I'm still working on 'Rebirth.' I just wanted to place this up to see how the response will be as it is a darker fic. If it goes well, I'll regularly update it. If not, I'll update it after I'm done with 'Rebirth. I have seven chapters done already, so please enjoy this prologue.

For the past few days, he was pushed and herded into camps and trains like cattle. Mako had been standing for days with his wrists bound, but he wasn't worried about himself. Asami and Wu were both worse off than he was. Wu had been beaten by the green jacket wearing supporters of Kuvira and Asami, after a long, hard fought fight, was close to losing her right hand from a metalbender crushing her shock glove in. They were being sent to a camp in the southern Earth Empire for under minding the Great Uniter's rule. In Mako's mind, he and Asami were protecting Wu from certain death. They spend days during the hard street fighting hiding and fighting. The trio was almost out of the city before Bataar and his personal guards found them.

But for now, Mako had them to worry about. Wu was still unconscious and Asami was fighting the pain of her crushed hand. The firebender had done his best to wrap her hand and immobilize it, but without a proper healer, he worried that she would lose it.

"Get off the train!" the soldiers shouted, batting the train car with their clubs.

Mako put his hand on Asami's shoulder, "Come on. I'll help you up."

She gave him a weak smile as she was helped up. They then, both managed to get Wu to his feet to carry him off.

"Mako, we need to get out of this." She said softly.

"I am working on it. I can't do anything with my hands bound." He frowned, knowing their situation.

Jinora's reunion with Kai was bittersweet. They had split off into groups, looking for the once again missing Avatar. He and Opal informed the three airbending siblings about the lost of Republic City.

The town around them gathered near a speaker. A stout man in a green uniform with a red collar cleared this throat.

"Attention everyone," the man shouted, "We have word that the Great Uniter has been viciously killed as she was honorably proposing a peace agreement to the rest of the world. The treacherous leaders of the United Republic and the Fire Nation have made their move towards conflict. Bataar now calls for revenge of his fiancé's death. Join the Earth Empire's glorious army and help your countrymen revenge the Great Uniter and destroy these heathens!"

The five young airbenders looked at each other. Jinora let out a breath of determination.

"We need to find Korra."

Opal soon spoke up as she spotted men in the green uniforms staring at them, "Then we should get going before they decided to turn on us."

"I'm not afraid of them!" Meelo acclaimed, "Let's see how tough they are."

Jinora sighed, "No Meelo. This isn't the time. Let's get out of here."

She stood at the sink, healing a wound from a recent underground fight. Her time after spending days in the swamp to prepare her to return to her duties as the Avatar proved a complete waste. Her pyrrhic fight with Kuvira proved it. Toph Bei Fong was right, she didn't want to get hurt or fail again and hiding with the everyday people in the southern Earth Kingdom, no that was not correct, Earth Empire as they called it now was her plan. There were still too many mental issues to work out and her last argument with Tenzin made her return even worse.

"Hey, what are you doing?" one of the woman fighters asked as she spotted her.

Korra dropped the water, turning, "Just cleaning my wounds. You hit me pretty good on that last attack."

"You were sluggish and fought with too many openings." The woman said as she came closer, "I'm Li Ling. What are your plans for the night?"

"Oh, nothing exciting." Korra sighed, "I'll probably just sleep in a stable or find an alley."

The woman laughed, "No you're not. You look like you need a night out and a good one at that. Some of the girls and I are going out. What's your name?"

"Kor," she started but stopping to correct herself, "Koryoshi."

'Nice save.' The Avatar thought, mentally hitting herself.

"Koryoshi? Well, you must join me and the other fighters at our get-together. You will party like nothing before, dollface. I hope you have nothing planned for tomorrow."

It was a start of something else, at least. She shrugged her shoulders, grabbed her bag and followed the woman into the unknown of the night.