad story."

"I will," she agreed with a nod but paused to ask. "Before I go…I need to know. Are there any chances this could happen again in the future? Do you know if your brother has any children?"

Mako's eyes went wide at the question, but given Tarrlok's family history, it was a reasonable thing to ask so he remained silent as he watched the man shake his head.

"My brother had grown distant as we grew older, but we did used to speak of wants such as that. He'd told me that after finding out the true identity of our father and the strain it'd put on us, he wanted to never sire children. Our fear of repeating our father's mistakes was strong, so we swore Yakone's bloodline would end with he and I."

Korra's shoulders released a tension she hadn't known she was holding, and yet, it felt like a weight had been lifted off her. The thought of her brother being the son of either man would have been a tough pill to swallow but explaining it to him would have been even harder to do. No doubt he would not have responded well to this bombshell, but now thanks to Tarrlok she had the confirmation she needed.

Sota was not related to Yakone.

"You have my word; we are going to stop Amon," she promised before the two turned and ran for the door.

It was time to bring Amon down once and for all.

To be continued…

Don't worry. You'll find out about his parents. Eventually. As well as the girls' families.

We're getting close to the end of Season 1 so I hope you're all ready!