Airbenders are mysteriously disappearing in Ba Sing Se, including Kai. The Earth Queen denied any knowledge of the airbenders, but Korra refuses to give up her search. Meanwhile, Mako and Bolin, along with Kitty, met their long lost relatives, who told them that Dai Li agents have been rounding up airbenders for the queen's army. Kitty is experiencing waves of panic and fear, but what for? Not even she knows what's going. And at a prison in the north, Tonraq and Lord Zuko prepare for Zaheer's imminent attack.
...
After hearing about the queen possibly abducting the airbenders in her city, Mako, Bolin, and I were quick to leave so we could give my sister the news. Unfortunately our plan was flawed. There was no way we could get back to the upper ring without passports. Luckily Chow figured out a way to get us some 'passports' so we can get back to the others. Tu and I went to go pick them up, and now Mako, Bolin, and I have to say goodbye.
"Thank you for doing this, Tu."
"Ah, it was no problem. So, is this last time I'm ever going to see you?" He asks.
"Of course not, you're my friend! And I really like your family. I promise to write you once we figure out what's going on. I have a feeling that you're right about the Earth Queen taking the airbenders."
"Just... be careful, ok?"
"I will," I promise.
After we say our goodbyes, we finally make our way to the train station. I'm really going to miss them. Mako and Bolin's family are wonderful people, and I'm so happy they were able to find each other.
"You and Tu seem close," Mako states with a slight frown.
"I guess... yeah, he's my friend. He reminds me a lot of you two. By the way, I'm really happy for you both. You guys have a lovely family," I tell them genuinely.
"Oh," he says perking up. "Well thank you!"
"I'm going to miss them," Bolin says. "Grandma, and Chow, and Tu, and Meng-Meng, and Chow Junior, Big T and Little T, and Medium You, and ... and ... and... The other one's..."
...
It's been such a long trip back to the upper ring, but we've finally made it. I know my sister and Asami have probably been worried with how long we've been gone. I'm just thankful that Bolin let me piggy back on him, I'm exhausted!
"It's.. So.. Hot..." Bolin puffs.
I look around to make sure no one is looking, including Mako. After the coast is clear, I bend a cool puff of air onto Bolin's neck.
"Ahhh," he breaths out satisfied. "It's finally cooling off."
You're welcome- Hey, can you blame me? Might as well use my airbending to my advantage sometimes.
Once we spot the palace, I jump off of Bolin's back and the three of us practically sprint to our residence. I spot Korra and Asami who are practicing their sparring. Man am I happy to see them!
"Mako, Bolin, Kitty, you're okay! Where have you been?" Asami asks us.
"We chased Kai. Train. Slipped away. Lower Ring. Slept in trash pile. Met our family. Grandma tears. Mako scarf. Earth Queen. Lying," Bolin breaths out, and then collapse out of exhaustion, to which I follow and land on his chest.
"You interpret that?" Asami asks Mako.
"The Earth Queen's been secretly taking away airbenders and forcing them into her army," Mako answers.
"She was lying. I knew it!" Korra explodes. "I swear, the next time I see her-"
"It's the queen, shhh! Act natutal," I whisper to everyone.
I try to act as normal as possible before she reaches us. I quickly grab Pabu and shove him up Bolin's shirt after I notice him perched on Bolin's shoulder. I can't wait to leave this place. With all the stories I've read, Ba Sing Se has always had issues. The Dai Li and the government have ran this place in the ground.
"Good, You're here. Gun, tell them the news," she demands annoyingly.
"We've received word from the Yang Province. There have been reports of airbenders there."
Ok, cool. But what about the airbenders here?
"Wonderful, isn't it? It's the very thing you've been looking for," Her Majesty adds.
"Thank you! That is just the most wonderful news," my sister replies.
"So, I assume you and your friends here will be leaving immediately," she says, but is interrupted by a fit of sneezes. "Is there an animal in my presence?"
I know I shouldn't laugh, but this is too funny.
"N-no, Your Majesty. I would never allow an animal near you," Gun stutters.
Poor guy.
She sneezes again as Pabu's tail shoots out of Bolin's shirt.
"If I find one within fifty feet of me, it's your head," she says to the poor man and then turns her attention to the rest of us. "Anyway, if you need any assistance to pack, let Gun know. He'll see to it that you're on your way by evening."
"Uhh, this evening?" I ask. "I'm not sure about leaving so soon-"
"Because!" Asami cuts in, "our airship is having engine trouble. It'll take me until tomorrow to finish the repairs."
Luckily the queen has another sneeze attack, and she walks away leaving us all relieved. But we don't have much time! She's hiding those airbenders somewhere.
...
"I can't believe the Earth Queen is conscripting airbenders," Tenzin says angrily.
"I can," I say. "She's horrible."
"Those people should not be forced to join an army!"
"Well technically the Earth Queen has a right to conscript her citizens," Bumi says
Everyone just stares at him silently.
I mean, I guess he's right, but this is not the time.
"Guys, what if Kai was spotted airbending? He might have been taken, too," Jinora says worryingly.
That's true. There's a huge possibility they took him.
We haven't seen him in a while.
"Probably not. He's surprisingly difficult to catch, like a- like a little, greased hog-monkey," Bolin replies.
"But what if he- was?"
"She's right," I say. "Kai might be fast, but so is the Dai Li. They've always been corrupt."
"Don't worry, Jinora. We'll find him," Korra reassures her. "We just need to figure out where to look."
"I bet they're under Lake Laogai," Mako says.
We all look at him like he's crazy. I was not expecting that to come from him.
"What? I've been reading some of Jinora's books. The old Dai Li agents used to have a secret fortress beneath the lake."
"Mako's right! It's the perfect spot to hide airbenders, and I know how to check it out without being caught. I can project my spirit into it!" Jinora says.
"You mean that out-of-body thing you did to help giant spirity Korra?" Bumi asks her.
"You can still do that?!" Tenzin asks.
"It's not as powerful as it was during Harmonic Convergence, but if I can get close enough, I think I can do it."
"What if I do it with you?" I ask. "Combine our energies and make our projections stronger. I've never done it before, but I'm sure I can figure it out."
"Let's go get Kai out," Korra directs. "Let's get all the airbenders out."
...
We make it to Lake Laogai which is completely deserted. The energy here is insane. I can feel the history. It feels very... Dark.
"If anything goes wrong, come back immediately," Tenzin tells Jinora.
"We will."
I copy Jinora and we take our position. And just like that, my spirit is transported to under the lake. That was much quicker than I thought. Maybe because getting to the Spirit World is a much longer journey? Who knows?
I look around. It's just an empty hallway- OH MY GOSH, IT'S GHOST JET!
.
.
.
.
-Just kidding. This place is completely flooded. I look at Jinora, our disappointment evident. There's no one here, and there hasn't been for a very long time. We sadly head back to our bodies. When I open my eyes I spot a hopeful Korra and Tenzin.
"What happened? What did you see?" Korra asks us.
"The airbenders aren't there!" Jinora says frustrated.
"It's completely deserted," I explain.
"They're not down there?!" Tenzin exclaims.
"Jinora, Kitty, you've read all about Ba Sing Se. Can you think of any other places the airbenders might be?" Korra asks us.
"They could be anywhere," I tell her. "There's the catacombs."
"The Upper Ring," Jinora adds.
"The ancient sewers beneath the Lower Ring," I add.
"The maze of tunnels that connect the rings together," Jinora says.
"Or they could be-"
"There has to be another way to locate them," Tenzin says, cutting me off.
"Maybe there is," I reply. "Jinora, how did you find Korra during Harmonic Convergence?"
"I don't know. I just kind of focused on her energy. I think our spiritual connection led me to her."
"Maybe you and Kitty can find Kai the same way. I know you two have a connection."
"What do you mean a 'connection'?" Tenzin asks.
We don't have time to explain that, Tenzin!
"I don't know. Let's try, Kitty."
...
I open my eyes and look around to see if I could recognize this place. I don't. It looks like a prison, but it obviously is somewhere hidden. The good thing is, it's not flooded.
"Jinora? Kitty?"
I turn around quickly. It's Kai! I can't believe that worked! This spiritual projection thing is great!
"It worked!" Jinora says excitingly.
"How are you here right now?" Kai asks, shocked by our presence.
"Shh, quiet. It's a high-level airbender move. With a little spiritual stuff thrown in," Jinora says.
"At first for a second there, I thought you were a ghost," Kai says.
Oh, brother. I wouldn't have come if I knew they were going to flirt with each other. Can't this wait?
"Ok, guys," I say as I roll my eyes. "Kai, we've been looking for you and the other airbenders. Where are you?"
"Underground somewhere. Other than that, I don't have a clue."
"I'll check it out," I tell them. "Stay here."
I decided to just project upwards. I won't get anywhere just looking around here since I don't recognize anything.
"Oh, no," I gasp. "I knew it!"
I feel my blood start to boil- well, not really since- you get what I mean. I'm angry! You know, Lin says her mother hates Ba Sing Se, and I get it. From everything I've learned about this place, it's always been awful, and that includes the Dai Li! I cannot believe that Avatar Kyoshi created them.
"Let's go," I tell Jinora as soon as I return.
"Did you figure out where we are?" She asks.
"Yes, and we need to warn the others," I tell her and then turn my attention to Kai. "We'll come get you all out soon. Don't do anything that'll make the Dai Li mad or suspicious, and let the others know. How many of you are there?"
"I'm not sure, but it's quite a bit."
"Ok. Jinora, we're leaving."
...
"I can't believe Miss Queeny Smug Face had them right under our noses the whole time!" Korra yells frustrated, just like the rest of us.
We should have known. Of course the queen is abducting airbenders. And to think, they were right under our feet, literally! The question is, how did they effortlessly get all those people under the palace without any one of us spotting them!
"We have to get those airbenders out," Tenzin says.
"All right," Bumi starts. "We go in under the cover of darkness: two small insertion teams and a third on the outside. Then all we'll need is twelve tons of blasting jelly, a medium-sized bulldozer and... does anyone have a badgermole that knows Morse code?"
'Oh, Bumi,' I think to myself as I shake my head.
As we continue to brainstorm, we all look up as we hear a light knock on the door. Everyone straightens up and tries to look normal. Me on the other hand bends the water out of my pouch. I'm ready to fight If we have to.
"Oh no," Bolin says. "It's the queen, act natural."
Tenzin goes to answer the door, and to our surprise, it's Lin. I bend the water back into my pouch and sigh. I'm kind of relieved. Don't tell anyone, but I really don't ever want to get into a brawl with the Dai Li. They're scary.
"Lin? What are you doing here?" Tenzin asks her.
"We need to get Korra out of here immediately. Her life's in danger."
"Excuse me," I gasp while jumping onto my feet.
"What's going on?" Korra asks.
"I just got word from Lord Zuko and Tonraq."
"Why is Lord Zuko with my dad?" Korra tries again.
I love Lord Zuko! Katara shared a lot of things with me from her past, and I've seen many pictures of Lord Zuko in his prime. He was hot, and I mean that respectfully.
"Zaheer and the others have escaped," Lin answers.
"How is that possible?" Tenzin asks.
Wait, is he scared? Why does he look scared?
"Because Zaheer is an airbender now."
Zaheer.
Immediately that name rings in my head like a bell. I start to see stars. Zaheer? I've heard that name before, but I can't remember who that is. Why can't I remember who that is? I feel myself falling backwards, and I feel the warm embrace of Bolin catching me before I can even drop to the floor.
"Are you ok?!" He asks.
I look around and notice everyone looking at me worried.
"Yes," I lie. "It's just... Really hot in here, that's all."
I'm falling apart.
"All right, hold on! Will you quit ignoring me and tell me what's going on? Who's Zaheer? Why is my life in danger?" Korra asks.
Sorry Korra, I'll make sure to almost pass out when you're not around- and yes I'm rolling my eyes!
"Shortly after we find out you were the Avatar, Zaheer and three others attempted to kidnap you. Luckily your father, Lord Zuko, Chief Sokka, and I were there to stop them. We apprehended the criminals and locked them away in prisons designed to impair their abilities," Tenzin explains.
"So that's why you and my dad sheltered me away."
"Me, too," I mumble.
"It was for your own safety."
"Why were they trying to kidnap Korra?" I ask.
"We spent thirteen years interrogating them, but they never broke. To this day no one knows what their motive was," Lin explains and then turns her attention back to my sister. "Now, we need to get you back to Republic City where I can protect you."
"No ... I'm not running."
"Korra, you don't understand. These criminals are like nothing you've ever faced before," Lin tries to convince her.
"Look, I'm not a little kid anymore. You don't need to protect me."
"Ugh," Lin complains. She then surprisingly turns to me. "What do you think she should do?"
Wait, she's asking me? For as long as I've been looking after my sister, no one has ever asked me what I think we should do. It was always Katara, the White Lotus, or my dad making all of the decisions, and Tenzin in most recent years. I'd always have to sit there and be quiet. My job has always been to look after her, I've never been an adviser.. Ive never been allowed.
"Well, Korra came here for one thing: to find the airbenders, and she and myself are not leaving without them."
"Fine," Lin agrees. "Let's get them and get out of here."
...