35: Northern Air Temple

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"I need to save the airbenders, at any cost. If I give myself up, they can live. If I don't, I don't even want to think about what'll happen. I blame myself, if I had gone to the air temple to protect them, this wouldn't have happened. There were two avatars, I could have protected them, I could have protected them." 

Ally and her team took an airship to the temple and started thinking of plans. Ally sat by the window, staring out into the sky, her eyes were growing dull. 

"This isn't going to work," Ally said. She didn't face anyone, but they could see her in the window's reflection. "If Zaheer or any of the other members realize what we're up to, the airbenders are toast." She turned around and everyone looked at her, she looked tired and pained. 

"I know what's at stake," Su agreed. "Opal is one of them."

"I need to turn myself in," Ally said. "Korra and I have been talking and we agreed."

"Ally, no," Lin shut her down. "We have to figure something else out."

"We're out of time," Ally said gently. "You have to let me do this. Korra's waiting for my signal in the radio room. The world is way out of balance and it needs to airbenders back. Help me save them, then you can save me." 

"Okay," Lin agreed. "We're all with you." Ally smiled and walked off, telling Korra to radio Zaheer. A look of pain crossed her face, but she shoved it away and put on a brave face, she needed to be strong. Zaheer told them to meet him at Lahima's peak at noon. 

"We need to go alone," Korra explained. "And once he has us both, he'll give the airbenders up."
"I think I have a plan," Su said. "To make sure Korra, Ally, and the airbenders make it out."

"How do you propose we do that?" Lin asked. 

"Zaheer doesn't know our numbers," Su told her. "We have an advantage with numbers. We should split into teams, Mako, Bolin, and Asami can take the ship to the temple, the rest of us will position ourselves below Lahima's peak." Ally and Korra looked at each other and nodded. At noon, they went to Lahima's peak and gave Korra a radio in case things went wrong. 

"Please be careful," Lin enfolded her daughter in a hug and cradled the back of her head. "I can't lose you. You're all I have left, kid."

"I'll be ok, mom," Ally reassured her. "I'll see you after this is over." Lin walked out of the airship, followed by Ally and Korra. They flew up to the peak on gliders and confronted Zaheer. Ally took a deep breath and cracked her knuckles. She wasn't going down without a fight. 

"Drop the staff!" Zaheer ordered. "Surrender yourselves or I'll wipe out the airbenders." 

"Let them go!" Korra yelled at Zaheer. 

"This isn't up for negotiation, turn yourself over," Zaheer yelled. Ally and Korra walked up and were met by P'Li who cuffed their hands and feet in platinum chains. Ally could bend platinum, but it took everything out of her. They were shoved forward up to Zaheer's airship. 

"It was a trick!" Mako's voice said over the radio. 

"We made a deal, Zaheer!" Ally yelled. She brought her hands over her head and slammed them down, snapping the chains. 

"Cheif! Ally and Korra are in trouble!" Mako continued. 

"Go!" Lin yelled. She used cables to get up the side of the peak. 

"Korra, go!" Ally yelled. She bent the chains on her foot and knelt down as her strength faded. "Go! Get out of here!" She watched as Korra was brought down by Zaheer, but luckily for them, the metalbenders has just arrived. 

"Ally!" Lin yelled, looking at her daughter. 

"Mom! Go! Ally waved frantically. She got up but couldn't stand for long, bending the platinum took everything out of her. Lin didn't listen, she kept fighting P'Li, dodging the attacks and firing rocks at the combustion bender. Zaheer threw her over his shoulder, but Tonraq freed her and Korra just in time. Ally regained her strength and ran down the side of the peak to help fight P'Li, but she was caught mid-jump and shot down by an explosion. She was able to block it but still took a big hit. She collapsed on the side of the peak, her hair flopping over her face. 

"Ally!" Lin yelled. She tried to get to her daughter but P'Li was still fighting. She drew her fire and Su delivered the final blow, she wrapped her armor around P'Li's head just she was about to deliver another explosion. The explosion took her life and left a gaping crater. Zaheer knocked Korra unconscious and scooped Ally up. He threw both women over his shoulder and stood at the edge of the cliff. 

"Let go of them, Zaheer," Su ordered. "It's over for you! Let them go."

"Let my daughter go!" Lin shouted, holding her fists up. "Release them! Now!" Zaheer gave them one final look before he tumbled off the edge of the cliff, taking Korra and Ally with him. 

"No!" Su exclaimed. 

"Ally!" Lin screamed. "No! Stop! Ally!" They looked over the edge of the cliff and saw Zaheer floating above the clouds, flying. He flew up to his airship, Ally and Korra in his grasp. Lin watched in horror as her daughter was taken by a madman, she was gone. 

"I'm so sorry, Lin," Su sighed. 

"I couldn't protect her," Lin murmured. "She's gone and I couldn't protect her. I failed." Zaheer tied up in a glowing cave of green crystals, they were suspended in the air with chains, exposed to anything. Each limb had a chain that attached to the ceiling, and they hovered over a pit. Ally couldn't bend it, they were sitting turtle sucks. She tried, but her ability to bend platinum was gone. She didn't know for how long. She looked up at Zaheer and took a deep breath before she let out a yell and a burst of fire exploded from her mouth. 

"You're a monster!" She screamed. 

"Bring our the poison," Zaheer told them. Two men in black cloaks brought out a bowl of metallic poison and prepared to bend it into the young avatars. Ally's face paled as she looked at her friend. 

"No," Korra whispered, her eyes full of fear. "No!"

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