"Republic City stands as a beacon of freedom, but the Equalists are using that freedom to tear it down. The law I have proposed would make it illegal for anyone to be a member of the Equalists or even be associated with them. Additionally, a curfew will be put into effect, ensuring all non-benders are in their own homes by nightfall." Tarrlok stared directly at Tenzin as he spoke, the rest of the council members knowing well enough to stay quiet in the face of Tarrlok's plan.
Standing up Tenzin slammed his hands forcefully onto the wooden council table. "This is going too far, Tarrlok! You can't punish all non-benders for the actions of a few!"
"That kind of cowardice will cause our city to fall into Amon's hands. We must pass this law." Tarrlok turned to the other council members with a smirk that fell into a scowl as Tenzin spoke up once again.
"That is not true. We do not punish all benders for the actions of the gangs that they primarily form, and therefore we cannot think of non-benders in the same way. We only continue to prove the Equalists message of the privilege benders have when we need to start working against that privilege."
"You are misguided, Tenzin. As I said, the people will only fall into line with Amon if we do nothing," Tarrlok countered sternly.
"Maybe so, but doing this will also push them to him further. Why don't we try to appease the non-benders with-" Tenzin recoiled as Tarrlok harshly interrupted him with a raised voice.
"All those in favor of my new law?" The council people all raised their hands and Tarrlok subsequently struck his gavel with a pleased smile. Tenzin groaned angrily, pushing himself away from the table and storming out of the council room. The meeting was now over, Tarrlok's law being the last point of discussion for the council. He passed by the secretaries on his way through City Hall and gave them all curt nods before lifting himself with a breeze up onto his bison and flying off back towards the Air Temple to try and calm down the fury overcoming him.
On the other side of the city, a few blocks away from a new dumpling place that Mako insisted they check out, Team Avatar sat on the curb of the sidewalk in front of the shop. Reveling in their much-needed food break, their silent laughs from a joke Bolin just cracked slowly disappeared as the radio in the parked car in front of them began buzzing.
"All available units, please respond to the fifty-six hundred block of Dragon Flats borough. Equalists have taken to the streets, consider them armed and dangerous. Proceed with caution."
The four instantly rose up off of the curb, nearly falling back to the ground in the process, and ran to finish their food and return the dishes back to the restaurant. Jumping into the passenger side of the car, Bolin yelled, "I call front!" Asami chuckled, opening her car door and slipping inside while adjusting everything to make sure it was perfect in case of another chase.
"After you," Mako smiled, offering his hand to help Korra into the car.
"Thanks! What a gentleman, Mako." Mako hopped into the seat next to her, Korra returning his smile as Bolin awkwardly looked back at them from his peripheral vision. Asami lifted her hand to adjust her rearview mirror, her non-gloved hand wiping away some makeup debris around her eyelashes and her eyes narrowing as she watched Korra and Mako laugh at something quietly said in the backseat. Asami looked away, breathing heavily out of her nose while she ran her hand into her pocket in order to grab the goggles that she had taken off. She had washed them off when they first made a stop at the shop in order to clean them of the residue from the smokescreen, and the cold feeling of the leftover water chilled her skin as she fastened the goggles over her eyes and started the car.
Taking another left, Asami straightened out the car, slowing her speed as they inched closer towards an area of the street that was plunged in darkness with airships circling above it. "Why is the power out?" Korra asked. They all strained their eyes to try and see anything in the darkened area, Asami swerving the car around another corner before shutting it off. Asami, Bolin, Mako, and Korra all stepped out onto the street and began walking towards the noise that flowed out towards them. As they got closer, the lights in the specific area the airships were circling became brighter and Team Avatar all looked at each other before turning back with wide eyes at the hundreds of protesting non-benders encased in a blockade by metalbending police officers.
Slipping off her goggles, Asami scrunched her nose and said, "Wait a second, these people aren't armed or dangerous."
"Sure doesn't look that way," Korra murmured as she scanned the area to figure out what was happening.
Their attention turned to Chief Saikhan, his microphone blaring loudly over the non-benders still stuck trapped by the police. "All non-benders, return to your homes immediately."
"Yeah, as soon as you turn our power back on!" someone yelled. The rest of the crowd nodded in agreement and stirred in cries of protests about the unfairness of the police's actions.
"Disperse, or you will be arrested."
"You benders can't treat us this way!" a mother screamed, bouncing her littlest child on her hip.
"Mommy, look! It's the Avatar!" her other child pointed out as Team Avatar got closer to the scene.
"Please, help us! You're our Avatar, too!" the mother pleaded.
Korra looked sadly over the people stuck in the barricade for a few moments, striding forward towards two of the metalbending cops and pushing them aside so she can better address the non-benders. "Everyone, please stay calm. I'm going to put a stop to this. Korra pulled back from the barricade and turned around to look for Tarrlok, stalking towards him with Asami, Mako, and Bolin behind her as soon as she found him talking to one of the task force members a couple of steps away. "Tarrlok, you need to turn the power back on and leave these people alone."
"Avatar Korra, you and your playmates have no business here," Tarrlok said, not even sparing Korra a glance.
"We're not going anywhere. You don't have the right to treat these innocent people like criminals," Korra protested, waving her hand furiously at him.
Tarrlok sighed and moved closer to Korra. "This is an Equalist rally. There's nothing innocent about it." He pointed right at the enclosed people, a pointed stare pooling in his eyes as he turned to Asami who came up from behind them to stand with Korra.
"They're not Equalists. They're just normal people who want their rights back, and you're using bending to bully them. It's not right and you know it," Asami spat, getting into Tarrlok's face while pressing her gloved pointer finger into his chest. Scowling, she said, "Maybe Amon's message doesn't ring completely hollow."
Scoffing, Tarrlok's face folded into many lines of anger as he walked back from Asami. "They are the enemy! Round up all these equalists." He signaled for the metalbenders to go forward with the plan to take in the non-benders, and at the last minute, upon seeing Mako and Bolin walk up to Asami and Korra in order to talk to them about what they're going to do, Tarrlok called for a few extra metalbenders to arrest Asami. "She's a non-bender out past curfew, her father is a known Equalist conspirator, and she just sympathized with Amon to my very own face. Take her." The metalbenders that Tarrlok called over wasted no time in reaching for Asami and slapping her into cuffs before pulling towards a cop car despite her struggles.
Bolin immediately jumped to her defense and ran towards the cops to try and stop them. "Arrest her for what? Saying that you're proving a point?" he fired, turning his attention away from Tarrlok and to the two metalbenders that he tried to pull away from Asami. With a nod of approval from Tarrlok, one of the cops shook Bolin off and managed to get him into cuffs, throwing both him and Asami into the back of one of their trucks.
"Hey, you can't just arrest people who have different opinions than you. Us benders can't use our powers against people like this." Mako's face was pained, both at his brother and girlfriend being forcefully chained to the inside of a truck and at a few repressed memories getting dangerously close to the surface. He caught Asami and Bolin's eyes, all of them sharing sorrowful smiles at the remembrance of what bending has taken from them. "Let them go!" Mako raged, his voice wavering from both anger and sadness.
"How about no," Tarrlok said absentmindedly. "Him too," Tarrlok tossed over his shoulder as he turned to walk away.
"These people aren't dangerous, so you have no right to hold them. Including my friends," Korra snapped to Tarrlok's back, her attention being focused on how rough her friends were being handled by the police.
"They're non-benders protesting the laws of Republic City which is what Equalists do which means they're dangerous."
Korra stayed silent for a few seconds and thought on how to respond, her words becoming desperate as Tarrlok continued to ignore her."They are not attacking so you have no reason to take them.
Tarrlok stopped and spun around on his heel to face her. "You didn't refute my deduction, how interesting." He studied Korra for a brief second, smiling sinisterly at how taken aback she was evident by her rapid blinking. Tarrlok looked over at the metalbending officers finally getting ready to capture the non-benders, Korra's eyes also moving over there as she started to panic.
"I-I want Amon to get justice just as much as you, but this is not the way to do it!" Korra, realizing that it was not worth it to try and talk to Tarrlok any longer, tore her gaze away from him and ran up to the non-benders just as the metal barriers that once held them back coiled around them all in small groups. The metalbender cops stomped the ground and lifted the earth underneath the non-benders up, raising them into the airship above. The few people who weren't corralled into the grasps of the metalbenders started to run away but didn't get very far as the police force was waiting for the stragglers with cuffs and trucks to shove them in.
"Stop!" Korra yanked her hands down and pulled one of the lifted mounds of earth down so the non-benders on it could wiggle out and escape. She was forced to let go, though, as a metalbender cop charged towards her and distracted her focus, her grip on the earth below the non-benders returning to the cops also lifting them. "Tarrlok!" Korra shouted, lifting up a rock to knock back the cop still trying to come after her. "Call off your people."
"Unless you want to join your friends in prison, I suggest you put those down and go back to the Air Temple."
"Korra, listen to him. It's not worth it," Mako sighed. Korra looked over to see Bolin and Asami nod in agreement, her arms reluctantly dropping the rocks she had bent.
"We'll be alright," Bolin assured.
"Don't worry about us," Asami added.
"I'll call Tenzin. He can get you out," Korra said after them, the door of the truck they were in slamming shut as all the police cars drove off after rounding up everyone they came for. The airships began retreating as Tarrlok stayed behind to watch Korra's shoulders deflate at the empty street behind her.
"So sad to see your little Team Avatar broken up. You had a good run." Tarrlok walked over to the one car that was left and got into the driver's seat, turning to Korra because he knew she still had more to say.
"This isn't over, Tarrlok." Korra glared at him, pointing a strict finger at the councilman who merely laughed.
"I personally think it is, but whatever helps you cope with...this mess you let happen." Tarrlok's eyes drifted over the cracked earth and people-less street left behind in the wake of the police before cracking Korra a smile and driving off out of the darkness that shrouded Korra as she was left alone on the street.
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Tenzin quickly made his way into the Police Headquarters, his attention hastily going towards the loud slam on the reception desk counter as Korra hit her fist onto it. "Hey!" Korra yelled at the receptionist that ignored her constantly talking to him and then proceeded to walk off.
"I came as fast as I could. Are you friends alright?" Tenzin asked.
"I don't know! These knuckleheads won't tell me anything," Korra sighed, rubbing her face with her hands furiously.
"I'll take care of this. Saikhan, a word please." Tenzin gestured over the new police chief who attempted to turn away from them before he was seen. He was unsuccessful, however, and begrudgingly turned to Tenzin.
"Councilman Tenzin, I'm pretty swamped at the moment. Can this wait?"
"No, it cannot. Three of Avatar Korra's friends were wrongly arrested tonight. I'd like you to release them immediately," Tenzin demanded.
"They're not going anywhere. They were interfering with police business," Saikhan said, his eyes shifting uncomfortably across Tenzin's face.
"Your so-called 'police business' was rounding up innocent people and claiming they were Equalists. They should be released, too," Korra countered as she folded her arms.
"All Equalist suspects are being detained indefinitely. They'll be freed if and when the task force deems they are no longer a threat."
Korra rolled her eyes while Tenzin said, "Those people are entitled to due process under the law."
"You'll have to take that up with Councilman Tarrlok," Saikhan explained.
"Oh, I plan to. At the council meeting, first thing in the morning," Tenzin said, raising a finger at Saikhan whose eyes narrowed in response.
Storming up to Saikhan, Korra gripped his chin and pulled his head around. "You're officially the worst Chief of Police ever!"
"Calm down, Korra," Tenzin said as he steered Korra's hands away from Saikhan's face. Korra scowled at Saikhan's back even while Tenzin moved her away from the chief. "I'll get this sorted out, we just need to be patient." Tenzin paused before turning back to Saikhan. "But you really are the worst! Ever!"
Korra and Tenzin walked away from the annoyed police chief, their steps ending back at the Air Temple where Tenzin left Korra to go calm down in her room. Korra lied on her bed, tossing and turning because of the letter from Lemaya that still sat in her pocket. Though she wanted to read it, it felt wrong to do so while unbelievably angry so instead Korra pushed herself to go open her window and stare out at Republic City. It was like it was taunting her.
"Wake up, Naga. Let's go," Korra whispered, squatting next to her polar bear-dog. The two quietly snuck off of Air Temple Island, and Korra rode Naga all the way through the city to City Hall where she slipped down from Naga's back. Rubbing their heads together, Korra, said, "Wait for me here, girl. Don't worry, I'll be alright." Korra stepped off to go walk around the City Hall building, scanning the walls to look for the opening she needed. Not finding anything, she decided to just scale the building until she found something.
The window in Tarrlok's office burst open, wind flying into the room and blowing papers everywhere as Korra stood still in the window. "You and I need to talk." Korra jumped into the room and walked up to the councilman who was still seated at his desk, a decorative waterfall splashing behind him.
"Are any of the other council members here?" Tarrlok asked the City Hall worker who was previously discussing things with him without looking away from Korra.
"I believe everyone has gone home for the night, sir."
"Then you should do the same," Tarrlok said calmly.
"Are you sure, sir?" they asked with shifting eyes.
"Leave us." The worker bowed before scurrying out of the room. "You obviously have something on your mind? Spit it out, Avatar."
"Don't you see? I know you've heard it before, but you're doing exactly what Amon says is supposedly wrong with benders. You're using your power to oppress and intimidate people!" Korra's voice grew gradually louder until she was full-on yelling at Tarrlok's blank face, his eyes studying her movements.
Tarrlok tilted his head. "And you don't?"
"Of-of course not!" Korra gasped, faltering a bit in her previously sturdy stance.
"Isn't that what you came here to do? Intimidate me into releasing your friends? See, that's what I admire about you, Korra. Your willingness to go to extremes in order to get what you want. It is a quality we both share."
"You and I are nothing alike!" Korra fumed as she riddled Tarrlok with an intense glare.
"Sure, maybe very deep down there's no similarity, but at the surface, not everyone will see how we both deal with the non-benders in relation to Amon as so different. Especially with our history of working together." Tarrlok's lips curled upwards, and all Korra could do was stare at him in disbelief.
"That's not even alike either! You are fanning the flames to a problem that wouldn't be so bad if not for people like you capitalizing off of it."
Chuckling, Tarrlok said, "Yet what you neglect to see is that the problem would still be there. It has been since the birth of bending in humans whether or not 'people like me' so-call capitalize off of it. Honestly, my point still stands. You can't even acknowledge that there needs to be a betterment for non-benders given their inherent disadvantage to elemental powers. You even associate all of their advocating with the Equalists."
"That's what you meant at the rally..." Korra trailed off, her fingers stretching out before forming a fist.
"Yes, yes. It's terribly troubling that this is the kind of Avatar that the non-benders get, but alas not everyone is blessed with people like Avatar Aang. Spirits, even I acknowledge their issues, and I actively work to contribute to them!" Tarrlok broke into hysterical laughter as Korra stood in front of him silently, her lower lip catching between her teeth to stop it from quivering. "Look, I'll make you a deal. You fall in line and do what I say, and I'll release your friends."
"You arrested them to get to me?" Korra gaped as her knuckles went white.
"I need your answer." Tarrlok creased his brows, leaning forward on his desk.
"No. You might be able to manipulate Chief Saikhan into following you, but it won't work on me," Korra said, her arms instinctively lifting up as Tarrlok stood up and turned his back to her.
"You'll regret that decision."
"You need to be stopped! You're just as bad as Amon!" Korra growled.
Tarrlok smirked, a light breath escaping his lips despite his enraged eyes. "I've tried to work with you, Korra, but you've made it impossible."
"I won't be complicit in the aggression towards innocent people." Korra watched Tarrlok's back for any sudden movements, her breathing going still as she folded into a backbend in order to avoid a stream of water that Tarrlok pulled out from the waterfall he was facing. Korra straightened up from the bend and punched part of the brick wall at Tarrlok, slamming his back into the wall behind his waterfall and surrounding him in a band of earth. She shot a blast of fire at him, a water dome flowing over him from his free hands. From behind the dome, he fired continuous shards of ice at Korra and forced her into a backflip.
A few of the shards grazed Korra, especially as she punched right through the ice before moving her hands up to protect her head. Letting go of her grip on Tarrlok, Korra used her now free hand to raise up a wall to protect herself. She thrust her hands forward, pushing the wall right into Tarrlok and between several walls of council chambers behind his office. Korra dropped the earth wall and ran towards Tarrlok, the speed with which she was coming at him unbalancing his disjointed movements and making him trip over the inside railing of City Hall that Korra had pushed him onto. He grabbed onto the railing with his hand, his eyes traveling down far to look at the empty room below him.
"Still think that I'm a half-baked Avatar?" Korra proceeded to stop her foot down and dislodge the railing that Tarrlok was attached to, the councilman falling to the ground with a thud before he painfully pulled himself to his feet. Korra jumped off after him and punched the ground as she landed, creating a gigantic hole around herself as she looked up at Tarrlok with seething anger and heavy breaths. "What are you gonna do now? You're all out of water, pal?" Tarrlok backed away from Korra with shaking eyes as she began running towards him with fire brewing in her palms, her movements stopping in their tracks as Tarrlok's flat palms raised themselves in front of her. She groaned as he threw his hand down, making Korra fall to her knees.
"You're in my way Avatar, and you need to be removed," Tarrlok panted, his now loose hair sticking wildly all over his face.
Korra's head whipped around as she tried to move her limbs as much as she could move her head. "You're, you're a bloodbender?"
"Very observant," Tarrlok scoffed as he rolled his eyes and blew strands of hair out of his face with a glare.
"It's not a full moon! How-how are you doing this?" Korra cried out in pain again as Tarrlok squeezed his hand shut and flung Korra across the room into a pillar.
"There are a lot of things you don't know about me." Korra's head lulled back into the pillow as her consciousness faded and Tarrlok approached her. Opening her eyes, Korra doesn't see Tarrlok, but a man's eyes bulging in pain as well as a younger-looking Sokka yelling as his limbs contorted around. Toph tried to metalbend her cables but was overtaken by the bloodbending too just as Korra's own body was as she looked around. She closed her eyes from the pain of the vision, opening them again to actually see Tarrlok this time as he tied her in rope and attached her to a metal bar in the truck he threw her in.
"Where are you taking me?" Korra attempted to reach for Tarrlok, but only her hands could wiggle around so instead, she opted for spewing fire from her mouth.
"Somewhere no one will find you. Say goodbye to Republic City, Avatar Korra. You'll never see it again!" Tarrlok's disheveled form forcefully shut the truck doors and left Korra in the darkness once again.
"You can't do this! Let me out! Garh!" She was aware of the fact that he was now driving, the many bumps in the road jerking her around. Korra threw her head back against the metal of the truck, which was a bad idea because it hurt, but she honestly couldn't care less about it. Groaning loudly Korra continued to wriggle around and managed to get more of her forearm free of the ropes around her. She sighed, knowing that it's useless to try to loosen anything else given how difficult it was to even do that. So, Korra settled on calming herself down despite her increased panicking and attempting to reach into her pocket for the letter that was still in there.
By some miracle, and the fact that the free parts of her hand were above her waist, Korra managed to fish out the thick letter, open it (with a lot of difficulty that included using her mouth), and make a fire in her left hand for her to read by.
Dear Korra,
I hope this letter finds you well. Knowing you, it probably won't because you're always in some sort of trouble whether good or bad. I'm sorry I haven't written for a couple of weeks, my mom insisted on a no-communication vacation, which I'm sure you wanna hear all about. However, I...am not going to tell you yet. I just decided that right now, how fun. I went into this thinking I was going to spill on all these juicy things that happened to me and yet here I am deciding to hold out on this information. Hmph. Maybe I'll make it so that you have to come see me in person to hear the story. It'll give you an incentive to come back.
Speaking of, not to rush your training or anything, but I miss you. Like crazy. It's wild not having you here all the time, so I can't wait to see you again. I would also like to meet these new friends of yours, so you better bring them. I'm really glad you were able to meet some nice people.
I didn't really plan anything for this letter besides talking about my trip and now that I'm not doing that, I'm not sure what to say. Or, rather, I do and I'm just being annoying so you'll write to me more. My mom says that's not a nice thing to do, but Grandma Suki disagrees and since I am currently with her, I've decided to listen to her.
And Luckily for me, you aren't here to plead and convince me to tell you everything with those eyes.
On a more serious note, from what you've said about all this non-bender stuff, it seems like you're in a really hard place right now. I can't tell you exactly what to do because I don't know myself, but I want you to know that I'm always proud of you. Yes, even when you mess up because I know you have the ability to grow from it and do better. Though you may need help along the way, you are strong and you know that. Don't let people psych you out. You can kick their asses no problem. I would prefer that you don't resort to violence...but if it is necessary then I won't complain.
Please stay safe with all of this. I know things can be tough and you just want to bottle it all in, but letting it out, especially to someone, can really help. I am always here for you no matter what.
I hope you're doing well and not dying whenever you read this letter. Once again I miss you and can't wait for your return.
Love you, Kor.
Say it back, I'll know if you don't.
Or you know, I'll give you until after my closing.
Yours sincerely,
Lemaya
Laughing, Korra smiled widely as she folded up the letter and safely put it back into her pocket. "Love you, too, Lem."
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