Tahno had to cut his hair because it was the only way to keep people from recognizing him easily on the streets. His hair was kind of his trademark. He couldn't be recognized when he was up above because otherwise he'd be arrested, and he couldn't risk having his bending taken away again.

The renegades had been so relieved to see Tahno bending, it rallied some kind of unified spirit among them. Amon wasn't in control anymore. Not like they thought he'd been. Of course, he still had control of the city and there were Equalists everywhere, but they could fight back now. Without fear.

Tahno admired his new haircut in the mirror, it was short, shorter than any waterbender wore it. Hopefully that would throw people off as well. He washed his hair using waterbending simply for the fact that he could.

The renegades were organizing themselves, getting ready to move back aboveground. They missed the sunlight and the open air, and they couldn't stay down there for too long. Equalists were still hunting for benders. Some nonbenders were down there with them and they promised to house them and hide them. Eventually they would be able to get their jobs and lives back again.

They'd sent word to the other nations letting them know that there were still benders there and they needed help, but no response had arrived. Until they got a reply, they rallied together. Working on anti-chi blocker attacks and how to resist their strikes.

The antiequalist movement was small, that was for sure. There were less than a hundred of them left in Republic City. The other benders or bender supporters had gotten out or had gotten captured. So recruitment was their first and primary goal. A small group of benders were going to find the captives and rescue them, they had some metalbending armor that they'd be wearing so the chi blockers wouldn't be able to stop them from bending.

Tahno was part of the team and he ached to get his hands dirty just to rub it in Amon's face. He wanted to show Amon that he wasn't down for the count. Not by a long shot.

He walked into an antechamber of the tunnel system the renegades were staying and was surprised.

"Asami Sato, what a pleasant surprise," Tahno said, his eyes narrowing as he smiled. Asami was wearing a Fire Nation uniform. She was taking off her gloves and a helmet was sitting on the table in the room.

"Tahno," she said, nodding, "I'm here representing The Fire Nation." That was a surprise to Tahno, Asami Sato had joined the military? He always did like a woman in uniform.

"And?" Tahno asked, waiting.

"An invasion force is being prepared, but there's going to have to be some communication set up. We can't go into this blindly. The other Nations are gathering forces as well. There's no way Amon can withhold an attack from all four nations."

"You talk as though the Air Nomads are a force to be reckoned with, Asami," Tahno started, "But you and I both know that Tenzin is the only one left." Asami smiled at Tahno's remark.

"You'd be surprised at what the Acolytes have put together, Tahno. Nice hair, by the way," she led the way back out of the antechamber, grabbing her helmet on the way, and into the main tunnel where the bulk of the renegades were working. "So, what's the plan for these guys?" She asked.

"We're rescuing the captives from the Equalist Prison tonight. We have metalbender uniforms so the chi blockers can't stop us from bending. There'll be ten of us going." Tahno said, Asami glanced sideways as him.

"You can handle fighting chi blockers without your bending?" She asked cautiously.

"I fully intend to fight using my bending, Asami," Tahno replied, "Amon isn't the god he thinks he is." He opened a canister attached to his waist and pulled the water stored inside out of it. Asami couldn't help but smile seeing Tahno bending. It was a miracle and a source of inspiration. They needed to get the word out to the other benders. Everyone whose bending had been taken away.

"Have you assembled your team yet?" She asked as Tahno replaced the water into the bottle. She noticed that there were at least three others on his hips and could see a bulky object in one of his sleeves. Tahno was prepared.

"Yes," Tahno answered, "Why?"

The Northern Air Temple was a busy place. Tenzin had relocated there from the Western Air Temple a few days after Korra's friends had left. It had expanded since The Hundred Years War into a technological marvel. Air acolytes learned to fly there, embracing the true meaning of the air nomads by feeling the free spiritedness given by flight.

The air acolytes and Tenzin would be in charge of getting any refugees out of Republic City when the time came. Airships were too slow for effective means of escape. The acolytes had built a larger glider that seated a small group of people. It was small enough that Tenzin could fly it effectively and fast enough that it could carry several groups of people to safety in a short amount of time.

"Tenzin the kids are worried," Pema said from behind him. Tenzin turned to see that Pema was holding Rohan in her arms and he was reaching for Tenzin. He took the child from her and held him in the air, smiling up at him. The baby smiled back down.

"Where are they?"

"In our room."

Tenzin walked into their bedroom a few minutes later to find the kids sitting on the edge of the bed. Jinora was sitting between Ikki and Meelo and had her arms around her brother and sister.

"What's wrong?" Tenzin asked, sitting next to them. They looked up at him and Ikki moved from holding Jinora to holding her father.

"We miss Korra, daddy," she said, crying into his robes. His heart sank because there wasn't anything that he could do to make them feel better about this. He pulled them all into his arms and held them close.

"I miss her, too, kids," he said, "I miss her, too."

Asami's electrified glove proved to be a useful addition to Tahno's team. Her fighting was beyond that of the chi blockers and she easily took out the guards in front. Tahno used some of his water to take out two more guards once inside by knocking them out with ice.

A metalbender in their group opened the first cells, letting a dozen or so prisoners free. Two of them still had their bending and stayed with the group. The others went outside to the rendezvous party.

The group easily caught all of the guards in the prison by surprise and took them out. Within the next hour they'd set everyone in the prison free. There were close to hundred people in the prison, but only a dozen or so hadn't had their bending taken away yet.

Tahno and Asami were on their way out when the retaliation hit. Everyone who had gotten outside had got away, but Tahno and Asami were still inside. They had been securing the guards in one of the prison cells when they found themselves surrounded.

There were probably twenty equalists there in the hallway.

"Tahno, get the ground wet," Asami whispered staring down the opposing force. Tahno pulled the remaining water out of evey container he had and threw it at the equalists. They were pushed back and they were all soaking wet now. Asami pulled off her glove and turned it on, tossing it the few feet to the puddle.

The sound of the shock was deafening, but the Equalists were knocked out. Tahno and Asami ran outside. There was no one out there that they could see and they continued to run, heading for the rendezvous point, but the chi blockers were behind them. Asami didn't have her glove anymore and Tahno was out of water until they got to the river, so they ran.

A rope wrapped itself around Asami's ankles and she fell. Tahno stopped, but the chi blockers were already on her and he started running again. There was nothing he could do to help her without water. They'd have to rescue her another day. Tahno tried to convince himself that the people they'd saved that night made up for the loss of one.

This was war, after all, but the thought didn't settle in his stomach right. Because Asami Sato had been his first loss in this war and he hadn't been ready to deal with that feeling.

At least she wasn't a bender. Amon didn't have anything to take away from her.

"Bolin, the whole point of the exercise is for you to feel your way around. I'm not going to tell you where the kitchen is," Akio laughed as Bolin picked himself from the ground again. Bolin wasn't to report for training until he could see without his eyes and that was proving difficult for him.

The concept had been explained to him that he needed to be a more patient earthbender. Willing to do what it takes to get what he wants, but understanding that not everything comes now. It was a block that he was having difficulty dealing with.

Bolin couldn't see anything. He could feel the ground with his feet and feel the vibrations, but they hadn't translated into anything for him in his brain. He could tell you when someone was coming, but not who they were or where they were coming from.

"I need to eat! How am I supposed to learn seismic sense on an empty stomach?" Bolin complained, his arms held out in front of him to keep him from falling. He felt his way along one wall of the house he was sharing with Akio until he found a doorway. He took a step and fell forward onto his face not expecting it to be a step down.

"You found the exit, Bolin," Akio said laughing from inside. Bolin stood up and felt his way back inside. He knew the way to the kitchen from the front door. He could make it. Akio watched as Bolin walked and turned with perfect 90 degree pivots until he made it to the kitchen. "That's incredible. Now, you just need to memorize the streets of Ba Sing Se like that and you can come to training with me." Akio joked, but stopped laughing at the sight of someone in the doorway.

"Tenzin?" Bolin took off his blindfold. He hadn't gotten seismic sense, but if it were anyone else he would have felt them coming. This person had fallen out of the sky.

It was Tenzin, he held his glider in one hand, "Bolin," he said, "How are you?"

"What happened?"

"Nothing, yet," Tenzin said, "I'm here on business with the Earth King and came to see how things were going."

"Things are going good. I'm going to start training soon," Bolin said, "What are you talking to the Earth King about?" He asked, curious as always.

Tenzin hesitated because he hadn't planned on telling Bolin why he'd came, "It's about," he started, "The Avatar."

"You mean Korra?" Bolin asked, confused. What would Tenzin be talking to the Earth King about Korra for? As far as he knew they had never met.

"No, not Korra," Tenzin said, his eyes sad, "The next Avatar. The Earth Kingdom is next in the cycle."

Bolin lowered his head. A new Avatar had probably already been born since Korra had died. Bolin had forgotten about that part of Korra being the Avatar. He'd forgotten that she was actually different from the rest of them.

"Oh."

"You have to be quicker than that, in probending if you're not fast enough you'll get knocked off the Arena before you even have a chance to strike back," Mako explained to Zhin.

Zhin had learned all the steps and all the forms of Mako's probending techniques, but he was still slowed down by the traditional circles in firebending.

"This isn't probending, Mako, this is war," Zhin argued, "The technique isn't going to matter when we start fighting." Zhin was right, of course, the technique didn't matter as long as you weren't killed.

"Try to be faster, and then you'll be perfect," Mako said, "Come on, we're late for dinner."

They arrived in the dining hall and sat down at the end of a table together. Mako focused on his food while Zhin talked his ears off. They'd fallen into a pattern and Mako was getting restless. He'd been training for weeks and he'd passed every test they'd given him. It was probably why he'd gotten annoyed with Zhin's speed earlier. Mako was clearing his tray when Malana approached him.

"Commander Zo wants to see us," she said before walking off. Mako exchanged confused looks with Zhin, who shrugged, before following after Malana.

"What about?" Mako asked when he'd caught up. Malana shrugged and they finally made it to the Commander's office.

The guard outside let Commander Zo know they were there and the two of them went inside.

"You're being assigned to a case," The Commander started, wasting no time. He was a scrawny man, with an exceedingly long moustache. "We've been watching you two since you've gotten here and you've shown us that you have incredible talent and power, especially as partners, so we're sending you to Republic City undercover. You're going to infiltrate The Equalist Headquarters and assassinate one of their higher ranking officers. He is known as the Lieutenant and we believe he's responsible for the capture of the Fire Nation Councilwoman of Republic City."

The Commander passed a folder to each of them, inside was a picture of the Lieutenant. Mako recognized him as the chi blocker who told him that benders had no place in the world anymore.

"You leave tonight, your things have already been packed. An air ship will take you back to The Western Air Temple where you will then be taken by water to the United Republic of Nations where you will travel by ostrich horse to Republic City. The rest of the details are in your briefings. Dismissed."

The two of them stood and left, both ready to take on the mission assigned to them.

Asami probably should have seen this coming, though she hadn't planned on getting caught. She was currently staring down her father who was watching her being chained to a chair.

"I really don't want to do this, Asami," Hiroshi Sato started, "but-"

"I don't want to hear it, dad," She said, angry, "Just throw me back in the cell or better yet? Let me go!" Her father sighed, but didn't make any move to free her or to send her back to the holding cage.

"Why can't you see that what I'm doing is for your own safety? I've thought of nothing, but you this whole time! Since I became an Equalist this was all for you!" He yelled, raising his voice louder. Asami didn't flinch, bet kept their eye contact the whole time, unafraid of her father.

"I never asked you to do this, and I never felt afraid of benders," she responded, "They've done nothing to hurt us as a whole, father! You can't look past the bad that a few of them have done to see the good that millions of them do!" Asami was yelling too.

"I didn't want to do this," Hiroshi said again, "But you leave me no choice."

A chi blocker held her head back as it was strapped in position. She couldn't turn her neck now. Her arms were tied down and her feet tied to the chair. She couldn't move her body at all and she felt strangled, crushed. She could barely breathe. Hiroshi Sato left the room and an older lady entered. She held an electrified rod in one hand.

"Who did this to you?" The lady asked, a look of concern on her face.

"The Equalists," Asami responded, her tone as if the lady were stupid for asking that question. She was met with a shock from the rod. She screamed as the pain traveled through her body. Her voice going hoarse.

"Who did this to you?" She asked again. Asami's blood ran cold as she realized what was happening. Terror filled her brain clouding her thoughts and she couldn't concentrate.

"The...the...Amo-" She screamed again as the rod was applied. Her throat burned with the strain and she whimpered when the shock stopped. She tasted blood on her lip and knew that her nose was bleeding heavily.

"The Avatar caused all this, didn't she?" The lady started, "If it weren't for her, then you wouldn't be here. If it weren't for Avatar Korra then you would still be at home with your father wouldn't you Asami Sato?"

"Korra was only trying to help," Asami muttered weakly, her voice harsh and ragged.

"Avatar Korra was only trying to help benders, Asami, not you," The lady whispered. "What did you get from Avatar Korra's investigations into your father's private businesses? Did you gain anything from them? Or did you lose something from them?"

Asami thought about the question, because the lady was right. If Korra was trying to help her then why would she be held captive right now? If Korra hadn't been eavesdropping then she would be at home in her bed and comfortable, not sleeping on hard mattresses or on the ground.

"I lost something, but it was something I was willing to give up," Asami replied finally, because she was willing to give it up to protect Mako.

"Give it up for what? A firebender who doesn't care about you?"

"What? No, he does-"

"That's why he kissed her? Because he loves you so much?

"No."