The Code

Benefactor

Happy Easter to all of you! Hope your days are all blessed by Jesus : )

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Korra spun around, her heart in her throat. Amon emerged from the shadows, his golden eyes gleaming from the slits of his mask with a cold, cruel glow.

"Korra, get behind me!" Mako cried, pushing her back and leaping to shield her, fists raised.

The dark figure only laughed. He raised a hand, and before Mako could release a barrage of firebending, he cried out in pain, dropping to his knees. His back arched in unnatural flexibility, the veins in his neck protruding as he yelled with agony.

"Amon, stop!" Korra cried, sprinting forward. But Amon raised his other fist, and her insides turned to ice. Korra staggered to a stop, held by an invisible grip, rigid as a statue. Her heart pounded with fear.

"Korra," Mako gasped. "He's—a bloodbender!"

Amon chuckled, lowering his hands to his sides. Mako and Korra remained frozen. "Your little friend seems highly observant, Avatar."

"Don't do this," she begged, struggling in the viselike grip. "Please!"

"Why should I not? This is the perfect opportunity to rid Republic City of its two greatest nuisances: the Avatar and her little playmate. When I take your bending, the war will be over. My revolution will have no boundaries."

"You—" Korra gasped, still fighting it. She watched Amon's fingers curl at his side, and her lungs screamed in pain as the muscles in her chest tightened, the blood flow constricting. She choked out the next words, "You don't want to do this."

"And why don't I?"

"There's—someone else, an enemy..." Korra was thrust out on a limb now, but she was flailing for any excuse to stall time, to give Tenzin and the others an opening to come to their rescue. She plunged ahead, trusting her gut. "A greater enemy than either of us have ever faced."

"And who might this be?"

"A girl," Korra rasped, remembering her dream. "A girl with violet eyes. She's coming—from the Northern Water Tribe. I saw her, in her village, in a vision."

Amon's golden eyes flickered behind the mask. When he spoke, his voice had changed. It was no longer mocking, humoring. It carried the slight edge of uneasiness. "What is her name?"

Korra clenched her eyes shut, gritting her teeth against the pain. "Sakura."

Amon dropped her with a jerk. Mako gasped, curling onto his side, sucking in air with ragged desperation. Korra staggered back, trembling, and looked up. Amon's eyes were wider than she'd ever seen them before.

"That's... not possible." His voice was just a whisper. There was no longer any hint of menace in it. His eyes snapped back up to hers. "You're sure of this?" he demanded.

Korra swallowed. "It was just a vision," she backtracked.

"But you saw her. You saw her and you heard her name. You're sure it was Sakura?"

Korra nodded. Then, without warning, Amon crossed the room in three quick strides and grabbed her chin in his hand. Korra gasped and tried to pull away, but found she could not.

"Let her go," Mako rasped from the floor, but Amon's renewed bloodbending grip kept him down.

"Tonight," Amon whispered, his breath cool over her face. "Midnight. Avatar Aang's Memorial Island. We will discuss this." His grip tightened on her jaw, his face moving inches from hers. "Come alone. Clear?"