Several speedboats were tearing up the large river in pursuit of the Bulwark and Syndor. Roughly a week and a half had passed since their run-in with Bolin and Opal and the two had been barely scrounging through the wilderness, still heading north to that mining town.

"You think they saw us?" Syndor asked, peering out through the bushes the two of them were hiding in. "Back there, I mean. At the crossing."

"I don't think so." Bulwark replied, flicking his hair to the side so he could focus his eyes better on the pursuers. "But they definitely know we're in the area."

Syndor made to reply when a shadow was cast over him. It immediately covered the Bulwark as well and caused them both to look up to identify the source.

"Spectacular." Bulwark said with a sigh, glaring up at an airship with the Republic City insignia emblazoned on the side. If the United Republic was devoting this many resources to this search then either they had highly overestimated the Bulwark or what Syndor wasn't telling him was very important. Bulwark looked over at the farmer who seemed to merely be awestruck by the floating machine. "Never seen one before?"

"No... How does something that big stay in the air?"

"I don't know." Bulwark replied, standing up to move. "You'd have to ask an engineer that. What I do know is it's dangerous for us. That thing will spot us as soon as we leave overhead cover. And it's expensive."

"What does that mean?" Syndor asked, standing and glancing at Bulwark curiously.

"It means they want me more than they have any right to or you did more than just run from the Avatar."

"Look, Bulwark, I don't remember." Syndor said, sighing at the slowly building mistrust. "If I did I would tell you. Honest. I just don't know what happened once I blacked out."

"Well if you figure it out, clue me in. The two of us can't hold off the Avatar and the United Republic Army."

"Right..." Syndor muttered.

"When was the last time they were spotted?" Korra asked from the bridge of the air ship, looking down at a map of the Earth Kingdom. There were several pins punched into it where the Bulwark and Vaatu's vessel had been spotted. When she'd first heard it she could hardly believe the two of them were working together but when Bolin saw the two wanted posters on his return to Republic City he'd been so certain.

"Here, at the river crossing." The captain stated, tapping the map. "Roughly twelve hours ago. They seem intent on heading north."

"Why? What's north?"

"Mining towns." Bolin replied with a shrug. "When we ran into them the Bulwark seemed really disinterested in fighting and said he was getting a mining job. The two were talking like they just wanted to be left alone."

"Well they shouldn't have run from the law, then." The captain interjected. He was about to say something else when one of the spotters called out. "What is it, man? What do you see?"

"Two runners, sir! They're cutting across a clearing. Shall I call for the cable deploy?"

"Do it!" Korra shouted before looking up apologetically at the captain.

"You heard her, crew!" The old man rasped. "Deploy cables!"

Syndor's legs were on fire as he and Bulwark continued the long sprint for the trees on the other side of the clearing. A giant metal cable pierced the ground next to him, startling him and knocking him over. Bulwark spun around and growled as several more cables pierced the ground around them.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted, buddy." Bulwark stated, raising his fists.

"We can't give up, yet!" Syndor shouted, standing himself back up.

"Oh, I'm not going down without a fight, I promise you." The earth bender replied with a proud smirk. "But I don't think we'll be getting out of this with our freedom."

"I guess you're right. This was pretty fun, though, wasn't it?"

"Most fun I've had in a long time."

Korra grabbed the length of one of the cables and slid down it alongside the three dozen other metal benders. As she neared the ground enough to need to slow herself down she caught sight of the two figures down below. Kicking off the cable she landed in a roll that brought her upright, immediately going into the Avatar state.

"Stand down, now." She demanded as the metal benders surrounded the pair. From the river several hundred meters behind them benders from the speedboat search parties were rushing to surround them as well. "You won't get a second warning."

"I..." Syndor mumbled but Bulwark held up a hand to silence him. While the earth bender was all determination and no small amount of anger Korra could tell the farmer was scared. Not the way he'd been back in the cave, but scared all the same. Hopefully that would make things easy.

"Avatar Korra, last time we fought I made sure no one was seriously hurt in the hops that you'd leave me alone when I escaped." The Bulwark snapped. "If you attack me or my friend I will do no such thing this time."

"You're both wanted men." The Avatar retorted and gave the signal. The benders all surged forward to envelope the criminals.

"So be it." Bulwark whispered. He rolled forward to avoid a metal coil and everywhere his body met the earth stone armor folded around him. The Bulwark counter charged his aggressors and batted flying shards of metal away. One metal bender made the unfortunate mistake of getting to close to the stoneclad earth bender. Bulwark swung his arm and knocked her against the side of her head so hard she fell on the ground, unconscious, though her eyes were wide open.

"Tinle!" One of the other metal benders shouted and began hurling as many shards of metal as he could into the stone behemoth. Bulwark let the shards become embedded in his armor and then leaped up, pulling his limbs in. When he thrust his arms and legs back out his armor erupted, sending chunks of stone and metal in all directions. Several benders were caught in the attack and found themselves painfully wounded.

Bulwark built a wall around himself and the majority of his attackers and turned to focus on Korra, but her attention wasn't on him. She was going after Syndor.

"I've purified you before and I'll do it again!" Korra shouted, wrapping her feet and fists in flames as she swung at Syndor with all her might. The farmer blocked what he could with earth bending but mostly fell backwards and crawled or ran out of the way.

"Whatever you think I am, I'm not!" Syndor screamed, throwing a boulder at Korra that she easily parried. "Just leave me alone!"

"You murdered your entire village!" Korra shouted right back. Syndor shook his head and threw another rock at her, this one even less impressive than the last. Korra flexed her arms outward and floated into the air, surrounded herself with several large boulders that orbited the Avatar like moons. "You killed them and burned your village down!"

"No..." Syndor sobbed, falling to his hands and knees as he began to cry uncontrollably. "I couldn't do that. I wouldn't!"

"But you DID!" Korra snarled. "And then you dropped a mountain on me!"

Syndor went to reply but Korra had heard enough of his whimpering lies and flung the boulders at him. Syndor sighed, realizing this was the end and shut his eyes. Bulwark roared his loudest and jumped in front of the farmer, bringing up a heavy stone wall. The boulders collided with the wall, shattering it and throwing the earth bender to the ground. Syndor opened his eyes and gasped when he saw his friend knocked unconscious on the ground.

"No!" He shouted and ran over to him. "Bulwark, wake up!"

Korra's fist clenched, hoping she hadn't just killed the man. Criminal or not she didn't have any desire to take a life. She moved her arms forward and then clenched her fists as stone wrapped around the two beneath her, ensnaring them.

"Alright, Avatar!" One of the metal benders called out. The group began cheering when an angry scream broke them all off. Korra glared at Syndor as his eyes began to glow red. The farmer flexed his arms and shattered the stone that wrapped him up, scoring him dozens of awe filled looks from the surrounding benders. "Go, bring him down!"

The other benders moved in to apprehend Syndor but the young man spun in the air, waving his arms in front of him and then snapping them behind him. A geyser of flame shot from his mouth, sending the benders running as the field they did battle in began burning. Korra hurled another boulder at Syndor but he caught it and sent it right back at her.

"Syndor?" Came a voice below him. The farmer looked down to see the uncertain look on Bulwark's face. "Why are you flying?"

Syndor suddenly realized he was holding himself aloft, bending the air around himself to keep him up. Without explaining he surged toward the Avatar and repeated her original attack, punching and kicking with flames around his limbs. Korra was a better fighter than the farmer was and easily blocked or deflected the attacks. She sent a single punch to his gut, causing the farmer to cough.

"Syn, shoot fire at me, now!" Bulwark thundered. Rather than wait for an explanation, the farmer did as he was told, sending a wave of fire at his friend. Bulwark leaped back, moving his hands into the shape he was forming the earth into. The fire rolled against the ramp he'd created, curling up against the top and shot forth, almost like a beam, at the Avatar. Korra brought a boulder up in front of her blocking the worst of the fire but still taking the concussive force and being thrown to the ground. Dazed from the attack, it took Korra a moment to get back up. When she did the Bulwark and Syndor were nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" She shouted, moving her hands down toward the ground, knuckles together. With a pulling motion she ripped the ground open and found the tunnel the Bulwark had made. With everything she could muster she shot a gout of fire into the tunnel. Bulwark seemed to anticipate this and bent the tunnel, creating a hole in the ceiling and closing off the rest of the tunnel. The fire speared out into the sky and nearly hit the airship before it died out. Korra screamed out loud, dropping to her knees and began punching the ground.

"So... What was that?" Bulwark asked as they came out of the ground almost a mile away.

"Desperation..." Syndor replied, crossing his arms. "And why she wanted me. I... can bend all the elements."

"I thought there was only one Avatar." Bulwark replied, not convinced. "You some kind of... anti-Avatar?"

"I don't know. I hope not. I don't have a problem with the Avatar. I just want her to leave me alone."

"Well I don't think we'll be able to go to that mining town, now."

"So where do we go from here?" The farmer asked, stopping and leaning against a tree as a slight dizziness took hold of him.

"I think I have an idea."