The Time Bender

Chapter 1

Anniversary Assault

The White Lotus sentries stood vigilante at the mountain prison. Always watchful and ready in case something should try to break this dangerous prisoner out. So far no intruders came. That was until one of them spotted a strange figure entering through the shadows.

"Halt! Who are you? You are not authorized to be here!" shouted one of the gaurds

"I don't wish to hurt anyone, step aside", said the young man.

Seeing their intruder refused to move, two of the white lotus fire benders shot some fire at him. No sooner the fire cleared, he was gone, but there was not a trace of him anywhere.

"Knock knock", they heard from behind and the stranger knocked them hard from behind.

"What, who the heck are you", asked the third sentry who then in fear bended up a column of earth at the young man but then slowed down as soon as they approached and he moved out of the way.

"Your worst enemy", the man. He then kicked him but it went so fast that he flew across the room. Moving to the elevator he gave the door a double fist punch, on contact they rusted and corroded. The man walks on in and then looks to the chains holding it up. Smirking he grabs one and it corrodes and the chains snap the elevator starts to plummet fast but then to the man it slows down very fast and when it approaches the ground floor he opens the door and walks out before time returns to normal and the elevator crashes.

He repeated the same action for the second elevator he found and entered a large room. In the center of the room was a man who was levitating in the air, held in place by chains. He was meditating.

"You must be Zaheer", said the man.

"And you are. . ." asked Zaheer opening his eyes.

"Your salvation if you accept, for we both want the defeat of the Avatar, but I will need your help. Obey me and you can achieve what the Red Lotus wanted and more", said the man.

"Interesting", he said landing on the ground. "And what's to stop me from refusing?"

"You saw what happened to that elevator did you", asked the man gesturing to said elevator.

"Hmm we have a deal", said Zaheer.

Smirking the man grabbed the chains and it rusts and corrodes and snaps, freeing Zaheer.

"Let's go", said the man.

"How do we get out?' asked Zaheer.

The man said simply, "Rewind. . ." He steps forward and thrusts his hand forward then moves his hands around each other like bike peddles. The wreck of the elevator reversed and started to reform. The man pauses his hands gets on and says, "Hang on and get ready to move when I tell you"

Zaheer nods with a slight smile and then watches as he continues moving his hands the elevator rises.

"CHEERS" ran out several voices on Air Temple Island.

The reason for this merriment, simple, there was a huge banquet going on in the courtyard area of Air Temple Island. Korra and all her companions were on the island with everyone they knew or met. There was drinking, talking, and eating going about. Why?

"I can't believe it has been yet another year since we all first started Team Avatar", said Bolin smiling.

"Seems like only yesterday", remarked Mako as he took a sip of his drink. "So much has changed between all of us and the world since that day."

"You can say that again", said Bolin then getting distracted saw Opal and shouted towards her. "Hey Opal! Opal" he chimed heading towards her.

Mako couldn't help but sigh in relief. A lot has changed but somethings won't change, like his brother.

Nearby someone else unknowingly agreed with him. Korra, still on the short hair side, observed the entire scene before her. Hard to think how much has changed since the time she had come to Republic City. Not just learning air bending, but learning to energy and spirit bend, the people she met, being in Pro-bending. She had made major changes in the lives the people she met, Mako is now a detective in the Republic City Police, he and his brother Bolin have a family again, Asami had helped redeem her father and fixed Future Industries tarnished image. That was merely the tip of the iceberg. It wasn't just her own life or the lives of her allies she had effected but the entire world.

The re-opening of the spirit portals, the rebirth of the air nation, those were two major things that affected the world, not to mention Republic City with its spirit wilds.

She couldn't help but smile. "I can't help but wonder how the world will go from now on."

"Thinking about something", came the voice of Asami. She nearly caught the Avatar off guard making her jump a bit.

"No", she replied with a sheepish smile. "Well, maybe just wondering how things go for the next year and beyond."

Asami smiled knowingly.

Just then Bolin shouted, "Hey come on girls, this party is for all of us that means you!"

The girls couldn't help but giggle at how Bolin could still be so silly.

"Come on let's rejoin the party", said Asami with a smile.

Korra gave the same smile as they headed towards it, where Mako greeted them.

"What?" they then overheard. "Okay I will take a look. Thanks" The voice belonged to Chief Lin Beifong. "Have to cut it short Detective Mako."

"Why what's wrong", asked Mako.

"There's been a breakout and it concerns the Avatar too. It's Zaheer."

She gasped. Nearby Tenzin asked, "What!?"

Korra and the others were aghast at the site they saw. Every one of the gaurds were out cold. The doors have fallen and the elevators were broken beyond repair.

"This is one weird case', said Mako.

"Are you sure what you saw", asked Lin.

"I am positive", said the guard. "He was strange it was like he knew our moves he was everywhere and nowhere at the same time."

"You said he made the rocks crumble, could he have been a Earthbender", asked Korra.

"No way, no one could do that", said Bolin.

"Besides", said Asami looking at the doors, "This wasn't metal bending. . . these doors weren't metal bent, they look like they have aged millions of years!"

"Your right it looks like the same with this chain", said Korra observing the elevator shaft. "But if he can't Earth bend how did he managed to get out. I doubt Zaheer could fly him out."

Bolin took a look and gasped. "Woah check it out down there. Looks nasty."

Using her air bending to cushion her fall, Korra lept down the shaft and took a look at the wrecked elevator. She put her hand on the smooth surface of what remained of the metal.

"Yep it's pretty banged up. I doubt whoever broke in could survive the fall. Let alone get Zaheer out unless he could make the elevator go up by magic", chuckled Korra.

"You don't think Zaheer has learned magic have you? OH NO" shouted Bolin

"Oh calm down. . .", said Opal. "Everyone knows that there isn't exactly a thing as magic."

From below they heard Korra shout. "Zaheer's chains have aged as well and snapped free."

"That only concludes he has escaped", said Lin. "But there is no clue to where he might have gone."

However a beeping sound from Asami soon provided the answer they needed. She held up a small device with a beeping light.

"What is that", asked Mako.

"It's a new silent alarm system we are working on. If this is going off, it means someone has intruded in our factories", said Asami.

WOOSH! WHISH! SLAM! BANG!

Gusts of air had hit every single worker and guard in the factory. The source. . . who else but our Zaheer. Nearby the mysterious person who freed him scoured the factory.

"What should I do with them", he asked.

"Just keep them off our back for now. I want to keep bloodshed to a minimum", the man responded.

He started looking about searching each of the store locations and the components. "Yes. . yes. .No. .Yes. . " He then stopped before a vault. "Bingo."

He thrusts his hands hard onto the vault and grimaces as it starts to age and rust.

Korra and the group had just arrived on the scene but when they had arrived they could see everything was in confusion and chaos. All the guards and workers had been knocked out or hit hard, but thankfully, none of them killed.

"Most likely done by Zaheer", analyzed Mako. "But the rest of this. . ."

What he observed was the fact the doors were not blown in. Like the doors at the prison they were aged and rusted beyond repair, and when Asami looked she noticed the same was true for the security system.

"This definitely looks like the work of whoever broke him out of prison", said Asami.

"Lin", asked Korra, "You sure this isn't some new form of Metalbending?"

"No, no metalbender can make metal corrode like this", said Lin.

Before they could chat further they heard a cracking and crash sound. They turned in that direction and before they could speak another word, rushed towards it.

They arrived in the offices in time to see a vault door crash and fall. Before it they could see the mysterious dark haired stranger look inside.

"HEY!" shouted Asami, "The contents of that vault are company property."

This of course got his attention.

"Sorry Miss President but I need this. Zaheer." He commanded

Zaheer flew down and gave a few air bending blasts but thankfully were blocked by Lin and Korra metalbiending the floor to provide barricades.

"Not going to happen.", said Lin. "You both are going to jail.

"Lin BeiFong, how nice to finally meet you. I always enjoyed the stories of your family. And the famous Avatar Korra", said the stranger. "What an honor, or should I say, dishonor to meet you."

"Yeah I get that a lot", said Korra shrugging it like it was nothing.

"Don't flatter yourself", said the stranger, "It won't matter much, not after I am done."

"Oh wait let me guess", said Bolin coming out of the background, "Your standard, I hate the Avatar, she is doing the world wrong, so I have to kill her, is that it?"

"No, unlike those past foes you face, I don't want to leave unnecessary bloodshed, and if possible none", said the stranger, "But after I am through, the Avatar will never have existed."

"What do you mean by that", asked Korra looking confused.

In retaliation, the man grabbed two antique swords that were decoration on the wall.

"Ha, those things are so old they won't' cut butter", said Asami.

The boy position and suddenly to their eyes they looked, knew and he threw them. Korra with a great heave redirected them to the wall where they cut through.

"What but. .they sould have shattered", said Asami.

The stranger grabbed something in the vault, but Mako tried to stop him with his fire bending but the strange seemed to dodge as if he knew where they were coming. Then he vanished an appeared behind him. "Nice try." He then tripped him much to his shock.

"Zaheer", said the stranger, "Get to that satomobile, we are done here."

"I don't need transport", said Zaheer.

"Yes but I want this as covert as possible", said the stranger a bit forcefully.

Reluctantly Zaheer obeyed and flew into the car while the stranger followed and got in it.

"What is he thinking", said Asami. "That Satomobile is only for display it hasn't run since before I was born."

Suddenly the stranger grabs the steering wheel and suddenly the machines wear and tear started to vanish as if it was fixing itself. The motor roared to life and the old Satmobile took off. Everyone ducked as it came in their direction. The stranger gave Zaheer something which he air bent at loading dock entrance doors. The device exploded clearing all obstructions and giving the the perfect escape route into the city.

The group looked on in surprise at what just happened.

"How on earth", gasped Asami.

"Something tells me that's no ordinary bender. . . again", said Bolin.

"Where do these guys come from", sighed Korra.

Lin Beifong sighed as she looked over all kinds of files and folders both from the station as well as city hall. She was frustrated.

"Nothing", she said, "Zaheer's accomplice is nowhere in these files. In the city or out of it."

"Maybe he's working below the radar, someone that's off record or something", suggested Mako.

"It's possible replied Lin", said Lin.

"I just hope the results on those metal samples we brought back yield more results", said Korra.

"Actually", came Asami's voice as she approached with Bolin, "They yield more questions. Look at this from the vault." She placed the metal down.

"See this piece here, this is where he didn't make contact but these old metal areas.. when the lab carbon dated it, it was date at 1 bilion years old", said Mako.

"But that's impossible", said Korra.

"Uh Korra with all the freaky things we have seen lately I doubt ANYTHING is out of the realm of possibility", said Bolin.

"Wait, if the metal has aged, then. . . what if he didn't merely just fix that Satomobile, he. . . returned it to when it was brand new. . and what if wasn't moving fast what if he stopped time", said Mako.

"Wait you are not suggesting. . . .no way", said Korra.

"What, what is he suggesting", asked Bolin.

"Your brother is suggesting this new guy is somehow manipulation time", said Asami.

"Not manipulating it ..." , breathed Korra. "He believes we are dealing with some sort of. . .Time Bender."

"THAT IS REDICULOUS! There is no way it can be done", said Lin as she crossed her arms in disbeleif

"I don't know", said Korra. "Last I checked we have been dealing with things once considered ridiculous. Bloodbenders that work without the full moon, crazy spirit vines, and more so. I mean don't you think after all we have been through perhaps a 'time bender' is in the realm of possibility."

Mako nods, "You have to admit chief, as strange as it sounds we may as well put it in the realm of possibility."

"Very well, I will consider it, until a more concrete explanation can be found", said Lin, "As for our stranger since you consider him so, I suggest we call him, 'The Time Bender' for now."

"How fitting", said Asami.

"Okay now that our culprit has a name, let's find out where he may be going with Zaheer", said Korra as she looked at the map, "And what he may be up to."

Turning to Asami she asked, "Asami, do you know what it was they stole?"

"Some experimental energy capacitors capable of holding electricity longer", said Asami.

"Well look where they are going", said Korra. "See this is the direction where they were last going."

"Right", said Mako, "And if it's almost right where Varrick had some experimental spirt vine generators set up. With those capacitors, he could have enough energy to control another metal titan."

"Please perish that thought, that one was bad enough", said Korra. "We better hurry before it's too late."

"I will have a backup squad ready and on location in 20 minutes", said Lin as Korra and the others ran out of the office.

To be continued. . . .