Chapter 1

Zaheer sat in the center of the large, cavernous room that served as his prison. It had been nearly ten years since that fateful day the Avatar came to him seeking to confront her fears, only him to offer her council in venturing into the Spirit World. He found it funny, that he had helped the woman, who three years previous, he had nearly killed. In fact, it had been Zaheer's life goal to bring an end to the Avatar cycle. But, such experiences and objectives were far behind him now. Thanks to Zaheer's assistance, the Avatar regained the ability to project into the Spirit World, combat the new Earth Kingdom dictator, Kuvira, end her reign, and even open up a new Spirit portal right in the heart of Republic City. He had gathered from his guard's chitter-chatter that Avatar Korra had since gotten married, to a woman, no less! Whereas before Zaheer had felt undeniable guilt about his hand in Kuvira's rise to power, he had felt a ping of pride in his assistance to the Avatar that still lingered to that day. A small grin appeared on Zaheer's face as he reminisced of days long passed.

Suddenly, the large stone doors that served as the entrance to Zaheer's cell rumbled. That's strange, Zaheer thought. It wasn't time for his evening meal, and it didn't look as if the doors were being Earth bended as usual. As the rumbling continued, he could hear several muffled shouts, and he could have swore they sounded panicked, even scared.

Soon, both the rumbling and the shouting ceased, leaving Zaheer in dead silence. Then, without warning, the doors bursted forward in a shower of rubble, hot rocks, and dust. Some chunks were sent flying around Zaheer. That was definitely not an Earthbender, he thought. Was he being rescued by members of the Red Lotus? Suddenly, Zaheer felt something he hadn't felt in near a decade, a glimmer of hope. Hope for freedom.

Out of the dust came a man not dressed in the usual White Lotus guard attire, and Zaheer expected as much. But what Zaheer had not expected was the nightmarish, menacing figure that slowly wandered toward him. Although its features were hard to make out, Zaheer could see that the figure was clad in what resembled a three-piece suit, but it was a dark purple instead of black, and wore dress slacks of the same color. The lapel held a wilted yellow flower. His shoes looked incredibly outlandish, with white stripes falling down the center. He wore a fairly tattered yellow vest that was preceded by a wicked-looking green bowtie. Adorned on his head was a long rimmed, tan hat that hid most of the his face. While Zaheer had certainly not expected his appearance, what he had least expected was the devilish, maniacal laughter that emanated from the figure that now loomed over him.

"So, this is the legendary Zaheer, the leader of the Red Lotus, the man who killed the Earth Queen, and ALMOST killed the Avatar." the man chuckled in a taunting tone. "I must say, I was expecting someone far less… underwhelming."

Zaheer was usually a calm and calculated individual, he never let his emotions get the better of him. But, something about this man made his skin crawl, like some voice in the back of his head was screaming, begging for him to get away. It was fear, he realised. He was afraid. The man was getting closer.

"What madman with a deathwish has the arrogance to call me 'underwhelming'?" Zaheer questioned aggressively, attempting to feign anger instead of fear.

But the man was unmoved by Zaheer's apparent rage, it seemed to only fuel his laughter.

"Oh ho ho ho, Zaheer, my friend, there's a fine line between arrogance and confidence. That line lies in the situation. For example; a trio of benders fighting two metalbenders have the right to be confident, its three on two! The odds are in their favor! But, a lonely, stupid firebender with a fancy head tattoo thinking she can take on Toph Bei-Fong's children?! THAT is arrogance, my friend. One is liable to lose their head in that situation." As the man saw the rage boil in Zaheer's face, his laughter only became louder and louder, like he was enjoying his torment.

Zaheer tried to fling himself forward with his bending, to confront the monster that was now only a few feet ahead of him. How DARE he insult P'Li's memory like that? His fear was now replaced with unending hatred for the 'thing' that stood before him. To his dismay, the chains that bound his limbs were retracted as far as they could be, and Zaheer felt like he had been thrown against a brick wall, and he was no closer to his visitor.

"Now, now, don't get short with me. I need you sitting in one spot. We've got work to do, airhead." the man joked to Zaheer. He was looming over him now.

"As for who I am," the man said in a calm voice, all humor drained from his tone, "I go by many, many names. Many people call me a freak, a criminal, a lunatic. Others call me a monster, or a demon. But, all these labels don't quite 'hit the nail on the head.'" The man slowly removed his tan hat, revealing a face so disfigured, so terrifying, that Zaheer nearly gasped at its reveal.

The man's face bore a wicked, toothy grin that stretched from ear to ear. His lips were as red as crimson, and his smile curled at the edges of his mouth. His hair was slightly unkept, as if it were styled so on purpose, and was a dark, horrifying shade of green. But as gruesome as his face was, what terrified Zaheer the most was his eyes. Green, just like his hair, but in them Zaheer saw nothing but pure, sadistic evil. They looked him over a few times, like a lion would eye its' prey. It was unlike anything he had seen before.

"You may call me, The Joker." He said in a low, intimidating tone. Then, just as quickly as the humor had faded from his face, it returned with wild abandon.

"I'm the Clown Prince of Crime, the Duke of Disaster, the Harlequin of Hate," He roared as he raised his arms high above his head, as if performing for a crowd, "and the man who will become the new face of terror in Republic City!".

"If that's so, why are you here? Why waste your petty time toying with me?" Zaheer questioned, although he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the answer. Zaheer had faced many intimidating men, some dumb as a rock, others sharper than a tack. But, this 'Joker' felt…erratic, and unpredictable. He wasn't sure how he should be dealt with.

The Joker lowered his arms, his eyes and grin locked on Zaheer for what seemed like an eternity. He didn't laugh, didn't taunt, he only stood there and stared at him. Then, The Joker began to circle Zaheer, his hand reaching far into his vest inside pocket.

"You see, Zaheer, there's nothing I hate more than boredom. Enough boredom can drive a person crazy! But, the worst thing boredom can do is make you weak. Spend enough time unchallenged, relaxed, happy, and you soon become a shadow of your former glory. Kind of like you, come to think of it." The Joker chuckled at his insult, but once again, his tone grew more and more dark as he spoke. "You remember your good friend Avatar Korra, right? How long has it been since she's had a challenge? You know, I bet she hasn't had a good laugh in YEARS! She thinks she's safe, that she's reached the end of her story and it's all smooth sailing from here on out. Do you wanna hear a secret? Safety. Is. Boring." The Joker now stood in front of Zaheer, looming over him, and he was holding a bloody, platinum crowbar.

"In real life, there are no happy endings. No, ha ha ha ha, no. Not while men like myself still walk this Earth. No one is safe, not you, not Riko, not anyone, especially not her. Ah, I can see that I'm boring you, so let's just put this short and sweet like. I'm here to break Korra. I'm here to show her just how silly she is when she thinks that the worst is behind her. I'm here to show her there can't be light without the darkness. I'm here to make her have fun again! And, what better way to stir up some of that fun than kill the man she feared so greatly?". The Joker began to cackle.

Before Zaheer could even process what The Joker had said, the mad man slammed his crowbar into Zaheer's stomach, knocking the wind out of the defenseless, old man. The Joker struck Zaheer's head with a backhand swing, his laughter only growing stronger. Zaheer was barely able to stay on his feet, trying to think of a way he could survive the assault. Then, The Joker kicked Zaheer's chest, a surprising feat from the Clown. Zaheer was sent spiraling backwards from the force of the impact, his head hitting the floor with an audible *thud*.

"But, here's a funny thought, what if I have no reason to do this, any of this?" The Joker yelled at the top of his lungs. "What if, and bear with me, what if the only reason i'm killing you, he he, and planning to take every semblance of happiness from Korra's life is simply because I want to?"

He began to beat Zaheer with his crowbar, delivering several fast, but powerful blows to Zaheer's chest. With each connection, the Joker recoiled backward violently, only to bring the crowbar down on Zaheer again and again. Zaheer could feel his ribs breaking from the impacts, and it seemed like The Joker knew exactly when each one was broken, and when to move on to the next. The entire time, the Joker never stopped laughing.

"What if i'm doing this because I can, or because it's so easy? What if i'm doing all this because IT'S FUNNY!?" The Joker said, the bloodlust evident in his voice. As The Joker kneeled down to Zaheer's head, waiting for a response, Zaheer took the opportunity to spit blood in his face.

"You.. you're a… sick man…" Zaheer whispered, barely able to speak. The Joker simply chuckled.

"Flattery won't save you." The Joker said, as he wiped the blood from his face.

Zaheer screeched in pain as The Joker struck his right eye with the crowbar, again and again, until it was dislodged from its bloody socket, dangling by a thread. As blood began to pool around Zaheer, The Joker took his crowbar, still dripping with Zaheer's blood, and slid it back into place in his vest.

"Oh man, I haven't had this much fun in years!" The Joker panted, clearly exhausted. "It's nice to stretch the ol' legs out. Sadly, though, our time here must come to a close. I've got work to do, but I suppose it isn't really 'work'. You know, they say if you do something you love, you never work a day in your life, he he."

The Joker stomped his foot on Zaheer's chest, which extended a small, sharp blade from the shoe's tip. He felt his broken ribs crack under the pressure.

"Before i'm done with Korra, she will have wished you killed her all those years ago." The Joker began to kick Zaheer wildly in his chest with the shoe knife. Zaheer soon lost the energy to even grunt in pain, and could only stare blankly at the walls of his cell as the world's color faded around him, until he was surrounded by darkness.

Sunlight flooded the master bedroom of the Future Industries highrise penthouse. It was by no means a humble room, or a tidy one. Asami's work desk was in disarray, as usual. Mathematical formulas, architectural designs, and portrait sketches littered her desk, as well as most of the room. The walls were a dark shade of maroon, Asami's favorite color. The walls held many beautiful paintings, a few done by the CEO of Future Industries herself. Above the king-sized bed hung a beautiful, embellished Southern Water Tribe flag, whose bright blue swirls and patterns illuminated as the sunlight passed over it. Beside the bed sat a wooden nightstand, with a picture of Asami and Korra sitting neatly in the center. It was a picture from their wedding day.

Korra awoke, yawning and stretching after a good night's sleep. She turned to her side to see Asami wrapped around her arm, her head nestled against Korra's shoulder. Of course, to Korra, any night she spent in bed with her loving wife was a good night's sleep in her book. Korra couldn't help but admire Asami's beauty. Although it embarrassed Asami to no end, Korra loved seeing her without her makeup on. Her skin was smooth, her hair was silky, although a bit messy, but that made Korra appreciate it even more. Her lips curled into a smile as she clung to Korra's arm. Though it pained her, Korra knew the two had to get out of bed. They had a busy day ahead of them. Korra shook her arm lightly.

"Come on, wake up my little sleepy genius." she whispered lovingly.

Asami didn't so much as budge.

"Honey, I'd hate to airbend your beautiful butt out of this bed." Korra said teasingly. Asami began to stir. "We've got a busy day ahead of us."

"Ugh, five more minutes, Korra." Asami groaned. She let go of Korra's arm and wrapped herself around her stomach. Her eyes opened, their bright green color shining in the sunlight. "I just want to spend a little more time with my Southern Water Tribe stallion."

Korra couldn't keep herself from chuckling at Asami's choice of words. "Southern Water Tribe stallion? Where on earth do you get those names from?"

"Well, when you've got such beautiful inspiration, things just come to you." Asami said, seductively.

Korra's cheeks filled with red. "Fine, five more minutes, but only because you're the sweetest gal the Avatar could ask for."

Asami began to lay her head down, and Korra started to run her fingers through Asami's silky hair. Asami nestled her head into Korra's shoulder. Not even a minute had passed before Korra and Asami heard the pitter-patter of two sets of small feet running toward their bed. Well, there goes sleeping in, Korra thought.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up!" two small voices squeaked in unison. Before Korra and Asami could discern where the cries were coming from, they felt two children land on the center of their bed. "Guys, come on, get up!"

"Kara, Sokka, please calm down. We're up!" Korra responded in a motherly tone. Asami loved when she spoke like that. It reminded her of how lucky she was to have such a loving family with the Avatar. Korra held Kara, the eldest of the two, in her arms.
"You asked us to wake you up, mommy, remember? You said you'd need to get up early to work on planning your Avatar Day celebration!" Kara said, and embraced Korra in a tight hug. Korra returned the embrace, brushing her daughter's hair to the side. Kara always wore her hair so that it covered the scar on the right side of her face. Kara was always seemed ashamed of her scar. She remembered that day at the South Pole, when Korra and Asami decided they wanted to raise a family. She remembered the trip to the orphanage, and the story of the two young brother and sister that the headmaster told. It had broke her heart to know that the two lost their parents in a house fire, and the scar on the elder sister's cheek was from her shielding her infant brother from the flames. She knew that there was no doubt in Asami's mind that day, that they were the children she wanted to raise. Then, Korra was snapped back into the present by her daughter's loving gaze.

"I remember little one. You did a good job. We love you." Korra kissed Kara's forehead. Even though Kara was twelve, on the way to becoming a rebellious teenager, she never struggled against her mother's embrace. Although young, Kara was mature enough to realize that her adoptive mothers had given her the best home they could, and loved her very much. And she returned that love tenfold.

"So, come on, guys! Let's go make some breakfast, I'm starving!" Sokka said as he tugged on Asami's arm.

"Oh, alright. I guess you little scamps could do with some of my special cherry pancakes before we head out."

As Asami and Korra rose from their bed, Kara and Sokka in tow, the phone on Asami's desk rang. "I'll get it!" Asami said. She strolled over to the desk and picked up the embellished, brass telephone.

"Hello? Chief Bei Fong? Why yes, Korra is right here. Excuse me?" Korra could see the smile slowly melt away from Asami's face. "Okay, alright. I'll tell her and then we'll be on our way. See you there." Asami said after a long pause. Her hand trembled as she lowered the phone back into its slot. Her head turned slowly to meet Korra's gaze, and there was an undeniable amount of fear in Asami's eyes.

"Honey, what's wrong? What did Bei Fong have to say?" Korra asked anxiously. She had known Asami for a long time. She was a sturdy girl, but Korra had never seen her this afraid, not since her father's death.

"She asked us to meet her outside of Zaheer's prison. She said she doesn't know the full story yet, but she knows something bad happened, Korra."

Normally, riding a flying Bison relaxed Korra. Something about the wind rushing against her face and the clouds passing by beneath put her at ease. But, now was different. Korra wasn't relaxed, she was tense, and lost in her thoughts. This change in her behavior was not lost upon Tenzin or Asami.

"Korra, I promise you, Air Temple Island is the safest place for your children to be right now. If not because of the White Lotus guards, then because of Ikki and Melo. They'd sooner die than let anyone touch a hair on Kara or Sokka's head." Tenzin explained, trying to assure her.

"He's right, Korra. We couldn't leave them at home alone, and they certainly couldn't come with us. The way Bei Fong put it on the phone, this isn't going to be pretty."

Neither one of them fazed Korra, who, under her tense and focused appearance, was mortified beyond belief. Zaheer had nearly killed her a long time ago, and had even put her in a wheelchair for 3 years. Although he helped her overcome the poison's lasting effects on her mind, she doubted a decade in jail would change his life's goal. What if he had escaped? Bei Fong hadn't said what happened. Would he try to take her life again? Would he recruit more Red Lotus to aid him? Would he go after Asami, or their children? Her heart began to race. The mere thought of her children being in such harm's way made Korra shudder.

Just as Korra was in deep thought about the dangers her kids might face, Asami leaned over to her and kissed her on the mouth. They held that kiss for what seemed like an eternity, Asami wrapped her arms around Korra. As she released Korra from her kiss, she placed her forehead onto hers, and looked deep into her eyes.

"No one is going to hurt our children. Not for as long as you, I, and Tenzin breathe. Do you understand? Asami said in a serious tone. Korra saw Tenzin turn to the couple and nod silently out of the corner of her vision.

"Yes, I understand. I'm so lucky to have family like you two." Korra said. While still nowhere near calm, Tenzin and Asami's assurance definitely pacified her.

As they landed outside Zaheer's prison, it was almost impossible to tell something happened, save for the numerous rock structures that the Metalbending Police had constructed in a nearby clearing. The outside of the complex looked completely untouched.

But, as the trio dismounted Tenzin's Bison and headed toward the Police's base of operations, Chief Bei Fong's approaching face told a different tale.

"I'm glad you three could make it here on such short notice. I've got half my force here trying to make sense of this situation, and the other half is in the city patrolling on high alert." Her words were cold and stony, like usual. But, her face held an unnervingly worried look. It was pale, like she had just seen a ghost, and her eyes, which were usually steady and commanding, were now darting side to side, like she was scanning her surroundings for some invisible predator.

"Chief, what's going on? I've never seen you this scared, or scared at all for that matter." Korra asked anxiously. "What happened to Zaheer, did he escape?"

The Chief let out a long sigh, her eyes stopped darting and focused on Korra and Asami, who were now side by side holding hands.

"Zaheer didn't escape, but…" the Chief trailed off, "...you need to see this for yourselves."

As Bei Fong led the trio through the entrance of the complex, it became increasingly apparent that something horrible had happened there. Two White Lotus guards lay beyond the threshold of the entrance, covered in white sheets that were stained with dried blood around the center.

"These two guards died from multiple stab wounds, that we can tell for sure. There's no sign of a struggle, so they must have been killed quickly. As in, seconds apart quickly. It's like whoever killed them appeared out of thin air, did his deed, then vanished just as quickly. Poor boys didn't know what hit them" Bei Fong explained in her signature cold voice, but she paused a bit at the end.

As they ventured deeper into the complex, they came to the beginning of a corridor. Korra noticed large boulders and scorch marks littering the hallway.

"This is where we believe the infiltrator was spotted by a group of patrolling guards. A few firebenders and earthbenders. What's strange is that these marks don't appear on the opposite side of the corridor. So, whoever fought those men didn't bend anything at them."

The group exited the corridor and descended to Zaheer's floor using the elevator. The ride was bumpy, though uneventful. An uneasy silence filled the air. When they reached their floor, the doors slid open to reveal a scene so grisly that Asami let out an audible gasp as she stepped back in horror. Korra flinched at the sight, and Tenzin could only let out a scared "Goodness..."

There must have been twenty or thirty corpses that were scattered haphazardly around the open room. A few bodies had their heads caved in, bits of brain and gore surrounded them. Others had their necks slit. One earthbender was impaled on a spike of earth, presumably one he created. But most horrifying of all, beside the entrance to Zaheer's prison sat the corpse of a young firebender girl, propped up against the wall. Her forehead had been bashed in, her eyes dangled from their sockets on bloody strings. Her entire lower jaw had been ripped from her head, and her tongue laid still against her blood covered neck. Lodged in her chest were several strange, razor-sharp white cards. Korra picked up one of the cards that lay at her feet. It was slightly stained with blood. A picture of a clown wearing a funny hat was in its center.

"This is what I meant when I said I wasn't sure what happened here. All these White Lotus, benders at the top of their game, trained to be ready for anything, and they just got...massacred." Bei Fong said as they moved through the room.

"What's this?" Korra asked as she held the card to them.

"It's a playing card of some sort, but not from any game i've ever played." Bei Fong responded.

"This is...just…" Tenzin found it difficult to complete his sentence as he surveyed the bodies. "Nightmarish."

"Spirits...no.." Asami let out in a trembling and very fearful voice. "Who... who could have done this to these people?". Asami wrapped herself around Korra's arm, much like she had done earlier that morning in their penthouse. Except, this time, she didn't look peaceful. Korra could feel Asami quaking where she stood, and her beautiful face was as pale white as a sheet.

"But, what about Zaheer?" Korra asked. Bei Fong didn't answer, she only led them through the crumbled doors to Zaheer's cell. When his corpse came into view, Korra felt Asami's grip on her arm tighten, and her head being placed into her shoulder. Any person could tell Asami was terrified beyond comprehension at what she saw, but Korra knew she couldn't blame her. Korra just stared at Zaheer in disbelief.

He lay in the dead center of the large, cavernous room, his limbs still bound in the heavy metal chains. Blood covered his face, and his left eye had been gouged out and sat at his side. His shirt had been torn off of him, revealing a badly bruised torso with what Korra could only assume were multiple broken ribs. But, most horrifying of all, it revealed a large pit in his chest, where it appeared the assassin had dug a hole in his abdomen and removed his heart.

"He wasn't trying to free Zaheer, he broke in here to kill him." Bei Fong broke the silence, finally. She stared contemplatively at his body, then looked back up at Korra. "Kid, after what he did to you, I wished every night since that he'd die. I despised him, and what he put you through. But, this…" Bei Fong crossed her arms as she looked back down to Zaheer. "Nobody deserves to die like this. Being held down like a rabid animal, beaten, sliced up. It's like the guy didn't just enjoy torturing Zaheer, he loved it."

Though Korra had hated Zaheer, and would never forgive him for what he had done to her, she couldn't help but agree with the Police Chief.

"What's that written on the wall?" Asami pointed to the far wall opposite of the entrance.

"Writing? That wasn't there earlier." Bei Fong said.

Korra moved closer to make out what it said, then stopped dead in her tracks when she could finally read it. At that moment, it felt like every single part of Korra was screaming in unison, telling her to leave, to get her children and Asami and leave the city. Unimaginable terror washed over her.

Written on the wall, smeared in blood, with Zaheer's crumpled heart laying below it, read four words.

"Happy Avatar Day, Korra!"