The Terror Within - Part 2

The next day, the interrogations began. El stood beside her friends and the Beifong sisters, watching as Aiwei questioned guard after guard.  

"I have absolutely no knowledge of the people who tried to kidnap Korra." A young guard said

Aiwei looked back at Lin and shook his head, signalling that this man was not the culprit. Korra looked at Lin defeatedly, and Lin nodded to Aiwei to question the next suspect. And that next suspect was Varrick.

"What was I doing last night? Same thing I always do. From nine to ten, I checked my body for ticks. Lyme disease is a serious killer. Then I did my nightly Varrick callisthenics" Everyone watched in disbelief as Varrick stood up with a leg on a chair and started exercising while demonstrating the workout."Followed by thirty minutes of breath-holding. I filmed the whole thing if you want to watch it."

"That won't be necessary", Aiwei sighed with a hand on his head

Varrick and Zhu Li left the interrogation room, passing by Korra and El, who had their hands over their mouths, looking as if they were about to laugh while Mako pinched his nose bridge from annoyance.

"Maybe it wasn't a guard after all. Maybe it was someone a little higher up the food chain. Aiwei, why don't you question Su?" Lin suggested, sending her sister a suspicious glance.

"Lin, stop. Your sister was not involved," El argued

"No, I'll gladly be questioned." Su cut in, walking over to the chair and sitting down opposite Aiwei" I have nothing to hide."

Aiwei looked to the side, looking a little reluctant but began the questioning. "What is your full name?"

"Suyin Beifong. I'm the daughter of Toph and the only sister to Lin, and I had nothing to do with the attack last night." Su said

"She is telling the truth." Aiwei turned to Lin

Korra sighed in frustration. "This is a waste of time! Just bring in the next guard!"

The next guard came in and sat down. He was pretty young, looking not that much younger than the Krew.

"Give me your name and tell me where you are from," Aiwei ordered

"I'm Hong Li. I was born and raised here in Zaofu." The guard replied

"Do you have any knowledge of the people who tried to kidnap the Avatar?"

"No"

Aiwei stiffened and leaned forward. "Did you help the attackers enter Zaofu last night?"

"No, of course not." Hong Li answered

"You're lying," Aiwei said, shocking everyone in the room. Hong Li the most.

"What?! No, I'm not!"

Su stormed up to him. "How did they get in and out?" She grabbed him by the armour and pulled him out of the chair, slamming him against the wall. "Where are they now?"

"I don't know! I'm telling you, I didn't help them!" Hong Li cried, fearfully

"You're a traitor to the entire clan!" Su yelled

"I suggest we search his place," Aiwei suggested, and Hong Li's eyes widened and quivered with fright.

*

The Krew were in Hong Li's apartment, accompanied by Aiwei, searching for clues. Bolin walked into the kitchen and opened the oven before closing it in disappointment. He stood up and opened a small cupboard above as Elira walked over.

"Find anything?" She asked

"Nothing criminal but..." Bolin reached into the cupboard and brought out a cookie jar, grinning at his girlfriend.

"I've got something!" Mako called out

"What?" Elira and Bolin turned around, their mouths now stuffed with cookies. 

Bolin put down the cookie jar, and they walked over to Mako, eating their snacks and standing beside the others. 

"It looks like it's from them", Mako read the note in his hand. "Team assembled. Ready to rendezvous."

"And look at this." Asami handed Aiwei a book she'd found 

"These are the guards' logbooks," Aiwei said, looking through the book as Mako leaned over to look. "All their schedules and routes are in here." 

"That guard knows everything. We have to get him to talk." Korra declared 

"Let's go confront him with this evidence right now," Mako added 

"No." Aiwei stopped them, and the teens looked at him, confused. "Let's give him a little time to sweat it out. He will talk eventually." 

Aiwei then turned and left, but a slightly suspicious look formed on Mako's face as he watched the truth seer leave.

*

Later, the Krew were checking out the cooled-down moat from the previous night. Naga was walking around, sniffing the rocks, and a few Zaofu guards watched over the crime scene.

"I don't understand why we're not talking to that guard right now." Mako huffed and stood up from where he was knelt on the ground. "Every minute we waste here, those guys get further away. I mean, how does a random guard get involved with a group of supercriminals anyway?" 

"What do you mean?" Asami asked 

"That guard is only eighteen years old and has lived in Zaofu his entire life. Zaheer and his gang have been in prison for more than thirteen years." Mako said 

"I don't know, but we all saw the evidence" Korra muttered 

"Yeah, it's pretty overwhelming," Elira added, Pichi moving from her shoulder to her head with a chitter. 

"Maybe a little too overwhelming?" Varrick suddenly popped up from inside a hole, surprising the teens. 

"Hey, Varrick. What are you doing here?" Bolin asked, Pabu on his shoulder. 

"Collecting pumice stones with Zhu Li", Varrick grinned, gesturing to his assistant, who had walked over with a few rocks in her hands " That lavabender did a lot of damage, but he makes a nice exfoliating rock, and when you got callouses like mine, you take all the pumice stones you can get your hands on. Or, in my case, feet!" 

Varrick laughed as Zhu Li rubbed a stone against his foot. Team Avatar looked revolted, leaning away in disgust, and Pabu and Pichi even ran off. 

"What were you saying about the evidence?" Mako questioned, getting back on topic. 

"I was saying that I can smell a conspiracy when I see one. Look, if I was trying to set someone up, I would tell everyone he's guilty and then plant the evidence in his apartment as proof." 

"Oh, you mean exactly like what you did to me?" Mako glared 

"Yes, just like that! Remember how great that worked?" Varrick grinned. "Well, not for you." 

"You're right. All the evidence points to this guard, but maybe he's just the fallback." Mako stated 

"But for who?" Bolin wondered 

"For the only person who can truly keep a secret in this city." 

Elira gasped, her eyes widening in realisation. 

"Aiwei!" 

*

The Krew were hiding outside Aiwei's house, and Bolin peeked through the window. 

"He's not home. Or he's hiding in there. Or he's invisible." He gasped, making El giggle, and Mako looked at him sceptically " Probably just not home." 

"We have to get in there and find some evidence that links Aiwei to Zaheer. Otherwise, Su won't believe us," Mako stated 

"Well, then let's get searching" El stood up and opened the door, walking inside with her friends behind her. 

Asami noticed a book on the table and flicked through it. 

"Anything?" El asked

"It's just an empty book." Asami shook her head 

"There's got to be something", Elira muttered, surveying the room as her friends looked through everything. 

Bolin took an interest in a jar on Aiwei's bookshelf and picked it up. "Hmm, it's like a desert on a jar." 

"Bolin put that back! We don't want Aiwei to know we were in here if we can't find anything," Mako scolded his brother. 

Bolin moved to put the jar back but paused. "Uh..." 

"You forgot where it goes, didn't you?" Mako sighed and took the jar from his brother, putting it back on the shelf. 

"Hey, what's that?" El then noticed something on the floor by the bookshelf and pointed to it. 

 Mako moved onto the end of the bookshelf, kneeling down and seeing some marks on the floor.

"These look like scuff marks. I think this bookshelf slides open." He stood up and slid the shelf aside to reveal an underground cellar.

"Woah", Elira muttered, peering down the stairs as her friends joined her side. 

"What do you think is down there?" Korra asked 

"Could be a storage cellar," Bolin suggested 

"Or it could be how Zaheer got in and out." Mako grinned. 

"Aiwei's coming back! Quick." Asami suddenly hissed. 

The teens quickly ran back up the stairs and slid the bookshelf back into place just as Aiwei walked through the door. 

"What are doing in my house? You are trespassing on the property of one of the highest-ranked officials in the city. You'd better have a good explanation." He glared 

"We do. We do. We actually knocked on your front door, and we..." Elira looked at Bolin for help

"We thought we heard you say,' Come in, I'm in the bathroom!" Bolin lied, using a higher pitch to imitate Aiwei. 

Aiwei just stared at them, not impressed. 

"We don't even know why we're saying that. You know we're lying." El frowned

"Yeah, and you don't even sound like that," Bolin added 

"We came here because things weren't adding up, and we thought you might have some answers," Korra explained truthfully 

"Sit. If you want to talk, let's talk over some tea. " Aiwei gestured to his couch. 

The teens glanced at each other before going to sit down. 

"Now, what is not adding up exactly?" Aiwei questioned, pouring some green tea into a cup. "Hong Li was clearly lying, and we found evidence in his apartment." 

"But don't you think it's weird how young he is? How did he ever get mixed up with this group?" Mako stated 

"Perhaps through a relative, or maybe he was bribed." The teens watched Aiwei walk over to his bookshelf. "We will find out those answers in time. But if wasn't him, who do you think it was?" 

They glanced at each other. 

"We don't know," Asami said but knew Aiwei could tell she was lying. 

"You don't think I had something to do with this, do you?" He questioned, moving the jar Bolin had been looking at back to its rightful place. 

Bolin sent El a panicked look, and she took his hand, squeezing it nervously. 

"We're just looking for answers," Korra stated 

"And you think you've found something, don't you?" 

The Krew didn't say anything.

Aiwei looked at them over his shoulder. "You have no idea what is coming for you, Avatar." 

He suddenly metalbent his stairs upward, creating a wall between him and the teen, and Mako firebent at it, but it has no effect. 

Korra attempted to metalbend into the wall but only made a small rupture.

"Come on, he's getting away!" Mako exclaimed 

"I'm still a little new at this, so back off!" Korra snapped 

Turning back to the wall, Korra took a deep breath and tried again. This time she successfully tore a hole in the wall, letting them all rush through. 

Rushing down into the cellar, El was first to the door with Korra and the others behind her. She slowly opened the door, not knowing what to expect. 

Inside, there was no Aiwei. Instead, there was a live bomb! 

BOOM! 

The bomb detonated, and Elira bent an air bubble around her and her friends, protecting them from harm. 

When the smoke cleared, the others looked up, and El stopped bending. 

"Ugh!" Korra groaned in frustration, heading into the now-destroyed room with the others following. 

"He's gone," Mako stated 

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Elira replied sarcastically, and Mako scowled at her. 

Korra then noticed a small opening covered by debris. "Look, he must've escaped through there! Help me clear it out." 

She and Bolin both earthbent the debris away to reveal a secret tunnel entrance. 

"What happened? We heard an explosion." Lin and Suyin came running into the room.

"Where's Aiwei?" Su questioned 

"Your trusted adviser is the one who betrayed us. He was lying about the guard." Korra revealed 

"What? No!" Su gasped 

"We confronted him, and he bolted through here." Korra pointed to the tunnel. 

Lin stepped forward and stomped her foot on the ground, using her seismic sense. 

"He must have collapsed the tunnel behind him." She informed 

"And he rigged an explosion to destroy any evidence that might have been here," Mako explained 

"This is where Zaheer got in and out. Aiwei was the traitor. I'm sorry, Su," Elira frowned. 

" I ... trusted him." Su looked down, saddened

"Is everyone okay?" Kuvira suddenly came running in. 

"Aiwei is a fugitive. Get all available guards to search the mountainside and find out where this tunnel exits immediately!" Lin ordered 

 Kuvira nodded and left, and Lin walked over to her sister, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

*

Team Avatar and the Beifong sisters were once again in Suyin's office. Scattered around, they were waiting anxiously for any update on the search for Aiwei. 

They all looked up when Kuvira came running in. 

"What did you find?" Lin asked 

"We located the end of the tunnel, but there's no sign of him. Just some fresh tire tracks." Kuvira informed 

Lin nodded at her in thanks, and she turned and left. 

"He had an escape plan all ready to go." Mako huffed 

"I trusted him with my life. I thought we were family, but it was all a lie." Su muttered, looking down

"Whoever these guys are, they're more powerful than we thought and more dangerous," Mako stated 

"That's why we have to find them. We're going to hold off our search for airbenders and hunt down Aiwei. Naga can track his scent." Korra declared 

"And I bet if we find Aiwei, we'll find Zaheer," Asami added 

"No! We're not hunting this group." Lin cut in, standing up. "There could be other secret agents in other parts of the world looking for you right now! I'm taking you back to Republic City, where I can protect you."

"If I wasn't safe here, then I'm not safe anywhere. I have to stop them!" Korra argued 

"It's too dangerous! You are not going!" 

"Stop trying to protect me! I'm the Avatar. This is my job!" 

"Don't lecture me about jobs!" 

"Enough!" Su yelled, interrupting the fighting and stood up. "Korra, listen to Lin." 

"But ... they ..." 

"Please. Lin's only looking out for you. I promise you, Aiwei and everyone he's working with will be brought to justice." Su declared 

Korra still looked reluctant but agreed, "Fine, if you really think it's best." 

"I do" 

"Thank you, Su." Lin smiled at her sister 

"Everyone should get some rest tonight. I'll have my people prep your airship, and you can leave first thing in the morning." Suyin said 

The teens were silent. Korra glared off to the side, frustrated, and Elira looked down at her hands. It looked like they were going home then. 

*

Later that night, the Krew were sitting around their apartment, looking dishearted and annoyed, when there was a sudden knock on the door. 

Korra got up and opened it. 

"Su" She looked surprised to see the youngest Beifong sister standing on the other side. 

"You really think Naga could track Aiwei?" She asked, walking inside. 

"Definitely." 

"Then, here." Su held out a pair of keys to Korra " There's a jeep packed with supplies on the east gate. It's all gassed up and ready to go." 

"Wait, what? Why?" Elira questioned 

"Because I want you to hunt down Aiwei and bring him back to me," Su replied 

Bolin looked confused."But, you said--" 

"I said what Lin wanted to hear, and I bought you guys some time. Go. I'll deal with Lin in the morning." Suyin smiled at the teens. 

Korra now looked determined, and she faced her friends. "Let's get this guy!" 

"Yes!" Elira cheered 

"Thanks" Korra quickly hugged Su before the teens ran out the door. 

Moments later, Korra was riding on Naga away from Zoafu while the others were in the jeep behind her.