The polished linoleum floors of Republic City Police Headquarters gleamed under the electric lights, a stark contrast to the palpable tension radiating from the Chief’s office. Inside, a storm was brewing. A very loud, very angry, metalbending storm named Lin Beifong.
Outside her office, Team Avatar and Tenzin waited. Or rather, most of them waited.
Bolin had his ear pressed so flat against the heavy oak door it looked like he was trying to phase through it. His eyes were wide with a mixture of fear and glee.
“Bolin, get away from there,” Mako hissed, his arms crossed tightly. “That’s the Chief’s private business.”
“It’s hardly dignified, Bolin,” Tenzin added, stroking his beard with a troubled expression.
Bolin waved a dismissive hand behind him, not daring to move his head from its crucial listening post. “Shhh! You’re going to miss the best part.” He straightened up slightly, cupping a hand to the side of his mouth as if holding a radio microphone.
“Greetings, sports fans!” he whispered in his best pro-bending announcer voice. “We’re coming to you live from the Republic City Police Station for a title match of epic proportions! In this corner, the challenger, former Interim Chief Saikhan, who seems to be employing a bold ‘standing there and sweating’ strategy!”
Korra, leaning against the opposite wall, snorted with laughter and gave him an encouraging thumbs-up. Asami, standing beside her, fought a smile. She had more reason than anyone to want to hear this, but she maintained her composure, a quiet satisfaction settling in her eyes.
“A muffled response from Saikhan!” Bolin narrated, pressing his ear back to the wood. “Something about… ‘following official council orders’… a weak jab that Beifong easily parries! And she comes back with a haymaker!”
The muffled, furious rumble from within the office suddenly crescendoed into a few distinct, audible words.
“…A DISGRACE TO THIS UNIFORM!”
Bolin winced theatrically. “Ooh! A direct hit! Beifong lands a devastating blow, citing the illegal curfew and the trumped-up arrests! She’s reminding him that he threw innocent citizens in jail, folks! Including children! And, let’s not forget, three of your favourite future pro-bending champions and their brilliant sponsor!” He winked at Mako and Asami, who just shook his head in exasperation.
“She’s bringing up the power grid shutdown!” Bolin continued, his voice dropping to a dramatic whisper. “A calculated, dirty move by Tarrlok, and Saikhan let it happen! The crowd is going wild!”
“We are not a crowd, Bolin,” Tenzin sighed.
“Chief Beifong is now questioning his ancestry, his tactical abilities, and the structural integrity of his spine! Saikhan is on the ropes! He’s looking for an out, but there’s nowhere to run in the ring of truth!”
Suddenly, a tremendous CRACK-THUDreverberated through the door, rattling the frame.
Instinct took over. In a flash, Mako’s hands were up, fists sputtering into flame. Korra dropped into a low fighting stance, a vortex of air swirling around her. Tenzin snapped into a defensive position in front of Asami, who had already braced herself, eyes scanning the hallway for an attack. The recent past had taught them that any sudden, violent noise could mean only one thing.
“Equalists!” Mako snarled.
“Stay back!” Tenzin commanded.
Bolin, however, hadn’t moved from the door. He slowly turned, a look of profound awe on his face, and held up a hand.
“False alarm, folks! False alarm!” he announced, his voice filled with reverence for the scene he’d just witnessed. “What a move! We’ve just seen a masterful defensive maneuver from Saikhan! Faced with an unstoppable verbal onslaught, he performed a full-body evasive dive behind Chief Beifong’s solid metal desk! The crowd has never seen anything like it!”
The tension in the hallway deflated like a punctured air-ball. Mako extinguished his flames with a frustrated sigh. Korra straightened up, her initial alarm melting into unrestrained glee.
Lin’s voice, now completely unhinged and impossibly louder, erupted again. The words themselves were indistinct, but the raw, unfiltered fury was as clear as crystal. It was the sound of a volcano that had just been told to fill out paperwork.
Bolin listened for another moment, his eyebrows shooting up to his hairline. He turned back to his ‘audience’ with a grave expression.
“Whoa,” he said, his announcer persona returning full-force. “And Chief Beifong… is not taking that display of cowardice well. She is now using some… very colourful language. Language that is, uh, definitely not appropriate for the younger members of our audience. For any folks at home with kids, you might want to cover their ears or perhaps just leave the arena entirely.”
Mako stared at him, his expression utterly deadpan.
“What ‘younger members,’ Bolin?”
Korra burst out laughing, clutching her stomach. Even Tenzin couldn't suppress a weary groan, pinching the bridge of his nose as if trying to ward off a migraine. Through the heavy oak door, the magnificent, terrifying tirade of Chief Lin Beifong raged on.
