𝐖𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 | 𝐓𝐥𝐨𝐊

XIII

The Triple Threat headquarters was a large three-story building with a restaurant on the first floor. Standing outside the front doors, Sora noticed that the building was uncharacteristically dark. And she didn't seem to be the only one to notice.

"Uh... good to know they evolved from abandoned warehouses," Sora muttered to herself as she dismounted Naga's back. "It's strangely quiet here, don't you think, Mako?" The woman exclaimed as she studied the building closely.

The boy nodded, also studying it as they got closer and closer to the building. "There's usually a few guards posted out front," Mako said as Korra slid off Naga's back. "Look, I think we need to be careful-"

Korra kicked the doors in before he could finish. And judging by the look of the restaurant, they weren't the first people to stop by that night. Tables were overturned, and chairs and broken plates were scattered across the carpeted floor. The place had been destroyed.

Sora passed between the two teenagers, stopping in the center while her eyes analyzed every corner of that room, visualizing the possible fight that caused all that destruction. Until her eyes fell under the carpet. It seemed to be covered in something. Leaning down, she narrowed her eyes and ran her finger along it. Bringing her finger to her face, Sora noticed how her index finger had become covered in a thin layer of gray powder. And the bitter smell that invaded her nostrils only confirmed that it was indeed-- ashes.' Firebending was used here. And the trail is still fresh.'

"Bolin, are you there?" Mako called carefully.

"You guys smell that, right?" Sora exclaimed as she got up from the ground, wiping her dirty finger on the fabric of her pants.

Korra nodded, feeling the bitter smell invading her airways. "I can smell fresh firebending," she says, exchanging a look with Sora. "That means–"

"Yes. That the fight did not take place here long ago." Sora stated as she approached one of the windows to observe any possible strange movement outside. But suddenly, both she, Mako, and Korra, turned around when they heard the roar of gears coming from behind the restaurant.

"The alley!" Mako said. He left cutting through the living room and the kitchen with Korra and Sora following close behind. The boy knocked against the door that led to the alley behind the restaurant. He stopped for a moment when he saw several masked men on motorcycles. Their faces were covered entirely with black cloth. Their silver-rimmed glasses glittered in the moonlight, mysteriously making them look like predatory insects.

Behind the masked bikers was a large cargo truck. Its back doors open, revealing the day's cargo: a bunch of gangsters bound and gagged. And trapped on the floor of the Triple Threat truck, was Bolin unconscious.

"What are you waiting for?" Exclaimed Sora before starting to run towards the truck, soon followed by Mako, ready to rescue Bolin.

The truck's wheels whistled as the vehicle rocked with its rear doors closing. Korra whistled for Naga, and when the polar bear dog arrived to meet her, she climbed onto Naga's back, ready to give chase. The bikers accelerated their gears, covering the truck's departure by throwing several metal cylinders at Korra, Naga, and Mako. The cylinders resonated across the ground, releasing smoke that filled the avenue, blocking their vision.

But before the smoke obscured Sora's vision, at her command, an earthen platform rose a little in front of her. She then sped up her run and used the platform to launch herself onto the roof of one of the buildings there. Following the moving truck, she ran between chimneys and dodged power lines, and when she saw her opportunity, she threw herself out of the roof in a leap, landing with a thud on top of the truck's roof. And without letting a second pass, Sora raised her hands and in one sharp movement, she opened the roof of the cargo in half, taking in the view of Bolin and the remaining hostages.