[Late Night, Somewhere in the Central District]
SCREEEEECH!
The city's restless night screamed to life as tires clawed against stone roads. A dark car swerved through the district, hot on the trail of a hulking, armored transport thundering ahead.
No one moved cargo like that without protection.
Two motorcycles flanked the truck in tight formation. Their riders exchanged a glance through their masks, then flipped switches beneath the throttle. A hiss of ignition bursted and thick clouds of black smoke erupted from their exhaust, shrouding the chase in a suffocating fog.
And barreling through that chaos?
Well, Team Avatar.
Inside the car, the driver gritted their teeth and kept their hands steady on the wheel. The headlights were flicked off without hesitation, plunging them into near-darkness as goggles slid into place over their eyes.
The smoke was dense, but they knew this district. Their grip tightened as the engine roared within the vehicle.
A sharp turn was coming. Fast.
ASAMI SATO
AGE: 18
STATUS: Driver
"Hang on!" she called over her shoulder, voice cutting through the roar of the engine. "Help me out! We've got a hard left coming up!"
In the backseat, someone shifted, rising through the haze of smoke like a spark. The distinct outline of blue fabric was unmistakable, even with an arm shielding half her face from the stinging ash.
KORRA
AGE: 17
STATUS: Avatar
"Just say when!" she called back, muscles coiled and waiting for the moment.
"Now!" Asami barked, stomping the accelerator to the floor.
Korra, not missing a beat, locked her elbows in, arms thrust forward, then swept sideways in a single motion. The earth responded in an instant. Slanted stone jutted from the road, sculpted perfectly beneath the tires just as the car hurtled toward a building.
Asami jerked the wheel hard to the right.
The car rode the slope like a projectile on rails, sliding cleanly across the rock and slamming back onto the street with barely a bounce.
The Equalist transport still roared ahead, unaware they're still being chased.
"They don't know we made the turn" Asami muttered, narrowing her eyes as she throttled forward, letting the distance shrink.
The smoke was still thick around them, but here Asami had the edge. She let up gently on the gas, gliding the car into position just behind the motorcycles' shadows.
"Steady…" she whispered, clenching the wheel.
Thwip!
A metallic clunk rattled through the frame. Asami felt it in her fingertips before she saw it.
It was thin and sharp enough to strike the hood. Her eyes snapped into focus.
A long dart.
No—an arrow.
And tied on its base. A small, silver cylinder with a small paper wrapped around it.
Seeing the lever beside it slowly flip as the car rattled, recognition crashed into her like a wave.
"Shut your eyes!" she screamed, but the memory hit her just a breath too late.
KRA-KOOM!
A blinding white eruption tore through the windshield, and the night vanished in a violent blaze. The roar was deafening, but then—nothing. Just a shrill, stabbing ring that pressed against their skulls like nails scraping glass.
Asami blinked through the disappearing smoke behind her goggles, but even that wasn't able to shield her fully from the effects. Her vision swam with searing spots of light like phantom stars. Instinct overruled disorientation; she yanked the wheel hard and slammed the brakes.
The tires screamed. The car fishtailed violently, spinning halfway before catching the pavement and nearly tipping, teetering on the edge of flipping. Then slamming back down with a jolt that rattled every bolt and bone.
Somehow, no one was thrown. They clung to the frame, coughing and blinking through the haze, their senses scrambled.
Asami's vision returned first, flickering like a broken lantern. Everything was still tinted in white ghosts, but she could make out shapes now. Faint movement. Far ahead, the Equalist convoy roared down the road, fading into the dark like phantoms.
But… they passed someone.
A silhouette, faint at first, then growing clearer with each step as it emerged from the smoke.
"Everyone fine?!" a young man shouted, clutching the side door, his voice louder than necessary but strained.
He couldn't hear himself. No one could. Their ears still rang, the world distant and underwater.
MAKO
AGE: 18
STATUS: Quite Frustrated
His question hung unanswered.
As their eyes adjusted, Korra and Mako saw it—saw him—through the thinning smoke.
A figure walking toward them slowly, shoulders square, calm in their small chaos.
A makeshift bow slung in one hand. A quiver at his side. His hair, long and tied, drifted like a trailing shadow behind him.
Mako's jaw clenched, eyes narrowing. "You…"
But Korra didn't speak.
She didn't even breathe.
She just stared.
ZHEN
AGE: 19
STATUS: Distraction
He adjusted the glasses perched on his nose with deliberate calm, then pulled three arrows from his quiver in silent motion.
"Sorry for ruining your ride" he said, almost gently, almost sincere. "But I have to keep you guys here for a minute or two"
He raised his bow, drew it sideways, and leveled the three arrows in a practical sweep. The line between warning and threat was as thin as the strained string.
Mako moved before Zhen fired.
Thwip!
The arrows hissed through the air, whistling danger on the wind.
Mako jumped out of the vehicle and shot his fists toward the ground, fire blasting in a sharp wave that curled upward into a blazing wall.
The arrows screamed into the flame. Two burst into embers mid-flight. The last one tumbled through, its shaft blackened and bent, clattering harmlessly to his feet
"Back off!" Mako shouted, turning around toward the car.
But Korra hadn't moved.
She sat frozen, her hand clenched so tightly around the doorframe that the metal bowed beneath her grip. Her gaze locked on Zhen like he wasn't real. Like he was trying to pull something out of her mind. A buried memory trying to give itself shape—too vivid to be imagined, too wrong to be true.
Her breath came short and uneven, her whole frame shook but stood still.
This wasn't fear.
And it wasn't anger.
It was something else that prevented her from making a move. Pulling her body down.
Zhen noticed.
His eyes flicked toward her, just for a second. In them, a spark… regret, maybe.
Guilt, possibly.
Whatever it was, it softened his expression. Briefly. Then it vanished beneath an invisible mask he wore so well.
And he stepped forward again, drawing his bow.
"That's enough!"
The ground beneath his feet trembled.
With a rumble and a violent heave, a slab of earth erupted upward in front of Zhen. He shifted back instinctively, the sudden rise nearly taking him off balance. His bow lowered, back straightening. The stone clipped the edge of his clothes as it surged skyward.
BOLIN
AGE: 16
STATUS: A Bit Scared
"Get the car started!" he barked over his shoulder, sprinting into the fray with fists drawing and fire in his eyes.
He leapt forward, both arms sweeping out like waves crashing wide. The wall of earth obeyed, thrusting forward in sync with his movement. It grinded and dragged across the street, pushing everything in its path back.
"Korra!" Make turned, seizing her by the shoulders. It wasn't gentle, but it wasn't unkind. His grip was urgent, his voice even more so. "Snap out of it! He's not the one you knew anymore!"
Korra blinked. Her grip loosened. Her chest rose and fell as breath returned in pieces.
"Yeah…" she murmured, her eyes still stuck to the spot where Zhen had vanished into smoke. "Yeah…"
But his disappearance wasn't for long.
"Guys!" Bolin's voice cracked through the haze, filled with panic. "I don't know how long I can keep him away!"
The dust parted briefly, but long enough to catch the glint of steel.
A blur burst through..
Zhen emerged quickly, cutting through the smoke in full stride. His bow was already raised. Another arrow nocked.
Thwip!
The sharp whistle sang through the air.
But this time, Korra moved.
She vaulted from the car, swirling her arms mid-air. Water from shattered puddles rose with her, circling like a serpent. Mid-spin, as her boots smacked wet pavement, she snapped her wrist forward.
A high-pressure torrent released that screamed across the road like a liquid blade.
Zhen barely caught it in time. His stance faltered as the water crashed against him in a rushing surge, wrenching the bow from his hands and knocking him back.
He staggered, arms fully braced against the full weight of the attack, knees nearly buckling. His boots skidded across stone before he finally dropped to one knee, soaked and heaving.
The water thinned into a fine mist, revealing him hunched in its wake, breath ragged.
"Get back!"
The first to notice, Mako, stepped forward from behind Korra, sparks crawling up his arms. But his stance was different.
He raised two fingers straight—lightning surged down his body in a crackling blue stream, coiling like a small snake. With one breath, he let it loose.
CRACK!
The lightning screamed against everyone's ears, too fast to dodge.
And Zhen received the full force head on.
NNNNNGH-AAGH!
His body jerked with the jolt. Every muscle screamed at once. The electricity lit up his soaked frame until he smoked, igniting arcs that danced across his limbs, tendons pulled tight like wires ready to snap.
His blood started to feel like they were boiling, like the puddles at his feet.
POOF!
A burst of vapor exploded outward. Steam swallowed the space around him in a dense, hissing cloud.
The sudden silence didn't last long.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Arrows tore out the fog in rapid bursts. They came not with precision, but with pressure. A wide scatter, a chaotic volley meant to overwhelm.
Dozens.
"Get down!"
Korra's shout barely rang out before they scattered. Arrows sliced the air, clattering off pavement, metal, and stone.
Argh!
A sharp cry cracked through the chaos as one hit Bolin.
The arrow lodged deep in his shoulder mid-stance, throwing him backward. His bending dropped with a grunt as he slammed into the road.
"Bolin!" Mako lunged, nearly sliding to his side, panic sharpening every word. "You good? Talk to me!"
Bolin tried to sit up, fingers clutching the shaft like he meant to rip it free, then immediately thought better of it.
"I don't know. Give me a second" he groaned, voice strained and indignant. "Kind of hard to think with an arrow in my shoulder, Mako!"
The pain etched itself across his face, but the fire in his glare was still there.
Korra immediately moved in front of the two brothers, throwing her fist upward.
A wall of stone rose in front of her, intercepting the rest of the incoming hail. Arrow slammed against it like insects, splintering and bouncing harmlessly to the ground.
Brrrrm-brrrm! Vrrrrr!
The engine coughed, then roared back to life.
"Get on!" Asami shouted over her shoulder, her goggles flashing as she glanced back.
Mako wrapped an arm around Bolin, helping him stand up.
Only for Zhen to shift the air above them.
He came like a large bird, vaulting off the stone wall with barely a whisper. Only the faint glint of steel caught the streetlights as he blended into the nightsky, betraying his path.
Thwip!
"Damn it!" Korra swung her arms in a fluid circle.
Flames bloomed in a roar, spinning into a half-dome around them. The fiery protection hissing as arrows struck and vaporized midair.
The heat dropped just as fast as it rose.
Zhen landed hard on the trunk of the car. His bow already drawn, another arrow notched.
But this time, they were faster.
"Annoying shit!" Mako's leg snapped upward in a sharp arc, flame trailing behind his heel like a whip.
Zhen twisted enough to avoid a full hit. But the fire licked close, heat kissing his skin.
The bow wasn't so lucky.
Mako's strike connected with the weapon, splintering it clean in half. As he brought his foot down to finish the blow, fire roaring along his sole, Zhen flipped back off the car, landing light on the other side, boots scraping against the pavement.
They had a moment. Just a second of air and silence.
"What now?" Mako called, stepping away from Bolin, who was steadying himself. "You're unarmed!"
There was triumph in his voice, smug even. But his eyes didn't flinch from Zhen's hands, watching for even the faintest twitch.
Beside him, Korra and Bolin took offensive stances, like they were back in the probending arena. Even Asami, hands still on the wheel, kept her gaze on Zhen through the rearview mirror.
A breathless stillness stretched between them. Each their eyes telling a different emotion: Anger. Fear. Suspicion. Hurt
'Transfer's finished. Get out of there'
Distracting the stare down was a faint crackle in Zhen's ear.
He didn't respond. Not even a nod.
Mako took that silence as him being cornered.
And with a roar, he lunged, flame bursting from his arm as he threw a punch.
But Zhen moved.
He kicked the rear bumped of the car hard, the metal groaning under the sudden force.
SKREEE-THUD!
"We're taking you in, trait—Ugh!"
The words barely escaped before the vehicle slammed into Mako's chest, the impact sending him flying. He slammed into the stone wall Korra had raised earlier and crumpled to the ground.
Korra and Bolin whipped their eyes toward Mako, and then returned to Zhen. But they didn't even get time to react.
Zhen slid over the trunk, and stuck a sweeping kick that sent Bolin sprawling sideways into the dirt before he landed.
RAGH!
Korra shouted, channeling her power into her bending. She ripped her arms wide, pulling at the wall behind Zhen—but he closed the distance immediately, crashing into her before she could even finish.
He grabbed her by the collar and forced her up on his back—flipped her hard onto the pavement with a sharp, practiced throw.
Korra hit the ground with a heavy thud, breath knocked out of her. She twisted under his grip, teeth bared, but Zhen held her down firmly.
"You still go for the big moves without taking into account how open it leaves you" Zhen muttered, almost amused.
Then he felt the wind shift. A small warning.
Zhen's body moved on instinct.
Releasing Korra just in time for him to lean back as a fireball screamed past him, singing the edge of his shirt as it flew by.
"Stay away from her!" Mako's voice cut through the haze, his fury now sharpened to lightning.
Sparks coiled down his arms, crackling blue, dancing at his fingertips.
He thrust his hand forward, lightning about to arc toward Zhen at point-blank range.
But Zhen dropped, intercepting mid-movement.
He twisted, swinging his legs up in a fluid snap. His boots locked around Mako's shoulders like a vice, one arm catching the firebender's wrist.
Sparks bit at his skin, but he didn't flinch.
Teeth gritted, muscles coiled, Zhen hooked his foot around Mako's neck and drove him down with his full weight, face-first into the asphalt with a heavy crack.
Mako groaned, stunned but still conscious, squirming to break free.
Zhen didn't give him the chance. He pulled in and slammed his boot into Mako's temple, knocking him out cold. Again.
Zhen rolled back into a crouch, body tensed to spring. But he wasn't given any time to recover.
A flash of light bloomed beside him.
ZAP!
Asami, now standing atop the car's seats, her glove surging with artificial lightning, lunged her palm downward.
Zhen didn't let it land. He snapped his broken bow across her knees, catching her legs with the end of a sweeping arc. It took her off balance, legs whipped from under her.
Before she fell to the ground, he caught her mid-fall—then shoved her right back into the car, then kicking the vehicle away from him.
The moment both his feet planted firmly on the ground again.
CRACK!
Stone erupted beneath him, locking both legs in a small prison of jagged rock.
"I got him!" Bolin's triumphant shout rang out as he raised both arms, chest puffed in pride.
It didn't last long.
Zhen's fingers gripped tightly of his ruined bow. With most of his force, he hurled it like a bola. The broken limps spun through the air, the string catching slow.
Snap-twang!
The cord lashed around Bolin's ankles.
The young earthbender yelped as he felt the tension, yanking him off balance. "Nevermind!"
He hit the ground with a thud, arms still half-raised in his unfinished celebration.
Zhen managed to rip one leg free with a sharp twist, the fragile rock shattering around his boot. The other followed with a stomp that cracked the stone like brittled glass. His footing wobbled for half a second.
But it should be all the time he needed to finally breathe.
He gave a casual tap of his boot against the ground, like knocking out a pebble lodged in his sole. "You got some good friends, Avatar"
His voice was level, almost conversational.
Korra was already halfway to her feet. She didn't respond immediately, not with words. Just a sharp, accusing look laced with something softer beneath the fury. A flicker neither of them acknowledged.
Then, finally, she stood.
"I'm taking you in, Zhen" her voice didn't crack, but it wavered on the edge. "And you'll be answering for everything. The murders, the Equalists. Amon…"
There was more. She wanted to say more.
But her teeth pressed into her bottom lip, holding something back… something heavier than accusations.
Across from her, Zhen shifted his weight. A quiet sigh escaped his lips, wearied and hollow. He adjusted the leather bracer strapped to his tight forearm, fingers hesitating at the strap.
Words caught in his throat too.
For a moment, it felt like they were both standing on the edge of something other than intensity.
A question.
An apology.
A memory.
Neither of them said it. Neither of them acknowledged it.
Instead, Zhen retrieved a small object inside his bracer and let it fall to the ground between them.
POOF!
Thick and inky smoke erupted in a sudden burst, swallowing his silhouette in a heartbeat.
"Damn it—" Korra coughed, raising an arm to shield her eyes as the haze swallowed her too.
But the cloud thinned fast, curling away with the wind.
"Zhen!"
Her voice cut through the fading smoke, laced with a deep emotion—hope, maybe.
But there was no answer.
And when the smoke cleared, he was gone.
Again.
—————————————————————————————
[Republic City Medical Center]
The scent of antiseptic clung to the air. Faint beeping machines and whirring gears hummed nearby, underscoring the low murmur voices down the hall.
Inside the quiet corner room, Team Avatar nursed more than their wounds.
Mako sat right up on the edge of the bed, a fresh bandage wrapped around his temple. Across from him, Bolin met his eyes, relaxing almost too much as Korra whirled a glowing ball of water gently over the wound in his shoulder.
A hiss escaped his throat as Korra took the arrow out without warning, but he still managed a crooked smile.
"Didn't think he'd be that good" Bolin muttered, voice laced with humor despite the current mood.
"Honestly?" Asami spoke from beside Mako, cinching the last wrap on his gauze a little tighter than necessary. "I think he was holding back"
Mako shot her a sideways glare. "Are you saying he could've done worse?"
"I've seen him fight before" she replied, her hands lowering with her eyes as she remembered. "He was more… violent"
For a moment, no one said anything.
The silence thickened like the weight of steam on glass, pressing in.
"So he's holding back" Bolin muttered at last, breaking the tension with a grumble. "What does it even matter? He still whooped our butts"
He raised a hand, wincing slightly.
Korra took the cue and gently stopped the healing. The soft blue glow around her hands faded, returning to the water in the bowl with a whisper of ripples.
Her hands dropped to her sides, still.
She didn't speak. Just stared.
The surface of the water trembled under the flicker of overhead lights, distorting her reflection into waves.
"He could've done worse" Korra murmured eventually, quiet but sure. "That means… we still have a chance. If he's holding back, then we can still stop him"
"Even if we do have a chance" Mako cut in, the edge in his voice sharpening. "We have no way of actually knowing where he is. All his hideouts went up in flames the other day"
"Well, I—" Asami began, reaching into her coat pocket, something already forming on her lips.
BANG!
The doors slammed open with force that interrupted her.
"Avatar Korra" barked a voice filled with clipped, controlled fury. "Explain to me what you think you were doing tonight"
Three pairs of eyes turned to the doorway as a councilman strode in, flanked by two Republic City Officers. His usual smugness had burned off, replaced by a cold, brittle authority.
His eyes scanned the disheveled team, clearly not in any condition for a sermon. But that didn't stop him.
TARRLOK
AGE: 37
STATUS: Frustrated
Korra didn't even bother straightening herself. She slouched on a seat as a sign of disregarding his authority, exhausted in more ways than one.
"What do you want, Tarrlok?" she said, her voice dry, more tired than hostile.
The dismissal lit a fuse behind Tarrlok's eyes. His nostrils flared as he took another stop forward.
"I'm asking" he said sharply, blatantly looking down on the Avatar. "What possessed you to interfere with an official police operation?"
"I'm sorry?" Korra's brows shot up. "I didn't see your little task force or the cops around while we were busy chasing down the Equalists"
They could almost hear the vein in Tarrlok's temple throbbing. His jaw clenched so tight you'd think he was grinding diamonds between his teeth, but he kept his mask on… barely.
That too-perfect politician's mask, stretched over something brittle underneath.
"I cannot" he said with manufactured patience. "I cannot have you and your little gang of street rats tear up the city and impede the real authorities in pursuit of those criminals"
"You say that, but I don't see you actually being able to do anything about those Equalists" Korra said, stepping forward with fire in her blood and no breaks in sight. Her finger jabbed against his chest, not hard, but enough to make the message land like a punch. "Not one of your raids. Not one of your big flashy announcements. None of it has worked!"
Tarrlok's face twitched.
He knew it. She was right. But admitting it? That would cost more than his pride.
So instead, he shifted gears.
"Consider this a warning, Avatar Korra" he said coolly, taking a step back like he'd planned the whole confrontation. "Stay out of my way"
It sounded like control. But it tasted like retreat.
He didn't even look at the others. Didn't offer a nod, or a final glare. Just turned around and walked out, coat flaring behind him as he made a theatrical exit.
A heavy silence followed again.
"Prick…" Korra muttered, exhaling sharply as she slumped onto the edge of the bed beside Bolin. Frustration clung to her voice like static. "We need something. A lead. A clue. Anything"
Asami, quiet until now, finally cleared her throat and pulled a small folded slip of paper from her pocket.
"I… I might have something" she said, brows furrowed. "I think"
That uncertainty made the other glance her way, skeptical.
"Where'd that come from?" Mako asked, suspicion already threading his tone.
Asami held up the note, letting it flutter between her fingers. "It was on the arrow stuck on the hood of my car. I didn't notice until we stopped"
"No!" Mako's tone spiked. "It's probably some trick that Zhen guy is cooking up. Don't even read it—just toss it in the trash"
His reaction was immediate and loud, like the idea alone was toxic. His brother, of course, nodded along.
"Yeah, I'm with Mako on this" he added, shifting awkwardly. "We just got done fighting that guy. Could be some kind of trap, you know?"
Korra, however, wasn't so quick to dismiss it. She sat up straight, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
"Or it's out only lead" her voice cut through the doubt like a whip. "Open it"
Asami hesitated for just a moment before nodding and unfolding the paper.
The silence returned—this time laced with tension as they waited. But Asami's expression only deepened into confusion.
"Well?" Mako prompted, impatient. "What does it say?"
Asami turned the note around, holding it for them to see.
One word, smudged with a red fingerprint.
Tarrlok.
—————————————————————————————
[The Next Day, Dragons Flats Borough]
Morning settled over the narrow alleys and weathered streets of Dragon Flats.
Though unfortunate, these were more poorer parts of the city.
It was a district stitched together by rusted roofs and stubborn resilience. The city's heartbeat still pulsed here, though slower, wearier. Mostly nonbenders walked the streets, shoulders hunched against the daily grind of survival. Due to the rise of Equalist activities, it has only gotten worse for them.
And scattered among them, like everywhere else in the city, were a few bad apples.
Zhen and Qoru carried bags of food in their arms, their pace unhurried, and their faces unworried of how the public had viewed them.
Or at least, one of them.
They passed a shuttered corner shop where a poster flapped against the wall in the breeze. Qoru peeled it free and gave it a glance, his brows lifting slightly.
"You're awfully bold, walking around with your face plastered all over the city" he muttered, waving the wanted poster for emphasis.
QORU
AGE: 19
STATUS: Shopping
Zhen barely spared it a glance. His eyes remained forward, disinterested.
"It's not like I'm doing anything wrong" he said simply.
ZHEN
AGE: 19
STATUS: Shopping
Qoru scoffed, crumpling the paper in one hand.
"That's not the point, I think…" his tone was halfway between amusement and concern.
The paper crackled as he shoved it into his coat pocket.
He picked up the pace, falling into step beside the older teen, weaving through the foot traffic despite one of them being a wanted man.
"You think they're looking for you?" Qoru asked, voice lower now. "The Avatar, I mean"
"I'm not that important" Zhen dismissed. "The Equalists are their priority"
Qoru huffed. "You're acting like you're not one of the higher-ups"
Zhen gave a one-shoulder shrug. "Now that our branched out group has been exposed, they have no choice but to pin a higher rank on me"
Their walk came to a half in front of a flower shop.
It nestled between boarded-up windows and rusted metal, its sign hanging crooked but defiant. The shop's display was oddly bright, with vibrant petals pressing against fogged glass like they were trying to escape.
Zhen reached for the doorknob… but didn't turn it.
His fingers tightened instead, jaw tensing as his gaze darkened.
"Qoru" he said quietly, staring at the door as though he could see right through it. "Enter through the back"
Qoru didn't ask why. A good subordinate doesn't. He just gave a sharp node and slipped away into the side alley, vanishing behind the building without a sound.
Zhen inhaled slowly. Once. Then again.
He pushed open the door.
The old hinges groaned like tired bones. The air inside was heavy. The scent of soil and wilted petals lingered beneath cold metal, like copper and static.
Several Equalists stood inside, spread across the camped shop. Their eyes snapped to the entrance the moment it creaked open. No one moved. No one spoke.
Except the figure at the center.
He stood with his back turned at first, facing a modest white lotus planted in an old ceramic vase. When he turned, the white mask turned with him, its expression blank.
"Amon" Zhen said calmly as he closed the door behind him. It sounded more like a tired greeting than a proper one.
AMON
AGE: ???
STATUS: ???
"Faceless" the masked man replied. He didn't even use Zhen's name. Never bothering to do so. "You've been getting… difficult to reach"
Zhen didn't flinch at the subtle accusation.
He moved calmly through the room, stepping over scattered petals and soil to rest the paperbag on the dusty counter near the window.
"The police have been on my tail the past few days" he offered. As if that explained everything.
Amon said nothing at first. He stood before a flower arrangement bloomed beautifully in an old ceramic pot, dragging fingers over the fragile petals.
They bent under his touch, until they lost their color and wilted into dust.
"No matter" his voice was almost wistful, but he made sure his presence was the only thing filling the room. "The Avatar is becoming persistent"
He let the remains of the flower scatter from his fingers like ash and turned to face Zhen fully. The light caught the smooth curve of his mask, but it was the eyes beneath that did the real cutting.
"It's time to stop delaying. Capture her and bring her to me"
His words were deliberate, punctuated by the low hush of silence that followed his voice whenever he spoke.
"It is time to send a message to benders all around the world" he continued, his voice putting weight on every syllable. "That not even the Avatar is safe from my power"
Zhen met his gaze, the same blank slate on his expression.
He sighed. "I'll get it done"
It was the answer Amon had come for—but not the one he seemed to want.
He walked with slow, unhurried steps across the small room. The Equalists parted for him as he moved.
"I expect progress" he spoke again as soon as he was just a step in front of Zhen, their faces nearly level. "By tomorrow"
And without even waiting for Zhen's response, he passed and exited, never once looking back as the creak of the door echoed.
One by one, the Equalists followed in his wake. None acknowledged Zhen. Some even brushed past him deliberately like he didn't exist. Like he was just another piece of broken furniture.
Then the door closed. The silence returned.
—————————————————————————————
[Night, Dragon Flats Borough]
When night came, Republic City shone like a lantern in the dark. It was a blazing sprawl of light and motion, alive even in the late hours.
But tonight, the borough was the exception.
Streetlamps sputtered out. Radios cut to silence. Fans stilled mid-spin. A blackout without warning, without reason.
Everything was buried in the dark of the night.
Frustration grew like fire through the streets. Households spilled into the streets, neighbors joining neighbors in a restless, confused tide. One voice became two, then ten, then almost a hundred.
A mass of the borough's residents began marching through the darkened streets, drawn together by shared worry and confusion. They all walked shoulder to shoulder toward City Hall, planning to ask for their power back.
But they never even made it that far.
Armored police trucks stood waiting at the district edge, barricades already in place. The Republic City had already blocked the road before the crowd even started gathering.
Like they'd been expecting them.
Sheesh
In a small, dim shop tucked between the borough's aging tenements, a thin slit of light wavered behind a dusty window.
"Things are getting bad out there" Qoru muttered under his breath, pulling the blinds closed with his fingers.
The candle in his hand flickered as he moved back inside, placing it carefully on the counter. Its flame danced across the steel surfaces laid out with eerie neatness: daggers, throwing hooks, sharpened disks, blades small enough to vanish in sleeves or boots. All laid out like pieces of a puzzle.
Across from him, Zhen sat resting his feet on the edge of the counter, half-wrapped in shadow. The candlelight caught on his features only in fleeting glints—his jaw, the faint reflection off his glasses, the polished edge of the dagger he was thoroughly wiping down.
Qoru leaned back on the counter, folding his arms. His eyes, unlike Zhen's, were having a harder time adjusting to the dark.
"Should we do something?"
The question hung in the room.
Zhen didn't answer right away. He simply finished polishing the dagger, giving it one last pass with the cloth. Then, with a sharp flick, he snapped it clean through the air.
"We don't need to get involved with this one" he said finally, rising from his seat. "We're not righteous people"
Only certainty was in his voice, absent of any regret. A man who knew where he stood.
Without wasting any time, he began rearming himself. Sliding a blade into a hidden sheath in his boot. Another vanished beneath his bracer. Twin hooks clicked into place across the back of his belt.
Across the room, Qoru leaned against the wall, arms crossed, one brow raised. He didn't hide the grin tugging at his lips.
"We heading out again?" he asked, the tone almost casual.
Zhen didn't say a word—just nodded once.
Qoru sighed, more satisfied than surprised. Exactly the answer he expected.
Then came the low purr of an engine outside. A hum that didn't belong to any beat-up borough vehicle.
Qoru turned, peeling back the edge of the blinds.
And saw someone he liked.
"Well, I'll be damned, Leader" he said with a grin. "Your precious Avatar's come to their rescue"
He didn't need to say her name. As Zhen already expected Korra to step out into the chaos.
Zhen fastened the last strap on his belt, tightening the sword sheath against his waist.
"Course she'd help them" he said, voice low and calm. "If she wants to be the best Avatar she could be, she has to"
He tried to sound indifferent. Detached. But Qoru caught the briefest twitch at the corner of his mouth—the candlelight catching it just enough.
A small, almost reluctant smirk.
But then Qoru's eyes narrowed. The flicker of amusement faded from his own face.
"Uh, mind telling me where Sera's supposed to be right now, Leader?"
Zhen turned, brows furrowed as the question left him slightly confused. "She should be in hiding. Why?"
Wordlessly, Qoru titled his head toward the window.
Zhen crossed the room, tugging at the blinds. And there, standing alongside the Avatar's ragtag group, plain Korra… but she was now being taken prisoner and forced into one of the armored trucks with the rest of her friends, surrounded by Republic City officers.
And of course, led by Tarrlok.
Zhen's fingers tightened on the blind's edge.
"Should we intercept the transport?" Qoru asked, already pushing off the wall.
There was a sharpened preparedness in his voice. One that was ready to take action as soon as orders were given.
But Zhen simply let the blinds fall shut.
"No"
He turned, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a folded slip of paper.
"You're going somewhere else" he held the note out.
Qoru took it, already flailing it about. "Where to?"
"Find Lin Beifong" Zhen replied. "She won't be hard to track. She's still trying to track me down. Give that to her"
Qoru nodded, slipping the note safely into his coat and patting the pocket once.
"And you?"
Zhen stepped back into the dim orange glow of the candlelight, already reaching for his broken mask.
"I'll have someone pay our Councilman a visit"
—————————————————————————————
[The Next Night, City Hall]
GRRRRRNK!
Stone erupted outward in a violent blast, the second-floor wall of City Hall shattering as Tarrlok was hurled through it like a ragdoll.
His body slammed into the railing just beyond, barely catching it in time. His grip trembled. His breath hitched. His once-slick hair now clung wildly to his face.
Above him, framed in the fractured archway of what used to be his office, stood a s silhouette bathed in broken light.
"Still think I'm a half-baked Avatar?!" Korra shouted down at him, her voice sharp with both fury and pride.
Tarrlok's mouth opened, but no words came. Only breath. Only panic.
Korra didn't even wait for a reply.
With a growl, she swung her arms in a sharp arc overhead. The marble floor beneath her split with a thunderous crack, surging forward in a wave of shattered stone.
Argh!
The floor beneath the railing buckled and gave way. Tarrlok's grip faltered. In the next heartbeat, he was falling—down two stories—before slamming onto the cold tile of the grand hall below.
Korra followed, leaping from the balcony without a second thought.
CRASH!
She landed in a crouch, fist and knee crashing into the ground hard enough to shake the chandeliers. Dust spiraled up around her in a smoke halo as the floor caved beneath her impact.
She rose slowly, face marked with sweat and soot, hair asker, breath ragged.
Her eyes locked on him.
"What are you gonna do now?" Her voice was hoarse. She flexed her fingers, and two jets of flame erupted in her palm. "You're all out of water, pal"
Tarrlok's gaze darted across the room.
And she was right. There was almost nothing around for him to bend.
He began to inch backward, shoes scraping against the floor, heart pounding. She advanced slowly, taking a moment to catch her breath, the flicker of her flames lighting the panic in his eyes.
Then she lunged.
Her fist came forward, wrapping in fire.
Desperate, cornered—Tarrlok had no choice but to meet it.
And just as her blow should have landed—
It dispersed.
Huh?
Korra,'s eyes widened, confused. She tried to retrace her arms, but her body didn't respond.
Muscles clenched, kept locked. It was like invisible strings had threaded through her veins and pulled them taut. Her limbs twitched, seized, then snapped stiff against her sides.
Tarrlok's hands danced midair, splayed and slow, as if he was guiding her movements like an amateur marionette.
Korra let out a strangled groan as her knees buckled, her torso wrenched upright by a force she couldn't see but could feel deep in every nerve ending.
"You're in my way Avatar" Tarrlok said, his voice cold as he raised both arms. "And you need to be removed"
She fought back with everything she had—but the more she strained, the tighter it became around her body. Her lungs compressed under the invisible grip, and a coil tightened at her throat.
"You're… you're a bloodbender?" she gasped, choking on the words.
Tarrlok gave a slow, sardonic nod. "Very observant. I'd expect nothing less from a student of Lady Katara"
Korra's body trampled in place, limbs shaking under the pressure. Darkness prickled at the edge of her vision.
"But… how?" She rasped. "It's not a full moon. How are you doing this?"
Tarrlok didn't answer at first. He simply lifted one hand—and with it, her body rose into the air by the neck, suspended like a doll with a broken spine.
"There are a lot of things you don't know about me" he said, voice devoid of empathy.
Then, he flicked his wrist.
Korra flew backward and slammed into a marble pillar with a violent thud. The impact echoed like thunder in the empty chamber. Her body dropped limply to the floor, dust curling around her in slow spirals.
And then—
Nothing.
The light in her eyes flickered out.
—————————————————————————————
[???, ???]
A flash.
Flickering white. Then… people.
Blurred outlines in motion. Shadows against light. Familiar shapes, maybe. But Korra's mind couldn't grasp them.
The space felt… familiar. Known.
High ceilings. Marble columns. The scent of polished wood and candle smoke. City Hall? It looked like it, only—
Brighter. Newer. Unblemished by time.
The scene unfolded like a reel from old photos.
Grainy.
Silent.
Broken.
No voices ever reached her ears. Not even a breath, not even footsteps.
Only stiff movements. A struggle.
A fight?
They were fighting.
But—who were they?
She strained to see more clearly, but the figures blurred at the edges, just out of reach.
They moved stiffly, like something was holding them down and they forced themselves up.
Some faces were recognizable, but somehow never known.
Others were strangers, yet felt impossibly close.
And she stood at one of the arranged seats. Reaching out.
But the hand wasn't hers.
???
AGE: ???
STATUS: ???
Who was it?
Where is this exactly?
Why is she being shown this? A memory that isn't hers.
And just as the question formed, a spark at the corner of her eye.
Then a blue flare engulfed her.
The vision blinked out like a snuffed flame.
—————————————————————————————
[The Next Day, Republic City Sewer System]
Above ground, Republic City gleamed like a polished gem—bright, clean, pristine. But every gleam casts a shadow, and every city has a place where filth runs deep.
Beneath the city, far from the polished streets or the humming buzz of pedestrians, stretched the labyrinthine veins of Republic City's sewer system.
A small maze beneath a city. The perfect place to disappear. Or to hunt something that already had.
Heavy boots splashed against the shallow runoff.
One figure navigated the concrete tunnels with hawk-like eyes, her flashlight cutting a sharp beam through the dim.
LIN BEIFONG
AGE: 51
STATUS: Looking for Zhen
After filing her formal relief from duty she'd taken it upon herself to do what the uniformed officers couldn't, go where they wouldn't.
With the intel Korra got from the girl, Sera, Lin had started hunting Zhen across the underbelly of the city. Equipped with only her armor, a flashlight, and a heavy radio behind her. She went to every old hideout, every outpost Zhen might've used, she personally combed through. The police stuck to easy hits—visible cells, abandoned warehouses.
Lin? She went where the rot settled.
She paused at a junction, glancing left, then right. Pipes hissed with the occasional pulse of redirected waste. Somewhere deeper, water gurgled in its steady march to nowhere.
"Where is that rat hiding…" she muttered, brushing cobwebs from her shoulder.
There were no prints. No scuff marks. Nothing recent. It was probably another dead end.
Still, Lin didn't deal in luck. She dealt with grit.
She exhaled slowly and closed her eyes, shutting out the world of sight. Her palm pressed flat against the wall, the grime sticking to her fingertips.
Then… nothing but silence.
And in the silence, she focused.
Her senses bloomed outward like a ripple. Waves of perception rolled through everywhere, sweeping through every earth around her. They crawled into every crack between bricks, traced every rubble beneath the shallow stream, explored every hollow hiding in the architecture of the forgotten undercity.
And there—just to her right.
A thin, rectangular cavity. Hidden in plain stone.
"Bingo" she whispered, lips twitching into a grim smile.
She stepped forward, eyes still shut to maintain her seismic awareness, her hand trailing the curvature of the wall until it suddenly dipped into a narrow seam.
When she opened her eyes, she saw it. A fine gap—barely perceptible unless you were looking for it. Certainly not large enough for a person to slip through.
No matter.
She widened her stance, planted her feet, and pulled her arms apart. The wall groaned as earth bent to her will. Bricks shifted, cracked, and widened—revealing a hidden chamber behind it.
The space was modest, yet unmistakably lived-in. About the size of a small apartment, concealed deep beneath the city's skin. A single, fully lit bulb hung from the ceiling, swaying slightly. There were unmade cots along the far wall, a long table in the center surrounded by mismatched chairs, a rug spread across cracked tile. Even a bar, cluttered with bottles and tools.
Lin stepped inside, cautious but composed. Her instincts said the place was empty—but instinct could be wrong.
"Well, I'll be…" she muttered.
Lin stepped closer to the heavy wooden table in the center of the room, its surface buried beneath a chaotic sprawl—maps layered over posters, old newspaper clippings curling at the corners, black-and-white photos weighed down with chunks of stone, and knives stabbed through overlapping pages to keep them from shifting.
It was a cluttered war board.
At the head of the table, one object stood out—a book. Thick, bound in worn leather, lying open near the middle like it had been left in a hurry.
Lin leaned in. Her hand hovered for a second before pressing to the brittle paper. She flipped the page slowly, then another, and another, her sharp eyes scanning line after line until the pattern became sickeningly clear.
"Targets…" she breathed, voice barely more than air.
Every page contained detailed dossiers. Headshots. Voyeur photos. Names. Home addresses. Affiliations. Patterns. Known Associates. Family. Even crimes the official records didn't hold—things that had been erased, buried, or never reported. Some pages were scarred with thick, black slashes across the faces.
She turned more pages. Some were still unmarked. Recognizable names jumped out at her. People from her own force. Members of the Council. Upper-class elites. Shopkeepers. Triad Members. Even Air Acolytes.
Even though she never found Zhen here. This?
This was enough.
She closed the book with a solid thunk, tucking it under one arm, intent on bringing it back to the surface.. But before she could move, the temperature around her seemed to drop.
A cold breath slithered down her spine.
And then something sharp tapped against the space between her shoulder blades. The pressure was gentle, almost teasing. But unmistakably threatening.
"I cannot believe you're actually here" said a voice behind her, soft and amused.
Lin began to shift her weight slowly—but the voice cut in again as the pinpoint of cold metal pressed against her back.
"Wait—wait. I'm not here to fight" A pause. "Okay, yeah, I get how that sounds, considering I've got an arrow pointed at your spine. But I swear, I'm just here to give you something"
Lin snorted quietly. "You were right about the convincing part"
The voice chuckled. "Fair"
A second later, the pressure at her back eased. She heard the soft scrape of something metallic lowering, then the quiet scruff of boots against stone.
"I don't think we've officially met" the voice went on. "You wanna keep it that way, or should we start formalities?"
Lin exhaled through her nose and finally rolled her shoulders, stretching the tension from her neck before she turned.
"Lin Beifong" she said flatly. "But you already knew that. Considering you tracked me all the way down here"
Standing before her now was what looked like an ordinary Equalist grunt. Fully masked, but a bit scruffed up.
He dropped the small crossbow to the ground and offered a hand. "Qoru"
Lin didn't take her eyes off him, but she reached out and gave him a firm shake. "You said you had something for me?"
There was a faint crinkle between their palms.
When Qoru pulled away, a folded piece of paper remained in her grasp. She opened it without a word, eyes scanning the contents. It was direct. And yet, her brows furrowed deeper with each reread.
As if the message might rearrange itself each time.
Finally, she glanced up at him.
"So" she said, voice laced with disbelief. "You need my help busting out one of your own?"
"Yeah? Is that what it said?" Qoru asked innocently.
Lin narrowed her eyes. "Why me? From what I remember, you people are pretty self-sufficient. Including her"
"She's not exactly… active anymore" Qoru responded with a vague wave of his hand. "And anyway, you're skipping over the part where it says the Avatar's friends are locked up with her"
Lin's expression didn't change much. Arms folded. Brow slightly arched. "And?"
He tilted his head. "And…?"
"It is not my job to babysit the Avatar or her little posse" she said flatly. "If anything, that's Tenzin's responsibility"
She muttered the last part under her breath, but not quietly enough for it to go unnoticed. Qoru heard and smirked, just a little.
"Well, Leader told me to go to you so…" Qoru just looked at Lin, not really sure how to convince her.
Lin sighed through her nose, the way someone does when they're already regretting something.
"And why exactly does your 'Leader' think I'd be interested in helping him?" she asked, her tone clip, prepared to cut the conversation off.
"Well, I don't really know. He didn't tell me what to do if you refused" Qoru admitted, a touch too casually, hands lifted in half-hearted surrender.
"So he sends a grunt with a note and no plan. Bold plan" she muttered, tucking the paper into her coat pocket.
Qoru shrugged, unbothered. "You know how it is. He usually just does his own thing"
"Then we're done here" Lin took a single step forward, steel in her voice. "And you're under arrest"
The ground beneath Qoru's feet suddenly quivered—an instant later, it shot up in jagged spikes aimed at locking down his ankles. But he reacted fast. With a nimble twist, he launched himself into the air, flipping to land crouched atop the table in the center of the room.
"Oh, c'mon!" He said with a theatrical exasperation, resting one hand on his knee. "We were being so civil"
"I still am" Lin replied, dry and unamused. "I'm telling you nicely, aren't I?"
She thrusts both arms forward in a blur. Twin metal cables zipped from her gauntlets, hissing through the air.
Clang!
Qoru drew twin short swords, scraping against the incoming wires in a sharp parry. Sparks lit the dim room as the cables recoiled back into Lin's sleeves.
"Then I'll politely refuse" Qoru quipped and flipped off the table, kicking it as he landed.
He sent the table flying toward her, sending everything else on it to the air.
Unfazed, Lin drew a metal strip from her sleeve with a flick of her wrist. It hardened into a short blade. With one clean upward arc, she split the table in half—the wooden halves crashing uselessly to the floor on either side of her.
"I'm not in the mood for games" her tone dropped as she lunged. "You're going to tell me where your Leader is"
Their blades crashed.
Qoru brought his swords in a crossblock, catching the full weight of her strike. The force rattled through his arms, nearly buckling his knees. Sparks jumped from the contact point as metal screamed against metal.
He gritted his teeth, straining to hold the line. Lin pressed forward without mercy, her blade inching closer.
"I-I don't suggest" he grunted through the strain. "You can give me a headstart?"
Lin said nothing. She pressed harder, the edge of her weapon forcing tiny sparks from his crossed blades.
With a sudden grunt, Qoru gave in.
He let his guard collapse, sending both of them tumbling to one direction. Lin staggered, caught off balance, as Qoru dropped to the floor and rolled onto his back. With a swift kick to her stomach, he hurled her over him and into the air.
She flipped mid-air, landing in a crouch, but Qoru was already springing back to his feet.
Without wasting a movement, he snatched up the discarded crossbow from the ground and raised it. But Lin was faster—her fist punched upward, and the earth followed. A stone pillar erupted from beneath the floor, smashing through the weapon before he could even get a shot off.
Qoru stared in disbelief at the broken halves in his hands. "This was expensive!"
There was small comedic offense in his tone, tossing the remains aside.
Lin shot twin metal cables from her gauntlets once more, hissing as they zeroed in on him. But Qoru didn't retreat this time. He surged forward, blades flashing, parrying the wires as he ran.
Sparks flew as he deflected one, then the other, closing the distance between them in a blur of motion.
Lin quickly pivoted, flipping onto her hands, using her momentum to twist into a spin. The wires followed her motion, circling like whips around her.
Qoru didn't expect the sudden shift.
The wires coiled mid-spin—snagging his legs, then his wrists. Before he could cut them loose, his footing disappeared. He crashed to the floor with a grunt, wrapped in metal, fully immobilized.
He struggled briefly, testing the bind, then sighed in resignation. "Neat trick"
He was amused for the most part, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Lin stood over him, arms steady at her sides. She didn't answer him. Her breathing had settled, but her expression remained guarded.
"I'm taking you in" she declared, one hand resting on her hip.
Tzzz—Tzzz
Suddenly, a burst of static cut through them. The radio resting behind her crackled to life.
Lin? Are you there?
The voice was grainy, but unmistakable.
She reached behind her and grabbed the receiver, lifting it to her mouth. "Tenzin? I'm here"
I need your help
Lin's boot casually stepped against Qoru's chest, pinning him more out of caution than necessity. He didn't even really struggle to get free.
"This better be important enough for you to call me in a private line" she replied.
Korra went missing. I… I need your help finding her
Lin's jaw tightened, holding back showing visible concern or surprise. "Are you sure she isn't just out chasing some Equalist out there?"
That's what I thought too. Or she could be looking for Zhen the same as you.
The static hummed a moment before his voice returned.
But I got a report that she was captured by them
Her eyes dropped to Qoru beneath her. He still looked relaxed, maybe even a little entertained.
She sighed and rubbed her temple. "Alright. I got what I needed anyway. Meet me at Headquarters"
I was actually planning to head to City Hall. The report came from Tarrlok and I intend to question him about the Equalists
"Equalists, huh…" Lin repeated under her breath, side-eyeing Qoru. "Then we'll meet there"
I'll see you then, Lin
The transmission cut, fading into a low buzz. Lin slotted the received back and turned her attention to the bound Equalist beneath her boot.
She crouched beside him with a weary sigh. "Looks like you'll be helping me instead"
Qoru blinked up at her. "Does this mean I'm free?"
End