THE AIR MASTER {LOK/ATLA}

(XIII)

That was, until I thought of something eerie. There were no airships in sight. No sign of the Equalists whatsoever. They couldn't possibly not know about this incoming battalion, there were too many ships incoming to ignore.

"Where are they? I don't see any airships or tanks," I said, frowning.

"Something's wrong," Korra said suspiciously.

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion, and we watched as several of the airships blew up. Smoke started to overcome the fog above the water. Korra didn't waste a second before jumping into the bay herself, using her bending to get to the ships. I narrowed my eyes at the horizon, until I heard a weird buzzing coming from behind us.

We all gasped when we noticed the flying machines above us, marked with the Equalist seal. They were the enemy, and they were also heading to the ships.

"Where does Hiroshi find the time to keep inventing new evil machines?!" Bolin complained angrily.

The aircrafts started throwing bombs at the fleet mercilessly. I watched several soldiers jump into the water in an attempt to escape. Many, however, probably didn't make it out. I was worried about Korra being out there on her own. She wouldn't be able to find cover under the water, not from these attacks.

I gripped my staff tightly, taking a step and getting ready to fly out there myself, but Mako stopped me.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I need to fly out there and help—"

"Are you insane? Don't you see what's going on out there?"

"I've got no choice, Mako. General Iroh's soldiers came here to help us. I can't just stand here and let them die."

"Zaya, what good will it do if you die trying to help?" Asami asked me softly. "I hate to admit it, but these machines my father created... We don't know what they're capable of. And honestly, I think they're pulling back on their potential."

I sighed. She had a point. Going out there to try and stop metal machines I didn't even know existed would certainly end up with me dead.

So, against my will, I just stood there, watching as our only hope sank into the bottom Yue Bay.

***

"I was prepared to deal with Sato's mecha tanks, but not these new high-speed aircrafts," General Iroh explained, once we were all back safely in the hideout.

"I know. Every time we think we have an advantage, Amon outsmarts us," Korra complained.

"No matter what our plan is, he always has a better one," Bolin agreed.

"Amon is winning so far, but we're not out of the fight yet," Iroh said confidently. "A second wave of reinforcements is on the way, 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 assured him.

A while later, we were sitting by Gommu, one of the refugees staying with us. He was quite an eccentric guy, but he was really fun, and his food didn't taste so bad. He was even kind enough to make me a vegetarian option for every meal. And he also happened to know how to use a telegraph to send a message, which really came in handy at the moment.

"And who is the recipient of this top secret message?" He asked us.

"Commander Bumi," Iroh said, making me widen my eyes with surprise. "Second division of the United Forces."

"Wait. You're calling my dad?"

"Yes. A bit of a wild man, but he's the bravest commander you'll ever meet," Iroh said with a smile. "I'm sure he'll be happy to see you, Master Zaya."