The Bending of Life

And The Winner Is... (P.3)

There were Equalist lackeys stationed all around the arena. Six lay unconscious around me, and I could faintly make out shapes of more as they held citizens in the stands hostage.

"Those men were supposedly the best in the bending world, and yet it only took me a few moments to cleanse them of their impurity," Amon continued, gesturing to where the Wolfbats had been thrown over the edge of the arena. "Let this be a warning to all of you benders out there; if any of you stand in my way, you will meet the same fate."

"Oh, hell," I muttered, quickly flopping against the ground as a group of Equalists drew nearer. I cursed under my breath, dragging myself over to the closest lackey and ripping off his mask.

In the darkness provided by the shadows cast in the stands, I yanked on the mask, pulling it up to cover my nose and mouth before reaching for the glove. The group was almost on me when I stood slowly, slipping on the glove before panting heavily, as if I'd just managed to take down Lin and Tenzin after they'd put up a fight.

"What happened here?" The closest one asked when he noticed the downed Equalists, laying beside Tenzin and Chief Beifong.

"They must have seen us coming. Turned our ambush into their own and out up a hell of a fight," I answered, knocking my voice up a few octaves as I gestured to the people strewn around. "Only just managed to get the women out before you came over."

"Hmph. Good job," The man nodded in satisfaction after a moment, gesturing for his group to continue on. "Start the next phase of the plan."

"Of course, sir," I replied, bobbing my head slightly in a bow as he strutted away, his lackeys following along after. As soon as they were far enough away, I tugged off the mask, tossing it over the railing as well as the glove.

"Now to my followers; for years the Equalists have been forced to hide in the shadows, but now we have the numbers and strength to create a new Republic City," Amon continued, still standing in the middle of the arena platform. "I'm happy to tell you that the time for change has finally come. Very soon, the current tyrannical bending regime will be replaced by a fair-minded Equalists government. You and your children will no longer have to walk the streets afraid! It's time to take back out city."

I glanced over at Tenzin and Lin again, before switching to the downed Equalists. I moved forward, frisking through the closest lackey's pockets until I pulled out two bolas, shoving them into my own pocket.

"For centuries, benders have possessed an unnatural advantage over ordinary people. But thankfully, modern technology has provided us with a way to even the playing field," Amon still rambled on, and I forced myself to drown him out, focus on my task.

I spent the next minute or so dragging the unconscious Equalists over to the guard railing, leaning them up against it before tying them up with the bolas, ensuring they couldn't move and cause more trouble.

I stepped back to admire my handy work, ducking in surprise when the glass making the dome roof shattered and fell towards the stands like rain. I turned, sending a large burst of flame to intercept the falling shards, melting them down into a harmless state.

From the holes in the dome, ropes with platforms attached to the ends began to lower towards Amon's group. The platforms continued to lower, and the lackeys around the stands started to disappears into the back corridors, making an escape. When the platforms touched against the rink, Amon and his henchmen climbed onto them, waiting a few moments until they began to rise once again.

"No!" I hissed, as the platforms were lifted above the stands, nearing the roof. As Amon passed, I swear I could see the man's expression of smug victory below his mask, and that just pissed me off. I ignited fire in my palms, leaping onto the railing before springing off, using the fire like boosters to push me after the rising platforms. I shot upwards, angling myself to the closest one, bending fire to ignite at the souls of my boots also, freeing my hands to grab onto the base.